A simple case gauge or case-check tool will drastically reduce ammo-related stoppages.
Some mistakes you make only once.
If you want to practice more, you reload your ammo. If you want the best-possible ammo for a given competition, you reload your ammo. And, sooner or later, when vacuuming up the range, you’ll pick up a piece of brass that won’t chamber after you’ve gone to the trouble of cleaning, sizing, priming and loading it. Usually that happens in a match. Murphy’s Law and such.
That night you’ll be searching out case gauges online. Save yourself the match hassle and do it now. Case checkers are simple—a steel or aluminum block with the chamber reamed to absolute minimum chamber dimensions. These are used in rifle reloading to check the “shoulder bump,” the setting back of the shoulder you check so you have a proper headspacing setup in your reloading. You use them a bit differently for handguns.
Many people make case checkers: Just get the caliber you need … and use it. These are from EGW and Dillon.
After you’ve sorted and cleaned your brass (and checked for cracked ones as well), load your ammo. Once you have a batch or several loaded, simply spend some boring alone time dropping each loaded round into the case gauge. Then, turn the gauge over to let it fall out. If this is your match ammo, you’d be wise to also look at and touch the primer on each one to make sure it’s properly seated (not sideways, upside down or crushed) … and below flush.
If a round won’t drop completely of its own weight, it fails. If it won’t drop out of its own weight when you turn the case gauge over, it fails. Set the fails aside.
What passes is your good ammo, and you can practice or compete with it with complete confidence. What do you do with the fails? Learn. First, inspect them. Do they appear normal? Good. Keep them. The ones where the bullet caught the case mouth and crumpled the case, slipped sideways and did the same, or other case-mangling errors are discards. You might not be belling the empties enough, or you might be ham-handed in setting bullets or pulling the press handle.
Case checkers are caliber-specific. There’s no “one size fits all,” so buy the calibers you’ll be loading.
Learn what you’re doing wrong and correct it.
When you practice, take along the box of fails. If you’ve been paying attention, they won’t be many, and they’ll probably be cases that are slightly swelled at the base and won’t pass case-check. Shoot your normal practice session.
Now, pick up all your brass (and whatever else you’re in the habit of hoovering up at the gun club). Load a magazine with the fails and shoot them. If they all work, then you know your case gauge is more discriminating than your chamber. So, unless a checked round sticks halfway out of the case-checker, it’s probably still good to go. (Keep them as practice rounds anyway, not as match rounds.)
You have to learn if your chamber and the checker are in agreement. This round is just barely not-passing, but it’ll probably work fine in most pistols. Learn about yours; test-shoot the rejects.
If more than just one or two fail in your handgun, then you know the checker and your chamber are in close agreement, and anything that fails the case gauge is “end of practice” ammo only. In that case, you now pick up those empties and deposit them in the trash. You’re performing a public service to fellow club members by getting oversized brass out of circulation.
Where does this brass come from? Some is just bad brass. A quick search will uncover the names and headstamps of brass to avoid. But some of it comes from one of your own club members, who either has a grossly oversized chamber or is running his pressures too high and over-expanding brass.
Don’t let his situation become your problem. Check your ammo and make your practice good, not just malfunction-clearing afternoons.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the May 2022 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
If you have a Remington 700 SA-pattern rifle and have been looking for an affordable upgrade, the new MDT Field Stock has a lot to offer.
Whether you’re a competitive long-range shooter, a serious hunter or just someone who enjoys shooting paper at the range, there’s a good chance you have a rifle that features the ubiquitous Remington 700 Short Action. If so, and you’re in the market for an affordable upgrade, the new MDT Field Stock is worth a look.
MDT describes its new Field Stock as being entry-level, but it still has quite a few features for the price. Firstly, accuracy is improved by aluminum v-block bedding and a free-floated barrel. The injection-molded polymer body is lightweight at only 3.1 pounds, making it easy to carry, and MDT says that the grip remains warm to the touch in any weather condition. Furthermore, length of pull spacers and an adjustable cheek riser allow for a perfect fit with any shooter.
Other features of the MDT Field Stock include sling studs on the buttstock and forend for attaching a sling or a bipod, compatibility with AICS-pattern magazines and M-LOK slots on the forend’s bottom and sides for installing other accessories. Each stock also ships with all necessary mounting hardware.
The MDT Field Stock is currently only offered in black or FDE for Remington 700 SA-pattern rifles, but fits for other actions will be added in the future. MSRP is $299.95 and it’s available now.
A look at the history of Weatherby and its uncompromising commitment to ballistic innovation, top-notch manufacturing and the American dream.
Roy Weatherby started his company’s namesake in 1945. Now, three generations of Weatherby leadership later, there are no signs of Roy’s vision slowing down—just like the cartridges he designed more than 75 years ago.
Much has been written about the gregarious Roy E. Weatherby, and how one of the most prolific and innovative firearms manufacturers of all time began. Fans and competitors alike know well the story of how Roy started his sporting goods company right after World War II, building one rifle at a time. Some may even know that Roy’s inspiration for his need for ballistic speed was a less-than-stellar Utah hunting experience he had early (1942) in his career. He wanted a better cartridge for the hunter to be successful—and the game hunted to suffer less.
So, Roy tinkered. He innovated. He pushed successful cartridges well beyond their comfort zones, and when his wildcat cartridges needed a stronger firearm, he built one with the Mark V action in 1958. As Roy’s customer base increased, so did their want and need for firearms. In 1967, Roy added shotguns to his arsenal. In 1970, he added the Vanguard line of rifles to cater to Weatherby fans who wanted his firearms in non-Weatherby cartridges.
Weatherby’s outgrew its space, and, in 1951, relocated to Firestone Boulevard just around the corner from the original store. It housed the store, gun shops, offices and even a 100-yard underground rifle range. Sportsmen and women came from far and near to visit Weatherby’s. (Photo credits: Weatherby).
What About Today?
Philosophically, not much has changed since 1945, because the Weatherby family has mastered remaining the same while being different.
“As I look at Weatherby today, there are three main things that set us apart,” said Adam Weatherby. “One: ballistic superiority. Two: quality craftsmanship. And, three: brand prestige. These three things have largely got us to where we are today.”
And it appears that a thirst for velocity, ballistic innovation and firearm craftsmanship are hereditary. First observed in Roy in 1945, the Weatherby way was evident in his son, Ed, when he took over in 1983, and again in his grandson, Adam, who took the helm of Weatherby in 2017.
“My grandfather started Weatherby Inc. in 1945 as a result of his passion for ballistic superiority and ultra-high velocity,” Adam said. “His drive to deliver quality craftsmanship and superior service created a multi-generational firearm and ammunition business that I get the pleasure of running today.
Roy Edward Weatherby founded Weatherby, Inc., in 1945.
“My father taught me the ethics of shooting and hunting from a young age, and I’m very grateful for that,” Adam continued. “I have had the opportunity to share many hunts and experiences with some incredible folks in the industry over the years. Since I was brought up in the family business, I could rely on industry professionals I’ve had the pleasure of meeting along the way. Honestly, Bruce Pettet (CEO, Leupold) has been one of those guys for me. Having been a CEO for the last couple of decades, he provides me with insight and advice from an outside perspective that has been very influential.”
Still, there’s another layer to Adam that few may know, which has helped evolve Adam and the Sheridan, Wyoming, company into what they are today.
“Many people may not know this, but I left the family business for several years as I worked in full-time Christian ministry,” Adam said. “I would not go back and trade those years for anything. As I spent that time focusing on peoples’ lives and the things that matter the most, it helped prepare me to lead the business I now find myself in. I truly have a passion for firearms and the outdoors, but that doesn’t compare to the importance of caring for people and seeing them pursue what is most important.”
While Roy Weatherby’s cartridge development was driven by speed first and foremost, in the 6.5 RPM Adam Weatherby sought to maximize speed while staying in the smaller, lighter six-lug Mark V action. The result was the fastest 6.5 that could be made to fit, allowing for a hunting rifle weighing just 4.9 pounds.
Lofty Goals Of Excellence
What exactly should today’s Weatherby customer expect under Adam’s leadership?
“When a customer chooses a Weatherby, they’re getting a firearm from a multi-generational, family owned U.S. business that has provided a premium product for decades,” Adam said. “That heritage and history is combined with a drive for innovation, delivering a unique, premium product line within the shooting and hunting space.”
Looking forward, Adam focuses on what he wants the Weatherby brand to be to ensure the brand lives on generations from now.
“I hope that Weatherby will always be a premium brand in the outdoor space,” said Adam. “The risks involved with relocating the business a few years ago were taken on to ensure the brand’s ability to thrive as we look toward the future.”
One of Adam Weatherby’s innovations is the Mark V Backcountry 2.0 Ti. Weighing 4.7 pounds, and 4.9 pounds in magnum chamberings, this is the lightest in the Backcountry 2.0 family.
While well-built firearms and super-fast cartridges are synonymous with all of the Weatherby’s, what may stand out as Adam’s pivotal business triumph wasn’t a ballistic decision—but a geographic one.
“My grandfather and father were able to lay a foundation for a world-renowned firearm and ammunition brand,” Adam continued. “I now have the incredible privilege of building on that foundation. Our move to Wyoming in 2019 has helped propel us into the future as we pursue not only innovation, but also vertical integration in what I would consider the most gun-friendly and business-friendly state in the country. We have grown and established an incredible team in Sheridan, Wyoming, that not only love what they do but have the unique opportunity of living at the feet of the Bighorn Mountains.”
In 2019, Weatherby officially moved from Paso Robles, California, to Sheridan, Wyoming, creating more than 70 jobs.
Adam’s Weatherby isn’t without its unique challenges, however. The ongoing COVID-19 troubles spared no one—even the firearms industry.
“Whereas some companies are highly affected by the boom/bust of political spikes, those market fluctuations affect our brand less because our product line differs from many of those companies,” Adam said. “Without a doubt, the largest external influence this past year has been the supply chain challenges we have faced.”
Pandemics aside, Adam and Weatherby have continued to navigate the firearms manufacturing community differently than many. Adam said an example of a different direction for Weatherby is their decision to continue providing a premium product regarding their rifle offerings.
“During the past decade, there was a race to the bottom to provide the rifles at an incredibly low price,” Adam said. “Although some of our competitors were able to do this and increase volumes successfully, it was a strategic decision for us to not go below a certain price point. We used that opportunity to ‘feature up’ our products to add more value. In the end, it has worked very well for our brand.”
Adam Weatherby with the first animal ever taken with his new cartridge, the 6.5 RPM.
What does the future hold for the firearms community and, more specifically, Weatherby?
“As for the firearms industry, I wish I knew,” Adam said. “These past couple years have been some crazy ones, and the answer to this question takes some excellent crystal ball reading skills. As for Weatherby, we will continue to take advantage of our recent brand momentum and look toward the future with innovation and new product launches, while paying attention to the quality and service that our company was founded upon. I sure would love to think that Weatherby’s best years are still to come.”
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the February 2022 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
The new Springfield Echelon duty pistol may seem unassuming on the surface, but it has some interesting tricks up its sleeve.
You’re probably looking at this and thinking, “Man, what the gun world really needs right now is a 9mm, polymer-framed, striker-fired handgun.” Because no one is making those, right? Normally, we’d tend to agree with you, but because this pistol was developed with help from one of the greatest shooters the world has seen, we’re not that jaded. Yet.
We first clapped eyes on Springfield’s newest offering about two years ago at a range in Croatia. Back then, it didn’t have a name, but representatives from the company had great hopes for it, as did their local partners at HS Produkt.
Springfield’s existing polymer handgun line, built around the venerable XD, was looking a bit long in the tooth, and it was way past time for a refresh. One of the people directing the project was Springfield’s pro staffer, competitor, trainer, and all-round good guy, Rob Leatham. And when you have a multiple-time world champion driving the train, little details tend to get noticed.
Nuts & Bolts Of The Springfield Echelon
Think of a generic striker-fired handgun, and now think of any progress in design that’s been made in its development over the past 40 years. Let’s take grip texturing, for example.
