Took The Stealth To the Range - A Few Questions

Man what a lovely gun to shoot. I had never shot a creedmoor rifle so I was expecting it to shoot a bit like a 308 but i found the recoil to be quite a bit better than the 308 amazingly. This mag does better on 8 rounds than 10. Never wants to get that first round loaded. The bolt is a little bit stiff, anyone else have this issue ? Not a big issue. Just not as easy going as some other bolt action guns I've shot.

I bore sighted and she shot pretty well at 100 yrds. Just spent the day getting to know the rifle and the scope. Going back for more next weekend. Found that a bipod on this rifle isn't necessary for distance shooting. I ended up taking it off and just using sand bags, had way better shots. The cheek rest on the stock isn't the most comfortable thing, and on a cold day it definitely isn't. Im going to be looking for a solution for that if anyone has any ideas.

Creedmoor ammo is EXPENSIVE. At least here in CA. $40 a box with tax for 140 grain Hornady match. I may have to order some online find a good deal somewhere have it shipped to my FFL. Or make my own. Anyone found that making their own 6.5 rounds is any cheaper ?

Sorry to just blurt here.

Making your own will always be cheaper. Setting aside the cost of reloading equipment. If you load for multiple calibers/want the best accuracy you can achieve/plan to shoot the rifle a good amount or just love shooting and reloading/working on rifles as a hobby then reloading is the way to go. I reload for my 260 Rem, similar to creed using same brands of components (Lapua/Sierra/Hornady/CCI/H4350 powder) and last I checked I was around $10 for a box of 20. Obviously using the brass multiple times.

I use a cheek pack on my aluminum cheek rests

I’d almost have to feel the bolt to give an opinion on that. Savage actions can be less smooth then others. If it’s hard to close on loaded rounds then it could be a variety of things. Tight chamber which savage has been known to have, up to incorrect headspace or bullets contacting lands

Savage's are known for having a bolt timing issue which causes a hard spot in the bolt lift when cocking the firing pin.

On the cheek rest, you could try some 1/8" thick foam pad (hobby/craft store) adhered to the cheek riser with some 3M spray adhesive.

6.5 Creedmoor ammo is actually fairly cheap compared to some other rounds - at least in the States. Been a year or so since I bought any, but last time I did I'm thinking it ranged anywhere from $20-27/box for 140gr match loads. Compared to most of the premium hunting ammo on the market these days that's fairly reasonable.

You would have to check the component prices as well. It’s CA so who knows. Your ammo cost more unless your just not shopping around. Meaning the cost of powder or primers etc could cost more as well. Mitigating the savings to reload. Shipping with hazmat fees might not save you much than just buying ammo. Again I’m not in CA so I don’t know if the costs are increases just because of the state

Where in the cycle is the bolt stiff? Initial opening, closing, sliding forward or back? As mentioned, Savage bolts are not known for being smooth, but, I have found that they get better with time.

Reloading. It depends on how much you shoot. The cost of the equipment can be quite steep. I'd price it out and see how long it would take to pay for it. The biggest benefit is you can load premium match grade ammo much less than you can buy it. But, it is also an investment of time. Takes a lot longer to load a round than it does to shoot it. And you need some space to set it up. You will also need to like the idea of doing it. If it is a chore then you will be reluctant to reload. I like reloading almost as much as I like shooting but others do not.

Not an easy decision to make if you don't shoot that much.

For me, based upon more than 6,000 rounds of 6.5mm Creedmoor, the average cost per round is $0.641 per round or 12.82 a box of 20.

Cost of all the factory rounds that I have used for comparison of match ammo to my reloads and to test hunting rounds average out at 1.257 a round.

I've been reloading for lots of years and am approaching 45,000 rounds reloaded in 8 1/2 years so my $1,800 worth of reloading equipment and dies was amortized long ago over that quantity of reloads.

I've been reloading for my 6.5mm Creedmoor rifles for about 2 years and have used premium bullets exclusively - Sierra 123, 140 and 142 SMKs, 130 TMK and 130 TGKs, Berger 140 grain Match, Long Range and Hybrids, Hornady 140 and 147 ELD-Ms.
I use Lapua brass and CCI BR-4 and CCI 400 small rifle primers although I have also used Federal 205M SRPs, and Federal 210M large rifle Match primers.
I use IMR 4451 Enduron or IMR4350 powders primarily because they give me the most accurate results with my rifles. I have also used N150, Reloader 17, and IMR4064 to test accuracy as well.
I load for accuracy, not to save money, so these components are not the cheapest you can find and are probably closer to the high end of the cost spectrum
But I buy do bullets in 500 quantity (actually bought 2,000 140 gr. Hornady ELD-M bullets recently, and powder in 8 lb. batches so I saved some over smaller quantity purchases.
I'm sure a reloader who wants to be frugal could easily save more per round.