What do you consider good enough?

[Creedmoor shooter]

If I were you I would try the same thing you have done using SMK bullets. I have found them to be very good and highly under-rated.

I have a box of 150 smk waiting for that

 

[Swiftkill]

I think
You can't put a 147gr bullet in a 6mm
Paper and steel is not that hard to kill
I save my 300wm for big game and longer shots
I shoot my custom Creedmore for Fun Savage/Shilen
Try it you will Love it

Well luckily this thread isnt about your opinion on the creedmoor.

Ya know, you are right. I apologize. Mike

 

[jasonco]

IMHO... anything you attach to the barrel (like the Magnito to get your velocity) is going to shift the harmonic node and affect group diameter.

Exactly. That's why you confirm the load without the MagnetSpeed and on my mostly heavy to bull contour barrels, it's only a POI shift.

 

[Triggerhead Ed]

Mike your correct also
It is all for fun and infomation
Enjoy the shooting

 

[dlschwartz]

The very best answer to this question is in an article published in the Fall 2107 edition of Long Range magazine. Summarily, a Monte Carlo analysis shows that after reaching .5 MOA groups it doesn't statistically matter a lot due to other influencing factors.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

Well it was getting dark but I managed to shoot a few groups with the 140 eld and rl-16. I was running out of daylight so it was shot pretty much as fast as I could put the shell in and fire. If you take out the one flyer to the right its .330 moa. With the flyer its .575. Either it's me or something else is going on with my rifle. I've never had to struggle getting under .5 moa groups with the 140s. This was the best group I shot tonight with the rest around .75 moa. Again visibility wasnt very good and I was rushed. I'll try that load again when its lighter out and i have more time.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

I'll also mention the .330 was my first 4 shots.

 

[desertcrr1]

I got so excited I forgot
Has anyone mentioned neck tension?
I have been planning to try graphite on the bottom of the bullet when I put it in the case to see if that will give me a more consistent neck tension

It does not. Try it anyway - lots have

 

[ncwg2boatguy]

Because I have 350 of the 147s left. I bought a 500 sleeve thinking I could get them to shoot but so far that's the best I've come up with. I guess I could try selling them

Trade',m.

 

[BrentM]

Didn't read through all the comments but I am bit surprised you have issues. Nice small groups at zero range are nice but mean little if the sd and es are out of whack. I have had excellent results out of 147's at 20 thou off the lands. 2 creeds and multiple 6.5-284's.

Personnaly I'd group at 500 and if they do well shoot em.

 

[wildcat westerner]

Hoping to add some positive insights here. From the standpoint of competing at 1,000 yards off a benchrest and measuring in .000, you begin to realize how incredibly finite your reloading has to get to achieve the consistency you seek in order to achieve your goals. You speak on COAL,s as worst and best at only .010 apart. That alone should tell you how incredibly finite this single aspect can be. Have you tried the differences between the two in .003 segments? May seem laughable, but if indeed you are shooting at a target at that distance, with all other conditions and specs being constant, you will notice the difference. Remember your dealing with the 6.5 diameter here. The Europeans discovered what a great bullet the 142 grain Sierra was well before the American manufacturers realized how good that bullet was that they created!

WW

 

[Toddxusmc]

I got so excited I forgot
Has anyone mentioned neck tension?
I have been planning to try graphite on the bottom of the bullet when I put it in the case to see if that will give me a more consistent neck tension

Ed, if you're considering this, why not just moly coat your bullets. It does work and was used extensively by match shooters. Its actually a dry lubricant like graphite. It's an easy process and it reduces the rate at which a barrel will heat up and virtually eliminates copper fouling. The downside is that you need to adjust your powder charge (increase in most cases) and you have to absolutely get it all out of your barrel. The second downside is very important, moly will attract and hold moisture therefore you can etch a good bore. I think it fell out of favor due to the downsides; it just wasn't worth the effort to most match shooters for the benefits they got. I still use it from time to time, especially for coating lead bullets to be fired from a polygonal barrel as in my Tangfolio.

 

[J E Custom]

So I've been playing with the 147 eld in my 6.5 cm. I'm having a hard time with this bullet getting it to group under .5 moa like my 140 eld-m. I had bought a 500 sleeve so I have a bunch of them to use up. After messing around with different primers, powders, and bullet lengths this is the most consistent load I've got my rifle to shoot this 147. My question is for you guys is do you think these groups are good enough for prs competition and casual long range out to 1500 yards? I strive for perfection so just a hair over .5 moa is hard for me to accept. Think I'll notice the difference between .5 moa and .3 moa? Thoughts? Top group is .010 off the lands and the bottom is .020 off.View attachment 126078 View attachment 126079

In my opinion, group size determines distance . A 1/2 MOA group @ 100 yards is good for 5 or 600 yards. under most hunting conditions and with good hunter skills. A 1/4 MOA should double this distance.

Beyond 11 or 1200 yards requires 1/4 MOA or better in my opinion to assist the shooter skills. No amount of rifle/group accuracy will make
up for poor skills, and no amount of skill can make up for poor rifle performance. So each individual has to limit the distance based on both the rifles ability and his.

To answer you question about my accuracy requirements, I am happy when the group size drops below 1/10th MOA, but it doesn't happen often or without great amounts of labor. If it hovers around 1/2 MOA, I can live with that but limit my shot distance to something reasonable. For the realy long shots, I use only the rifle/load combination that works at those distances with my skill set.

Just me

J E CUSTOM

 

[Litehiker]

I'm having the same exact problem with my 6.5 CM Ruger Precision Rifle.

And I think the problem boils down to the 1:8 twist I have. IMHO I think a 1:7 twist is needed to stabilize 147 gr. and up in 6.5 mm bullets.

My 6.5 CM Browning X-Bolt Pro (22" barrel) also has the 1:8 twist BUT their same Pro model rifle in the Long Range version (26" barrel) has a 1:7 twist B/C Browning knew those owners would be more likely to shoot heavier bullets that needed more stabilization with a faster twist.

Looking back I should have bought the Long Range Pro model with the faster twist and had the barrel shortened to 24" for easier handling W/O losing too much velocity.

And BTW, I'd first try HBN (hexagonal boron nitride) powder for coating your bullets. That stuff makes them so slippery that you have to increase your powder load to get the bullets back up to the proper velocity for accuracy. Moly just does not help like HBN does. And HBN will help your barrel run cooler which, in turn, increases barrel life.

Eric B.