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In a comment in another article, I recently wrote, “If cost and weight are not an issue, there’s really no need to have a bolt gun anymore.” The MasterPiece Arms MPA 6.5BA Creedmoor bolt action rifle proves that might have been the dumbest thing I’ve ever said. Because Lord, I need this rifle.
Out of the box, the 6.5BA looks good. The chassis — and for once I’m good not just calling it a stock — is MPA’s own design, manufactured from 6061 aluminum. It’s a rock solid platform that houses all the goodies this rifle has to offer. It also does the most important thing very well: it holds the barrel action in a firm, consistent manner. On top of that, it has a few extra features . . .
First, the 6.5BA’s optic rails include a 20MOA rail long enough to comfortably position true long range scopes and a rail section at the end for night vision devices. Texas pigs don’t, but I really appreciate the feature. For this gun, however, I’d rather just pull the scope off and swap it out with my M646 6X fixed night vision scope. That would make this gun the ultimate night time hog sniping machine.
The 6.5BA’s chassis houses a bubble level in the back of the receiver. Even at 400 yards, a rifle that’s not level can cause you to miss — especially when you’re kneeling. The level’s position on the 6.5BA means I never lose my cheek-stock weld while checking the gun’s level.
If you’re one of those truly impressive shooters who can play with the cant of your rifle to predictably affect the trajectory, you might want a level with more graduation marks. Of course, that’s pretty easy to add. It’s something to see someone like Todd Hodnett make a wind call at one mile out, and then intentionally cant his rifle to adjust. Witchcraft. For the rest of us, this will do just fine.
Unlike some previous versions, this gun comes with a simple AR-style pistol grip with a single finger tab. Oddly enough, I don’t like this type of grip on an AR, I prefer a flat-fronted grip; I like to get my hand as high up on the handle as possible. Here, however, it makes for a nice rest and compliments the thumb shelf built into the chassis.
Putting your firing hand thumb on the side of the rifle instead of on the stock behind the receiver makes a bigger difference for some people more than others. I’m some people. I’ve heard people say this translates less of your pulse into the gun, improving accuracy. I’m doubtful. I can tell you that it helps me pull the gun straight back into my shoulder and encourages me to use better trigger control. On this gun, the relief cut into the stock for that thumb is just where it needs to be.
The trigger itself is the Timney 510. Mine was set at 1.9 lbs. and broke clean and crisp with zero creep or grit. I’m a trigger snob. The triggers on my bolt guns say Jewell and they are outstanding. This is every bit as good, and it actually hurts me a little to say that.
The 6.5BA includes a barricade stop, something I considered silly on a bolt gun. If I want to brace the front of the gun against something I just put it up against the front of the bi-pod. The barricade stop mounts anywhere up and down the bottom of the chassis with a simple pin and hole mechanism. I figured it would just get in the way and I would end up leaving it in the case.
And then, while sitting in box blind to see how the rifle handles in a tight space, I found myself comfortably bracing the gun about halfway down the chassis against the barricade stop. So yeah, it turned out to be pretty useful after all.
Unlike other similar guns, this rifle’s stock is fixed. If I’m constantly getting in and out of a vehicle, I like a stock that will fold. My Accuracy International rifles all had folding stocks. I thought it was a great feature at the time. Only one problem: I never folded them. Keep it simple, stupid.
One other thing on the chassis I found helpful; the magainze release. It’s a wide paddle on each side, making it easy to swap mags, even if my hands are sweaty or wearing winter gloves.
As with many quality firearms manufacturers justifiably proud of their barrels, MPA recommends a complete barrel break-in procedure. Although I didn’t skip this procedure entirely, I didn’t go all out. I swabbed the bore and let it sit (and yes, I use a bore guide…always use a bore guide). Then I shot a magazine, swabbed the bore and let it cool. Then I repeated it all a few times.
Lengthy brake-in procedures on any firearm are annoying, and generally make me grumpy. Sell me a complete product. If it requires breaking in, brake it in before you ship it to me. It’s always been my experience that the recommended break-in procedure isn’t required, and this rifle is no exception.
MPA recommends that you never get the barrel too hot to touch. Maybe that depends on what they mean by hot. It would take a lot of shooting to actually get this rifle too hot to touch. I like playing Pound the Pigs, and when I do, the barrel certainly gets warm.
