6.5mm Voodoo -Unveiled

[Oliveralan]

First off all I would like to apologize for not putting this write up together sooner, however I have been busy... Shooting and "real life" too!!

The 6.5 Voodoo (as I named it) is a 6.5-300 win mag essentially, same shoulder and neck as a .264 win mag, but 300 win mag body. I chose to build this because I had a lot of 300 win nag brass lying around, and love wildcats that don't require custom dies, as I am a junior in highschool with a tight budget.
Now, is the performance worth it over a .264 win mag? Heck yes! I can approach 3600fps with a 140 Berger VLD! And that's with cool burning ball powders! Accuracy load runs 3441fps around 1/3 moa ES of 9.

The rifle:
Savage M116 LH as base
Blind magazine
Choate tactical stock
Stockade extended bolt handle
Savage-barrels.com prefit mcgowen barrel 1-9twist
Sightron SIII 6-24X50
EGW 20moa base
Burris sig zed rings
Harris bipod
Bedded it myself and barrel was installed by my go to gunsmith, Jeff Walker, of Walker Custom Rifles. He usually builds all my rifles, this was just a little pet project and I got a sweet deal on the barrel!

Lots of discussion went into the barrel, I was afraid I would dust the 140s, but I have not had a single one dust, I went with the 9twistin hopes of keeping the bullet together at these extreme speeds, and it worked out wonderfully.

So far I haven't killed a deer with it yet, however still have 3 weeks to hunt here in VA (at least my county)!! Only victim so far was a full size ar500 Idpa 3/8" target at 200 or 300yards (can't remember) punched a hole COM in a tactical match...

Load Data:
I have been loading using Winchester brass, CCI BR2 primers, Berger 140gr hunting VLDs, and H-US869. Accuracy load is 83.3grains 10thou off the lands. This load feeds from the magazine, how's that for horsepower!?

Ballistics:
600yards- 7.3moa drop 0.2moa wind (1mph 9 o'clock)
1000yards- 17.1moa drop 0.44moa wind (1mph 9 o'clock)
Supersonic to 1mile+ in almost any atmospheric conditions
I consider it a 1200yard deer rifle.

Id be glad to answer any questions here or by pm. I am very happy with the caliber and my rifle. Exceeded all expectations. Have 144rounds down the barrel currently, will see how long she lasts!

Thanks for reading,
Oliver

EDIT: photos up on page 7!

 

[Oliveralan]

Pics of rifle and a line up of 6.5 grendel, .260 rem, and 6.5 Voodoo will follow tomorrow. Wrote this on my iPhone and won't boot up the pc till then.

 

[eyeballjr]

Sounds awesome man. Congrats keep us up to date on barrel life and stuff like that.

 

[lovdasnow]

ya curious of barrel life as well. sounds like a screamer.

post some pics of the round next to something everyone knows for comparison. always fun to look at pics.
thanks for posting.

 

[RockZ]

Oliver,
Sounds like a winner,
I've been thinking of getting that same barrel.
Good to hear your positive results.
Also great to see young guys like you getting into the sport and achieving very high levels of proficiency.
Great job

 

[trebark]

Post some pics of the rifle too. Would love to see it.

 

[RockZ]

Are you using a 28" barrel

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

I have been shooting the 6.5 STW for many years. Most people are not aware of the ballistic performance these rifles can achieve. Bullet BC is basically the same as the 168 grain 7mm bullet but you can drive it faster in the 6.5 making it better ballistically than the 7mm STW which far outperforms say a 7mm rem mag.

 

[learning]

How are you getting more speed than a 6.5 stw? Everything I have found says the 6.5 stw tops out at 3400. Also I was told by kirby Allen that the bergers won't survive after 3250. Here is one of his posts about it.


Re: 6.5 140vld at 3300-3400fps???? need help
My wifes 6.5mm Allen Magnum has around 500 rounds down the barrel and it still is a 1/2 moa rifle pretty easily. IT is not shot alot, it is not over heated, three round strings at a time max. 142 gr SMK at 3550 fps. THis is on a necked down 338 RUM with improved shoulder and body design.

3500 fps from a necked down 7mm Dakota, you are running that very hot to get that level of velocity with a 140 gr. I find this very questionable. My 257 Allen Xpress and 6.5mm Allen Xpress are both based on the 300 Dakota which has larger capacity then the 7mm Dakota and best I can get out of the 6.5 with 140 gr bullet weights is 3300-3350 fps with acceptable case life.

Have also tested the 140 gr Berger VLD Match bullets in 6.5-06 AI, 6.5mm WSM, 264 WM, 6.5mm STW, 6.5mm AX, 6.5mm RUM and my 6.5mm Allen Magnum and in barrel twists from 1-8 (3,4,5 and 6 groove), 1-9 (3 and 6 groove) and 1-10 ( 6 groove) and in with the 1-8 twist barrels, the Berger bullets let loose at 3200-3250 fps in every barrel tested. Including Lilja, Pac Nor, Broughton, Hart, Krieger and Rock........


