Gunsmithing Ever have precision barrels throated & chambered for specific factory match ammo?
- Thread starter Milf Dots
- Start date
Did you have one chambered for factory ammo or are you looking to?
Most 6.5 Creedmoors are chambered with the SAAMI reamer with factory ammo in mind so in a way they all are. You can get a number of different freebores though but you’d need to determine that based on an ammunition measurement for what you’re going to shoot, and then hope that spec doesn’t change and that ammo likes whatever jump you choose for it and shoots good in that barrel. If it needs a short FB and doesn’t work out you’re kinda stuck with it or you might be jamming other factory loads. The chance of getting a perfect throat for both 130’s and 143’s is probably not going to happen.
Personally I’d just stick with whatever the gunsmith cutting the barrel recommends for factory ammo across the spectrum. I think most use a .150 or .160 FB.
Most 6.5 Creedmoors are chambered with the SAAMI reamer with factory ammo in mind so in a way they all are. You can get a number of different freebores though but you’d need to determine that based on an ammunition measurement for what you’re going to shoot, and then hope that spec doesn’t change and that ammo likes whatever jump you choose for it and shoots good in that barrel. If it needs a short FB and doesn’t work out you’re kinda stuck with it or you might be jamming other factory loads. The chance of getting a perfect throat for both 130’s and 143’s is probably not going to happen.
Personally I’d just stick with whatever the gunsmith cutting the barrel recommends for factory ammo across the spectrum. I think most use a .150 or .160 FB.
The SAAMI freebore for the 6.5 Creedmoor is .199" and as mentioned it's set up for factory ammo and is about a .070" jump with the .199 and the 140 ELD-M so if you wanted less you can have them use a shorter reamer like a .169 but I wouldn't go much shorter than .160". I use SAAMI on my Creedmoors.
Why not shorter than 160 for 6.5 CM?
Preferred Barrels published a comparison with diff FB and diff bullets and 150 seemed to be best performing.
I have two rifles in 6.5 CM and both are SAAMI and yes, closest I can get when new is about .080” to lands due to max mag length w binder plate (and I do take an added .010” off CBTO to ensure fitting mag length given variation in bullet length).
And my max mag length reloads are longer by a good bit over any factory ammo I have measured.
I was thinking about 150 FB in next barrel to give me more room to explore seating depth tuning. I shoot Berger 140 HT and 140 ELD-M.
So why 160?
You can go as short as you want but just giving my opinion on where to set it so you aren’t jammed into the lands. I have never jammed lands and don’t plan to. .150 would give you about .020” off with factory ammo and people like to seat out longer to get boattails to sit certain places and you kind of limit options if the freebore is too short. I had a .169 freebore once and it shot great but was loading the same oal that shot great with the .199 also. That is why I said about .160 is the lowest I would go.