To mimic some of the shots I’ve had on sounders in the past, I get to a kneel and shoot four rounds at 100 yards as fast as I can while keeping them in a 6″ circle. Then I do it again at 300 yards, still within the same circle. That heats up the barrel and I did it several times. At no point would I have considered the barrel too hot to touch. As we will see, accuracy didn’t suffer a bit.
As far as recoil, 6.5 Creedmoor is a notoriously light shooting round. This MPA bolt gun is a twelve-and-a-half pound rifle with a muzzle brake. If you feel this gun recoil, you did it wrong. This round delivers more energy at 1,000 yards than my .45ACP does at the muzzle, but the recoil feels more like my three-year-old tapping me on the shoulder to get my attention.
That brings me to the only thing I would change on this gun, the muzzle brake. The 6.5BA’s muzzle brake works extremely well, looks good, is solid, doesn’t catch on anything…all that good stuff. If you want a muzzle brake, this a fine one.
But unless it’s a very heavy magnum or an ultralight rifle in a magnum caliber, I don’t want a muzzle brake. And I don’t want the guy next to me on the range or the guy I’m hunting with to have a muzzle brake. The noise is just too much and this rifle doesn’t need it for recoil management.
If it were mine, I’d pull the brake and slip on a silencer instead. That’s easy enough since it comes factory threaded. Much thanks there.
The 6.5BA is not the mountain pack rifle you’re looking for. Everything about it says that it’s a prone gun, or at least a gun designed to pick up, move, and put down. So if your criteria is closer to a seven-pound short action bolt gun, the 6.5BA isn’t the gun for you.
It’s the rifle for me, though, and one I’d take with me, even on long hunts. My true mountain hunts have been with a bow, but I’ve hunted up and down the desert hills of west Texas for many days at a time. When it’s not in my hands, which is the vast majority of the time, my rifle is slung. A 12.5lb rifle is nothing slung (I prefer and recommend a biathlon sling), and it stays nothing when shot.
But all of that is bells and whistles because if it won’t thread a needle at this price, it’s not worth its weight. Folks, the 6.5BA threads the needle.
The 6.5 Creedmor can be a tricky round, and so the barrel labeled for the 140gr AMax is helpful. It also means that I can test this gun with a store bought round approved by the manufacturer. That store bought round consistently shot under 3/8 of an inch for a five-round group at 100 yards. With hand loads using 140gr AMax bullets, the 6.5BA shot closer to .2″ groups, and one even better.
Ok great…it shoots the round it was made for. But that’s not the round I want to shoot. Over the last six years or so, I’ve been awfully impressed with the performance of the Nosler Accubond round. So I loaded up some 140gr Accubonds to just under max pressure and let them rip. I think my largest five-round group was .28″ (above).
When I have to break out the Brown and Sharpe calipers to measure a group size, that’s a tiny group. Especially with a hunting bullet. My other 6.5 Creedmoor guns are particularly sensitive to the distance from the ogive to the lands. I’m betting this gun is no different. Which makes me wonder how tiny I could really get those groups if I played around with the jump, instead of just going with the book specs.
What about distances farther out? Using the 140gr AMax, the 140gr Accubond, and the 129 grain Nosler Accubond Long Range pills, I was able to put five out of five rounds into a 10″ target at 800 meters. And I did that a few times. I went four for five twice and five for five once at the same distance with a 6″ target. I’m no professional shooter, and I did that in a full value, very tricky wind. Considering wind is my inconsistent nemesis, that sold me right there.
Be advised: as of now, and probably always, the 6.5 Creemoor is a reloader’s cartridge. So if you are not reloading, I would suggest you 1) reevaluate your life decisions, and 2) don’t buy a rifle chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. A couple of years ago, Nick reviewed the 2014 version of this rifle in .308 and loved it. The updated version is even better, and it’s nice to see that there is consistent quality and improvement coming from MasterPiece.
