6.5 Creedmoor Ammo Choice

[Vyx313]

I have a MPR PMR Pro II on the way in 6.5 Creedmoor. I'm trying to figure out what ammo to get. The four I'm looking at are:

Hornady 140g ELDM	$1.17/rd
Hornady 147g ELDM	$1.38/rd
Berger 140g HT	$2.15/rd
Berger 144g LR HT	$2.25/rd

Prices are current on ammoseek.

My main question are:

• Are the Berger bullets that much better that they command a ~$1/rd premium?
• What are your feelings on bullet weights? I'm new to long range so I don't have much insight here. My goal is to get out to 1000 and potentially try some PRS matches in the future.

Any feedback would be appreciated.
Thank you!

 

[spife7980]

Buy a box of each and see what shoots best.

 

[Kadams1563]

Hornady 140’s

Unless your gonna be reloading then buy the Berger for the Lapua brass.

 

[Grubber]

Hornady 140gr American Gunner.

 

[DocRDS]

140 Hornady ELDM.

(1) 140 is the top of the sweet spot for velocity vs bc. Yes heavier bullets give you better BC, but the trade off is they are going slower.
(2) ELDMs are a good bullet. Most people would be challenged to shoot the difference in a Berger vs Hornady. With Berger at 2X the Hornady, you get twice as much range time for your money. Experience and Practice > bullet choice (don't pick a crappy bullet--but ELDMs are good).
(3) Availability: Bergers can be hard to obtain (PRS guys horde those 6mm 105s like toilet paper). Hornady for the newer guys are easier to find.

Berger produces a better, more consistent bullet than Hornady, For my purposes, I have not found the premium, especially in loaded ammo worth the reward--especially for newer shooters (like myself). There is so much more to work on like positions and fundamentals that "Good Enough" is the equivalent of "Best" Ballistics wise, 140 ELDMs will take you to 1000. I shoot weekly at 1000 and early last year my ammo was all 140 Hornady ELDM. I took my Frank Class with Hornady 140 ELDM ammo. My current load is Hornady/Starline Brass, 42.5 H4350, and 140 ELDMs. Now I may switch to Berger 140s, but the bullet cost is only about $0.10-to 0.20. For loaded ammo--all day every day I'll take that Hornady stuff. Its an expensive sport, but making smart decisions can stretch that dollar.

As you grow in the sport you may want to reload and then berger makes much more sense. For loaded ammo. Take the Hornady

 

[Vyx313]

140 Hornady ELDM.

(1) 140 is the top of the sweet spot for velocity vs bc. Yes heavier bullets give you better BC, but the trade off is they are going slower.
(2) ELDMs are a good bullet. Most people would be challenged to shoot the difference in a Berger vs Hornady. With Berger at 2X the Hornady, you get twice as much range time for your money. Experience and Practice > bullet choice (don't pick a crappy bullet--but ELDMs are good).
(3) Availability: Bergers can be hard to obtain (PRS guys horde those 6mm 105s like toilet paper). Hornady for the newer guys are easier to find.

Berger produces a better, more consistent bullet than Hornady, For my purposes, I have not found the premium, especially in loaded ammo worth the reward--especially for newer shooters (like myself). There is so much more to work on like positions and fundamentals that "Good Enough" is the equivalent of "Best" Ballistics wise, 140 ELDMs will take you to 1000. I shoot weekly at 1000 and early last year my ammo was all 140 Hornady ELDM. I took my Frank Class with Hornady 140 ELDM ammo. My current load is Hornady/Starline Brass, 42.5 H4350, and 140 ELDMs. Now I may switch to Berger 140s, but the bullet cost is only about $0.10-to 0.20. For loaded ammo--all day every day I'll take that Hornady stuff. Its an expensive sport, but making smart decisions can stretch that dollar.

As you grow in the sport you may want to reload and then berger makes much more sense. For loaded ammo. Take the Hornady

Thank you for the insight here. This is something I haven't been able to something I hadn't really been able to get a grasp on after pouring over various threads.

