Bullets for the 6.5 CM

[Clem Bronkoski]

From everything I've been reading here and elsewhere on the internet I've come to the conclusion that the best weight for this cartridge is in the 140 gr range.
But the choices are many. You have Hornady ELDMs & ELDXs, Sierra Match King, Berger VLDs, Nosler BTs & ABs and so on.
I'm definitely going to be handloading and will likely start out using H4350.
Now I know different rifles prefer different bullets but I'd like to sort of get some poll results as to what their rifle shoots best. This would save me a nice chunk of change. Let me know.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

140 eld-m and h4350 or rl-16. Havent seen a creed not shoot the 140 eld-m yet. Great for targets as well as whitetail/blackbear.

 

[Dosh]

130 and 140 Berger VLDH with H4350 most accurate in two RPR's and a Browning Hells Canyon Speed. A friend killed a Desert Bighorn @ 613 yds with the Hells Canyon.

 

[D.Stone]

I haven't done load development for a long time.

I just use 42.5gr of H4350, and use the 140 ELD-M, 140 Berger Hybrid, and 142 SMK at 20 thousandths off the lands.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

The 142 Sierra SMK is rarely spoken of with regard to the 6.5 Creed. However, I have a partial box of 500 on my bench which I used to break-in my new (Creed) barrel.
I eventually worked up a load using 46.0 RE26 in Lapua SRP brass which consistently shoots into 1.5" at 400yds. FWIW, bullets are loaded .020" off the rifling.

 

[Hespco]

Not the CM but my similar 260 Rem loves the Sierra 140gr. Often over looked with the catchy new names given to new bullets. On my own 522 yd target range it performs . This bullet has performed without negative issues since the mid 1960's. There's a reason it is still around.

 

[yoteslayer]

Rl 16 seems to always shoot with a little more speed to h 4350 also good

 

[yoteslayer]

Berger's also seem to always shoot at lest in my experience

 

[Clem Bronkoski]

Thanks guys. This gives me a good start so I'm not just throwing $$ out the window.

 

[Beardeddeer91]

I've had great luck with the Berger 140 HVLD and the Hornady 143 ELD-X. Both have proven to be great and effective hunting bullets IME.

 

[BrentM]

143 is a good choice. All of them are imho, but I've seen a lot of critters taken with the 143. I do use the 140 for PRS matches and the 147 in my 6.5-284 for wolf hunting. I have recently been testing the 143 again in several different rifles and they all shoot well.

 

[bigpapa]

Hello young man been away awhile, H 4350 shooting 43 gr. Just started with the new serria game changer 130 gr. This is awsome in my two rifles i know guns are different but worth a try oal is 2.800 you may move that around and when i started i was at 42.5 my friend was at 43 gr. So after shooting a couple of his i moved up.. good luck

 

[foul bore]

140 gr Berger VLD's shoot the best in my Browning, I have tried lighter bullets but 140 is the best, especially at longer range

 

[Westfork]

My Ruger Hawkeye Predator does best with 140 grain Sierra Gamekings over 42.0 grains of H4350. But it also does very well with Hornady Factory 129 grain SST Ammo, Nosler 130 grain Accubonds over 43.5 grains of W760, and Nosler 140 grain Ballist Tips over 41.0 grains of H4350.

Strangely, with my Ruger African in 6.5x55 Swedish it does better with lighter weights, best groups coming from the Nosler 120 grain ballistic Tip over 47.0 grains of H4350. Although it does like RL22 for the powder.