Specifications: MPA 6.5BA Creedmoor Bolt Action Rifle
Caliber – 6.5mm Creedmoor
Action – Kelbly’s Atlas Tactical
Barrel – Spencer/MPA Hand Lapped Barrel
Chassis – MPA Tactical Aluminum Chassis
Chassis Weight – 5.2 lbs
Rifle Weight – 12.5 lbs (no mag or optic, 24″ Sendero Barrel Profile)
Barrel Twist – 1:8 (other twist rates available)
Barrel Length – 24″ Standard
Muzzle Thread – 5/8-24 TPI
Barrel Profile – Sendero profile (others available)
Monopod – Included
Barrier Stop – Included
Front Bridge – Removable (included)
Coating – Cerakote
Magazine – AICS or AW Mag Compatible. (10 Round AICS Magazine Included)
Length of Pull – 13.75-15″
Trigger – Timney 510 (Calvin Elite or Rifle Basix, L1 or Lv1).
Pull Weight – 1.5-4 lbs.
Price: $3,150
Ratings (out of five stars):
Reliability * * * * *
It’s a bolt gun, so usually, as long as your arm works, so does the gun. But some bolt guns in 6.5 Creedmoor can have feeding issues or be finicky with brass. I had no issues at all.
Accuracy * * * * *
To get to a five-star review on a bolt gun of this cost I expect 1/2 MOA or better. I got better. Much better. Consistently better, and without trying too hard. With hunting rounds.
Style * * * * *
Utilitarian, but still sleek. It doesn’t look or feel like plastic. Nothing shiny and all the angles have a purpose. I dig it.
Customize This * * * * *
Rails and places to put rails everywhere. The optic rails are long and well placed, but the bipod rail is way out front. It accepts either AW or AICS magazines and the barrel comes threaded.
Overall * * * * *
I try hard to keep guns out of the five-star territory. They really have to earn a top score. You may have noticed a lot of great guns that I rave about still get 4½-star scores. But I just can’t find anything that would reasonably take away from this gun. It’s comfortable, flexible, reliable, and quarter-minute accurate. Sure, it’s pricey, but for what it delivers, it is below, and sometimes way below, what other companies offer. This is my must-have rifle.
Yeah, it’s all that and a bag of chips. But how did they take something as basic and simple as a bolt action rifle and make it that ugly?
My moist nugget is downright handsome compared to that transformer looking thing. What’s it’s autobot name? Or is it a decepticon?
Function over form… f1 cars are pretty ugly daily drivers…
Your moist nugget is better looking? Totally uncalled for. (Autocorrect ftw!)
I never understood the appeal of a heavy bolt action rifle in a battle rifle loading. Half the point of going to a lower powered round than your .30-06 ,300 WM, .338 Lapua, etc is that you’re sacrificing your ability to reach out and touch something for a more portable platform. At 12.5 lbs, you’re looking at a solid weight for a long range precision rifle chambered in a much more powerful cartridge. An AXMC .338 comes in at just 1.4 lbs more and would devastate this thing at most ranges.
http://www.eurooptic.com/Accuracy-International-Tactical-AXMC-Rifles-338-27-black.aspx
My Remington 700 in .30-06 weighs about half of what this monstrosity does. It may not be as accurate, but it definitely packs more punch.
https://www.remington.com/rifles/bolt-action/model-700/model-700-mountain-ss
If I was interested, I could probably get a nice blueprinted precision bolt gun at the same weight class to throw a much more powerful cartridge with the same level of precision.
But hey, whatever works for you. Long range marksmanship is still a bit of a black art for me. I can reliably ring a 6″ gong at 600 yards, and, realistically, that’s all I really need such a rifle for.
6.5 Creedmore, and also guns like this, was developed to shoot extremely accurate all day long. I’m sure your 6lb 30-06 is much lighter and better to carry, but that is not what this gun was meant for. Put a bipod on that model 700 and put 200 rounds downrange over the coarse of an afternoon. Then do it again the next day. That’s what this gun and cartridge combo was made for, and it excels at that job.
I rarely put more than 100 rounds through the 30-06 in a single range trip. It’s not like an AR where you’ll be doing mag dumps all day. That being said, the recoil is rather moderate compared to a 12Ga or 300 Win Mag. To me, it’s no worse than a good day shooting skeet with 3″ shells.
Though, I will admit that having an internal box magazine does slow me down considerably. Hopefully, when the Magpul LA chassis and bottom metal comes out, I will be able to swap that sucker around.
“Hopefully, when the Magpul LA chassis and bottom metal comes out, I will be able to swap that sucker around.”
Still holding my breath for that one.