When the Gen 1 Glock 17 came out, it had a lightly textured grip surface, which when placed in wet or bloody hands, was about as secure as a bar of soap.
This led to the next generation of perfection, which confined the same texturing to side panels, while adding deep checkering to the front and backstraps. The third gen added finger grooves, which hindered as many people as they helped.
Gen 4 gave us a uniformly rougher texture all over the grip but kept the finger grooves. And finally, in the fifth iteration, Glock listened to their customers, got rid of the finger grooves, and came out with a Goldilocks texture.
Springfield has vaulted right past all of that bullsh*t and endowed the Echelon with a fine, uniform texture applied to all contact surfaces, which provides plenty of traction, but won’t tear up your shirt or skin when carried IWB.
And while figuring out where to place your hand might be more difficult as a result, Springfield decided in this case to forgo the grip zone.
Now think of every other aspect of pistol design, how it could be improved on any given model, and you’ll probably find it here.
Like the SIG P320, the Echelon is a chassis gun. This provides numerous benefits to the user, including the ability to swap out grip modules should it become damaged and, usually, a more consistent trigger pull.
Unlike SIG, Springfield chose to equip the Echelon frame with replaceable backstraps in order to tailor the gun to the shooter, but there’s also an option to replace the entire frame. The medium-sized backstrap will probably accommodate 80 percent of users, but it’s good to have alternatives if you fall outside this percentile.
Aftermarket frame surgeons will go hungry if they base their business around the Echelon, as it already has a double undercut trigger guard and stippling every place you can think of, including the magazine basepads. Hell, the factory even textured the end of the recoil spring guide rod, but what function that might perform is anybody’s guess.
Lefties will rejoice, as the pistol is fully ambi, including the magazine catch. That’s right, there’s no need to swap the button from left side to right, as there’s already one in place, well shielded from accidental operation but still easily accessible.
The slide release looks kind of small, but we had no problem either finding it during an emergency reload or using it to lock the slide open for administrative handling. It, too, is shielded with a small fence molded into the grip. The other vital control, the one which makes loud noises, has a conventional blade safety in its face, which when depressed sits perfectly flush with the trigger’s surface.
Pull weight on our sample came in at 5.5 pounds, and there’s about a ¼ inch of take-up before reaching the wall, followed by a 16th of an inch rolling break and almost zero overtravel. Is it as good as a Walther or Canik? No, but it probably wouldn’t be too hard to bring it up to speed, and for a handgun aimed squarely at the LE market, it’s a good, duty-style bang switch.
Due to advances in manufacturing, particularly stamping, HS Produkt is able to hold much tighter clearances than before, which translates into a very solid-feeling pistol with almost no play between slide and guide rails.
Anyone who’s dry-fired a 320 with an MRDS is familiar with “dot jump” as the sear slips off the striker — don’t worry, it’s harmless and disappears with a loaded mag, but it’s due to slop caused by guide rails that aren’t bent at a 90-degree angle. In the Echelon, this phenomenon is almost completely absent.
Like a lot of modern striker-fired handguns, the Echelon makes extensive use of metal injection molding (MIM) in its small parts. Curmudgeon traditionalists will no doubt shudder and reminisce longingly over the days when billet-machined components were the norm, but a) forget it, those days aren’t coming back, and b) MIM is an excellent way to make stuff, so long as the part is designed with the process in mind.
When we visited their factory, HS Produkt’s engineers proudly showed off their new Hot Isostatic Pressing machine, which decreases the porosity of MIM parts and greatly increases their strength. It does so by placing the components inside a large pressure vessel filled with argon gas, which is then heated, and the internal pressure increased to up to 30,000 psi.
If that sounds like a good way to level a small town in the event of something going wrong, you’d be correct (and one of the engineers joked to us that it was the reason he had a 20-minute commute).
One component definitely not MIM’d is the barrel, which is hammer forged in-house. While some might bag on the Springfield XD series for their grip safety (and let’s get in another dig at the grip zone, while we’re at it), no one complains about accuracy. We have a 5.25-inch barreled XDm in the collection, which is one of the most accurate handguns we’ve ever shot, and used it to place in Production class at the Bianchi Cup.
The Echelon’s barrels come from the same place, and given Leatham’s fanaticism, we expect run-of-the-mill guns coming off the line to have the same kind of potential. Certainly, our preproduction sample left nothing to be desired, turning in 1.2-inch groups at 25 yards with its preferred ammo. That was Norma’s 108-grain MHP, in case you were wondering.
These days, it’d be notable if a handgun’s slide wasn’t cut for optics (looking at you, Dan Wesson), and the Echelon doesn’t disappoint. If you look at the underside, there’s an aha! moment when you realize the striker safety plunger has been moved from the usual position so that there’s no chance it can interfere with optics mounting screw locations, and the optics cut can be made as low as possible.
With an RMR bolted up, the red dot’s body sits low enough that standard-height iron sights will cowitness easily, but the slightly thicker SRO means only the top of the front sight is visible through the glass but is still usable in an emergency. For anyone who doesn’t want to avail themselves of the wonders of technology, a cover plate takes care of the unsightly hole, the front sight is bright, green, and tritium-illuminated, while the rear sight is a wide, white-lined U-notch.
Aggressive front and rear cocking serrations adorn the slide’s surface and also serve to reduce reciprocating mass. At the rear is a tapered notch that provides an additional nonslip contact point for anyone slingshotting the slide into battery.
If you’re an XD owner looking to upgrade with another Springfield, then we have a bit of bad news for you: The mags you collected along the way don’t work in the new gun. While they look almost identical, the mag catch slot sits a little higher in Echelon magazines, which makes us believe someone will proudly show off their Dremel skills on Reddit the day after getting their paws on the new gun.
Rounds Downrange
What can we say? It works. When you combine every proven design feature that’s surfaced in duty guns over the past four decades, it’s safe to assume the resulting mix will be pretty damn good. And so it is with the Echelon.
We wish we could find something about it that really grinds our gears, but other than the trigger being about a pound heavier than we’d like in a duty gun, there really isn’t anything negative to say about it. Recoil management is excellent, thanks to its grip shape and texture, and it shoots like a laser beam due to the tight lockup between barrel and slide, aided by minimal slide to frame fit.
Optics users will rejoice at the slide interface, which makes suppressor-height sights utterly redundant and fits the widest range of MRDS options. After a long wait, Springfield has a serious contender in the crowded duty gun market and will no doubt sell a metric asston of them. Or at least they would, if only there were some way to figure out where to place your hand…
If you’ve been looking to build or upgrade an AR, between KeyMod vs. M-LOK handguards, which is right for you?
If you don't want to use quad rails or a traditional handguard on that next AR build (or if you're looking to put more modern furniture on your current rifle), your two options are either KeyMod or M-LOK.
Is one generally better than the other? Do either offer any niche advantages? What are the best handguard models for each style?
M-LOK (left) vs. KeyMod (right).
What Are KeyMod And M-LOK?
KeyMod and M-LOK were both invented to mount various accessories to an AR-style rifle without the bulk and weight of a quad rail “cheese grater” handguard.
Besides offering more attachment points for accessories, both styles of handguards often provide another key advantage: free-floating. Because most M-LOK and KeyMod handguard models attach to the barrel nut rather than the barrel itself, they improve a rifle’s potential for mechanical accuracy. This is opposed to traditional handguards that also attach to the barrel, meaning that force imparted on the handguard can transfer to the barrel and affect the point of impact. Because of this, some people opt to run a KeyMod or M-LOK handguard not because they want to attach any specific accessories but because they just want their barrel to be free-floated.
A free-float M-LOK handguard and the barrel nut to which it attaches.
While free-floating has undoubtedly become the more popular and available style, be aware that not all M-LOK or KeyMod handguards are free-floated. Some of the less expensive and simpler handguards that feature these attachment systems are still installed the traditional way.
Who Created KeyMod And M-LOK?
Both rail systems started life in the private sector before eventually becoming noticed and subsequently adopted by various armed organizations around the globe.
While M-LOK technically came first, the design we know today is predated by KeyMod. Designed by VLTOR Weapon Systems, KeyMod was released by Noveske Rifleworks in 2012 and then published as an open-source design so it could be utilized freely by the rest of the industry. The name comes from the design’s distinct keyhole-shaped slots.
M-LOK (Modular Lock) was invented by Magpul Industries, with the proto-M-LOK design emerging as the MOE handguard in 2007.
An original Magpul MOE handguard. Photo: Wikipedia.
The original MOE system used a series of slots (much like M-LOK) but had the drawback of requiring the user to install a T-nut behind the handguard. Doing so required either taking the handguard off every time you wanted to mount something or trying to find a way to drop it in place.
The limitations were obvious, so Magpul released a revised scheme in 2014 which is what we know as M-LOK today. M-LOK is still owned by Magpul Industries, but it allows other companies to use it as a sort of “conditional free license” rather than a true open-source design.
How Do They Work?
In the cases of both rail systems, the magic has less to do with the handguards themselves and more with the mounting systems integrated into them. Both KeyMod and M-LOK use negative space (i.e., holes) for attaching accessories, and because you’re putting the mounting hardware into rather than onto the handguard (as with Picatinny), it allows for a sleeker and more streamlined design.
As for KeyMod, the attachment is a flared bolt that goes into the big hole and slides forward into the little hole. The user then tightens the bolt to secure it and attach whatever accessory they were trying to install. Typically, KeyMod accessories will occupy at least two holes for the most secure attachment.
M-LOK uses a series of rectangular slots. Attachments have T-nuts that are rotated parallel to the slot, inserted, then tightened to turn the T-nuts perpendicular to the rail slot, locking it in place.
In the broad strokes, KeyMod is a little more user-friendly and intuitive to use, but not so much that it makes a huge difference.
Does The Military Use M-LOK Or KeyMod? What Are The Pros & Cons?
Rails selected for use by various groups in the U.S. military include the Geissele Super HK rail and Geissele Super Modular Rail. The new Sig Sauer M5 rifle, of course, uses an M-LOK handguard as well.
Testing by Crane compared three different handguards offered with both M-LOK and KeyMod slots from Aero Precision, Midwest Industries and Seekins Precision. While no handguards suffered any failures withstanding recoil, stress testing found that KeyMod was the most fragile of the bunch.
KeyMod handguards suffered more failures in drop testing and load testing, with the common failure being a stress fracture between slots. Usually, the mounting bolt would crack the handguard. Several handguards also came free of the barrel nut in drop tests.
Some of the failed KeyMod handguards from Crane's KeyMod Vs. M-LOK study. Photos: Crane.
Part of the testing included zeroing an IR laser, taking the unit off the handguard, then reinstalling and checking for POA (Point of Aim) shift, with the idea being to establish which mounting system will hold zero better. Again, M-LOK emerged as the clear winner.
So…what does this mean for the pros and cons?
For the typical user, they won’t notice any appreciable difference.
Most people aren't repeatedly dropping their rifles on concrete or using an IR laser aiming device. KeyMod only failed in Crane's testing when subjected to abuse far beyond what the typical civilian owner will ever subject their rifle to.
The much more noticeable drawback in the current year is the availability of compatible accessories. M-LOK has established itself as the more popular option of the two, meaning that most accessories today are offered primarily with M-LOK or Picatinny mounting hardware. There’s plenty of KeyMod-compatible stuff too, just not quite as much. The continued availability of KeyMod accessories is probably helped by the system’s higher popularity in Europe.
KeyMod Vs. M-LOK: Which Is Best For You?
As mentioned, military testing revealed that the two shortcomings of KeyMod in comparison to M-LOK are durability and its ability to retain zero with laser aiming devices.
This means that for most people in most situations, KeyMod will work just fine. If, however, you’re someone who wants to run your rifle with night vision and/or make it as bomb-proof as possible, an M-LOK handguard will be the better choice. If you plan on using an IR laser, just ensure that the handguard model you choose has a good track record for maintaining zero.
The 6 Best M-LOK And KeyMod Handguards
M-LOK
Geissele Super Modular Rail MK4
Geissele was one of the first companies to design an M-LOK rail with the use of a night vision sighting system (and therefore the need to minimize rail flex to preserve zero) as a priority. The Super Modular Rails are free-floated and made to mount a PEQ-15, MAWL or similar device at the forward end of the handguard.
