25 Creedmoor and 131 Blackjacks

Lilja Riflebarrels

Private
Minuteman
Jun 25, 2019
63
30
Jumped on the 25 Creedmoor train this spring for my PRS build. Starting to really get it tuned in, struggled with LRP brass for a bit. Do yourself a favor and start with Alpha SRP.

I bought 6.5 Creedmoor and necked down to 25 cal. I've settled on H4350, 42.1 Grains gives me 2970 FPS and phenomenal grouping at 200 yards. For some reason this barrel likes to be jammed, which wasn't my first choice since I'll be shooting PRS matches with this. Only jamming .005 doesn't pull the bullet out though, so no issue I suppose.

I made a seating die from a Wilson blank using my chamber reamer. Resizing die was easy, swapped a 6.5 Creedmoor die with the correct .2820" bushing.

Lilja 1:7 twist 3-groove barrel, went with the MK13 Mod7 contour.

Edit :

For those interested, I've ended up changing my load quite a bit. My last PRS match last month I was really struggling with pressure issue's. It went so far that I was even putting my loaded magazines in coolers before I'd shoot to limit my stiff bolt lift
:eek:
:eek:
(definitely ruined some brass, which sucks.) Granted, it was 95 degrees out.

After visiting with a good friend, I decided to completely rework my load over. In my initial load development I spent a lot of time trying to get it to shoot at around .020" jump. I was encouraged to try jumping it between .060" and .100" and really drop my load back.

The attached photo's are some new loads I've settled on. 37.5 grains of powder, seated 2.800" which is .060" jump. Velocity was right at 2800, which is honestly a little slower than I was hoping for, but as good as it shoots I'm not going to complain. I've never been one to care about velocity, I am more concerned with how it performs on paper and steel at distance. Running it over the chrono, and 37.5 grains of H4350 gave me 2795 average over a 5 shot group, and a very nice ES of 6. I'll shoot it again in the morning at distance to verify my velocity and drops, and then hopefully smack a couple speed goats with it over the next couple of weeks.

20191004_134932.jpg
 

Attachments

  • 25 creedmoor.jpeg
    25 creedmoor.jpeg
    468.2 KB · Views: 107
  • 20190813_191821.jpg
    20190813_191821.jpg
    252.1 KB · Views: 109
  • 20190731_071958.jpg
    20190731_071958.jpg
    515.1 KB · Views: 112
I'm using SRP brass and the same 3 groove lilja barrel. I pressured out just over 3k fps, so I backed down to 2950 and found a good node. I've got about 500rds on the barrel and the pressure started to show again on the brass, along with slightly higher speeds. Seems like the barrel may be finally settling in all the way. I'll be readdressing my loads here too, probably have to drop down a bit. I was in the sweet spot for a while at 43.2gr, thinking I'll end up around 42.7 or so after the rework.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lilja Riflebarrels
I'm using SRP brass and the same 3 groove lilja barrel. I pressured out just over 3k fps, so I backed down to 2950 and found a good node. I've got about 500rds on the barrel and the pressure started to show again on the brass, along with slightly higher speeds. Seems like the barrel may be finally settling in all the way. I'll be readdressing my loads here too, probably have to drop down a bit. I was in the sweet spot for a while at 43.2gr, thinking I'll end up around 42.7 or so after the rework.

I ran into similar issue's. I don't think my barrel sped up, I just ran into a lot of pressure in that high heat. Dropped it way back and am a lot more happy with the results. Granted I'm giving up some velocity, but I'll take the results over velocity any day.
 
Tight groups are tight groups, no reason to look any further unless you just gotta have the speed. I tried a little LRP brass right in the beginning, but I couldn't push nearly as hard. I ran the SRP brass up to the point of light cratering and flattening, but never got any ejector marks. I think if I could find a harder primer and get my FP bushed, that I could step it up even farther. But why?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lilja Riflebarrels
RL16 has been the ticket for me. I ended up at 41.8gr in Alpha SRP brass. With 20 thou jump, I am going 2950. Very slight ejector marks but primers look good and bolt lift is easy, verified from 60 - 95 degrees. Definitely getting towards the hotter side though.

I think it’s best if we all come to terms with the fact that this is a high(er) pressure round, especially shooting Blackjacks. I have seen some obscenely high velocities posted with comparable barrels and setups, but based on my experience so far, I just don’t see how some of them are feasible. SRP certainly helps matters, but it is not some end-all component that suddenly allows you to shoot in the mid 3Ks.
 
I think it’s best if we all come to terms with the fact that this is a high(er) pressure round, especially shooting Blackjacks. I have seen some obscenely high velocities posted with comparable barrels and setups, but based on my experience so far, I just don’t see how some of them are feasible. SRP certainly helps matters, but it is not some end-all component that suddenly allows you to shoot in the mid 3Ks.

This.
 
What expanding mandrel are u guys using ?

I used 21st Century .2565 with Alpha brass. Just be cognizant if how much you’re sizing your brass down before expanding back up because it can flare your case mouths if the step is too steep.

Maybe try StaBall. I've been pretty impressed with the velocity and lack of pressure in a 6.5 CM. It seems much slower than H4350. I'm loading 45.3 grs of it in a 6.5 CM under 140's at 2800. I've shot up to 46.5gr without a single bit of pressure in LRP brass. And there's still plenty of room in the case. As a silty ball powder you can fit a lot of it in a case. Combine that with the slower burn rate and you should very well get the speed without pressure. Oh yeah, it's accurate too.

StaBall is the dirtiest powder I’ve seen. Makes RL16 look clean. I ditched mine real quick when I saw the first patch and buildup in my suppressor.
 
Okay. Have you considered shooting a slower burning powder using the same concept of capacity, pressure, and speed instead of shooting a faster powder for lower pressure at a low speed? I use RL23, 26, and 4831SC in my 6 Creeds and 6SLR. And there's still room in the case at top pressure.


Sure... Do you know what locktime is like in a 6mm barrel with any of those powders?
 
How long the bullet is in the barrel. If you notice that your accuracy suffers during positional shooting, especially with slower powders, consider trying a faster powder.
 
Try shooting a 6 Creed off a barricade in a 28-30” barrel with H1k and 105s. Let me know how your accuracy is. I wouldn’t recommend commenting on it until you try.
 
I used 21st Century .2565 with Alpha brass. Just be cognizant if how much you’re sizing your brass down before expanding back up because it can flare your case mouths if the step is too steep.



StaBall is the dirtiest powder I’ve seen. Makes RL16 look clean. I ditched mine real quick when I saw the first patch and buildup in my suppressor.
I’m kind of new to using the bushing die for resizing, I’m using a .282 bushing, as that’s what i
What is the recoil like on a 25 creed compared to a 6.5 creed, I assume the same pretty much?
about the same IMO
 
  • Like
Reactions: Darnett65
I’m kind of new to using the bushing die for resizing, I’m using a .282 bushing, as that’s what i

about the same IMO

I figured, it says on the website that it recoils less but with the same powder charge and a 9 grain lighter bullet I didn’t think that was accurate