I don’t understand the attractiveness of (another) weird boutique cartridge, in an expensive, chunky gun. The performance of which can be matched with factory loads you can get at Wally World, and guns that are far cheaper. If the stated purpose is long-distance target punching, I’m sticking with something that has been around for several decades, and might actually be here tomorrow – 6mmBR.
Not to mention the design is as faux-1950s-raygun as the snore-fest AR/M it steals it’s styling cues from.
There is no real use for this gun but to separate a small pile of Bens from your pocket. If you like it, that’s cool, I have many toys which are also objectively useless, or have their function surpassed by off-the-rack hardware.
But I still know there is no real competitive worth to them, beyond the esoteric.
To PowerSurge:
Your comparing an $8,200 A.I. .338 Lapua rifle to a $2,600 MPA 6.5 Creedmoor. C’mon maaaannnn, & Slap yourself!!!! That’s one of the most absurd comments ever, and had literally & figuratively nothing to do with this 6.5MPA BA rifle review. (Other than an A.I. Lapua that is almost $6,000 more is a better choice for a sniper rifle. Smh!… And FYI; coming from someone that’s been there, done that and definitively knows actual facts on this topic…. I hate to break it to you, but sorry lil fella. Unfortunately there is no such thing as a sniper rifle! There are only long distance precision rifles. Snipers are specifically, specialty and proficiently trained humans that camouflage, stalk, calculate their precision shooting solutions to enable them to elimate/kill a definitive target and then escape/evade back into the nothingness from which they came from to complete their missions.
In summation: When a trained sniper fires their rifle that rifle is considered part of the Sniper. Henceforth “Sniper Rifle”.)
It’s a common mistake by almost all uneducated civilians though, so don’t beat yourself up to much over it….
(Call of duty & similar video games have truly warped the minds of Earths population.)
The strange part is going from their $300 Mac10 wannabe’s, to a $3200 bolt action rifle with sub 1/3 moa.
They bought a small precision rifle company a few years ago.
“That brings me to the only thing I would change on this gun, the muzzle break.”
Curious, should that read ‘muzzle brake’, as in it puts on the brakes on the muzzle rise?
Dangit! Fixed. Thanks.
You still left two of the transpositions as of 21:30 CST.
Just sayin’, it ain’t “fixed”….
I’ll spend $3,150 on this rifle when I have exhausted the rest of my wish list of firearms and ammo. Wait, no I would not. There is nothing about this rifle that cannot be had for significantly cheaper on another rifle or caliber. Nope, not gonna do it. Somebody whom doesn’t know any better will buy this rifle though. Best of luck to them.
I’m in love with the 6.5 bullet. Jon, try loading up some of noslers 142 grainers. They have a G1 of .719.
I’m getting pretty darn good results. Especially after playing with seating depths.
Whoa. Is that part of their Accubond Long Range line? Oh, the 120grain Ballistic Tip is my white tail round now. Either for the 6.5Creedmoor or the 7mm08. The terminal effect, even past 400 yards, is really surprising for such a light round.
I was getting confused between all the Brakes and Breaks referring to the break-in cycle vs. muzzle brake especially paragraph 13-14. Seems you kind of got confused yourself. Great write-up otherwise and looks like a pretty slick gun.
Super accurate groups requiring a pricing gun, optics, and ammo. Cool review.
I’m an Accubond, ELD-X, and Amax fan as well. I’ve lusted after the Accubond LR bullets (in .308), but haven’t been able to purchase them locally. A plumbing repair is going to slow down my gun and ammo purchases for awhile.
First off, great review. A review is meant to tell you what you might want to buy and what you might not want to buy.
At the price of $3,150 with no optics, it’s chambering and a weight of 12.5lbs… I have no interest in this rifle at all until… well… hell freezes over. At half that price it might be a competitor for a gun I’d shoot a few times a year. At it’s current price MPA can fuck right the hell off until they day I’m so rich I’m lighting money on fire for funzies.
Also, based on that first picture I hope you’re saving some of that bark for emergencies when you need to start a fire. Makes a great fire bundle.
“for a gun I’d shoot a few times a year” Yeah, you are not the market for this gun. I’ll shoot it weekly, at least.
“Be advised: as of now, and probably always, the 6.5 Creemoor is a reloader’s cartridge.”
What?
The advantage of the Creedmoor over the other 6.5s is the availability of quality factory match ammunition at .308 cost.