1000 round down the barrel and you still have a 1/2" rifle at these pressures......

5" group at 700 yards out of your truck window.......

WOW!!! Don't know where to start here. IF you said you were shooting the 142 gr SMK I would believe it as they will survive any velocity you can drive them to, the 140 gr VLD..... I would have to see that to beleive it because I have probably dusted 3 lbs of 140 gr bergers in my ballistic testing.

Sorry, but every thing you have stated goes right in the face of nearly everything I have tested in ballistic performance.
__________________
Kirby Allen(50)



I've been thinking about a 6.5 stw for a while and researching it and your post just got me curious. I guess with your barrel being a 1x9 I could see where they will have a chance at making the launch.

 

[trebark]

How are you getting more speed than a 6.5 stw? Everything I have found says the 6.5 stw tops out at 3400. Also I was told by kirby Allen that the bergers won't survive after 3250. Here is one of his posts about it.


Re: 6.5 140vld at 3300-3400fps???? need help
My wifes 6.5mm Allen Magnum has around 500 rounds down the barrel and it still is a 1/2 moa rifle pretty easily. IT is not shot alot, it is not over heated, three round strings at a time max. 142 gr SMK at 3550 fps. THis is on a necked down 338 RUM with improved shoulder and body design.

3500 fps from a necked down 7mm Dakota, you are running that very hot to get that level of velocity with a 140 gr. I find this very questionable. My 257 Allen Xpress and 6.5mm Allen Xpress are both based on the 300 Dakota which has larger capacity then the 7mm Dakota and best I can get out of the 6.5 with 140 gr bullet weights is 3300-3350 fps with acceptable case life.

Have also tested the 140 gr Berger VLD Match bullets in 6.5-06 AI, 6.5mm WSM, 264 WM, 6.5mm STW, 6.5mm AX, 6.5mm RUM and my 6.5mm Allen Magnum and in barrel twists from 1-8 (3,4,5 and 6 groove), 1-9 (3 and 6 groove) and 1-10 ( 6 groove) and in with the 1-8 twist barrels, the Berger bullets let loose at 3200-3250 fps in every barrel tested. Including Lilja, Pac Nor, Broughton, Hart, Krieger and Rock........


1000 round down the barrel and you still have a 1/2" rifle at these pressures......

5" group at 700 yards out of your truck window.......

WOW!!! Don't know where to start here. IF you said you were shooting the 142 gr SMK I would believe it as they will survive any velocity you can drive them to, the 140 gr VLD..... I would have to see that to beleive it because I have probably dusted 3 lbs of 140 gr bergers in my ballistic testing.

Sorry, but every thing you have stated goes right in the face of nearly everything I have tested in ballistic performance.
__________________
Kirby Allen(50)



I've been thinking about a 6.5 stw for a while and researching it and your post just got me curious. I guess with your barrel being a 1x9 I could see where they will have a chance at making the launch.

Although I am sure that oliveralan will reply with his data, I can tell you that he had read Kirby's posts about VLDs blowing up at 3200+. As a result, oliveralan ran some preliminary tests to see if they would hold together. Surprisingly, they did hold together. I can say that, because I have been there to see the chronograph and the targets. Fastest number I've seen on the chrono is 3550fps with the 140VLD. Oliveralan has a pic of that number and hopefully he will post it.

Subsequent to the preliminary testing, he has conducted several ladder tests with a minimum velocity of ~3400 and has not experienced one bullet failure as of yet.

Also, I was at the match where he made a shot on an AR500 steel target at 200 or 300 yards and blew a hole right through the target with a VLD. I would have had a hard time believing it myself if I had not been there.

That's a long way to say that I know there's plenty of BS on the internet, but the velocities reported here are absolutely true.

 

[B23]

I'm not 100% sure on this but doesn't Berger, at one time or another, make 2 versions of their 140VLD? A Target 140VLD and a Hunting 140VLD, with the Target version having a much thicker jacket. If so, these sound like they very well could be the "Target" version of their 140VLD.

 

[learning]

How many firings are you getting on the brass at 3440? And what barrel length?

 

[trebark]

I'm not 100% sure on this but doesn't Berger, at one time or another, make 2 versions of their 140VLD? A Target 140VLD and a Hunting 140VLD, with the Target version having a much thicker jacket. If so, these sound like they very well could be the "Target" version of their 140VLD.

He is definitely shooting the Hunting VLD.

(Oliver, sorry to hi-jack your thread, but felt like I wanted to defend your post)

 

[Oliveralan]

Thanks for the support man!

I am shooting a 6groove 28" 1-btw mcgowen.

So far I have 4 firing on one group of brass. Primer pockets are still snug. comfortable max lies around 86grains.