I think I hate my new 6.5 Creedmoor

[Chopper]

I just bought the 12 LRP 6.5 Creedmoor. I've read every post I can find re load data, etc. I own a lot of accurate, precision rifles
and I've been reloading for years...But I can't get this thing to shoot no matter what.
I've tried three different powders and a half dozen loads for the 142 SMK. I've tried several different loads for the 120Amax.
The 142's were all 3/4 inches apart in different directions. The 120's were spraying like crazy.

I've never experienced so much frustration on a rifle and i never thought it could happen
with a Savage. I've got about 90 rounds down the pipe and I'm ready to dump it.

Has anyone else ever had this happen? I'm stumped.

[stangfish]

What powders and what recipes? I dont remember the twist on that rifle...It may like something lighter.
I found it. it is an 8.

[fgw_in_fla]

My young friend Matt had one of those. He was getting excellent results with H4350 and some Hornady factory ammo.
I cam PM him for the size / type if you want.

Frank in Fla

[Westcliffe01]

So nothing has shot well ? I will be the first to say that maybe you have a bedding issue ? The model 12 does not have a bedding block and my action was pretty sloppy in the stock. So that would be the #1 place to start. I looked it up and supposedly the LPR has a HS precision stock, but any of these stocks still needs to be bedded.

What else can you tell us about your setup ? Which scope rail do you have and which rings and what scope ? I can't tell you how many stories I have heard in recent times of people trying to zero scopes on EGW rails and running out of travel on 75 MOA scopes before they are zeroed. That does not sound like your story, but just relating.

If you have a good gunsmith nearby, I would take the rifle there and inspect the chamber, throat and muzzle with a bore scope. Every now and then a barrel slips through the Savage QC system with horrendous chatter marks, Savage has always replaced them.

Have you verified your MV ? If you want to run a stability calculation on a given bullet, the MV will be a key determining factor on whether one will be stable. Bad grouping with heavy bullets points first and foremost to potential instability or marginal stability. I tried to look it up, but Seirra doesn't list a recommended barrel twist, nor do they give a length to use in a stability calculation. I suggest you go to the Berger website and plug in the numbers to the stability calculator and see what that tells you. A 120 sounds a lot more modest. I notice that both of the Berger hunting bullets list min 1:8 barrel twist but velocity will be a factor in determining where you fall.

[limige]

Usually h4350 41-42.5 gr with a 140 vld or amax will shoot supurb.

If they dont you might have a bad barrel there have been several people that have gotten lemons other win competitions. Im guessing you have a bad barrel contact savage.

[Westcliffe01]

The OP's story sounds about like my experience the first time out with a Remington. But meanwhile I have learned to anticipate "the issues". If it is not the bedding, then it sounds like a bigger kind of problem. Throat out of whack, wrong bore/groove size etc etc. If the MV was way below expectations that would point to a wrong bore size.

[Chopper]

Thank you all for taking the time to reply. I'm wondering the same thing as limige. I cleaned the barrel before break in and it seemed particularly dirty and rough. I thought it would get better with break in but it's actually worse. I mean...I can't believe how bad
it shoots.
Re powder...I don't have any H4350 but I do have IMR 4350. I also tried H 4831 and 4064. I read that someone was using Varget with the 120Amax but I had even worse luck with that. I looked at all the tables and IMR seems to allow for maybe .2 more grains than H. I read about post about the guy with a stock rifle like mine who had outstanding results with 41.5 and 142 smks. Even with the difference in powder it shouldn't be as Godawful as it is.
I'll try Savage and see what happens.
Thanks to all

[Westcliffe01]

Ideally you should try to identify what the issue is before sending it back. Often a smith will look at the bore with a borescope with either no charge or a nominal charge. That can be very revealing.

This was the post I was referring to regarding chatter marks in the bore. Pretty ridiculous that anything that bad could get out the factory.

http://www.savageshooters.com/showthread.php?19400-Barrel-break-in-or-no-break-in&p=149595&viewfull=1#post149595

[243LPR]

The LRP's do have an aluminum bedding block and barrel is free floated,however the barrel on mine looks like it was drilled with threaded rod. Don't overclean,shoot dirty and see what happens. Also take it out of the stock and check everything.Check front scope base screw and make sure it isn't bottomed out on the barrel(screw too long),try a different scope.Also try different torque on the action screws. I was very disappointed with mine too but Savage checked it and now it's starting to shoot better,sub moa @ 200.

