Barrett Fieldcraft 6.5 Creedmoor - First Impressions

[Wyoming Shooter]

On 7/2/17 I won a Kimber Mountain Ascent at a Backcountry Hunters and Anglers raffle. Having heard many complaints about Kimber QC/QA and customer service, I wasn't too thrilled about the Kimber lotto. A close friend had recently purchased a Barrett Fieldcraft https://barrett.net/firearms/fieldcraft/ in .308 and was extremely happy with it. Reviews of the Fieldcraft on other forums were very positive. I made a deal with my LGS to trade the Kimber for the Barrett straight across. It took until 10/3/17 for the Kimber to show up. I made the trade and took delivery of the Fieldcraft in 6.5 Creedmoor. The Fieldcraft ships with a certificate for Talley rings http://www.talleymanufacturing.com/Products/Lightweight-Alloy-Scope-Mount/Barrett/Barrett-Fieldcraft.aspx (1" or 30 mm) in low, medium, or high. I ordered 30 mm low rings which arrived about 10 days later from Barrett.

Weight without rings per the LGS scale is 5 lbs. 2.8 ounces.

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Deciding on a scope was a challenge. Of course, I wanted something fairly compact and light. Distances can be very long here in the Big Empty. I like to dial elevation and have been using Mils for several years. I really couldn't find anything that checked all the boxes. I ultimately settled on a Bushnell 3 - 12 x 44 LRHS. http://bushnell.com/hunting/rifle-scopes/elite-long-range-hunter/lrhs-3-12x-44mm It's bigger and heavier than I preferred. On the other hand(s), the glass is very nice, it offers adequate magnification, the reticle is sweet, it's in Mils, and the turrets are great. The objective bell clears the barrel easily with the low rings.

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I decided to zero a bit high at 100 yards using factory Hornady 140 ELD Match ammo. https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/rifle/6-5-creedmoor-140-gr-eld-match#!/ This stuff runs well in my heavy Surgeon 6.5 rifle - not as well as my handloads though. I fired a few rounds from the bench to achieve my zero. Here is the first three shot group:

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I now have only about 50 rounds downrange. My first impression is very favorable. I have had no malfunctions of any sort. The Timney trigger is a smidgen heavier than I like. I may adjust it a bit. Accuracy with factory ammo is quite good. My muzzle velocity averaged 2696 fps. SD was 10. Recoil is brisk, as was expected. I dialed 3.1 mils of elevation to easily ring the 600 yard steel. I have since added a 1" Biothane Rhodesian sling from Andy's Leather. https://www.andysleather.com/collections/slings/products/biothane-rhodesian-sling I've not yet had the rifle in the field but, it promises to be a very nice general purpose plains game hunting piece. From the Big Empty, ELN.

P.S. I apologize that a couple of the photos are out of rotation. I'm not sure how to fix that.

[LJP]

Nice.

Not really in the same league, but I recently bought a Browning AB3 Micro in 6.5 Creedmoor for an upcoming hunt. Topped it with a Leupold VX3i 2.5-8x36 in the Browning rings made by Talley. It’s probably the most accurate rifle I own, although I’ve only shot out to 200 so far.


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[Crews]

Great review, looks like a great hunting rifle for sure. Did you find it significantly more difficult to shoot well as light as it is?

Btw, great choice for optics... I have really been enjoying my LRTSi since it came in.


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[jellydonut]

Maybe I'm the stupid one but I was expecting this to have a detachable box magazine. I guess that's one of the things they sacrificed on the altar of lighter weight.

[ldunnmobile]

I really want to like this rifle. I wish it had a hinged plate or DBM. Also I heard one report of a gentleman having his rust excessively with mild exposure. Sample of one however.

[Wyoming Shooter]

Gentlemen - Thanks for the kind words. My buddy with the .308 Fieldcraft tells me he gets tighter groups from a padded rest than from the typical bench rest. I'll experiment with that someday. For now, I'm impressed that a brand new five pound rifle will drop three factory rounds into something less than 1/2 MOA. I don't consider the absence of a DBM to be a problem. I can't remember running a hunting rifle dry. Best, ELN.

[LittleLebowski]

Excellent report, thank you for sharing.

Wyoming is best state.

[GJM]

Assuming you are using an iPhone or iPad, edit the photos in some way before posting, and the orientation should be right.

I have one of these in 6.5 on my short list.

[ranger]

Article on these in American Rifleman - magazine showed up today.

