The Seekins Precision SP10 in 6.5 Creedmoor is a true long-range semi-auto performer.
The world has been waiting for a reliable, available, semi-auto AR platform in 6.5 Creedmoor and today we have it. I got my hands on the latest Seekins Precision SP10 in 6.5, and it did not disappoint.
Why we haven’t seen more semi-auto rifles in this caliber, I do not understand. The 6.5 Creedmoor uses the same bolt as a 308, and in most platforms, the same magazine. That a 6.5 Creedmoor bullet will absolutely out fly a 308 is without question. It also does it with less recoil, which really makes me wonder why anyone would choose 308 in this day and age.
The Seekins Precision model we used for testing is the SP10 6.5, though we have a pre-production model. The chief difference between our test model and what you will be able to buy is the stock. Ours came with a Magpul PRS III, which is a fine stock. But Seekins Precision isn’t about fine. They are about perfect. Seeing the shortcomings of available options, this year they are getting into the stock business as well. Rolling out later this month, Seekins will have an in-house built precision stock, worthy of this rifle.
The SP10 is feature rich. It has a 60-degree ambi safety and custom in-house billet Seekins diamond plate textured magazine and bolt release. The SP10 right side bolt release is also a bolt lock, making this model fully ambidextrous. The charging handle is oversized and right hand only, but you should only need it once on this semi-auto. From the factory, the Timney Competition Trigger is set at 3 pounds.
[one_half]
The left side of the SP10 features a bolt release, mag release and 60-degree ambi safety.
[/one_half]
[one_half_last]
The bolt release on the right side of the SP10 both locks open and releases the bolt and features the Seekins Precision custom texture that you can also see on the magazine release and ambi safety.
[/one_half_last]
The handguard is unique on the SP10, and M-lok compatible. The shape is a little unorthodox, but in practice works great. It has flat sides that angle to a top rail, and the bottom is totally flat. Trapezoid is the shape that comes to mind, though that is not quite correct. The flat bottom is extremely useful for positional shooting, and I really grew to like it during testing. Details like this really start to matter when you are field shooting, not just slinging lead from the bench. The gun screams quality and is really a work of art.
The SP10 has a match grade stainless steel barrel. The SP10 handguard is flat on the bottom and sides which gives it some big advantages shooting off of different rests.
The barrel is 22 inches, optimized to give the Creedmoor enough velocity to do its job. The length and profile were clearly done for accuracy, this is no lightweight princess. The barrel tapers from a heavy profile to the gas block and a mid profile after. The heavy profile under the handguard is fluted to reduce some weight, but it is still plenty thick. This would be my one complaint about the rifle, though many would argue that the solution is called biceps, and you get them at the gym. The gun isn’t actually that heavy. Seekins specifies 10 pounds, though my home scale says 10.6. For caliber, that actually isn’t overweight. But the front heaviness of the rifle makes it feel like 15. Having carried this thing around for a week, I was actually shocked to see the real weight. Seekins has a reputation for accuracy and obviously weren’t’ willing to risk that on a lighter profile barrel.
One thing I can’t complain about is the performance. With Hornady match ammo, the SP 10 delivered ½ inch 100-meter groups. This was followed by an 8 inch 1025 yard group, in the wind. Anything past 200 for me is done in terrain, so I would speculate the SP10 is actually capable of more than that accuracy wise on a flat range. Those are very impressive numbers for a semi-auto rifle, actually outpacing all but the best bolt guns.
The Seekins Precision SP10 6.5 Creedmoor loved the Hornady Match ammo printing a 1/2 inch 100 meter group. The really impressive performance was the eight inch group at 1025 meters.
All in all the SP10 performed admirably. The Seekins muzzle break, combined with the overall weight, crushed any felt recoil. The accuracy was outstanding, as were the fit and finish. If you are looking for a rifle for either hunting, gun games, or tactical use, this one is a champion. At an MSRP of $2650, it isn’t cheap. But if you want out of the box performance, that is the price of doing business.
Between the weight of the rifle and the Seekins ATC muzzle brake the SP10 is very easy to shoot with minimal recoil.
Specs
- 308 iRMT-3 upper/ SP10 lower
- Caliber – 6.5 Creedmoor
- Match grade 416 stainless steel barrel
- Hard coat anodized matte black
- Rifle length gas system
- ProComp 10x stock by Seekins Precision
- Timney Competition Trigger factory set at 3lbs
- Weight – 10.5 LBS
- MSRP – $2650
Learn more about Seekins Precision by clicking here.
