Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 6.5 creedmoor with a short barrel

6.5 creedmoor and short barrel. Does anyone shoot one?
I’ve got a Ruger American compact (16.1” barrel) in 6.5 creedmoor. Shoots Hornady American whitetail with the 129 Interlock in about an inch or less at 100 yards.
Box says velocity is 2820 at the muzzle, I’m guessing 24” barrel like their loading manual.
Factory numbers are
-7.7” at 300
-22.5 at 400

When I chronograph the load 5 shots averaged about 2530 fps.
Hornady ballistic calculator has this load dropping like a rock past 200 yards.

100 yards was called zero, velocity was down to 2340
200 yards: 2159fps, -4.9”
250: 2071fps, -10”
275:2028 fps, -13.3”
300:1986fps, -17.2”

I managed to miss a deer at about 225-250 yards, I’m thinking now that I shot under him.
Thanks,
Ronnie

How is it zeroed? How did you hold?

Zero 2.5” high at 100 yards.
Held about half way up the body just behind the shoulder.
Ronnie

The Hornady calcs you supplied indicat this should be dead on at 200. So redo the calcs with the zero distance set to 200 and then see what they suggest the drop was at your shot distance.

My run through shows about 4" low at 250.

That’s what I get with a zero of 200. Weather permitting I plan to try it at 250 yards this weekend.
Ronnie

Sounds like you flinched. That should have been just about right. Were you shooting offhand? I personally don't always like to trust the numbers. Guys should be verifying what their rifle and load does, before the hunt. Not guessing when you have a buck in your cross hairs. Also, another reason I generally suggest a scope with some reference points, like the ballistic plex reticle on the Burris FFII. That makes quick and easy work of this kind of stuff.

I'm shooting 139 to 143 gr bullets at about 2650 from a 24" barrel. That's chronographed. Running the numbers through a ballistics calculator my drop at 200 yards is 4". At 300 14.3". Only an inch different at 200 and 3" different at 300 than you're showing. Of course, I'm showing a lot more impact velocity. 2371 @ 200 and 2238 @ 300.

I prefer a 100 yard zero. No hold over needed at all to about 250 and even at 300 all I need is to see a bit of daylight below the crosshairs even with the drops you're getting. Beyond 300 you need a range finder and scope that can compensate for the drop with any cartridge. What I don't like about being 2-3" high at 100 is that you'll be 3-5" high between 150-250.

Where I hunt, I not only need to hit the animal, but miss tree limbs between me and the target. Bullets more than an inch above, or below, line of sight have a way of hitting unseen limbs. It's a lot easier to hold a little high at longer ranges where I may never shoot than complicate things at the ranges I will shoot.