[Dagga Boy]

I almost impulse bought one of these at a shop the other day. I have no reason to own it and talked myself down, but it was close because it simply felt great and balanced really well.

[ldunnmobile]

No floorplate/DBM definitely wouldn't prevent me from picking one up. FYI gentlemen, looks like Whittaker Guns has good prices on these.

I do not need to handle. Bolt guns get me giddy.

[Paul D]

That is awesome. Question regarding hunting application: how big of an animal can a 6.5 CM take down? Is it the same animal where a .270 Winchester is appropriate? Maximum effective range with let's say a monolithic or quality bonded bullet?

[ldunnmobile]

Wide range of opinions on that but generally speaking it's good on anything in North America (cept maybe Grizz :)

You just got to use your brain cells. Like that quartering away shot on a big bull elk at 400 yards is probably unwise. 400 yards broadside on stationary animal with someone who knows their rifle....absolutely.

Europeans been using 6.5*55 on moose/bear for decades.

[SteveB]

That is awesome. Question regarding hunting application: how big of an animal can a 6.5 CM take down? Is it the same animal where a .270 Winchester is appropriate? Maximum effective range with let's say a monolithic or quality bonded bullet?

IMO, the .270 Win is way better on medium game over 200 yards. For heavier stuff like elk, I’m going with 300WM; ask GJM about the last 2 elk he shot and his thoughts about caliber. While I’m real interested in the 6.5CM as a target round, I think there are better choices for hunting. I’ve shot eastern whitetail deer with a .260 around 100 yards with Barnes 120 TSX, and it’s a reliable killer, but close range on light-medium game, lots of stuff works well. 6.5CM, .260 & 6.5x55 are very close ballistically; here’s great article by Nathan Foster looking at bullet weight, velocity and design as it relates to a particular target animal. I think it's worth noting that muzzle velocity is interesting for comparisons, but it’s the velocity at the target that counts.

http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/6.5x55.html

[Wyoming Shooter]

The intended targets for this rifle are deer and antelope. It would also be an excellent big horn sheep rifle, should I ever draw a tag. I have a Kimber Montana in 300 WSM for elk and moose. The first 3-shot group from the 6.5 Fieldcraft tapes out to roughly .375 MOA. Wind was 5 - 7 mph. Ammo was Hornady ELD 140.

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[GJM]

Exceptional. I see they also offer the Fieldcraft in .270 and .30-06 — wonder if those are equally accurate.

[Jay585]

I wish this was available left handed.

Does anyone know of a rifle like this that is available in LH?

[David S.]

Ooooh, shiny. . . Available in .308 (and a few other calibers, including 6.5CM) with an 18” threaded barrel. (https://www.eurooptic.com/Barrett-Fieldcraft-308-Win-18-Threaded-RH-17268.aspx)

[coldcase1984]

Handled an 18-in. Creed at LGS 300 yards from factory recently. Damn near swooned.

Not much you couldn't do in, worldwide, with this mild little carbine.

Must thin herd...

[SteveB]

Since moving to SW Florida a few months ago, I've been wanting a new hunting rifle. Something short, light, stainless/synthetic, inherently accurate in an effective caliber for deer, hogs and alligators at ranges up to 200 yards or so. There's a lot of water and swamp here, and some of the locals like to use canoes to get to favorite hunting spots. After reading this thread, I bundled up a few unloved items and traded for a new 18" Fieldcraft in 6.5CM. ELN's review is terrific; I'll just add a few things. You really have to have one of these in your hands to appreciate the combination of light, handy and solid. Bolt travel is super smooth, great trigger (wider than usual, but it works). The LOP (13.75") is too long for me, but it's manageable. The stock design is comfortable, and the recoil impulse is mild for such a light rifle. The Talley LW rings/bases are great. I scoped it with a Swaro 1.7-10 and stuck a Little Bastard brake on it and off to the range. I was curious to see how various rounds chrono'd out of the short barrel, and whether Barrett's sub-MOA claim was good. Velocity was measured with Labradar, average of 5 shots. All 4 rounds shot under an inch at 100; accuracy champ was the ELD-X at .5".

Federal 140 AE OTM 2520 fps
Hornady 143 ELD-X 2539 fps
Hornady 120 AMAX 2778 fps
Hornady 120 GMX 2934 fps

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[ranger]

SteveB, was the 120 GMX load above from the Hornady Superperfomance line and what was your impression of that load?

