Q Boombox 6mm Creedmoor first shots: 13-inch prototype on the chrono

Key points: Q Boombox 6mm Creedmoor

• Q's case against 6 ARC is mechanical: it needs a new bolt with a wider bolt face that weakens the part, plus non-standard magazines with limited capacity, while 6mm Creedmoor is a barrel swap.
• Quick math before shooting suggested roughly 20% less gun weight and 20% more energy on target than another company's 14.5-inch 6 ARC, a figure the hosts say they still have to check.
• The 13-inch prototype, under 6 lb by Q's account, averages about 2581 fps on its first string of 103- or 108-grain bullets and 2867 fps with a 90-grain solid copper CX load.
• A plastic bullet tip broke off, got into the chamber and smashed a case shoulder, which points them toward non-tipped bullets like the Barnes TSX or a stronger aluminum tip for gas guns.
• With the same scope and silencer, the 6.5 Creedmoor Boombox with the 143-grain ELD-X recoils more, but one host says that would not decide between them, except perhaps when holding a night vision or thermal eye box.
• The 6.5 Creedmoor loses about 140 to 150 fps from 16 to 14.5 inches, but only 11 and 5 fps across two strings from 14.5 to 13 inches, so they conclude you build a 16 and a 13 or 12, not a 14.5.
• "Arc just became irrelevant" rests on Q's own prototype numbers and what the hosts have seen elsewhere, since no 6 ARC rifle is shot in the session.

About this First Look video

Q Boombox 6mm Creedmoor first shots: Mitch and KB of Q take the prototype, a 13-inch gun under 6 lb, to the range with a chronograph. A 90-grain expanding copper load averages 2867 fps, and a broken plastic bullet tip smashes a case shoulder. A 6.5 Creedmoor Boombox then shows almost no velocity loss from 14.5 to 13 inches. Q argues the cartridge makes 6 ARC irrelevant, but no 6 ARC rifle is fired. This is the maker's case, not an independent test.

Transcript: Q Boombox 6mm