***Check out GunsAmerica for your next Seekins Precision rifle***
The author really liked the shape of the handguard for field use.
These comments remind me why I love my country: Because here in America, I can own both 762 and 6.5 for any and all reasons. I don’t have to justify it.
Does anyone make a 6.5 upper to put on my Bushmaster lower..? I have a Ruger PR in 6.5 creed on layaway. That is about as much as I can afford on layaway. Lucky my LGS lets me take as long as I like to pay. I have a Ruger No. 1 in .308 (bolt action) so don’t need another .308. I haven’t shot the 6.5 yet, so I’m looking to see what it will do.
well Clay, no question the 6.5mm outflys the 308WIN. but to answer your other question as to why to someone would pick 308 over the 6.5CM? simple, cost and availability. I would love to own a bolt gun in the 6.5CM and maybe i will someday for long distance… but for now im sticking with 308. a semiauto 6.5mm? forget it. who can afford the cost of ammo , the gun or reloading supplies?. granted 6.5CM factory ammo can now be had cheaper than 260 rem so that cartridge is doomed im afraid. maybe not bc its a 308 case… but is the 243 winchester a dinosaur in waiting bc of the 6mmCM also? only time will tell. smaller diameter bullets will always have higher bc’s than larger diameter bullets therfore more efficient (less drop and drift) at longer distances. it just depends on what you are using it for and even though 308 is a bigger bullet it will always be cheaper than 6.5CM. its a standard NATO/Military round not to mention every other civilian buys it ,so it will ALWAYS be available. until the SHTF, then we will have to aquire it like John Rambo did his M60 in FIRST BLOOD. or your new best friend will be a reloader with 308 supplies. granted civil strife is along way off and martial law is unlikely in the near future but if you are a realist(aka prepper) like me and you see the way the world is going,(unlike the rest of the blind sheep) you should own at least one long gun chambered in 308. its a versatile round. shoots in bolt guns, M1A’s and AR10’s. personally i think the best 7.62 round is to stockpile x39. cheaper and less recoil. what gun you choose for it ill leave that up to you. maybe bulk brass 762×51 can be had for 50cents a round? usually 75cent /round is the average except for steel case.Ive never seen 6.5cm for less than a dollar/round so enjoy your new press. I wish NATO had gone to the 7mm-08 along time ago wed be shooting 708 instead of 308 bc that round also beats the venerable 308. bash on the 308 as much as we like, its here to stay until the dept of defense and/or Nato says otherwise.
my question to you is, What is the best 308 gun to have that shoots both 762×51 and 308?. i heard that you can shoot 7.62×51 in a 308 but not 308 in a 762×51. Is that true? seems like it would be the same as the 5.56/223 platform in that you can shoot 223 in 556 but not 556 in 223. Thanks for the review but ill also stick with my ar15 which is much lighter than your 10lb der. although, it would be cool if NATO also went to a 6mmx45 using the same bolt. give the AR15 some more punch wo the rifle weight or cost. until then… happy barrel dreams.
Clay,
How do you compare this Seekins to Barnes Precision Machine’s BPM LR-10? I know you are a fan of BPM and would be interested in your thoughts between these two rifles in the 6.5mm Creedmoor.
For under 3K Weatherby offers a 6.5 x 300 or 378 Weatherby Magnum. Weatherby also makes a 340 x 378 Weatherby magnum that outshoots and out distances the Lapua 338 Magnum. I have a 40 year old 257 Weatherby Magnum that does shoot out over 1000 meters Ruger makes a beautiful 6.5 Creedmore semi auto w/10 round clip for $1300. Ruger claims 1600 yards on it. But, for long distance shooting, do we really need a semi auto with a 10 round clip? Army and Marines snipers still use 308s or 300 magnums in bolt actions. Yes, I know, they also have Lapuas and 50 BMG rifles, but if bolt action sniper rifles are good enough for Marine and Army snipers, they are good enough for me.
Actually, they aren’t. I was a sniper in both services, and both services currently field M110 semi auto 308’s. In the USMC, once the war started, we also employed DMR semi auto rifles built on M-14’s. For urban combat, bolt action is a bad idea. And caliber being equal, I would much rather have a semi auto for any kind of fight.
Why are we told we must purchase a $1-3 thousand dollar 6.5 creedmoor rifle to be accurate ? This is a shame, look up hitting steel at 1800 yards. It’s a $450 dollar Rifle, & a $350 scope….
6.5 Creed is a great round, no question. The problem I have is the cost of ammo – why is it still over double the cost of 308? Until ammo prices drop substantially I’ll stick with 308.