Geissele Super Modular Rails are a buy-once, cry-once item, with MSRP ranging between $275 and $350 depending on the length and finish selected.
Aero Industries Quantum M-LOK Handguards
Aero Industries’ Quantum M-LOK handguards are a fantastic middle-ground free-floated M-LOK handguard option. They’re durable enough to survive what most users will put them through and can securely mount accessories.
These handguards feature some Picatinny rail on top with M-LOK slots at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock and QD slots at the rear of the handguard. There are multiple lengths and finishes available and MSRP starts at $110, but they can be found for under $90 with some hunting.
Magpul MOE M-LOK Handgaurd
Want to add a bit of M-LOK to your budget-friendly M4 clone? The go-to handguard is (and has been for some time) Magpul MOE handguards. These two-piece handguards drop in on any rifle with a front sight block (circular or triangular handguard caps both work) and a D-ring. They are durable, functional, and cheap. The tradeoff to the simplicity and low price is that these are not free-floated.
These are available for carbine, mid-length and rifle-length gas systems and feature M-LOK slots at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock. You can choose between black, FDE, grey and OD green colors and they can easily be found for less than $40.
KeyMod
Bravo Company KMR Alpha
The KMR Alpha is a free-floating, fully-railed aluminum handguard with KeyMod slots at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock. They’re available in either black or FDE and come in lengths ranging from 7 to 17 inches. Bravo Company is one of the better manufacturers of AR-pattern rifles and accessories, so this is about as good as it gets for a KeyMod handguard.
MSRP varies by length, starting at $180 for the 7- and 8-inch rails and topping out at $235 for the 17-inch, but you can usually find them for much cheaper through third-party retailers.
Leapers UTG Super Slim KeyMod Handguard
Only offered in 15- and 17-inch lengths (15-inch for AR-15 and Ruger Precision Rifles, 17-inch for select AR-10 variants) the Leapers UTG SuperSlim is a good mid-tier offering to get someone a decent free-floated KeyMod handguard without busting the bank.
A fully railed top with KeyMod slots at 3, 6, 9, 10, 2, 8 and 5 o'clock, it features a slim profile for low-profile gas blocks and built-in anti-rotation tabs for secure mounting. MSRP is $140, but they can usually be found for around $100 through third-party retailers.
Bravo Company PKMR
The PKMR (Polymer KeyMod Rail) is the KeyMod equivalent of Magpul's MOE handguard. They’re available in FDE or black and are offered for carbine (round end cap only) or mid-length (triangle end cap only) gas system rifles. MSRP is $40 but they can usually be found for around half that price, making these a great option for someone who just wants a cheap way to add some accessories to their rifle’s handguard.
Catch the gun gear deals going off during Amazon Prime Days, stock up and save some cash.
Amazon isn’t the top destination for most shooters’ gun-buying needs. True enough, you can pick up air guns there, including the dead-serious pre-charged pneumatics. But that’s about the extent of the mega-retailer’s arsenal. No shotguns, no rifles, no handguns, no ammo.
That said, Amazon does tend to offer a pretty decent array of firearms accessories and gunsmithing tools, not to mention other odds and ends shooters find handy. Riflescopes, torque drivers, ear pro, among other offerings are fair game and generally come in at a passably fair price. This is particularly true if you are a Prime member and get to take advantage of that sweet, sweet free shipping. And there’s no better time to put that membership to use and load up on firearms gear at Amazon than Prime Days.
We came up with some of our top picks of Amazon gun gear for the sale, which if you’re impatient, you can just jump forward to. But if you’re unfamiliar with the retailer’s annual summer sale, we’ll give you a quick primer below.
What The Hell Are Prime Days?
Basically, the stretch—running July 11-12 this year—serves up some of the best deals Amazon puts forth in the calendar year. Of course, there is a catch—you must be a Prime member. Like it or not, that’s many of us if not most of us anymore. But if you aren’t, don’t let this dissuade you from checking out the gear below or the sale itself—there is a work arounds if you find something you can’t live without. Namely, Amazon offers a free 30-day Prime trial—which you can cancel anytime. No fuss, no muss.
Amazon Prime Day Gun Gear Picks
ATN Thor LT Thermal Rifle Scope 160 3-6x
Thermal rifle scopes have been pretty hot lately, but not everyone can afford to buy one at their typical prices. If you feel that you’ve been missing out and want to dip your toe into the thermal optic world too, this heavily discounted ATN Thor LT may be the most affordable way for you to accomplish that. Will it be the best thermal scope you can get? Probably not, but if all you want to do try some night hunting, the 3-6x magnification and 475-yard maximum detection range should get the job done. The scope mounts via traditional 30mm scope rings, has a rechargeable battery with an advertised 10-hour runtime and it features both black hot and white hot color palettes.
Are these Chinese knockoffs of Howard Leight Impact Sport earmuffs? Undoubtedly. Are they worse? Almost certainly. But when the originals have an MSRP of $95, it’s understandable why not every shooter has a pair. If you’ve been looking for the most affordable set of electronic shooting hearing protection that you can buy, this is it. They have an advertised Noise Reduction Rating of 34dB, which is great assuming it’s an accurate measurement, but above all it’s hard to argue with the price if you’ve just been wanting to give electronic hearing protection a try.
There are lots of great uses for trail cameras, and it can be a good idea to have one lying around even if you’re not an avid hunter. This Vikeri Mini is on a pretty decent discount and seems to have all the features one would want in a trail camera. The camera is motion activated and only has a 0.2 second delay once triggered. It monitors in a 120-degree wide angle and can detect motion from up to 65 feet away. It’s also capable of capturing either 20MP HD pictures or 1080P videos. Whether you’re trying to find game or you just want to keep an extra set of eyes on your property, this is a good tool to have.
A multitool is always useful to have around, but the best ones are quite expensive. If you’ve wanted one that you could beat up, throw around and lose without worrying about it, this deal is worth a look. Besides having a typical pocket knife blade, the Pohaku also features needle nose pliers, standard pliers, wire cutters, a can opener, two files, three screwdrivers, a rope cutter, a saw and a serrated knife. Not bad for $14, and it even comes with a storage pouch and can be operated by just one hand.
If you do any kind of target shooting at ranges beyond what the naked eye can see, you’re going to be walking downrange to check your hits more often than necessary. The remedy is a spotting scope, and if you don’t already have one, this deal is a good time to change that. For a reasonable price, this Barska offers just about everything you’d want in a basic spotting scope. It has a generous objective lens of 50mm, a magnification range of 18-36x and is completely waterproof and fog proof. It also comes with an extendable sunshade, a tabletop tripod, a lens cover and a carrying case.
Walker's Shooting Training Protection 29 Db Omni-Directional Microphone Rope Hearing Enhancer Earbuds
Combine the best of both worlds and grab some in-ear hearing protection that is also electronic! Never miss range commands or your range buddy’s excuses for missing. Walker’s in-ear electronic ear pro features a 29Db rating, 3 pairs of foam tips for the perfect fit, and omni-directional mics to pick up all the sounds around you. Micro USB charging with a 10-hour battery life. Big sale right now on the Walker’s makes them a great buy.
Maybe not the perfect holster for everyone, but the Blackhawk Omnivore makes having multiple pistols a lot easier. Designed to fit almost any pistol, the Omnivore comes in three styles – built for pistols with 1913 Picatinny rails, pistols with SureFire X300 lights, and pistols with Stream Light TLR 1 & 2 lights. Built to use the railing or lights for the locking retention, the Omnivore can eat almost anything and keep it secure. Dedicated holsters are generally a little better, but this is a great “do all” that wildly reduces the number of holsters you need to have on hand to shoot your armory.
Training is not optional, but it can be expensive and hard to find time for. Dry fire is a great way of improving and maintaining skills without having to go to the range or spend ammo on money. But there is a way to make dry fire even more useful, that is the Mantis X3. Combined with the Mantis app, this system senses and tracks everything your firearm does during dry fire and live fire. This gives you a complete record of your grip, handling, aim, recoil, follow-through, and a ton more. Works with iOS and Andriod, the Mantis X3 is a huge step forward for anyone looking to improve their skills.
Just about every screw on every firearm has a torque rating. You might not always know what that rating is, but at some point, someone gave it one. This is especially true for mounting optics on rifles and pistols. Those little screws are sensitive, and the difference between goodly tight and stripped is smaller than you might think! One of the first fundamental tools a gun owner should have after a cleaning kit is a decent torque wrench measured in inch-pounds. Wheeler’s F.A.T. Wrench is a great buy. You get the wrench, some common bits, and a nice little plastic case that will keep your new tool safe at the range or in the shop.
Most of us already have at least some tools, but those aren’t always the same as gunsmithing tools. First off, tools built for guns are hollow-ground for a better fit in the parts. Not as big of a deal with most modern guns, but a huge deal for anything made 30ish or more years ago. Secondly, there are a lot of common firearms that take special tools. Not all of them, but a good number. Ever try working on a revolver without the right tools? It’s not fun! Wheeler’s set of 89 bits is a great place to start that should cover most bases, even some of the less common but still widely made firearms like S&W and Ruger revolvers.
Among the world’s historic gunmakers, Sig Sauer has delivered some all-time classic pistols. Though, early on, not the most conducive to concealed carry. Sig Sauer pistols made their name as militaries and law-enforcement sidearms the world around. But that doesn’t mean they’re strictly relegated to service duty and those who don’t mind toting what feels like a metric ton. There are many fine concealed carry Sig Sauer pistols, ones that live up to the company’s sterling reputation and are easy on the gun belt. Here are six of the company’s best that are currently available factory new to keep your eye out for.
P365 XL
P365 XL
To say the P365 hit a nerve with the greater shooting public would be an understatement akin to saying the Titanic struck a piece of ice. The micro-compact 9mm absolutely set the carry world on fire when it introduced in 2018. And why not? The Sig Sauer pistol has about everything you’d want in a low-profile, high-performance sidearm—including price.
Breaking from Sig’s typical premium pricing, the striker-fired is downright competitive with an MSRP of $599. Yet, the gunmaker didn’t skimp, making it look, feel and shoot up to Sig standards. But what really catches attention is the P365 XL’s capacity, which is nearly up to snuff with service models. At 12+1 with its flush fit mag, there are few other micro-9s offering the same firepower.
Amazingly, Sig’s half-staggered magazine doesn’t up the capacity at the expense of carry ease. The P365 is as slim (around 1 inch) and light (between 17 and 20 ounces unloaded) as all get out. Though, carry wise, the little extra bulk of the XL model might be worth it. Only upping the height of the pistol .7 inch over the original P365, it delivers full 15+1 capacity (with extended mags) and a grip that’s a little more conducive to handling and accuracy. No matter what model you chose, the P365 definitely qualifies as a game-changer.
P225-A1 Nitron Compact
P225-A1
For a long time, many Sig Sauer pistols lagged in the concealed carry market. A reputation as boat anchors, its metal-heavy catalog was seen as only fit for duty—military, law enforcement or otherwise. That’s not an entirely fair standing, however. The P225 is a testament to this fact.
Swinging from holsters since the mid-1970s, the single-stack (8+1) DA/SA gave shooters everything they wanted out of a Sig—reliability, rock-solid construction, metal. At the same tick, it did so without making them haul around the Rock of Gibraltar. The 9mm still does today, with the P225-A1 Nitron Compact offering an exception ‘Mama Bear’ option, particularly for those with large mitts.
Yeah, 30 ounces might not cut muster for some, but it’s far from out of bounds—akin to many 1911 commander models. Plus, it’s a crack shot due to its heft—even on its double-action trigger pull—and especially for a 3.6-inch barrel pistol. Outside of weight, the P225-A1 is relatively unassuming, with an 1.26-inch width and 5.2-inch height. Furthermore, it’s damn dashing in the looks department.