[SteveB]

SteveB, was the 120 GMX load above from the Hornady Superperfomance line and what was your impression of that load?

Yes, Superformance; listed velocity on this round is 3050, probably from a 24” barrel. I thought 2934 out of the 18” tube was pretty good. I got 3/4” at 100, no bench, from prone. I’ll let you know when I shoot something with it.

[texag]

I've decided to get one of these for my do it all hunting rifle now that I live in CO. I keep bouncing back and forth on what to get. My dream would be a long throated .284 win or 6.5-284. .270 win, 6.5x55, and 6.5CM are the ones I'm looking at. I need to talk to a couple of smiths tomorrow to see what would be required to re-chamber the 6.5x55 model to 6.5x284. I think they would need to set the barrel back a bit and I don't know if that would mess up the full bedding job Barrett does. I am baffled by their awesome twist rates in everything but the .270. Even at altitude I might be in marginal stability territory with the 145gr ELDX or 150 accubond LR.

If the barrel was 22" or 24" for the CM it would be a no brainer.

It's great to know the low Talley rings work with the 3-12 LRHS, I have one on the way.

[Crews]

If the barrel was 22" or 24" for the CM it would be a no brainer.

I wouldn’t be scared of an 18, or a 21” barrel in 6.5 Creedmoor. It’s definitely no 6.5-284, but even going slow those 140 pills do alright.


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[texag]

Yeah, I talked to a co-worker who's hunted all over CO and said he hasn't taken a shot over 250 here. Would be nice to have a shorter, slightly lighter rifle.

[GJM]

Yeah, I talked to a co-worker who's hunted all over CO and said he hasn't taken a shot over 250 here. Would be nice to have a shorter, slightly lighter rifle.

Based on my experience in CO, ID and MT, I really want a 400 yard rifle/cartridge to hunt mule deer and elk.

[texag]

Dammit man!

What cartridge would you choose for mostly CO black bear, pronghorn, and cow elk with the occasional mule deer?

I typically hike in and hunt, so everything has to be carried.

[LittleLebowski]

Based on my experience in CO, ID and MT, I really want a 400 yard rifle/cartridge to hunt mule deer and elk.

6.5 CM or 6.5 Prime. I'd get a Fix for a hunting rifle if I were you. Like right fucking now.

[GJM]

Dammit man!

What cartridge would you choose for mostly CO black bear, pronghorn, and cow elk with the occasional mule deer?

I typically hike in and hunt, so everything has to be carried.

Some sort of .270 or .300 magnum has worked well for me over the past twenty years in the West.


6.5 CM or 6.5 Prime. I'd get a Fix for a hunting rifle if I were you. Like right fucking now.

Very interesting, but I would love to borrow one for a few days hunting, and see how this concept actually works in the hunting field in cold, wet and snowy conditions.

[LittleLebowski]

Shot inbound.

[Wyoming Shooter]

Here's a quick update: I'm still very happy with this rifle. That said, the Bushnell 3-12X44 LRHS http://bushnell.com/hunting/rifle-scopes/elite-long-range-hunter/lrhs-3-12x-44mm was "too much" for a such a light, compact rifle. The LRHS is a sweet scope, and an excellent value. I'm moving it to a Remington 700 LTR .308. I have a Nightforce 2-10X42 with Mil R reticle http://www.nightforceoptics.com/nxs/2-5-10x42 on the way from CS Tactical https://www.cstactical.com/. This is the second scope I've bought from Richard at CS Tactical. There will be more.

The NF should be a better fit for the Fieldcraft than was the Bushnell:

Bushnell 3-12X44: 24.4 oz & 13.4"
NF 2-10X42: 20.5 oz & 11.9"

I keep the Mil reticle and the ability to dial elevation. I lose a bit of magnification. I'll update further after the NF is mounted and fired.

From the Big Empty, ELN.

[Rex G]

I wish this was available left handed.

Does anyone know of a rifle like this that is available in LH?

Alas, we lefties are usually left out. OTOH, I have saved a ton of cash, over the years, because so few lefty bolt rifles are available for impulse-buying. I reckon that I will eventually go with a boutique brand, or custom. Or, perhaps, just keep using lever rifles and single- shots.

[CS Tactical]

I have a Nightforce 2-10X42 with Mil R reticle http://www.nightforceoptics.com/nxs/2-5-10x42 on the way from CS Tactical https://www.cstactical.com/. This is the second scope I've bought from Richard at CS Tactical. There will be more.