You pay more because there is not a lot of surplus military ammo for the 6.5 at this time, but Match ammo on 6.5 is cheaper than .308 or 7.62×51.
Clay, being a cheap A…H… Could you review the Savage and Mossberg ARs in 6.5 CM? Then compare other manufactures in that price range. Actually the Mossberg and the Savage are out of my price range. TFYS, Kim
That is a very good idea. Let me see if either one of them will send us a tester.
Cool rifle. Been thinking about a 6.5 in a bolt gun but not I might have to reconsider. I do have a few questions. What kind of scope was mounted? and what kind of rings were used? Type of bipod ? Just curious. Thanks
Leupold Mk4 with an H-59 reticle, Larue rings. Accu-Tac bipod
I have to ask myself WHY would I need this rifle?
Well I DON’T!
My AR in 5.56 suits me just fine and shoots every bit as good as this rifle and I paid FAR FAR less for same!
For someone that feels they NEED this rifle and have the money to piss-off, it might be great, but for little ole me, I think not!
Have a nice day!
Your budget built AR15 shoots as well at a thousand yards as a semi-custom precision built AR10?
Right. I’m sure that’s completely true.
Nothing wrong with being thrifty, but don’t sit there and pretend your 5.56 AR is a 1000 yard capable machine, when it’s just not. Stop being poor, or stop having such a case of the sour grapes about it.
Who realistically shoots a thousand yards? If you can’t get any closer than that you are not much of a hunter or sniper.
I have never been a sniper, but I do love long range shooting and my 6.5 creedmoor sure does it for me. In this day and age all shooters need to stick together.
I like 6.5s! I have 6.5 CM in a Sav LR, 6.5-06 in a custom LR hunting rifle (both shoot 5 under 2″ at 500), 6.5 Norma F Class (9″ at 1k), 6.5 RemMag.
I also have about a dozen 308s & like them every bit as much & some more than the 6.5s! For the most part, they do everything the 6.5s do just as well & some things better!
I have the same LR hunting rifles & F Class type rifles that also shoot 2″ 5shot at 500 & 9″ or less at 1k. So, with a little more drop, but still do it & with much bigger bullets & with bullets I can shoot much bigger game with.
So, both are great. Both do the job, both have a following etc.
Is a 6.5 better at 1k match shooting – Yes! 147gr better BC, better against the wind, better score.
But, back to the old one gun argument, If I had to have one for hunting game & man, non contest, 308! Ammo will be around longer than any other & will work on anything on this continent!
Just another Barbie Gun.
Barbie comment.
The 6.5 cm is obviously a very good round. But I lament that it’s getting offered every where and not the 260. bottom line is the 260 runs in the same size actions, is capable of higher velocities, and does everything the 6.5 cm will do only better. I was building 6.5-08 and 6.5 Panthers many moons before it became a standardized caliber. Plus it’s very easy to turn that 308 brass you got laying around into 260. No special dies needed. Just run the 308 into the 260 sizer and its done. Recently bought a Savage BA Stealth in 6.5 cm. didnt even fire it, immediately rebarrel to 260…..LOL
One word “MARKETING”
If you have 2 great calibers, the one that has the greatest selection of platforms, ammo and the most gun writer attention will win every time. Go to any gun store and how many different rifles and ammo are on the shelf in .260? I totally agree with every thing you said, and it doesn’t make sense for anyone shooting .260 to switch to 6.5 CM.
I deer hunt with .257 Roberts (necked down 7mm Mauser) which is just about perfect for mid size North American game, but not a lot of firearms manufactures or ammo makers back in the day (1930s) jumped on the bandwagon and the available ammo was anemic because of all the weak surplus 7mm Mauser actions available. Then the inferior .243 came out, all the gun writers jumped on it, every gun and ammo manufacturer jumped on it, and the .257 faded away. I’m not dumping on the .243 which is also a great caliber for certain applications. It was just no better than the .257 Roberts or 250-3000 Savage for mid size game. It was just marketing and availability.
There haven’t been a lot of really “new” calibers for quite a long time. Just much better Marketing campaigns. 6.5 Creedmore is just Hornady’s brilliant marketing brain child based on the .30 TC wildcat, along with immediate buy-in from SAAMI and Gun Writers gushing about this “brand new” amazing caliber. Ammo and gun manufactures jumped in, prices came down and the rest is history.
Clay Martin is clearly All-In for this wildcat round. Why, I don’t know. But it’s clear there’s more than impartial reporting going on here.