The hitch in many shooters’ giddyap with the P225-A1 is that it’s been discontinued by Sig, and those available on the used market typically run north of $1,000. That’s more than some allowances can handle. But for those who lay their hard-earned cash on the counter, they usually don’t regret the purchase.
P365-380
There isn’t much to say about this pistol that we didn’t already cover when discussing the P365 XL. The P365-380 is essentially just a standard P365 but chambered for .380 ACP instead. It even shares a capacity of 10 rounds with flush-fit mags.
If this supremely popular carry pistol appeals to you but you prefer something with less recoil and required racking force than 9x19mm, this is the one to look at. It even fits in standard P365 holsters and shares compatibility with other standard P365 accessories.
Other notable features include its night sights, its accessory rail and its optics-ready slide with a ROMEOZero Elite footprint. As a bonus, its MSRP is only $499.99, making it a bit more affordable than the 9mm versions.
Most certainly, those whose lifestyles call for a demure carry piece, but don’t want to compromise power, have a solid option in the 9mm P938 SAS.
Outside one more ounce in weight and .3 inch in barrel length, the dimensions of the 9mm are the same as the .380. It also operates the same as the P238, which is to say a 1911—single-action only trigger, thumb safety, etc. And it’s all-metal, stainless steel slide and aluminum frame, so there's peace of mind it's up for rugged treatment.
Similarly, the pistol also comes in a host of variations to meet the style and carry preferences of nearly any shooter. Though, for the purposes of going armed, it’s difficult to beat the P938 SAS (Sig Anti Snag that goes for the P238 too), which has all sharp edges round off to offer the smoothest draw possible. Two-tone, the micro 9mm is also a looker, even if it spends most its time tucked away. Starting at around $700, it demands a Sig price, but also delivers Sig performance.
P320 Compact
P320 Compact
One of the top modern carry guns, the P320 is as flexible as they come. Modular in design, the Sig Sauer pistol jumps between frame sizes and barrel lengths with a quick switch of the trigger group. In turn, you potentially have everything from a sub-compact to a full-sized option at your disposal. Handy as all get out.
If you’re new to the line, the P320 Nitron Compact is an excellent choice, given outright you can pick from 9mm and .45 ACP chamberings. The striker-fired is also competitively priced, with street prices of the line averaging just over $500. Though, if you’re looking for something as minimal as possible, the striker-fired might not fit the bill.
Overall manageable in size—3.9-inch barrel, 26-ounces unloaded—the double-stack is a bit wide at 1.3-inches … though not prohibitively.
To touch on the elephant in the room, early iterations of the P320 had issues with drop safety, which the company said it has since addressed. But if you go shopping in the P320 resell market, best to inquire if the pistol in question had its trigger upgraded.
1911 Fastback Nightmare Carry
Fastback Nightmare Carry
Sig Sauer made its way on the back of DA/SA pistols, but has proven more than adept at turning out other top-notch designs. The 1911, for instance. Over the years, the company has built a reputation of turning out among the finest production 1911s around. And they have one for nearly any occasion.
When it comes to concealed carry, the cream is the Fastback Nightmare carry. The wicked-looking Sig Sauer pistol is optimized in every conceivable way for the most unobtrusive carry possible. This especially goes for its ‘Fastback’, the rounded rear of the butt that not only reduces printing, but facilitates a very intuitive and comfortable grip on the pistol. Sig didn’t stop there, outfitting the Fastback Nightmare with aggressive Houge G10 Double-Dimond grips, Sig Light Night Sights and one sweet trigger pull. The single-action trips at 5 pounds and feels like it was made for competition.
Top to bottom stainless steel, the Nightmare is on the hefty side at 38 ounces unloaded and a bit bulkier than some other 1911, at 1.4-inches in width. Yet, neither precluded it as a rock-solid carry option, if you’ve got the gun belt to keep it in place. As 1911s go, the Fastback Nightmare runs right around many of the most established makes, with an MSRP of $1,429.
Here are some top self-defense flashlight techniques for using a handheld light in conjunction with a pistol.
It wasn’t all that long ago when a flashlight was just a flashlight. You picked one up at the Dollar Store, shoved some D-cells in it and went on your way. About 25 years ago, one of the best flashlights you could buy was the standard, old, Maglite. This was the heavy and long aluminum flashlight that was preferred by cops because it was moderately bright and, well, stick-like.
Today, hundreds of bright, durable, compact flashlights are designed with personal protection in mind. When selecting one for use with your handgun, you can start by applying the rule of the four Ls. It should provide a minimum of 100 lumens, be powered by lithium batteries, have a LED bulb and come or be compatible with a lanyard. The light should also have tailpiece activation.
With a good, reliable light source in hand, the next question is: How do you use it in conjunction with your handgun? There are several techniques, and they all have their pros and cons. There’s no best answer other than, maybe, becoming proficient with them all and employing the one that best fits the situation.
With the FBI technique, you hold the light away from your body with your non-shooting hand. It’s a good technique for searching, but not very effective for shooting.
The FBI Technique
Thinking that bad guys might shoot at your light because they think that’s where you are, the FBI developed this technique. You hold the flashlight away from your body—out to the side and up—in your non-shooting hand as you search for and engage targets. This is a tactically sound method for searching, but once you start shooting, it sort of negates the need to hold the flashlight away from your body. Also, shooting with one hand isn’t the best way to get hits.
Neck Index
Maybe best thought of as a progression technique, the neck index method lets you transition from looking to shooting. Let’s say you’re using the FBI technique to search, and you see a threat. You can pull the light to the neck index method as you start weapon presentation.
With the light indexed at your neck, it’s similar to your support hand being at the center of your body during normal weapon presentation. All you do is pull your flashlight hand up to your chin with the bright end oriented toward the threat. One your gun is oriented toward the threat, it’s probably best to transition to one of the next two flashlight methods.
The neck index method offers no support to your shooting hand, but it’s a good place to locate the flashlight during handgun presentation. Ideally, after presentation, you should transition to a technique that offers some support to your gun hand.
The Harries Technique
Embraced by Gunsite, this technique is likely the most often taught technique at law enforcement academies. Why? Partly because it works just as well with flashlights that have the activation button on the end or on the flashlight body, partly because it’s easy to use—and partly because it allows for two-hand support of the handgun.
With the Harries technique, you lock the backsides of your hands together. To employ, slip your flashlight hand under your shooting arm and then lower the elbow of your flashlight arm. This applies pressure against the backside of your gun hand and makes for a relatively stable shooting platform.
The Harries technique has become sort of the default method for shooting with a handheld light. However, as good as it is for shooting, it’s not ideal for searching. This is because where your light goes, so does your handgun.
SureFire Technique
This is arguably the safest and fastest method to assume of any of the flashlight techniques, but it’s also possibly the most difficult to master. You’ll need a small flashlight with an activation button on the end of the tailpiece and, ideally, a rubber grommet positioned just a few inches forward.
SureFire used to manufacture lights just for this purpose, but at last check they’d all been discontinued. Hold the flashlight like a syringe between the index and the middle finger of your shooting hand, and use your bottom two fingers to help grip the gun. The trick is learning to orient the light with the handgun. Most commonly, shooters tend to point the light toward the ground. This isn’t all that bad. Generally, there will be enough light splashing off the ground to light up the target.
The SureFire technique requires a specially equipped flashlight, and unfortunately, SureFire no longer offers one. However, it’s very fast to assume and provides shooting hand support.
In General
The Harries and SureFire self-defense flashlight techniques offer the most stable shooting platforms, but they have a major drawback: If you’re searching your home, backyard or anywhere else using either technique, whatever you point your flashlight at you’re also pointing your handgun at. Alternatively, if you select a light with a wide flood beam, you can search using these techniques while holding the handgun at the low ready and looking with the edge of the beam. Just let the light splash up from the ground. Still, the potential for problematic response is there, and it’s not always a good idea to have your handgun out if you don’t know exactly what you might be facing.
A safer approach would be to keep the handgun in the holster, at your side or tucked in tight against your body at the close ready with the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. If you encounter a threat, you can immediately transition to the neck index technique, point your pistol and assume the SureFire or Harries technique or just transition right into either. The best solution is a handheld light used in conjunction with a weapon mounted light—we’ll cover that here in the future.
Finally, a lanyard on your self-defense flashlight is always a good idea. It keeps the light close at hand if you accidentally drop it … or if you need to let go of it to open doors, call 911, perform a reload or if you’re using it in conjunction with a weapon light and want to shoot with the common two-handed grip.
By itself, a flashlight is a powerful self-defense tool that can and should be used independent of the handgun. You can use it when you’re walking across a parking lot or even when on the sidewalk to check alleys or suspicious characters.
I spent my honeymoon in the French Quarter of New Orleans and carried a compact, tactical flashlight and a Colt Lightweight Commander during every excursion on Bourbon Street and beyond. I never had to use the Colt, but the flashlight got a lot of use.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2022 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
With the announcement of the Taurus TH45, the company’s TH pistol line is now available in .45 ACP.
The Taurus TH-series are polymer-framed, hammer-fired handguns with double-stack magazines and double-action/single-action triggers. Previously, the TH pistols were only available as either a full-size or compact model chambered for either 9mm or .40 S&W. With the release of the TH45, however, a full-size option will now be available in .45 ACP as well.
As a beefed-up, full-size Taurus TH pistol, the TH45 has most of the same features as its little brothers. That means it has the same DA/SA trigger, a thumb safety that doubles as a decocker and a 4.25-inch barrel. The safety also enables cocked-and-locked carry for those who prefer it. Other notable features of the TH45 include its 13-round capacity, its replaceable dovetail sights and its accessory rail for mounting accessories.
Caleb Giddings, Brand Marketing Manager at Taurus, said this about the new pistol:
I can’t think of anything better than launching a 45 ACP the same week as Independence Day…The 45 ACP is a quintessential American cartridge, and the TH45 is the perfect platform from Taurus to expand into this particular caliber.
The Taurus TH45 has an MSRP of $529.99, but product listings from online retailers indicate that street prices are already going to be much lower once they become available.
The skills, gear and legal considerations to keep you prepared for the possibility of encountering an active shooter.
At this very moment, it’s likely that someone is thinking about becoming the next headline, the next person to grab a gun and go into a school, shopping mall or sporting event—and start shooting. If you’re in the same proximity, are you prepared to stop him? We’re talking legally, morally, tactics, equipment and skills.
Legally
Every jurisdiction allows the use of force in defense of self or others, if you have reasonable grounds to believe lives are in danger. In an active shooter situation, when blood has been shed and continues to be shed, you will not be held culpable for any law violation, unless you shoot the wrong person or persons.
And, yes, if you pull up to the school and hear shooting and screaming, with kids running away from the sound of the shooting, you can enter that gun-free zone to save kids’ lives. It’s called the doctrine of competing harms; if you do not understand that term, look it up.
Morally
There’s no question that putting yourself in harm’s way to save innocent lives is the moral thing to do. Let’s move on.
Tactics
Most instructional shooting schools teach a variety of tactics first designed for law enforcement, and if you’re fortunate, they’ve been correctly adapted for the civilian sector. But they likely don’t cover teaching what to do in an active shooting scenario, except the mention of running away.
I’m not a hero, and I don’t plan on placing my life in danger for no serious reason. But if I see innocent lives being taken, I’ll attempt to intervene, and if I get taken out doing so, it was God’s will. With good health, I have another 30 or so years left on this planet. If I go early, that’s fate. If I go because I was trying to save innocent school children, I can’t think of a better way to go.
There’s one firearms training school that will teach you how to even the odds a little—retired Lt. Col. Ed Monk’s Last Resort Training. Monk has been studying the active shooter problem for years and is now teaching many courses around the country regarding facing the active shooter threat. He’s easy to find; Google is your friend.
Equipment And Skill
The armed citizens’ world is being overrun with tiny polymer pistols shooting a dozen or so 9mm rounds. That’s great news, as so many more people are actually carrying guns for defense, as opposed to storing their blaster at home in their underwear drawer.
But is that tiny polymer wonder up for the job of stopping the body-armor-wearing, AR-15-toting killer?