[308law]

My 223 factory barrel took several hundred rounds to get broke in. When it was new you couldn't hardly get a patch through it. I had about given up, but decided to just shoot the crap out of it on an upcoming PD shoot, after I got back it was fine, but it probably had 500 rounds through it.

[stomp442]

Could be something as simple as seating depth too. Pick the load that has shot best so far and adjust the bullet out to touch the lands and then back it off in .005 increments and see if it tightens up any.

[wbm]

Why not just cut to the chase?
If it won't shoot IMR or H4350 with 140gr Amax's or a 120gr with Varget and it isn't a problem with anything other than the barrel it is cursed! I would be thinking of dumping it also.

[fgw_in_fla]

Why not just cut to the chase?
If it won't shoot IMR or H4350 with 140gr Amax's or a 120gr with Varget and it isn't a problem with anything other than the barrel it is cursed! I would be thinking of dumping it also.

This guy just may be on to something...

Better send it to me & I'll do a full evaluation. I'll get it back to you in a few months, all ready to go - load work up included....

[bama1]

My 260 LRP will not shoot 140 amax,sst,Bergers, or the 142 SMK. You do not want to be in front of a 130 berger though! I do pretty good with 139 Lapua and H4831. It's hard to top the 130 berger and H4350 in my gun.

[homefrontsniper]

If 120 don't with varget somethings not right. Hornadys data. And 142 Smk is king. Ship it goodbye

[darkker]

Sounds just like MZ5's.... Get your bore scope out and take a look inside, we call that "corrugated".Sorry to hear they let more of them slip out like that. Bankruptcy years quality party deux.

[Westcliffe01]

Odd that Savage would not list it as having an accustock when it has one. Disappointing if this is another potential barrel issue. So far I had a Rem 700 with a crap barrel, a TC Icon with a awful 5R barrel in 308 and now Savage is going to ship more and more of this stuff too ? If I get one it is going straight back and they will make it right if I have to picket in front of the house of the CEO....


The LRP's do have an aluminum bedding block and barrel is free floated,however the barrel on mine looks like it was drilled with threaded rod.

[Savage13]

Just got back from the range today with my 12 LRP in 6.5 CM. It was shooting the 140 FACTORY ammo great. 20 rounds under half an inch @ 100 yards. I shot hand loads today had the SAME results. My hand loads are 142 SMK 41.5 grns of H4350 seated ON the lands. YES I know every gun is different but I can say this. If that gun isn't shooting anything you try send it back to Savage and they WILL make it right. Before you send it back as others have said check EVERY screw on that gun make sure EVERYTHING is tight. Also I may have missed it but what scope do you have on it and are you sure that the scope is in good working order. I thought I had problems with my .257 Roberts shooting too large of groups. When I swapped to a higher powered scope my group size shrank by a lot. Also my barrel in the 12 LRP seemed to be rough when i cleaned it the first time. I got some JBs non embedding bore paste from Cabela's (can also get it from Brownells) and cleaned the snot out of the barrel. Now when I clean it feels like glass.



Heres a link to the JB bore paste
http://www.brownells.com/gun-cleaning-chemicals/solvents-degreasers/bore-cleaning-paste/j-b-reg-non-embedding-bore-cleaning-compound-prod1160.aspx

[Chopper]

Of course, I checked the torque on all the screws and did all the checks. We ran paste through the barrel on day one
because, like Savage 13, the barrel felt rough as hell when we first set her up.
The scope is a Nikon Monarch 6-2450. I just took off my Cooper
6x47 where it was getting me bugholes at 200 yards so I know it's sound. I can throw on a Nightforce or one of my big Sightrons and see
what happens. I appreciate all the advice and I will most definitely pack it up and ship it back.
Thanks, Guys

[Westcliffe01]

It sounds like we need to do borescope inspections of our new rifles now before we leave the FFL.... We are becoming like a 3rd world country...