It is not a Wildcat round. It is a full blown commercial caliber with rifles and ammo available from every major manufacturer at competitive prices. If your getting into long range precision shooting, it is the “go to” caliber today.
I would be asleep at the wheel if I didn’t say so when I thought a cartridge was clearly superior. I have shot a lot of 30 cal bullets, and I like this one better. And as of last week, so does SOCOM.
Why .308? How about most people don’t want or need to shoot 1 mile, Mil surp 1X brass is plentiful and cheap, .30 bullets for reloading are everywhere, and to top it off, mil surp amoo is readily avaulable by the case and it can shoot commercial .308 in most cases. SHTF no one will have 6.5 Creed to barter, etc
I’m going to do up a 6.5 for a sniper rifle, but I’m a long time reloader and will stockpile ammo for it. But I already have several 7.62 rifles as well
Clay has to be STOLEN VALOR since his statement that the 308 is Dead because of the 6.5 CM… No REAL Soldier, much less someone in SpecOps would ever say that! They are still using the 308 in Sniper Rifles in Afghanistan right now. Why haven’t any Spec Ops units DEMAND the 6.5 CM Rifle to Snipe with CLAY? Because the 6.5CM average is 140 max grain bullet with a few that are 147 if not mistaken, right ? Where the 308 can easily go up to 208 grain bullet and is COMBAT PROVEN… In Fact, for all you 6.5CM FAN BOYS, its been around for a Decade now and I don’t know of ONE MILITARY UNIT in the WORLD that has ADOPTED this GIRLY ROUND for their Military…. It’s just a .243 Winchester Dressed up with LIPSTICK…
Dude, have your mom drive you to the urgent care and have your meds bumped up. You seem a little manic.
This article is about long range precision shooting, not military use, SHTF, or hunting. In this context 6.5 CM and .260 Rem are clearly superior to .308.
7.62 (.308) is a NATO round as is 5.56, so that is why NATO countries militaries use them, not because they are the best. For LONG RANGE sniping, .300 Win Mag, .338 Lapua or .50 BMG are the caliber of choice for our military. Spec OPS can use whatever they want as far as I know, that’s who developed 6.8 SPC, which is clearly superior to 5.56 for killing and lighter to carry than 7.62. Now that Springfield Armory is offering M1As in 6.5 CM maybe we will see some military use in special units.
As far as SHTF, suppressed 22lr will be your best bet by far. For hunting .308 is still a good caliber for most North American game excluding Grizzlies and maybe Moose, but that’s a whole other argument.
As far as Long Range Precision shooting, where they don’t hand out participation trophies, .308 is pretty much out of the running at this point. Clay is not punching bad guys tickets anymore using Govt. issue equipment, his passion is shooting small groups at long range and that is why he is a fan of 6.5 CM.
P.S. I am damn glad that Clay did what he did when he had to do it, for the freedom and safety we enjoy in this country every day.
http://soldiersystems.net/2018/03/23/ussocom-adopts-6-5-cm/
read em and weep homie. oh, I know the guys at procurement that drove this. we were in the same unit. So, I will raise you one STOLEN VALOR. Where, exactly, did you serve in OIF/OEF? Did your uncle’s best friends roomate from college’s cousin also tell you 45 ACP will kill a Blue Whale with one shot?
Fast forward two years and you are proven wrong. Semi auto DMR, bolts and even MGs chambered in 6.5 in USSOCOM. Just because something is old doesn’t mean it is not to be improved upon. Go steal someone else’s valor.
There is no good comparison between .308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor because they are not loaded with the same bullets. To put the price conflict to rest, msrp on Hornady Precision Hunter ammunition per 20 round box is exactly the same for .308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor. There is no 6.5 Creedmoor military surplus for the simple fact that the round was never developed to shoot anything but targets. The .308 Winchester round was built for one thing, killing. Bottom line, if you want a good shooting AR10 in 6.5 Creedmoor then build it yourself, it can be done for half the price of a Seekins rifle and just as accurate or better, trust me, I do it for a living.
Yeah but it will not say Seekins!
Sure it will, build it off of a stripped Seekins receiver. They sell those you know.
True – it’s hard to make comparison with different bullet diameter/weight. But if you like the 6.5 Creed so much I think you’d love the 260 Rem. Likewise, if you like the 6mm Creed, you’d love the 6mm Rem. The Creeds are nice – very nice. But they are the ‘hot topic’ is all. There’s no magic there.