Sure, if you get close enough for a head shot—but in my world, closing on a hard target isn’t the optimum strategy. Instead, I’d like to take that shot from behind hard cover from at least 25 yards away. That means using a full-sized pistol, not a mini.
You see, while baby 9s are great for concealed carry and should do the job nicely at the counter of your local convenience store, the short sight radius and smaller sights make that headshot between 25 and 50 yards more luck than skill. I’d rather tip the scales in my favor by having a 4-inch barrel or greater and a good set of combat sights. According to Monk’s research, once you engage an active shooter, he’ll either turn the gun on himself or return fire upon you. It takes a little more work to carry a full-sized gun concealed, but it’s a trade-off worth considering.
However, along with the equipment to engage an active shooter at long distance, one also needs the requisite skill. If you don’t have access to competent training, you can teach yourself … once you have the basics down. An 8-inch steel target at 25 yards that you can ring consistently will work great.
But some people don’t have access to that distance of shooting range, and they have to settle for the commercial indoor range. No problem: Practice shooting inside a 2-inch circle at 7 yards. That equates to a 6-inch group at 25 yards. If you can do that consistently, you should be well on your way to active shooter interdiction competency.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the August 2022 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Whether you’re a precision shooter or a hunter, these are among the best 6mm Creedmoor rifles on the market.
6mm Creedmoor is a fantastic precision shooting and light game hunting cartridge, with all the benefits of .243 Winchester and 6.5mm Creedmoor rolled into one. In practiced hands, it's one of the flattest-shooting and most accurate moderate- to long-range cartridges available.
Essentially, it's a modernized .243, and there are plenty of great rifles chambered for it.
Here we’ll go over what 6mm Creedmoor excels at, why you may want to own one and finally our picks for the best 6mm Creedmoor rifles currently available.
Wait…There's A 6mm Creedmoor Too?
The origins of 6mm Creedmoor started with a 2007 article in Outdoor Life, wherein editor John Snow talked about how to design a wildcat cartridge. His idea was to neck the 6.5mm Creedmoor down to 6mm, creating a supremely accurate long-range cartridge that had less recoil.
Snow talked Hornady into making the brass, and it initially was going to be called 6mm Hornady Outdoor Life Express or 6mm HOLE, but Hornady quickly shot that down for obvious reasons. As for the rifle, Snow had a Sako action built on a McMillan stock by George Gardner at GA Precision.
The original 6mm Creedmoor load Snow worked up was a 105-grain Hornady A-Max bullet on 43.2 grains of H4831SC (loaded to around 3,000 fps) which he found exceptionally accurate and very effective on game out to 500 yards.
The idea caught on, and within a few years, it became the cartridge du jour in PRS events. Despite the popularity of 6mm Creedmoor having diminished since then, it’s clear that the cartridge has found a niche in the market and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
From left to right: .308 Winchester, 6.5mm Creedmoor and 6mm Creedmoor.
6mm Creedmoor Vs. 6.5mm Creedmoor Ballistics
When it comes to comparing the ballistic properties of these two Creedmoors, the most significant difference is obviously between the size and weight of their bullets. The smaller and lighter 6mm Creedmoor has a slight edge in drop over distance due to its higher velocity (even despite its marginally lower ballistic coefficient). For the same reason, however, the 6mm is more affected by wind.
The typical 105-grain 6mm CM load (the most popular weight) has an average muzzle velocity of about 3,050 fps. Compared to the typical 130-grain 6.5mm CM load with an average muzzle velocity of about 2,950 fps, we see there’s only a difference of about 100 fps.
Here are some 1,000-yard trajectory tables comparing 6mm CM, 6.5mm CM and .243 Winchester. All tables were made using Shooter's Calculator with a 100-yard zero, a 1.5-inch height-over-bore, a 90-degree 10 mph crosswind and no corrections for atmosphere.
First, the 147-gr 6.5mm CM ELD Match load with a G1 BC of 0.697:
And here is the 108-gr 6mm CM ELD Match load with a G1 BC of 0.536:
As you can see, the 6mm bullet has dropped 20 fewer inches at 1,000 yards but has drifted 13 inches more in the wind. Also, while the 6.5mm CM load stays supersonic until just after 1,600 yards, the 6mm CM only stays supersonic until about 1,400 yards.
Now let’s compare it to a typical .243 Winchester load, in this case, represented by Winchester’s 100-grain Power Point that has a G1 BC of 0.356:
As you can see, 6mm Creedmoor absolutely buries old .243 Winchester hunting loads people have been shooting for ages like Power Point, CoreLokt and PowerShok. However, keep in mind modern ammunition exists for .243 as well.
One benefit of 6.5mm Creedmoor is that it does carry more energy for longer distances. At 1,000 yards, the 6.5mm load has more energy than a .357 Magnum at the muzzle and satisfies the 1,000-foot-pound minimum that some states mandate for big game hunting all the way out to 800 yards.
However, 6mm Creedmoor also puts less hurt on your shoulder as a result. Depending on various factors (rifle weight, exact load, etc.) it has about 10 foot-pounds of recoil, about 3 foot-pounds lighter than the average of its larger brother.
What Is 6mm Creedmoor Good For?
6mm Creedmoor excels at precision rifle competitions, although fewer top shooters are using it these days compared to 6mm BR, 6mm Dasher and 6.5mm Creedmoor. However, that doesn’t inherently make these other cartridges a better choice for all pursuits.
For instance, PRS only goes out to 1,300 yards. That’s well within 6mm CM’s purview and it can do it with less drop and lower recoil than 6.5mm CM.
Also, while 6mm BR and 6mm Dasher are better represented in the top echelons of the precision rifle sport, few factory loads exist for them. 6mm Creedmoor has ample factory support, from hunting to match ammo, and is relatively reasonably priced.
So, if you wanted an out-of-the-box way to get into precision rifle events, it makes an excellent choice.
As a hunting cartridge, it's a fantastic choice for medium game at moderate to long ranges. It has light recoil, excellent accuracy and very modest drop over distance. While not alone in those qualities (again, modern .243 Winchester still exists, so does 7mm-08 and others), you could literally start shooting 6mm CM as a kid and use it your whole life.
It makes a deer, pronghorn, sheep and mountain goat cartridge par excellence, and would certainly be a great pick for lighter plains game in Africa, red stag in Europe and Himalayan tahr.
Larger game like elk, moose and black bear would not be beyond 6mm CM’s capabilities (all have been taken with .243 Win.), though judicious shot placement is obviously very important. Not that it ever isn't, but even more so with smaller bullets on bigger animals.
If any or all of those pursuits interest you, then 6mm Creedmoor may suit you very well. The next step is choosing a rifle.
The 6 Best 6mm Creedmoor Rifles
Ruger American Predator
Ruger's American rifle series is a fantastic entry-level bolt gun with an excellent diversity of options. The Ruger American Predator, a lightweight, simple rifle with a synthetic stock, is offered in 6mm Creedmoor at a very attainable price point.
Action: Bolt
Barrel: 22 inches w/ threaded muzzle
Twist Rate: 1:7.7
Magazine Capacity: 3
Overall Length: 42 inches
Overall Weight: 6.6 pounds
Sight Mounting: Picatinny rail
MSRP: $669
Patriot Ordnance Factory Revolution DI 6mm Creedmoor
The POF Revolution DI puts an AR-10 in an AR-15-sized receiver by revising receiver geometry, ultimately creating a sleeker, slimmer and lighter rifle. Along with the Gen 4 receiver, you get ambidextrous controls, a 14-inch M-LOK handguard, an adjustable gas block, a stainless fluted barrel with muzzle brake and rifle-length gas system, an adjustable stock (LOP and cheek riser) and POF's EPT trigger.
Action: Direct Impingement
Barrel Length: 22 inches w/ threaded muzzle and brake
Twist Rate: 1:7.5
Magazine Capacity: 20
Overall Length: 41 inches (collapsed)
Overall Weight: 8 pounds
Sight Mounting: Picatinny rail
MSRP: Starts at $2,903
Christensen Arms Mesa FFT 6mm Creedmoor
If you wanted one 6mm Creedmoor rifle to do it all, the Christensen Arms Mesa FFT would be a stellar candidate. Its carbon fiber stock and carbon fiber wrapped barrel keep the setup very lightweight, while its muzzle brake helps to keep the recoil manageable. Given Christensen’s sub-MOA guarantee, it’s accurate enough for competition and light and handy in the field.
Action: Bolt
Barrel Length: 20 inches w/ removable brake
Twist Rate: 1:8
Magazine Capacity: 4
Overall Length: 39.5 inches
Overall Weight: 5.5 pounds
Sight Mounting: Picatinny rail
MSRP: Starts at $1,599
CZ 600 Range
The CZ 600 Range would be a good choice for an entry-level precision rifle for competition or benchrest shooting. It has a heavy target barrel, an adjustable cheek riser stock and multiple sling attachment points. CZ guarantees ¾-MOA accuracy with factory match ammunition.
Action: Bolt
Barrel Length: 24 inches w/ threaded muzzle
Twist Rate: 1:7
Magazine Capacity: 5
Overall Length: 44.9 inches
Overall Weight: 10 pounds
Sight Mounting: Drilled and tapped for Rem. 700 bases
MSRP: $1,299
Bergara Premier Competition
The Bergara Premier Competition is one of the last stops before a custom competition rifle. It takes Bergara's 700-based action and beds it in a Masterpiece Arms chassis with a Trigger Tech competition trigger and Arca Swiss rail for mounting a bipod. You just need to add a bipod and a scope and you're ready to go.
Action: Bolt
Barrel Length: 26 inches w/ threaded muzzle
Twist Rate: 1:7.5
Magazine Capacity: 10
Overall Length: 46 inches
Overall Weight: 12.7 pounds
Sight Mounting: Picatinny rail
MSRP: $2,750
Savage 110 Tactical Desert
The Savage 110 Tactical Desert would be a solid entry-level competition gun that's just slicked-down enough to use in the field too…though it's a bit heavy for a field gun. Savage beds its venerable 110 action in their AccuStock with an adjustable LOP and comb height, a heavy barrel (with threaded end cap) and AICS magazine compatibility. Since it's part of the Savage 110 family, it also comes with the AccuTrigger, one of the best factory triggers in mass-market rifles.
Rock River Arms has just released the BT3 Predator HP 65C, a precision AR chambered for 6.5mm Creedmoor.
Whether you’re a competitive long-range shooter or a hunter who favors semi-autos chambered for 6.5mm Creedmoor, the latest AR from Rock River Arms is worth looking at. Called the BT3 Predator HP 65C, the rifle was designed with precision in mind.
The BT3 Predator HP 65C rifle’s upper and lower receivers are CNC-machined from aerospace-grade aluminum billet, providing extra rigidity for improved consistency in shot-to-shot performance. It also features a 24-inch match-grade stainless steel fluted barrel with a 1:8 twist and a 5/8×24 threaded muzzle. Additionally, the barrel has been cryo-treated, features a rifle-length gas system and comes sporting an RRA Operator muzzle brake. To further improve its out-of-the-box accuracy potential, the BT3 Predator ships with RRA’s adjustable two-stage match trigger as well.
For its furniture, the BT3 Predator comes with a 17-inch RRA lightweight free-floated handguard with M-LOK slots for mounting accessories. It also features an adjustable 6-position Operator CAR stock and a Hogue Rubber pistol grip for added comfort.
The BT3 Predator HP 65C is available now, and each rifle ships with a magazine, a case, a manual and RRA’s warranty information. MSRP is $2,095.
Whether you want your handloads to perform as consistently as possible or just enjoy having all your fingers, it pays to weigh your powder charges.
Smack in the middle of my reloading bench proudly sits a RCBS MatchMaster electronic powder dispenser. It’s fast, it’s accurate, it’s precise … and it has the potential to weigh powder charges to 0.04 grain. While I think the world of this high-tech machine and its capabilities, in some instances it might be too much, especially considering the cost (street price is right around $900) to the average reloader. Like so many pieces of cutting-edge technology, the new features can be fantastic.
But, every reloader must ask one simple question: Do I need this?
