Preferred bullet weight for 6.5 CM

[MallardAddict]

My son is getting to the age that it's time to start transitioning to a larger rifle so I bought a 6.5 CM off of here to get him started. The rifle has a 1:8!so most any bullet is in play and I would prefer to avoid monos due to the sedate velocities of the CM but could be swayed.


I have a ton of lighter old 6.5 bullets in various makes and weights that I intend to download to get him started but want to work up a "standard" load as well.

I'm seeing everything from 120-147's in various posts. In playing with applied ballistics it seems to me that the 130ish may be best as the increased velocity over the 140 class gives it an advantage on elevation with just a slight wind penalty to about 1000 yds which is farther then I plan to shoot.

I have 200 virgin Lapua brass, federal 210's and cci 250's, RL16, RL17, RL26, 4350 and a few other viable candidates for powder.

My question is where did you settle for your 6.5 CM loads?

 

[madman]

4350 and 140gr bullets for me. ELDM or Berger. My rifle likes both.

--md

 

[mtbullet1]

142 smk

 

[wasskeet]

Same as madman, pretty good combination.

 

[BW64]

Same as madman! Right around 40.0 of H4350.

 

[Rob01]

140grn weight is a solid place. I have been shooting the Creedmoor since early 2008 and have tried 120-147 and the 140 is the place I like to be. Have shot them to a mile. I really like the ELD-Ms.

H4350 burn rate is a solid place to be. I wouldn't use anything much faster or much slower. IMR4451 is another good choice. Some use H4831 as well.

 

[lancetkenyon]

I personally prefer a 130gr bullet for the 6.5CM and similar sized cases.

 

[Jon Bischof]

129, 130 are 1 hole for me at 100, but at 200, 300 and 400 140 groups better. I also do well at 400 with 143.

 

[Petey308]

For a 6.5 Creedmoor the 140gr Berger Hybrid or 140gr Hornady ELDMs would be perfect, as they're of a softer/frangible construction so they'll still adequately expand and perform at impact velocities below 1600fps, but also have a sectional density of .287 which is more than adequate for closer range shots too, even being of a softer construction.

The 143gr Hornady ELDX would be a good third option, as it's still fairly soft in construction, but slightly tougher regarding overall construction and needs to be kept above around 1800fps for minimum impact velocity for reliable and adequate expansion.

The 147gr ELDM unfortunately has some major flaws in its design and is just not a consistent bullet regarding external ballistics, which in turn will affect terminal ballistics. If it weren't for that, it would be a great weight and option.

RL-16, H4350, and N555 are excellent powder choices.

 

[.gacton]

140 Berger VLD-H and H4350 for me. Also, 140 Berger Hybrid Target and 140 Nosler RDF. The VLD-H is awesome on whitetail.

 

[just_jon]

I personally prefer a 130gr bullet for the 6.5CM and similar sized cases.

+1. I've shot everything in my 1:7 man bun from 85 grain hammer hunters to 156 Berger eols. I hunt with the 124 hammer hunter and target shoot with 130 Berger hybrids. Both like RL16 and Varget.

 

[Kimber7man]

My rifle liked the Berger factory ammo with the 130 hybrid, so I bought a bunch of that and haven't looked back.

 

[Justice1327]

120-130 ish I use a Varget burn rate pwdr
135-145 ish I use H4350 burn rate
All 3 of mine are 1:8 (2x semi custom and one factory varmint) and all shoot 142 SMK one hole at 100 yds.

 

[GLTaylor]

85gr Hammer Hunters for me. 34-3500 fps, ragged hole accuracy, excellent performance, full penetration and little recoil.