Hope this isn’t a duplicate post – I posted it before and didn’t see it. Cool gun and caliber (flavor of the month). But it’s tough to compare bullets of different weight/caliber. If you like the 6.5 Creed, you’d love the .260 Rem. If you like the 6mm Creed, you’d love the 6mm Rem.
Yes, performance wise, the .260 Remington is a decent round but it does not compare to the performance of the 6.5CM. Lets just keep the coments to the calibers mentioned in the article.
Have you checked Hornady’s manual lately? The .260 Remington and the 6.5 CM have identical velocities for the 147 gr ELD Match bullets.
Ok… So with 40.3 grains of Alliant RL-17 the 260 Rem is only going 2600fps and is the max load. Lets see what the 6.5CM does with a max load of only 40.1 grains of Alliant RL-17, thats right, 2650fps. The Hornady Reloading manual proves that the 6.5CM is a betted performing round than the 260 Rem.
Probably the thing that makes the 6.5 CM and the 6mm CM superior to the 260 and 6mm rem. is the twist. The CM’s have a 1:7.7 twist as opposed to a 1:9 in the Rem’s. This will stabilize your heavier high BC bullets better in the CM.
So you can’t compare things that are not alike? If you can’t compare cartridges with different bore diameters all there is to compare is how fast each cartridge can push identical bullets.
So you can’t compare things unless they are the same? With your logic the only thing to compare is velocity.
Velocity, price, popularity, availability, should I go on, Matt? There is plety to compare.
No you are right, I see the light. Comparison pieces with that speak to the relative strengths and weaknesses of different calibers for similar applications are completely worthless.
Nice review! I built a LR308 in 6.5 Creedmoor 8 months ago using a Seekins billet upper with a Ballistic Advantage 24″ bull barrel and 20 moa riser. My trigger is a Rise Armament 3# drop-in. Shoots 7″ groups at 1,000 yards. My advice to Seekins is go to a 26″ barrel to really drive this rifle to its potential. 22 inches is leaving too much on the table. I love Seekins products and hope they listen… this rifle can play with the big boys in Precision Rifle Shooting! I love beating bolt actions with a gas gun!!!
That’s my complaint with a lot of these 1 mile gong ringers too. If the game is to hit targets at extreme ranges why not get every inch of performance from the cartridge? The Ruger bolt guns in 6.5 are 28″.
Price, quality and availability of creedmoor ammo has vastly improved–Hornady is the king of the heap in my experience for off the shelf factory rifle ammo these days– it’s become more difficult for me to match or exceed their performance in my hand-loads–and they get their results often with pressures that aren’t in the red-line pressure zone.I’ve only used a few seekins parts in my builds–no whole rifles–but looking at that rail/hand guard my first reaction was “FINALLY” someone got smart and made a flat-bottom design which enhances stability on rests. Skinny/round ones just don’t cut it when it comes to maximizing stability.
“Hornady is the king of the heap in my experience for off the shelf factory rifle ammo these days”
And also Nosler LOL, I have precision .300 WSM reloading equipment that is now pretty much obsolete.
Why one chooses 308? Ammo availability. If the shtf, I know ammo will be available.
‘suprised I haven’t seen more’…
like the 6.5 creedmoor AR-10s from practically every other AR-10 vendor?
‘wonder why anyone would choose 308’
ammo cost?
ammo availability?
surplus ammo availability?
familiarity?
I agree unless you’re looking at over 1,000 yrds! 308 is just easier. Also for good old hunting.
The reason why anyone buys a .308 anymore is the ammo…I can buy new .308 in 1000 rounds cases for what, $500-$600? Match 175gr SMK ammo for $1000……Try that with a Creedmoor…….
I can buy 6.5 Creedmore match ammo for about the same price as .308 match ammo. Sure, if you want to buy el cheapo blasting ammo from Tula for your .308 you can get it cheaper but the reality is quality ammo costs money. .308 has been around for what, almost 70 years? I would hope something produced by hundreds of countries around the world would be cheaper than a round developed primarily for competition would be, especially after it only being in production for about a decade. I’ve got lots of .308’s including belt fed machine guns but I’m shooting ammo in them I bought in the good old days when surplus 7.62 was 13 cents a round delivered…
It is easier to find 308 cases as-well.
I’d like to try out a 6.5 but not at that price.
I like my black AR but I’m getting tired of “black guns” and would like to see some WALNUT again before I die !
Was that a dog at 3:19 or ? Nice but high price when you factor ammo cost right now. Will ammo go down? do not think so. So this is a Long Range tool. In Great Lakes Region, not so much need. But better than average review. I rate your Channel far above TFB, because You Tell It Like It Is.