Want to take your charge weight precision to unprecedented levels? Look to the RCBS MatchMaster electronic powder dispenser. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
Significant Digits
Strolling into my local gun shop, I found proprietor and friend Geoff Koonz modifying his Redding Model No. 2 balance beam scale to make it a bit easier to get his fingers to the leveling adjustment screw. I use the same model, and it prompted a conversation about reloading technology and just how precise things need to be.
One of the often-unexpected side effects of being a writer with a full schedule is that many of the activities I used to enjoy for relaxation and personal enjoyment have become part of my job. So, when I head to my bench, it’s usually for the purposes of testing some part of the equation for a hunt, article, book or some combination thereof, and it was nice to see Koonz leisurely sorting out his gear to load some pistol ammo.
“I keep things low-tech; I’m really not in a rush,” he reported. Koonz makes good use of his Redding powder throwers, taking care to dial the unit to the precise load, and checking the weight of every tenth load or so on that balance beam scale.
Many benchrest shooters will load their ammunition by volume, as would be dispensed from a powder thrower like this Redding model, with amazing results. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
I’ve felt that weighing every single powder charge, no matter what the purpose of the ammo, would give me the best ammunition I could possibly make, yet so many small-bore benchrest shooters load their cartridges by volume rather than weight. Am I wasting time by weighing every powder charge, especially for ammunition designed for hunting or plinking?
Well, sometimes yes and sometimes no.
At one point, way, way back in the 20th century, I loaded some .308 Winchester ammo using the plastic scoop provided by the Lee Reloading Company. It was strictly volumetric, and not exactly precise, but I do remember that ammunition printed about 1½ MOA and filled the freezer with venison. I had no means of observing velocities, and at Northeast woods ranges, it didn’t matter. Was it match grade? Certainly not, but I had fun that deer season.
Now, looking at the volume of a .308’s powder charge—somewhere in the neighborhood of 43 grains of IMR 4064—a few tenths of a grain up or down might not be the end of the world. Let’s suppose that your powder charge was off 0.3 grain; you’re looking at an error of less than 0.07 percent of the target weight. Switch cartridges to a .300 Winchester Magnum, with a powder charge of somewhere in the 70-grain range, and that 0.3 grain becomes even less significant.
Change things to a pistol cartridge—whether the 9mm Luger, .38 Special or .45 ACP—and that weight variation becomes glaringly important. With charge weights almost certainly coming in at less than 10 grains, 0.3 grain becomes not only an obviously larger percentage, but in some instances, downright dangerous. With all three of the popular pistol cartridges mentioned, the difference between minimum load and maximum load is 1 grain of powder.
Supposing you’ve found optimum accuracy and velocity at a charge weight on the higher end of the safe spectrum, a weight deviation of 0.3 grain could easily push things into the red—hence my personal apprehension when it comes to progressive presses, with their unweighed powder charges and tendencies to be run for efficiency rather than precision.
The author can’t help but weigh each powder charge, sleeping soundly that nothing gets overloaded. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
Precision Or Perfection?
So, should speed and efficiency take a backseat to precision in charge weight and, ultimately, safety? My opinion is no. At the risk of sounding preachy, in this era of excellent gear—much of which is available at a lower price point than ever before—we can check the variables like powder charge weight without compromising the schedules. I love the speed and repeatability of the Dillon progressive, but I still want to stop every so often and check the powder charge weight to make sure I haven’t cranked out 50 uniform, yet dangerous, cartridges.
I’ll have guys swear to me that, in all their years, they haven’t seen a deviation from the powder thrower, or that a balance beam scale has never mysteriously slipped out of zero, or that the electronic scales have never given a false reading. I don’t buy it. Reloading is like anything else: If you do it long enough, strange things are bound to happen.
I like my anatomy in its current configuration, and I do like most of my firearms, so I’ve learned to err on the side of caution. That said, I feel that you need to look at the percentages and balance the need to stay safe with the need for speed. In a rifle cartridge, unless you overload it by a large amount—say a couple of grains—you might lose precision on the target, but odds are you’ll stay safe. In a pistol cartridge, that could easily spell disaster.
With the difference in minimum and maximum charge weights being at or less than 1 grain in many pistol cartridges, small variations can make a big difference. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
If you’re loading for long-range work, the attention to detail will certainly pay off, as the smallest deviation in muzzle velocity will really show itself out past 1,000 yards. I don’t know of any serious long-range shooter who loads their own ammunition and doesn’t weigh every powder charge to the most precise level possible. A deviation of 15 fps can cause problems when the distances get long, so those shooters want to take every step to ensure they keep things as uniform as possible.
So, from throwing powder without weighing it at all—in the volumetric manner of benchrest shooters at closer ranges—to weighing every tenth load or so, to those who insist on weighing every charge, there are differing levels of precision for the varying applications.
Personally, I can’t get past the concern that something has been overloaded and will continue to weigh each and every powder charge, whether it takes more time or not. I sleep better knowing exactly what was put into each cartridge, and that I didn’t overload anything.
Murphy, his law and I are far too well acquainted.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the July 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Looking for a new iron or piece of kit to enhance the one you already own? Check out these 7 new bits of guns and gear to grow your firearms wish list.
Marlin (now under the Ruger banner) has slowly been releasing its legendary lever guns. Its latest reintroduction should turn deer hunters’ heads. Welcome back, Model 336: It’s been too long. Anyone familiar with the classic .30-30 Winchester will be happy to know the new model is dang near identical to the old. The rifle features a steel alloy receiver, a 20.25-inch cold hammer-forged barrel and a six-round magazine tube. All metal parts are richly blued, and the forend and stock are made of checkered American black walnut. And just like the original Marlin model, the new Ruger-made version features a gold trigger as well. MSRP: $1,239
Ruger Super Wrangler
Nothing offers as much throwback fun as Ruger’s SAA rimfire revolvers. With the introduction of the Super Wrangler, more shooters should have the opportunity to enjoy what these guns bring to the table. The “Super” in the affordable aluminum-framed revolver line refers to the gun’s ability to switch between .22 LR and .22 Winchester Magnum. If this sounds familiar, it’s because that’s the same system that’s made the Ruger Single-Six an enduring legend. As with the older revolver, the Super Wrangler comes with two steel cylinders for each chambering. At present, Ruger is offering the gun with a 5.5-inch barrel, target sights, checkered black plastic grips and the option of three Cerakote finishes—black, silver and bronze. MSRP: $329
Samson M-Lok K-Rail for AK-47 Platform
Affection for retro guns doesn’t mean you have to compromise on performance. This is why Samson Manufacturing’s recently released M-Lok version of its popular K-Rail handguard line is such a welcome addition. Collaborating with AK specialist Ken Allen, Samson’s handguard hits all the key necessities you need for your AK rail while keeping weight to a minimum and adding simple accessory attachment points. Two versions are currently offered for stamped receivers: one with a sling loop cut and a non-sling loop version with integrated steel QD Sling Points. Best of all, it won’t run more than your old Russian warhorse itself. MSRP: $224.95
Remington 360 Buckhammer
Yes, the 360 Buckhammer is a brand-new cartridge, with all the ballistic advantages you’d expect from a modern design. Yet, it’s definitely a throwback in one respect—it’s a straight-wall cartridge. Given some states don’t allow the use of bottleneck cartridges for deer hunting, this new option is a boon. Essentially, it offers performance very similar to the .30-30, with a very flat trajectory out to 200 yards—far better than the pistol-caliber options most hunters have been relegated. At present, Remington offers 180- and 200-grain options, both loaded with the company’s renowned controlled-expansion Core-Lokt bullet. MSRP: $37, box of 20
Galco’s UnderWraps Elite Belly Band
Galco has an update of the traditional belly band, allowing for more flexibility in how you carry. First off, it can be worn like a traditional belly band (low on the waistline, partially under the belt line or just above it), or it can be worn around the torso’s mid-section (the solar plexus area). Furthermore, the UnderWraps Elite includes a single holster component that can be placed in an infinite number of locations along the belly band. The holster itself uses an adjustable internal welt to securely and safely accommodate hundreds of different handguns, is ambidextrous and is cant adjustable. Plus, there’s ample storage for the rest of your gear—no matter how you wear the band. MSRP: $104
Taylor’s & Company 1875 Outlaw 9mm Revolver
This revolver sports lights-out-retro good looks, which offers a great bit of modernization. Not that the 9mm is a spring chicken, but in a reproduction 1875 Remington, it’s a whole new beast. The new 1875 Outlaw 9mm Revolver is offered in two barrel lengths: 7.5 and 5.5 inches. The revolver has a smooth walnut finish standard-size grip that offers an extremely comfortable feel in the hand. It utilizes a side-loading gate and an ejector rod housed within the loading lever assembly for easy loading, unloading and reloading. And it has an all-blued finish, forged steel frame with a rear frame notch and fixed front blade sight. MSRP: $670
Henry Big Boy Revolvers
These revolvers are more of a leap forward for Henry Repeating Arms but still have the retro allure for which the company is known. The Big Boy Revolvers are the first-ever wheelguns produced by the iconic gunmaker, and as their name suggests, are modeled after the company’s pistol-caliber lever-gun line. Both revolvers are chambered .357 Magnum/.38 Special and are virtually the same, save the choice between a bird’s-head grip and flared—both American walnut. Both medium-framed DA/SA models feature a blued and polished steel frame, polished brass trigger guard and backstrap, six-round cylinder, 4-inch barrel and fixed rear notch and interchangeable front blade sights. MSRP: $928
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the July 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Solutions to common accuracy and reliability problems that often seem inexplicable.
I was sitting at the shooting bench with my shiny new (new to me, anyway) Winchester Model 70 and driven to a new level of frustration. I had purchased the best scope and mounts I could afford, and while they might not have been impressive, they were certainly reliable. The rifle was chambered for .375 Holland & Holland Magnum, and though fully capable of taking any game animal on earth, it doesn’t crush the shoulder. In other words, the rifle, scope and mounts were capable of fine precision—and is sweet-shooting compared to the bigger bores, where recoil gets serious.
I also acquired the best ammunition I could get and did my best to zero the rifle. Once the gun was printing on the bull’s-eye, I settled down to evaluate group size. The rifle would—routinely—print the first shot in the 1-inch bull’s-eye, the second shot 2 to 3 inches up and to the right and the third shot within ¾ inch of the first. I was convinced it was my shooting that was the culprit, so I asked my dad to send some lead downrange to prove me wrong. He had the same results.
Blaming the ammunition, I quickly ordered some reloading dies and necessary components, and I began to develop and handload for the rifle.
Photo: Massaro Media Group.
Nothing Changed
In fact, some of the loads got worse. Change bullets, change primers, change powder, vary the charge, vary the seating depth—nothing.
It took me swallowing my pride and resorting to calling a professional; Hill Country Rifles actually diagnosed the issue over the phone, and it was the rifle’s bedding that was the culprit. In fact, the particular era of Model 70 I had was notorious for this problem, but I’d have never known it without consulting a qualified gunsmith. That was certainly a learning experience, and I’ve never forgotten it.
Photo: Massaro Media Group.
Sometimes firearms do things they shouldn’t, or at least things that seem inexplicable. The action of my Winchester was moving ever so slightly in the stock between two spots each time it went into recoil, but the bedding job sorted that out, making it a 1-MOA rifle after surgery. Rifles are more than just cookie-cutter components slapped together.
The Picky Eater
A friend has a 7mm Remington Magnum for which he purchased a couple different premium brands of ammunition. He called me to discuss what could be wrong with his rifle, as he couldn’t keep three shots inside of 5 inches. Action screws were properly tightened, scope and mounts were also, and he had a couple of other rifles at the range that day printing impressive groups, so it—apparently—wasn’t the shooter.
He abandoned the rifle that weekend and went back the following weekend with a well-known but “lesser” brand of ammo. “I don’t understand. This thing just printed a 1-inch group!”
Why would a rifle show such a large difference between brands of ammunition, while others seem to digest anything?