We appreciate your continued business, I hope you enjoy your new Nightforce and please let me know if we can assist in the future! :cool:

[Wyoming Shooter]

Here's a quick update: I'm still very happy with this rifle. That said, the Bushnell 3-12X44 LRHS http://bushnell.com/hunting/rifle-scopes/elite-long-range-hunter/lrhs-3-12x-44mm was "too much" for a such a light, compact rifle. The LRHS is a sweet scope, and an excellent value. I'm moving it to a Remington 700 LTR .308. I have a Nightforce 2-10X42 with Mil R reticle http://www.nightforceoptics.com/nxs/2-5-10x42 on the way from CS Tactical https://www.cstactical.com/. This is the second scope I've bought from Richard at CS Tactical. There will be more.

The NF should be a better fit for the Fieldcraft than was the Bushnell:

Bushnell 3-12X44: 24.4 oz & 13.4"
NF 2-10X42: 20.5 oz & 11.9"

I keep the Mil reticle and the ability to dial elevation. I lose a bit of magnification. I'll update further after the NF is mounted and fired.

From the Big Empty, ELN.

I completed the scope swap last week.

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The "old" Bushnell LRHS in the foreground and the "new" Nightforce in the rear.

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The Nightforce is definitely more size appropriate for the Fieldcraft.

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The Barrett Fieldcraft weighs just over 7 lbs. unloaded with Nightforce scope, bases, rings, and sling.

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The rifle continues to shoot well. This group was shot from the bench at 100 yards with the rifle resting on soft bags. I zeroed 2" high at 100 yards. I'm dialing 3 mils at 600 yards. The only anticipated change is to replace the Nightforce scope caps with something better. From the Big Empty, ELN.

[CS Tactical]

Great setup WS!

[texag]

I ended up buying a 6.5 CM fieldcraft with the 21" barrel and a bushnell LRHS. I would love a NF 2.5-10 or 1-8 but that is more than I could spend without pissing off the wife. Unfortunately the place I ordered the bushnell from is jerking me around on when it will actually ship, I was told it would be out the door yesterday but turns out they don't even have it in their warehouse yet. I wouldn't be surprised if Bushnell is slow rolling these to intentionally make shipments miss the deadline for their 30% rebate. Oh well, still got a good price. Hopefully it ships sometime this decade so I can buy some hornady 140 and 147 ELDM and get to shooting.

[texag]

I'm going to add a new post instead of editing my post of whining: Does anyone have input on what I should do for a scope?

I can't really spend more than $1k right now. This rifle will be used for hunting everything from elk to pronghorn. I typically hike or backpack into spots so a light rifle is appreciated. The ability to have a repeatable, reliable elevation turret to dial for a specific range and have a zero stop then use the reticle to hold for wind is important to me. A capped or locking windage turret seems ideal.

The bushnell 3-12 LRHS I have on order ticks all these boxes, but Wyoming Shooter changing his out has me a bit worried it will be too detrimental to the handling of such a light rifle. Seems like it would still be right at 7.25lbs unloaded. The only other option I have considered is a Nightforce SHV 3-10. I'll save a few ounces, lose the zero stop, exposed elevation turret, go from FFP to SFP, and have what seems to be an inferior reticle. Looking at the turret design it seems one could possibly fashion a zero stop with shims, or I could just use the reticle for holds and unscrew the cap to dial longer shots.

[Wyoming Shooter]

Texag--Give that Bushnell a chance. I would have continued using it but i had another rifle needing a scope. I don't know of anything better at that price point.

[texag]

Thanks, I ended up finding one in stock for $975 and it shipped yesterday so I am still rebate eligible. I think I'll still have a really light rifle even with a 1.5lb scope.

[texag]

The LRHS I received was broken and sent back to Bushnell the same day it was delivered to me. I got a LRTSi as a replacement because they aren't making the LRHS anymore. Not stoked about a less bold reticle and 4 ozs of weight gain over the scope I ordered, but figured I should give it a shot since the rifle is still a hair under 7.5lbs with 5 rounds on board.

