Description
The Taurus Expedition 6.5 Creedmoor is Taurus doing something they have not done before: a proper bolt action precision rifle rather than a handgun. Twenty inches of threaded, DLC-coated steel barrel, a stainless receiver that is drilled and tapped and carries an accessory rail, an M-LOK forend, and a synthetic stock with aluminium pillar bedding. Five rounds in a detachable box magazine.
The specification reads like a rifle costing considerably more, which is the entire point of it.
Part number 3-EXP65201, UPC 725327941569. Nine in stock, and the distributor is out.
What the Taurus Expedition 6.5 Creedmoor is built from
- 20-inch black DLC steel barrel, threaded at the muzzle
- Stainless steel receiver in black DLC, drilled and tapped, with an accessory rail already fitted
- Aluminium pillar bedding in a fixed synthetic stock
- M-LOK slots in the forend for a bipod, sling stud or hand stop
- 5+1 capacity in a detachable magazine
- Chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor
Why pillar bedding and a 20-inch barrel are the two specs that matter
- Pillar bedding on the Taurus Expedition 6.5 Creedmoor puts metal columns between the action screws and the stock, so tightening the screws clamps metal to metal instead of compressing plastic. It is the difference between a rifle that holds zero and one that shifts when the weather changes
- A 20-inch barrel in 6.5 Creedmoor gives up perhaps sixty to eighty feet per second against a 24-inch. In exchange you get a rifle that is four inches shorter, stiffer, and far easier to carry and to shoot off a bipod
- 6.5 Creedmoor is an efficient cartridge with long, high-BC bullets. It stays supersonic well past a thousand yards and recoils less than a .308
- The receiver is already drilled and tapped with a rail on it, so mounting a scope costs you rings and nothing else
- Five rounds is the standard precision-rifle magazine count and there is no shortage of aftermarket options
Taurus Expedition 6.5 Creedmoor specifications
- Manufacturer part number: 3-EXP65201
- UPC: 725327941569
- Calibre: 6.5 Creedmoor
- Capacity: 5+1, detachable magazine
- Barrel: 20 inches, black DLC steel, threaded muzzle
- Receiver: stainless steel, black DLC, drilled and tapped with accessory rail
- Stock: fixed synthetic with aluminium pillar bedding
- Forend: M-LOK
- Action: bolt action
About that threaded muzzle
The Taurus Expedition 6.5 Creedmoor barrel comes threaded, which means you can fit a muzzle brake or a flash hider straight away. A brake on a 6.5 Creedmoor makes a mild-recoiling rifle into a very mild one and is worth considering if you shoot long strings from a bipod – it will also make you noticeably less popular on a crowded firing line.
A suppressor is a National Firearms Act item and requires ATF approval before you can take possession of it. MAG5 Firearms does not sell NFA items, so if that is the plan, arrange it through a dealer who handles those transfers. The rifle itself is an ordinary long gun and ships to your FFL normally.
Feeding it
6.5 Creedmoor chamber and pressure specifications are published by SAAMI. It is a cartridge a lot of owners hand load for, partly because match components are easy to get and partly because the case is very well behaved – we stock 6.5 Creedmoor brass and die sets for exactly that reason. If you are buying factory ammunition, the 140 to 147 grain match loads are what the twist rate is designed around.
How it compares to the other bolt guns we carry
The Beretta BRX1 in 6.5 Creedmoor is a straight-pull rather than a turn-bolt, which is faster to cycle without moving your head off the stock, and it is available in OD Green too. In other calibres there is the BRX1 in .308 Winchester and the carbon-barrelled BRX1 in .300 Win Mag. On the Taurus side, the same Expedition is also built in .308 Winchester with an 18-inch barrel.
Why the Taurus Expedition 6.5 Creedmoor earns its place
- Pillar bedding, a threaded DLC barrel and a rail-equipped receiver at a price that normally buys none of those
- 20 inches is the sweet spot for a 6.5 Creedmoor you actually carry
- 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition is everywhere and the components are easy to source
- Nothing to add to the Taurus Expedition 6.5 Creedmoor before you can mount a scope and shoot it
- Nine in stock and the distributor has none
Two honest points. First, this is a new rifle from a company known for handguns, so there is no decade of user experience behind it yet. The specification is right and the build looks right, but if you need a rifle with a twenty-year track record, buy one of those instead and pay for it.
Second, a 20-inch barrel is a compromise, and if your shooting is exclusively from a bench at distance, a longer, heavier barrel will do better. The Taurus Expedition 6.5 Creedmoor is aimed at the person who walks with the rifle and then shoots it well – hunting, practical field matches, general precision work.
For that person it is a lot of rifle for the money. MAG5 Firearms ships long guns to your FFL.
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