The author with the Winchester Model 70 .375 H&H that gave fits before being properly bedded. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
I have another Winchester Model 70 of a similar era to the one I described above, but chambered in .300 Holland & Holland Magnum, which shows such a dislike for the 180-grain bullets I’ve used for so many years in other .300 H&Hs, that I nearly sent the rifle out for an exorcism. It was a box of Nosler ammunition loaded with their 200-grain AccuBond boat-tail bullet that turned the rifle from zero to hero, printing under ¾-MOA repeatedly.
The issue with both of these rifles is a matter of barrel harmonics. When you find the proper harmonics for a particular rifle barrel, it’ll seem like the rifle can do no wrong. But when the harmonics aren’t compatible with the barrel, nothing seems to go right. Accuracy is a simple matter of repeatability, and finding the load that generates the vibrations repeatable in a particular barrel can be a daunting task.
A flat-base bullet can offer great performance and doesn’t give up much inside of 250 yards.
When I started going down the rabbit hole of developing the most accurate handloads possible for my rifles, I found that a variation of 0.2 grain of powder could have a drastic effect on group size. The bearing surface of a particular bullet can definitely play a role, and I’ve seen rifle barrels like bullets with tons of bearing surface—my .300 H&H is one example—and I’ve had rifles that like less bearing surface.
My Ruger .308 Winchester shows a definite preference for 150- and 165-grain bullets, while my Winchester 70 Classic Stainless .300 Winchester Magnum will handle just about anything you feed it.
My point? You can’t tell what kind of harmonics a barrel will like by looking at it, and sometimes it’ll take some experimentation to find the best performance.
In the case of the aforementioned 7mm Remington Magnum, the premium ammunition was by no means at fault. Buying the most expensive ammunition isn’t a guarantee of optimal performance. Brand X’s stellar performance in a buddy’s rifle doesn’t mean that you’ll see the same in yours, nor does it mean that Brand X is necessarily better than Brand Y. I will state that, generally speaking, the premium ammunition is held to higher standards than standard grades, and you’ll find that quite often the projectiles are more consistent and offer a better level of terminal performance.
Sleek boat-tail bullets, like the Hornady ELD-X, shown here may need some time and distance to settle down.
I’ve also noticed that the faster rifle cartridges seem to amplify the variations in harmonics, so keep that in mind as well. I know ammunition supplies are compromised at best, but as things become available again, find that ammo your rifle likes best and stock up on it. By trying something you might not have considered before, you might find that magic combination.
Choking Hazards
A friend purchased a new autoloading handgun and proudly took it to the range with a couple of boxes that the gunshop salesman recommended. He had, within an hour, proclaimed that his new purchase was a “pile of crap;” it had jammed, failed to feed and completely frustrated him.
A rough feed ramp can pose a problem in some handguns, as certain bullet profiles may not feed. Get the feed ramp polished and you’ll see an improvement immediately. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
It wasn’t that the gun was no good, but it was a common problem: the pistol’s feed ramp. Loading a cartridge from a magazine into the chamber of a rifle or pistol requires a smooth feed ramp at the proper angle for the cartridge being used—and there are times where a flat-point bullet won’t feed properly, but a round-nosed bullet will. In those instances where a gunsmith has taken the time and effort to hand-polish a feed ramp, the improvement is quickly noticed. I’ve seen a finicky handgun that had issues feeding flat-point bullets feed wadcutters after the feed ramp was “tuned,” if you will.
Your handgun—especially your defensive handgun—needs to feed reliably each and every time. Not all guns are created equal, but with a bit of attention from a pair of competent hands, you can take your handgun to new performance levels.
Proper Hygiene
Two days before the deer season opener—when everybody and their brother is sighting in their hunting rifles—I had a buddy stop by my house in a complete panic. His Savage rifle wouldn’t chamber a cartridge properly: He couldn’t close the bolt and had no idea why.
Taking a quick look, I noticed that the rifle was relatively new and that much of the rust-preventative goo was still visible around the receiver. He admitted he hadn’t cleaned the rifle well, and I immediately grabbed the jar of Hoppe’s No. 9, a cleaning rod and a nylon cleaning brush. A bit of elbow grease and some dirty patches quickly sorted the chamber problem, and I then set to work on the barrel. This got me thinking about how dirty barrels, chambers and actions have been such an issue over the years.
A dirty bore or chamber can play a huge role in the degradation of accuracy, and have you wondering what happened to your favorite rifle or handgun. Keep things clean enough, but not overly clean, and you’ll be a happy shooter. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
The traditional jacketed bullet is probably the cleanest of the bullet designs yet can deposit enough copper jacket material to affect accuracy. Let it go too far and you can see a degradation of accuracy, as well as an increase in pressures generated. Lead bullets, while wonderfully affordable and easy to work with, can definitely foul a barrel to the point where things will go awry. And the lead-free monometal bullets can surely deposit enough copper alloy in the bore to cause accuracy and pressure issues.
I’m admittedly guilty of not cleaning my rifles and handguns as much as I should, but I’ve also seen some guns that were an absolute mess in the bore department. A dirty bore can explain a bunch of mysterious performance issues, and while I’m not going to advocate the ritualistic scrubbing of your barrel each and every time you shoot the gun, I’ll advise you not to let it go too far. Many of my African hunting friends like to “shoot the bore clean,” meaning they don’t clean at all, but that’s a bit much for me.
I’ve also seen an overly oiled bore cause a bullet to fly 6 inches high. I was on a safari in Zimbabwe after Cape buffalo with my then-new Heym Model 89B double rifle in .470 Nitro Express. I’d spent considerable time developing a handload for the gun, and it was printing a pair of shots (one from each barrel) in a group just under 2 inches at 100 yards.
The author checking zero on his Heym 89B in .470NE at the bench in Zimbabwe. The oil in the bore caused the shots to print much higher than desired. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
We checked the rifles on the first morning of the hunt, and I was crushed when I heard my professional hunter tell me the two shots were 5 inches apart and equally high of the bull’s-eye. It then dawned on me that I’d cleaned and oiled the barrels and the bore for the trip across the pond. That resulted in higher pressures and erratic accuracy. Once I’d fouled the bore and shot the oil out of it, the next two shots performed just as they had at home.
Cleanliness is important, but there can be too much of a good thing. I like to clean my rifle in the off-season and shoot it just before the hunt, leaving a bit of fouling in the bore for optimum field performance.
Just Calm Down!
Another question I often field is why boat-tail bullets don’t give the same level of accuracy as flat-base bullets. This isn’t uncommon, especially when comparing groups that were fired at a 100-yard target.
Assuming that the rifle has no other issues, boat-tail bullets will show their advantages outside of 250 or 300 yards, as they’ll take longer to “settle down” than a flat-base bullet. Think of it as a spinning top; you start the top spinning and it appears to wobble slightly, then it settles into a near perfectly concentric rotation.
It’s not uncommon to see the boat-tail bullets print a tighter group—when measured in minutes of angle—at 300 yards than they do at 100 yards. While this difference might not be enough to ward a hunter off using boat-tail bullets at woods distances, it’s true that a boat-tail bullet shows almost no advantage inside of 250 yards. And, as some bullet companies will point out, a flat-base bullet is a perfectly viable choice for common hunting distances.
The author’s Ruger 77 .22-250 Remington has a marked affinity for flat-base bullets, like the Sierra 52-grain MatchKing shown here. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
Should the crown of your rifle’s barrel have even the slightest imperfection, you may find the rifle shows a definite preference for flat-base bullets. I have a .22-250 Remington in a Ruger Model 77 that could probably benefit from being re-crowned, as the rifle simply loves the 53-grain Sierra MatchKing flat-base bullet, but it struggles with many of the boat-tail bullets. While I should have the barrel’s crown reworked, the gun does everything I want it to with that Sierra bullet. But if you see issues with boat-tail bullets, have your gunsmith take a good look at your rifle’s crown.
I’ve seen many shooters send dozens of bullets downrange in search of zero, constantly making riflescope adjustments as the point of impact shifts up and down, left and right, with little success.
Let’s all agree that, while riflescopes are better than they’ve ever been, not all riflescopes are created equal. The most common adjustments will read “one click ¼-MOA” or “one click ¼ at 100 yards,” but when put into practical application, that’s anything but true. The adjustment springs of lesser riflescopes might not give ¼-MOA movement, and I’ve struggled with scopes that move closer to ½ MOA … and others closer to 1/8 MOA.
A Leupold VX-6HD specially calibrated for the trajectory of the 6.8 Western cartridge. If this scope didn’t have the precise adjustments it possesses, the turret would be useless. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
The financial savings of a cheaper scope with weaker springs can quickly be offset by the cost of the ammunition spent chasing zero, so I’ve personally made a definite shift to more dependable optics, and that generally means spending more money. Proper, reliable reticle adjustment is paramount for the target shooter who enjoys shooting at longer ranges and for those hunters who prefer to dial for their elevation adjustments.
The best rifle in the world is useless if the aiming system won’t hold zero or take adjustment properly. As with any piece of gear, I recommend you purchase the best riflescope you can afford. Structural stability, clarity of image and confidence in adjustment will not only save ammunition, but it’s very comforting to dial for a 2-MOA adjustment and see exactly that movement on the target.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the February 2022 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
More On Long-Range Shooting:
Mils vs. MOA: Which Is The Best Long-Range Language?
Be it a long-shot at next season's whitetail or something to beat the snot out of the bullseye, we've got the top 6.5 Creedmoor ammo options for any application.
Given all the hype it's easy to forget the 6.5 Creedmoor is a newcomer — all of 10-years-old. If it was a baby the cartridge would be somewhere between holding its head up on its own and cutting its first tooth. Yet, despite its infancy, especially compared to the grandfatherly .30-30 and middle-aged .308 Win., the Creedmoor's rise has been meteoric. Perhaps no other cartridge has soared so fast so quickly, but its early-on respect is well earned. It does what it advertises: putting long-range accuracy within reach of the everyday marksman while remaining as pleasant to shoot as any centerfire cartridge to come down the pike.
Living up to its billing, the Creedmoor has been a no-brainer for ammo makers; they've embraced the cartridge with both arms and churned out 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition for all occasions and applications. With this in mind, we've rounded up the best of the best of Creedmoor ammo available today. Deer, competitive matches, distance steel, all the bases are covered. If you've got a rifle, we've got the 6.5 Creedmoor ammo for you.
Best 6.5 Creedmoor Ammo
Sierra 130-Grain Tipped GameKing
Some might have missed it when it happened, but a little over a year ago Sierra became more than a bullet company. They leaped full-fledged ammunition manufacturing. There couldn’t be better news for hunters. Out of the gates, the company focused on hunting ammunition with its GameChanger line and offered up an excellent option for the Creedmoor. The belle of the ball in the 130-grain load for the 6.5 Creedmoor is Sierra’s excellent Tipped GameKing bullet. Modeled after the company’s legendary MatchKing HPBT, the polymer-tipped projectile offers up unparalleled .510 BC and exceptional terminal performance. Despite Sierra loading up the 6.5 Creedmoor ammo to excel at most hunters’ limits, expect the GameKing bullet to do its job at any range. A thick tough jacket gives it top-notch penetration ability, making it useful for more than simply whitetail.
Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,950 Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 2,512 Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 2,098 Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 1,271 Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .510 Sectional Density: .266 Trajectory at 500 yards (200-yd zero): -38.91 MSRP: $66.99 per box of 20
Berger 140-grain Hybrid
No matter your caliber choice, if you compete Berger is a name you likely know well. Engineered by some of the top names in precision shooting, the company’s bullets and ammo are among the best money can buy. That said, like the rest of Berger’s offerings, its 140-grain Hybrid 6.5 Creedmoor ammo doesn’t disappoint. Boasting the ammosmith’s Hybrid Target bullets, the match ammo is optimized for long-range performance and the utmost precision you can milk out of the caliber. An incredible .607 BC (G1), the projectiles have the drag profile of a shadow, making them all but impervious to air resistance and wind drift. With a muzzle velocity of 2,850 fps, Berger has also hit the sweet spot between ample velocity and a comfortable shooting load.
Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,850 Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 2,525 Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 2,127 Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 1,406 Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .607 Sectional Density: N/A Trajectory at 500 yards (200-yd zero): -39.9 MSRP: $48.99 box of 20
130-grain Federal Terminal Ascent
Building a better long-range hunting bullet is no easy task. Tailoring it for top terminal performance at a country mile is only one half of the equation; the other is making certain the projectile does its stuff close in. After all, you never know what range a trophy buck will pop up. Federal Premium has worked overtime on this challenge, cooking up the acme in 6.5 Creedmoor ammo dedicated for hunting – 130-grain Terminal Ascent. Its bonded core, polymer-tipped bullet features a channel around the circumference of reducing drag allowing it to reach out. Yet, the bullet stabilizes quickly giving hunters the confidence to hit the mark up close. No matter the range, expect consistent terminal performance with the bullet capable of expanding at lower velocities.
Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,800 Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 2,263 Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 2,006 Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 1,162 Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .532 Sectional Density: N/A Trajectory at 500 yards (200-yd zero): -43.12 MSRP: $70.99 box of 20
Copper Creek 139-grain Lapua Scenar
Follow their usual modus operandi, Copper Creek has stitched together a top-performing round by optimizing the best components available. The bell of the ball in this 6.5 Creedmoor ammo is the 139-grain Lapua Scenar bullet. The open-tip, boat-tail projectile is built to exacting standards, a fact not lost on competitive precision shooters. The bullet is among the most used in professional matches. The 139-grain offering has a ballistic coefficient of .578 (G1) and enough heft to ensure it maintains respectable velocities at distance. Copper Creek loads their 6.5 ammo to push this bullet out of the muzzle at 2,820 fps, which is plenty hot enough for most any target or tactical applications. On the spendy side, the 139-grain load is still a value if accuracy is your payoff.
Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,820 Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 2,454 Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 2,068 Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 1,320 Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .578 Sectional Density: N/A Trajectory at 500 yards (200-yd zero): -41.5 MSRP: Starting at $51.99 box of 20
Hornady 143-grain ELD-X Precision Hunter
Potent as 6.5 Creedmoor ammo comes, Hornady's Precision Hunter has match performance and the chops to harvest game more than 300 pounds thanks to the exceptional ELD-X bullet. Deadly at conventional and long ranges, the 143-grain projectile delivers 1,308 ft-lbs of energy at 500 yards and mushrooms completely thanks to its Heat Shield tip initiating expansion. Even up close and personal the round takes care of business with a thick shanked jacket and high InterLock ring keeping it together even when it’s still screaming like a banshee. Tack on the 6.5’s drill-like penetration and you’ve got hunting ammo capable of tangling with anything from elk on down.
Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,700 FPS Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 2,315 Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 2,030 Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 1,308 Ballistic Coefficient: .625 (G1) Sectional Density: .293 Trajectory at 500 yards (200-yd zero): -44.4 inches MSRP: $46.99 box of 20
Nosler 120-grain E-Tip Lead-Free
A whopper of a solid-copper hunting round, Nosler’s 120-grain E-Tip flirts with lead-core bullet performance. A specially engineered hollow running nearly half the bullet, what the company calls an Energy Expansion Cavity, ensures explosive expansion no matter the projectile’s range or velocity. Additionally, and common to most monometal bullets, the E-Tip penetrates like a hydraulic punch press, while retaining up to 95-percent of its original weight. That translates to long, devastating and deadly wound cavities. And it performs like traditional 6.5 Creedmoor ammo in flight, dropping a whisker over 42 inches at 500 yards (100-yd zero), while almost moving 2,000 fps at that distance.
Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,850 Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 2,274 Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 1,991 Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 1,057 Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .497 Sectional Density: .246 Trajectory at 500 yards (100-yd zero): -42.5 inches MSRP: $68.95 box of 20
Barnes 127-grain Vor-TX LR
As expected from an outfit that’s made monometal bullets as long as Barnes, it has come up with a downright nasty round for hunting season. The 127-grain Vor-TX LR is absolute dynamite on medium to smaller large game, optimized to drop an animal out to 700 yards and beyond. Its LRX solid copper bullet is specially engineered to expand violently upon impact while retaining up to 99-percent of its original weight. Designed for controlled expansion at high and low velocities, the LRX BT isn’t strictly a long-range option; though, if you need to make a cross-canyon shot, the boat tails are more than up to the job. The bullet leaves the muzzle at 2,825 FPS and maintains nearly 70 percent of its velocity at 500 yards.
Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,825 Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 2,251 Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 1,928 Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 1,048 Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .468 Sectional Density: N/A Trajectory at 500 yards (200-yd zero): -44.1 inches MSRP: $47.99 box of 20
Federal Premium 140-grain Fusion Soft Point
An economical choice for deer season, the Fusion Soft Point nevertheless is long on performance and more than sufficient at putting meat on the table. Electro-chemically bonded, the soft lead core of the 140-grain bullet doesn’t come to pieces when it reaches its target and a skived copper jacket ensures the projectile performs no matter the distance. A slightly lighter load than others 6.5 Creedmoor ammo in its class, Fusion Soft Points still deliver the long-range performance hunters have come to expect from the caliber. The round moves at 1,816 fps at 500 yards and wallops game 1,025 ft-lbs of energy at that distance.
Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,750 Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 2,351 Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 1,816 Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 1,025 Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .439 Sectional Density: N/A Trajectory at 500 yards (200-yd zero): -48.4 MSRP: $48.99 box of 20
Browning 129-grain Silver Series
A wickedly flat-shooting round, Browning’s Silver Series is most certainly a top choice for any hunter looking to make a long poke. The 129-grain bullet only loses about 50 inches by 500 yards on a 200-yard zero, reducing the complications of dialing at the moment of glory. Furthermore, their heavy-for-caliber projectiles delivers a lot of energy on target, making them more than capable of taking North American big game.
Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,820 Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 2,277 Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 2,090 Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 1,591 Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .324 Sectional Density: N/A Trajectory at 500 yards (200-yd zero): -53.7 MSRP: Not Published. Average Price is $35 to $40 per box of 20
Copper Creek 130-grain Berger Hybrid OTM
Copper Creek is the closest thing you can get to handloading in a box, mating Berger’s groundbreaking Hybrid OTM Tactical bullet to your choice between eight different cases. Optimized for use in ammo that contended with COAL (Cartridge Overall Length) constraints found in box-magazine-fed rifles, the long-nosed 130-grain bullets do not compromise on performance. The hollow points have exceptional ballistic coefficients (.560 G1) and Copper Creek loads them to leave the muzzle at a blistering 2,880 fps, then they do not drop below 2,000 fps until 600 yards. That’s flat shooting.
Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,880 Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 2,394 Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 2,109 Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 1,284 Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .560 Sectional Density: N/A Trajectory at 500 yards (100-yd zero): -43.9 MSRP: Starts At $54.99
Hornady 147-grain ELD Match
Loaded with select components and to extremely tight tolerances to ensure maximum consistency, Hornady’s ELD Match provides pinpoint accuracy even on the longest pokes. Its 147-grain A-Max bullet has among the best ballistic coefficients of all factory loaded 6.5 Creedmoor ammo giving shooters the edge against air resistance and wind drift. At the same tick, the cutting-edge boat tail’s performance is enough Hornady didn’t have to soup up the load to get results. The ELD Match only drops around 43 inches at 500 yards on a 200-yard zero, despite leaving the muzzle at 2,695 fps. An added benefit, the round should go easy on the throat of your long-range rifle.
Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,695 Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 2,370 Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 2,092 Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 1,428 Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .697 Sectional Density: .301 Trajectory at 500 yards (200-yd zero): -43.2 MSRP: Not Published. Average Price is $42 per box of 20.
American Eagle 120-grain Open Tip Match
Producing sub-MOA accuracy without breaking the bank, Federal’s American Eagle Open Tip Match is possibly the ultimate everyday range fodder. Loaded with 120-grain FMJ bullets, the round emulates Federal’s more expensive match ammunition, shooting nearly as flat at long-range, but for pennies (maybe not quite pennies) on the dollar. A mama bear load, American Eagle’s precision 6.5 Creedmoor ammo leaves the muzzle at 2,900 fps and is very enjoyable to shoot.
Featuring Sierra MatchKing bullets, SIG Sauer’s Elite Match Grade OTM (Open Tip Mach) excels in precision rifles and is loaded to get the most out of the caliber. The 140-grain MatchKing is an outstanding performer out to 1,000 yards and beyond, with a sleek .535 ballistic coefficient helping it cut the air with ease. SIG has loaded its precision 6.5 Creedmoor ammo not only to excel at distance, but also to produce minimal recoil, thus it is an ideal choice for those who shoot the caliber out of semi-automatics. A plus, the match ammo is competitively priced, in turn, the boat tail’s makes a good option for burning some powder without burning your wallet.
Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,690 Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 2,250 Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 1,919 Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 1,145 Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .535 Sectional Density: .287 Trajectory at 500 yards (200-yd zero): -46.35 MSRP: $41.99 box of 20
Atomic Ammunition 142-grain MatchKing
Loaded with a precision and match shooter favorite, the 142-grain MatchKing, the round produces sub-MOA accuracy and is very shootable round. Atomic loads its precision 6.5 Creedmoor ammo to launch at a very mild 2,750 fps, but the renowned Sierra bullet makes the most out of the velocity. The hollow point boat tail drops 41 inches at 500 yards and retains 75 percent of its velocity at that range thanks to its longer ogive radius and incredible ballistic coefficient. Those extra 2 grains really pay off in this ammo.
Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,750 Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 2,385 Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 2,073 Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 1,356 Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .626 Sectional Density: .291 Trajectory at 500 yards (200-yd zero): -41.7 MSRP: Not Published. Average price is $35 per box of 20
Sellier & Bellot 140-grain FMJBT
While most of the 6.5 Creedmoor ammo on this list was selected due to its performance, this one is here because of its price. That said, Sellier & Bellot's 140-grain FMJBT load is no slouch either. It may not be the one to pick for maximum long-range performance or effect on target, but for less-expensive range ammo it's a solid choice. With an advertised muzzle velocity of 2,658 fps, it's not the most zippy round, but a respectable G1 BC of 0.491 helps keep it moving and it doesn't drop below 2,000 fps until about 400 yards. There's no such thing as cheap 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, but this is as close as it gets.
Muzzle Velocity (fps): 2,658 Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs): 2,195 Velocity 500 Yards (fps): 1,832 Energy 500 Yards (ft-lbs): 1,043 Ballistic Coefficient (G1): .491 Sectional Density: .287 Trajectory at 500 yards (200-yd zero): -49.99 MSRP: Not Published. Average price is less than $20 per box of 20
Bonus: Best 6.5 Creedmoor Bullets
If you’re ready to step up and mint your very own 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition, here are three bullet options more than up to the task of getting you on target.
Berger Hybrid
Overengineered doesn’t even begin to describe what has become one of the most popular precision 6.5 Creedmoor bullets. Incorporating two different shapes within the nose strikes a nearly perfect balance between ease of loading and performance. On the one hand, the tangent section of the ogive reduces sensitivity to seating depth. On the other, a long secant ogive forward is the same found in high-performance VLD bullets. What you end up with is a forgiving component that sets the standard for performance.
Lapua Scenar L
A top performer on the precision rifle circuit, the extremely uniform Scenar L has an excellent match record. Tightening the tolerances of the original Scenar bullet, Lapua has created a projectile that – batch to batch – shows little to no variation. The company goes as far as saying you don’t even have to sort them, they’re that little difference between bullets. Like the original, the Scenar L has the sexy BCs 6.5 Creedmoor shooters look for to get the most out of the long-range specialist caliber.
Hornady A-Tip
Hornady has taken a different tact in producing the uniformity required to hit the mark over and over. Opting for aluminum – as opposed to polymer or open – for the tip, the company limits the bullets’ irregularities to almost nil. Additionally, turning to metal means the bullets can be made longer, thus bettering their ballistic coefficients and performance against air resistance and wind drift. Finally, they also sell them in consecutive batches, which reduces the chance anomalies that occur as a natural course of manufacturing.
Did we hit the mark with our 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition list? Any duds in the pack? Or did we pick all your favorites? Tell us about it in the comments.
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 excellent concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