My overnight backpacking trip turned into a short day hike due to too much snow on the trail, so I went to the range today to sight in the Fieldcraft and confirm my ballistic table from the Vortex LRBC. First 5 shot group after getting it close measured .7" at 109 yds, then I adjusted up and left using the reticle and got a first round hit on a 2" dot at 400. First round hits at 555 and finally a howling coyote silhouette at 605 followed. After that a guy at the bench next to me shooting a Browning x bolt and RPR in 6.5 told me I should try for the bowling pin at 605. I got it on the 3rd try due to a dumbass mistake on the 2nd shot where I adjusted my windage hold the wrong way.

I also shot my AR and immediately became annoyed with using a bdc with ammo it doesn't match after using the mil reticle of the bushnell on the fieldcraft, but was able to get hits out to 400 on a prairie dog with 55gr wolf gold since I could easily spot my own splash. Moved to pistol and closer range stuff with the AR after and was pretty disgusted with myself compared to when I shot 10k rounds a year.

https://i.imgur.com/tGsEqOAh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/QRNET90h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/5blE5p2h.jpg

I will be keeping the LRTSi on the rifle for the foreseeable future because it just makes shooting little things far away pretty easy. I haven't shot a bolt gun in the past decade and have never shot past 300.

[Alembic]

I know that range. What a great public, free facility! Never did hit the 'cowboy' with my .308. I think he is a little over a 1,000 yards.

[texag]

The gentleman I was shooting next to said the 1k targets got pulled down. There was a sign saying watch where your rounds go, cattle graze on the other side of the ridge. Not tough to put 2 and 2 together.

[okie john]

I have one of these in 6.5 on my short list.

Did this ever come to pass?


Okie John

[Lost River]

Some sort of .270 or .300 magnum has worked well for me over the past twenty years in the West.



Very interesting, but I would love to borrow one for a few days hunting, and see how this concept actually works in the hunting field in cold, wet and snowy conditions.



I ended up with a FIX rifle ( 16" .308) for a bit. An associate bought one. It was not shooting properly and he wanted me to look into it. He is not a "gun guy" so I/we figured it was not a hardware problem. We went out and shot it initially,and it was very erratic in its groups. I figured something was loose. skipping right to the punchline, I took it home and was prepared to tear it completely down. The scope ring screws were held on with maybe 1 inch pound of torque.

I tore everything down anyways and re torqued everything, then applied clear finger nail polish hardener (instead of locktite, its cheaper, and works like medium strength LT) to the threads. Once everything was re-assembled, I took it back out and -re-zeroed it for him and shot some groups and played with it.

Observations pros and cons:

Pros:

Exceptionally well built.

Quick barrel change is nice if you need that feature.

No play or slop in any of the parts.

Pretty much everything can be adjusted with a singe Torx driver.

Very short bolt lift.




Cons:

The small butt pad is not comfortable at all. A longer session from prone (with a 16" 308) is not friendly to the collar bone when you are only wearing a T-shirt.
I ended up fashioning a chunk of EVA foam to mitigate some of the recoil.

The cheek piece is hard plastic. Again, I ended up making a pad from EVA foam. This is something that needs fixed ("FIXed?).

Running the action quickly is awkward.

The bolt handle is tiny. While I personally don't mind small/standard bolt handles on rifles and actually prefer them most of the time as compared to the monstrosities that are trendy these days, the one on the FIX is simply too small for fast and smooth manipulation.

Combined with an action that was not the smoothest ( I suspect it will likely smooth up nicely with use, I am used to Tikkas and Sakos that have set the bar pretty high) running the tiny bolt handle quickly from the prone was not a fluid operation.

I found that what worked best in firing fast strings of fire, was to use the very tip of my middle finger on the face of the trigger while never letting go of the bolt handle. They say a pic is worth a thousand words, so here are a couple links to shooters who do it far better than I ever will:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5ycG87H1b8

Another great example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cnAwRJc7Sw




Overall I wanted to really like the FIX. It has a lot of great things going for it. If they would put a longer bolt handle on it, that was angled in a fashion that was more user friendly it would be great. Fix the butt pad and cheek pieces and they would be sitting pretty.

With that said, when compared side by side with a T3 in an MDT chassis. the primary thing was that the T3 was lacking was quick-change barrel feature, and that is something that can now be corrected with a trip to the gunsmith, since some barrel companies are now offering barrels with nuts on them similar to the savage barrel nut system.

Still I think it is a very cool concept, but I will continue to dance with the one I "brung"..




https://i.imgur.com/hWXupAW.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/qDGuFps.jpg

[SteveB]

Just checked zero for a pig hunt; 120 AMAX @100, 2780 fps.

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