22 Creedmoor Build Advice

[EXSOCAL]

I’m having a 22 Creedmoor barrel turned up for my AIAX and I have no experience with the cartridge whatsoever.I’m looking to use it in local matches and some long range fun in the desert.

I have a Krieger 4 groove, 6.5 twist medium Palma barrel coming so I’m looking for some advice on what length to cut the barrel to and which reamer to use. I plan on loading the 95gr SMK exclusively and would like to get them going at least 3200 without stressing the brass too much.

As far as brass goes, is is worth the effort of necking down Lapua 6 Creed brass or is the Alpha stuff decent?

Any other experience or tips on this particular cartridge would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[NICETRY]

If you’re on Facebook look up the 22 Creedmoor group. Tons of info there. I run a 22 Creed with 95 SMKs. You can push the 95 SMK to 3200 but for competition you’re better off to run it around 3100. I tried mine with RL26 and it would shoot awesome at 3170 but would form a carbon ring under match conditions and start to pressure real bad even popping primers out of the brass. Usually 100-150 rounds in. I switched to H4831SC and it’s easy to get 3100 out of it and it’s a hammer. So far 1220 yards is farthest I have taken it to but it hits harder than the 6BR and Dasher.
Barrel length I wouldn’t go under 24” I’m running mine at 25” with a TBAC silencer.
I would get the Alpha brass it is awesome stuff. I run the Federal GM215M primers. Start at 40 grains and work your way up. My load uses 42.2 grains of H4831SC.
At 1000 rounds in I have hardly any throat erosion so I think barrel life to be like a 6 Creed or better.

 

[Berserker1]

I read that a 1:7 barrel causes some bullets come apart. Hope you're going to be good with the 6.5 twist.

 

[Ndbowhunter]

how's 8 twist doe 88's?

 

[Clownbuster]

I read that a 1:7 barrel causes some bullets come apart. Hope you're going to be good with the 6.5 twist.

I shoot the 95 SMK @ 3000 fps out of a 7 twist 16.5" Proof in front of a TBAC Ultra 7 and haven't had any jacket failures or stability issues. As stated above, once you start pushing them past a certain point, the RPMs can cause issues. And obviously as the the throat erodes significantly, that will tear up the jackets before they even make it down the end of the tube.

 

[Clownbuster]

... and as far as brass goes, I have a dog in the fight as I make this brass for shooters in Lapua. I won't say anything negative about any other brass, but shooters and myself get 25+ firings on my Lapua brass with proper annealing.