Berger Bullets

I'm shooting a 26 Nosler with 156 berger or 160 Matrix when I can find them
I would like the find a heaver 6.5 bullet for windy day for Elk, I like my custom
26 Nosler for all my hunting.
What freebore on the 26 nosler? What length for a 170 gr. concerning same. I have considering the 27 nosler with a .087 freebore for the 170 burgers
 
Got a email back from Berger the other day concerning availability of the 156's. "we are in the target bullet season, and won't be making hunting bullets till early fall. You should contact your local dealer and get on their call list when they become available". That's where we hunters stand, get on a list for bullets that vaporize when they get to a dealer. To many others to choose from, including all my Hammer orders recently that are at my door in 5 days or less. Thanks Steve.

Those quotes seem to be about 6 months behind the "targeted seasons".

To the op, I think others have said it but to really gain anything over the 156 you need to step up to a 7mm. Imo, if you're wanting to add some gain you should step up to a big 30 slinging a 230-245 berger.
 
I have only shot 15 Elks all kills one shot all have been shot with 6.5
140 ga. to 160 ga. bullets, 14 of them drop on the spot or very few
steps on 1 ran about 90 yards. It's all about bullet placement if it's
15 mph wind I will not take the shot. The only reason I'm wanting
a heaver bullet is to buck the wind and a little harder hit. I'm shooting
my 160 gr. at 3065 fps. at that speed the bullet hit him before he hears
the sound. When I built this rifle I went to 7.5 twist and as so far it has
shot great. This rifle free bore is .233 and I'm shooting it at .025 off the
lance. My rifle is a 6.5/300 Norma Imp. I just call it a 26 Nosler.
 
Any body on this web site work for Berger Bullets?
We need a heaver bullet for the 6.5, like a 170 or 175
would be nice. That would be a nice Elk bullet.
You could easily fix this issue, simply go to a 7mm or 30 calibre. The projectile weight increases to the square of diameter I see absolutely no point with a 6.5 bullet over say 150-160 grains? A lot of older 6.5's struggle to stabilise anything much over 140gr with projectiles as their twist rates are too slow. I was shooting this calibre thirty plus years ago before it became a fashion statement, it's a deer calibre was and still is!
 
You could easily fix this issue, simply go to a 7mm or 30 calibre. The projectile weight increases to the square of diameter I see absolutely no point with a 6.5 bullet over say 150-160 grains? A lot of older 6.5's struggle to stabilise anything much over 140gr with projectiles as their twist rates are too slow. I was shooting this calibre thirty plus years ago before it became a fashion statement, it's a deer calibre was and still is!
 
I have only shot 15 Elks all kills one shot all have been shot with 6.5
140 ga. to 160 ga. bullets, 14 of them drop on the spot or very few
steps on 1 ran about 90 yards. It's all about bullet placement if it's
15 mph wind I will not take the shot. The only reason I'm wanting
a heaver bullet is to buck the wind and a little harder hit. I'm shooting
my 160 gr. at 3065 fps. at that speed the bullet hit him before he hears
the sound. When I built this rifle I went to 7.5 twist and as so far it has
shot great. This rifle free bore is .233 and I'm shooting it at .025 off the
lance. My rifle is a 6.5/300 Norma Imp. I just call it a 26 Nosler.
You must be running them really light in your 6.5-.300NMI. I have shot several .300NMIs. A 199 Hammer at 3200+, or 230s at 3100 is very possible. I would think a 156 or 160 should be able to hit 3300 pretty easily.
Heck, my 26" 6.5SS is pushing a 156 @ 3068fps w. N565.
 
You must be running them really light in your 6.5-.300NMI. I have shot several .300NMIs. A 199 Hammer at 3200+, or 230s at 3100 is very possible. I would think a 156 or 160 should be able to hit 3300 pretty easily.
Heck, my 26" 6.5SS is pushing a 156 @ 3068fps w. N565.
I know I can but it's better for the brass and barrel and it works
 
I have guided elk hunters in northwest Colorado since 94' and seen many hundreds of them shot with everything from 243 Win's to 378 Weatherby's and yes a heavy, fast 6.5 caliber like a 26 No's will kill them just fine IF the shot placement is squarely in the vitals. HOWEVER, at least 3 out of every 4 kills I've witnessed you don't have that perfect broadside shot or if you do they're moving and only stop long enough to get the shot off, or they're quartered slightly, etc, etc. When my hunters ask about rifle caliber to bring for the hunt I always tell them 7mm mag or larger firing 160 grain or heavire in 7mm mag, 180 or heavier in the 300's, 225 or heavier in 338's, etc. I personally prefer even heavier for caliber bullets in those calibers mentioned for myself when hunting at medium-long ranges, but those are good minimums to go by for an elk round in my opinion. A fast, heavy 6.5 pill will do the job IF perfectly shot through the vitals of course, but you often don't get that kind of perfect shot and for a man who's paid thousands of dollars to get that one opportunity, a larger caliber simply gives you more options and a much better chance of success if the elk is hit less than perfectly. If you still want terrific speed try a 28 Nosler. I have one that shoots around .15" MOA groups firing 190 Berger's at 3,225 FPS out of it's 28" bartlein 7.5 twist barrel. But to re-iterat: true "every year elk rifles" start at 7mm caliber and go up in bore diameter, not down. Just my opinion after witnessing hundreds of elk kills while guiding.
 
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Agreed! My .264 WM has 26" 1:7" to propel the 156 Bergers.
What powder are you running if don't mind me asking? I just got a 264 WM built with same twist and barrel length. Was going to try 8133 with 156 gr but looking for other ideas. Not much data with 264 and larger bullets!
 
What powder are you running if don't mind me asking? I just got a 264 WM built with same twist and barrel length. Was going to try 8133 with 156 gr but looking for other ideas. Not much data with 264 and larger bullets!
I have loaded with Retumbo and 8133 but have not done load refinement yet. Call Berger Tech Support.
 
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