Springfield Waypoint 6.5 Creedmoor SS – Superb Fluted Evergreen Rifle

Description

The Springfield Waypoint 6.5 Creedmoor SS is the steel barrelled version of Springfield mountain rifle, and for a lot of buyers it is the smarter purchase. Seven pounds three ounces, a fluted 416 stainless barrel, the same carbon fiber stock and the same three quarter MOA guarantee as the carbon barrelled model, for meaningfully less money.

Fluted Steel Versus Carbon Fiber

Fluting cuts channels along the outside of the barrel, removing steel from where it contributes least to rigidity while leaving the material near the bore intact. It also increases surface area, which helps a hot barrel shed heat a little faster. The Springfield Waypoint 6.5 Creedmoor SS comes in seven ounces heavier than the carbon wrapped version, which is a smaller gap than most people expect.

Steel also behaves more predictably as it heats. A carbon wrapped barrel is stiffer for its weight, but the carbon jacket insulates as much as it stiffens, so heat leaves a steel barrel more readily. If you shoot longer strings than a hunting rifle normally sees, that is a point in favour of stainless.

The 416 stainless used on the Springfield Waypoint 6.5 Creedmoor SS is the standard match barrel material for good reason. It machines cleanly, it resists corrosion without a coating, and barrel makers understand it thoroughly.

Action, Stock And Trigger

The action is the Model 2020 in custom grade stainless steel with dual locking lugs, EDM cut raceways and a fluted 4140 tool steel bolt in a nitride finish. It follows the Remington 700 short action footprint, so optics mount on standard rings and the barrelled action drops into aftermarket chassis without fitting.

The stock is the same hybrid profile carbon fiber unit fitted to the carbon barrelled rifle, in Evergreen camouflage with M-Lok slots and QD cups moulded in. Carbon is dimensionally stable in a way wood and injection moulded polymer are not, so the action sits in the same place across seasons and the Springfield Waypoint 6.5 Creedmoor SS holds its zero through weather.

A TriggerTech adjustable trigger runs 2.5 to 5 pounds using a free floating roller between sear and trigger, which is why it breaks the same gloved, cold or wet. Feeding is from a five round AICS magazine in the short action pattern, so spares are cheap and available everywhere.

Springfield Waypoint 6.5 Creedmoor SS Specifications

• Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor
• Barrel: 22 inch fluted 416 stainless steel, 1:8 twist
• Barrel finish: Mil-Spec Green Cerakote H-264
• Muzzle device: SA Radial Brake, Mil-Spec Green Cerakote H-264
• Action: Model 2020 stainless steel, dual locking lugs, EDM cut raceways
• Bolt: Fluted 4140 tool steel with nitride finish
• Trigger: TriggerTech Adjustable, 2.5 to 5 pounds
• Stock: Hybrid profile carbon fiber, Evergreen camo, M-Lok slots and QD cups
• Magazine: One five round AICS short action
• Optic mount: Picatinny rail, Remington 700 short action pattern, 6-48 screws
• Overall length: 43.5 inches
• Weight: 7 pounds 3 ounces
• Accuracy: 0.75 MOA guarantee
• Model number: BAW92265CMG
• UPC: 706397939168

An SA Radial Brake is fitted at the muzzle in matching Cerakote.

Why Buyers Choose The Springfield Waypoint 6.5 Creedmoor SS

This is the value proposition in the Waypoint line. You get the custom grade action, the carbon fiber stock, the TriggerTech trigger, the AICS feeding and the same accuracy guarantee, and the only thing you give up against the carbon barrelled rifle is seven ounces. For most hunters that is not a difference they will feel on the hill.

6.5 Creedmoor suits a rifle of this weight particularly well. It is efficient, mild in recoil, and 140 to 147 grain bullets with high ballistic coefficients are stocked everywhere. In a seven pound rifle mild recoil matters, because a magnum at this weight punishes the shooter far more than the game.

The fluted stainless barrel on the Springfield Waypoint 6.5 Creedmoor SS also ages well. There is no coating on the steel itself to wear through, and stainless tolerates wet weather and neglect better than a blued barrel ever will.

Now the honest points. The radial brake is effective and loud, and on a hunt that means hearing protection or consequences. The five round magazine is standard for the class but fewer than some hunters prefer. A seven pound rifle is harder to hold steady offhand than a heavier one, which is simply the trade for carrying it. And at this price the Springfield Waypoint 6.5 Creedmoor SS deserves glass to match, so budget for a proper scope and rings rather than fitting whatever is spare.

Who Should Buy The Springfield Waypoint 6.5 Creedmoor SS

The Springfield Waypoint 6.5 Creedmoor SS suits the hunter who wants a custom grade rifle at a sensible weight without paying the premium for a carbon wrapped barrel. If every ounce genuinely matters on your hunts, the carbon barrelled version saves seven of them. If you shoot mostly from a bench or in longer strings, this steel barrel handles heat better anyway. And if you need more energy at distance for elk, look at the 300 Win Mag models in the same family.

Learn more about this hunting rifle from the manufacturer, or see more firearms available at MAG5 Firearms.