Your area must be very different than mine. I can rarely find much more than a box or two of 6.5Creedmoor ammo. For this review, I could only find 4, and that was going to three different places. It is nowhere near the availability of the .308. Even if availability was not the issue, I have found a much wider performance difference with different OALs with the 6.5Creemoor as compared to the .308Win, necessitating hand loading for performance. I’ve also found that some ammunition, such as the 140gr Amax that chambers well in this rifle, will not chamber well, or sometimes at all, in my Ruger Hawkeye Varmint.
It’s another weird orphan loading, which will soon be unavailable unless you handload.
Jeebus, quit trying to pretend this load means anything except to it’s few thousand disciples – it’s just one of thousands of junk rounds that will disappear in the next few years, leaving their chump owners high and dry.
16V, maybe you missed the part of the article where I stated “Be advised: as of now, and probably always, the 6.5 Creemoor is a reloader’s cartridge.”
Of course, it has been offered commercially for about 10 years now, and sales of both loaded ammunition and brass are increasing, not decreasing, so I’m betting it will be around for quite a while.
It’s great that in the same comment section I’ve got one guy telling me that it’s widely commercially available, and another guy telling me it’s a soon to be obsolete hand load, and both of them are demonstrably wrong.
16V – you seem to be one angry dude that thinks he knows everything. Why so worked up about it. If people want to drop that sort of coin why do you care. If you don’t like the cartridge, then don’t shoot it … best of all take your arrogant half backed know it all attitude and go find a gun range WAY out in the desert. YOU are one of the gun people that make other gun people sad that you are a gun person.
for jan 2019,here in tucson,az 6.5 creedmoor ammo is available at cabelas ,sportsman warehouse, and 2nd amendment and diamondback shooting sports,also online at budsguns,brownwells and midway usa ,in bulk at reasonable prices.
I sucked it up and paid a BIG WAD OF MONEY for this gun. I haven’t regretted it for one minute. This is a very good review of an absolutely spectacular gun!
Michael B
Right there with you. Great rifle.
Jaysis, it’s 2016. You don’t buy online, Jon??
To the guys in this comment section who say the 6.5 creedmore is a going to disappear in the near future I’ll let you in on a fact . It’s over a year later and Hornady can’t make these fast enough . It’s one of Hornady’s top selling round if not their top selling one , federal just released a Berger 130gr gold medal match also . As for the mpa rifle and their chassis system , it’s used by the top PRS shooters in 2017 and is 2nd most popular behind Manners stocks. It’s designed for PRS matches , not hunting . This is a purpose produced gun made for shooting on barricades and for getting in positions quickly. I bought mine for $2700 and saved $1500 not using Georgia precision . It would be hard to build a gun of this caliber for their asking price . Some of these comments have me SMH , one compared the weight of 6.5 creedmore guns to a 338 Lapua weight guns , another said the 6.5 creedmore will be dead in a few years , another mentioned that it’s too expensive for a gun you would shoot a few times a year ( I suppose he/she hunts) . The new edition mpa chassis has the RAT system for adding accessories to a dove tail rail on the bottom of the chassis . I am really glad I went the MPA route instead of Georgia precision . It shoots sub 1/2 moa all day if I do my part .
Great Review. Been a soldier and a college competition shooter. Love the semi’s and love the bolts. Different tools for different jobs. At the end of the day considering price, weight, reviews, communist state of NJ residence and i don’t shoot competion, I went with a Savage model 10 BA Stealth (6.5 CM) 10 months ago – awesome rifle been 1/2 MOA or better. Just had to replace the included silly FAB defense butt stock (but hey – the $150 Savage rebate paid for the replacement). Only thing that would have been nice is a 20 MOA pic rail but that is easy enough to fix. Great accuracy, a little over 9 lbs and a real value for under $1K. Long Live 2A.
Hello Truth about Guns, Could you please tell me what color the chassis is . I really like your review on this rifle. I liked the color that you had on the chassis. Thinking off purchasing a Masterpiece Arms 6.5 BA in a 6.5 creedmoor. Thank you for your hard work writing this review on the Masterpiece Arms.
David, looks like Flat Dark Earth (FDE) Cerakote. I’ve been shooting an MPA BA for two years now. It’s a superb rifle.
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