6.5 Creedmoor Ban on MoD Ranges

[John MH]

6.5 Creedmoor Users Please Note the Following:

URGENT AND IMPORTANT NEWSFLASH.

For those of you who use MOD Fixed Firing Ranges, particularly Wiltshire’s SPTA (Salisbury Plain Training Area) ranges (and most likely nationwide Military Fixed Firing Ranges).

With immediate effect, a ban on the use of 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition has been imposed. This ban has come from the top, Westdown Camp, who are responsible for safety on all MOD ranges across the UK, not just Wiltshire.

The issue appears to be with range safety and the use of 6.5 Creedmoor. ie this chambering exceeds the safety template of 7.62mm/308 Win by enough of a margin to be deemed unsafe for use on Fixed Firing Ranges.

When this ban came out (Thursday 26th) FCSA immediately informed NRA’s Nic Cauldry to seek clarification with MOD.

It is confirmed that the ban has been imposed. Furthermore, clubs and range users will need to acknowledge the ban (when other Training Areas bring it online) in writing, otherwise further range bookings will not be processed until said users have replied and acknowledged the restrictions on 6.5 Creedmoor.

If you need further information on this, contact your club’s secretary’s and seek clarification from your local MOD/Landmarc Representative.

Currently this ban is for SPTA users only, but we hear that it is likely to be rolled across all MOD Training areas where Fixed Firing Ranges are used by civilian clubs

[John MH]

Not sure if this will affect Bisley as they use the MoD Danger Area.

[Mattnall]

Seeing that Bisley is OK for 338 and up to 7000J I doubt it'll be an issue.

The FCSA shoot much larger energy cartridges so how would this ever affect their normal large cal bookings?

 

I'm OK, I shoot 6.5-08 😉

[John MH]

14 minutes ago, Mattnall said:

Seeing that Bisley is OK for 338 and up to 7000J I doubt it'll be an issue.

.338 Lap was specifically verboten on Bisley NRA Ranges unless you were Military, has that changed?

[Mattnall]

According to the Range Orders HME up to 7000J, .338 for military use.

That would imply the range safety/danger template is sufficient for .338 and certainly more than the 7.62 template they are worried about in the newsflash above.

[Popsbengo]

5 hours ago, Mattnall said:

According to the Range Orders HME up to 7000J, .338 for military use.

That would imply the range safety/danger template is sufficient for .338 and certainly more than the 7.62 template they are worried about in the newsflash above.

At the NRA club seminar last April it was clearly stated that .338LM was not allowed for club users at Bisley even though there's a military template.  It's all to do with insurance risk apparently.

What is meant by a "fixed firing range" as it's not a designation defined in the NRA Range Design handbook?  I assume a fixed firing line with targets at varying distances ?

I really don't understand how 6.5CM can be singled out from a multitude of calibres with similar characteristics.  This looks like it will either go away once a fuller understanding of the issue is examined or could spiral into a right mess.  Here's hoping sensible heads prevail.

[Roy W]

The military now only allow 5.56 on falling plates. Not because 7.62 or 303 is more dangerous, but because the manual was changed and they only wrote 5.56. Therefore the manual says no.

Don’t expect common sense to prevail. 
 

They even had falling plates stopped at this years Imperial because the new Air Traffic control boss from the RAF said it was a ricochet risk……. I.e. hit the plate inside the wooden enclosure, ricochet back out the way it came then change direction vertically and continue high enough to hit a plane……….

Don’t expect common sense to prevail! 

 

 

 

[John MH]

46 minutes ago, Roy W said:

They even had falling plates stopped at this years Imperial because the new Air Traffic control boss from the RAF said it was a ricochet risk……. I.e. hit the plate inside the wooden enclosure, ricochet back out the way it came then change direction vertically and continue high enough to hit a plane……….

Just so I understand it, there were no Falling Plates at all this year during the Imperial?

I was aware that they had said no anything other than 5.56 and 7.62.

[TSG]

Do they mean  fixed arc field firing ranges? (without a backstop) if so I can understand why as the safety traces do not cover all calibres of ammunition. As for the aircraft I have to inform the Range staff so  the can apparently tell the CAA and have an air sentry at Barrossa range.

 

[Roy W]

23 hours ago, John MH said:

Just so I understand it, there were no Falling Plates at all this year during the Imperial?

I was aware that they had said no anything other than 5.56 and 7.62.

No they banned them on Pirbright and Ash completely. We had to use a nearby range Henley Park. The range closure timings meant there was no time for proper falling plates and only two banks of 9 plates . So an alternative hits on a 9”paper plate stapled to a fig 12 in 20 seconds incl run down was used. 
such is the situation that Peter is exploring a plates set up on stickledown. 
 

[ruger7717]

Absolutely ridiculous🙄

[phaedra1106uk]

This has been mentioned on a couple of forums, does anyone know who actually issued the "URGENT AND IMPORTANT NEWSFLASH." ??

[ruger7717]

FCSA are aware and awaiting confirmation 

[Mattnall]

On 9/28/2024 at 10:20 AM, John MH said:

Just so I understand it, there were no Falling Plates at all this year during the Imperial?

I was aware that they had said no anything other than 5.56 and 7.62.

Further to what Roy said, the plate banks on Henley Park were in a poor state and I believe some of the plate holders were cracked. It seemed that there was a good chance of plate failure and initially the plates heats were to be on paper and only the finals on the steels. In the end it was all on paper.

[Popsbengo]

There's a brief statement on the NRA "News" page https://nra.org.uk/restrictions-on-6-5-creedmoor-cartridge/

[Nick-St]

I believe they mean Bulford & Warminster ranges within Salisbury Plain Training area as the "Fixed Firing Ranges" rather than the other "Field Firing Ranges"...

[Triffid]

Might make things tricky for the Royal Marines then . . .

U.K. Royal Marines adopt a 6.5CM LMT as the L129A2, ft. HUXWRX and Leupold | thefirearmblog.com

 

[newsatten]

We’ve just been informed the 6.5 Creedmore cannot be used on landmark 

ranges,

all future bookings must reflect this ,

or booking will be cancelled 

 

[Popsbengo]

1 hour ago, newsatten said:

We’ve just been informed the 6.5 Creedmore cannot be used on landmark 

ranges,

all future bookings must reflect this ,

or booking will be cancelled 

 

Do the ranges you wish to use allow .338LM?  If so I suggest you take it up with NRA straight away as it contradicts the DIO agreement advice given by them.

If .338LM is not allowed then 6.5CM is neither (for now).

[newsatten]

Yep we use 338’s on serial 2 and 10

but the email from landmark said as from today no creedmore to be used on MOD ranges , 

not posting the email from landmark as it’s not my business to do so,

yesterday I was cleared to use it , today 

I can’t !

[newsatten]

This cam from HQ DIO south east 

[phaedra1106uk]

I had the same email about 2 weeks ago from Otterburn OTA

I've since had a bid for November deferred and asked to list ammunition on the Saaf 1930 form,
there isn't anywhere on that form to list it.

I submitted another bid this morning (different range and date) and it's been authorised,
I'd altered the Weapons Section on the Saaf to show,

Civilian Sporting Firearms
Excluding - 6.5 Creedmoor

So I've now resubmitted an amended Saaf for the deferred bid and will see what happens.

 

Update.

Deferred bid came back as now authorised 

[Tat2mick]

On 9/27/2024 at 11:45 AM, John MH said:

Not sure if this will affect Bisley as they use the MoD Danger Area.

This does NOT affect Bisley at all, ive just spoke to the range master and he confirmed this 

[John MH]

Who is the Bisley Ranger Master?