 

[Billl223]

I reload but have been getting excellent results with the 140 Hornady ELD.

 

[jackmarchese]

I have a MPR PMR Pro II on the way in 6.5 Creedmoor. I'm trying to figure out what ammo to get. The four I'm looking at are:

Hornady 140g ELDM	$1.17/rd
Hornady 147g ELDM	$1.38/rd
Berger 140g HT	$2.15/rd
Berger 144g LR HT	$2.25/rd

Prices are current on ammoseek.

My main question are:

• Are the Berger bullets that much better that they command a ~$1/rd premium?
• What are your feelings on bullet weights? I'm new to long range so I don't have much insight here. My goal is to get out to 1000 and potentially try some PRS matches in the future.

Any feedback would be appreciated.
Thank you!

 

[jackmarchese]

I recently used Berger 144 gr and 153.5 gr LRHT factory loaded ammo to reach 2428 yards with my stock Ruger precision rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor. Hornady 147 gr was good in my rifle up to 1500 yards. I have tried lots of other 140 gr brands -- Sig Sauer, Federal premium, Norma, Hornady, Black Hills, Nosler, Barnes. They are all fine through 1200 yards. After that, the Hornady and Berger are the only factory loaded ammo providing consistency with my set up.

 

[GBMaryland]

147ELDM is the best ballistically, followed by the Berger 144s.

Price wise, the 147ELDM is what you want. They shoot great and have a wonderful BC.

 

[kthomas]

It all depends on what your rifle likes.

Berger and capstone in general make great products. Their products are generally higher quality than Hornady, and the price reflects that. I've never used loaded Berger ammo, but I use a lot of Capstone/Berger products when reloading. That said, your gun very well could like the Hornady ammo more. Hornady loaded ammo has generally shot really good for me in my 6.5 Creedmoors.

As for bullet weights, I'm of the general opinion that 140 grains should be the ceiling for 6.5 Creedmoor. Anything above is fairly heavy for that cartridge, and more suited to 6.5 PRC, IMO. However, some do like the heavier projectiles in 6.5 Creedmoor - I think Morgun King is using 150+ grain projectiles in his Creedmoor for PRS and doing very well. Factory loaded 144's or 147's will likely have a fairly low velocity in your rifle, you'll have to shoot it and see if the ballistics make sense in your rifle.

Personally I would go 130-140 grain projectiles in the 6.5 Creedmoor, or even lighter if you have a short (16-20") barrel.

 

[kthomas]

Just looked up that rifle and saw it comes with a 26" barrel. The heavier projectiles may be okay - again, you will have to shoot it and see how you and your rifle like each ammo type.

 

[Carolina Hill Billy]

Has anyone tried the AAC stuff? For the price it’s definitely worth a try………

 

[leclairk]

Lot’s of great advice on this thread but the only answer is buy a box of each and see what the gun likes. That’s it. Let the gun tell you what it wants to eat.

 

[RAWHDE]

I agree, test the waters and see what your gun likes while keeping in mind price, availability, and whether you are reselling brass. One rd may give you a .3 group vs a .5 group but if it’s always out of stock or it’s breaking the bank, does it really matter?

Personally, have only shot two rds through my 6.5 so far. First was Prime 130g, which I liked, until I tried Federal Premium GM Berger 130g.

Good luck

 

[Lightning8]

Hornady 140gr American Gunner.

I started with 140gr American Hunter and learned a lot consuming several hundred rounds and still using that brass.

 

[Baron23]

As said many times, buy a bit of what you can find (which sort of precludes Berger 140 HT) and see what your gun likes.

140 ELD-M is a good one to try. Not all barrels like the 147’s.

Now, where did 2x come from for Berger’s over ELD-M? Yes they are more but if someone is charging 2x the Hornady then they are trying to rip you off.

 

[Nik H]

Buy a couple of boxes of FGMM 130 grain. The cartridge uses the Berger OTM bullet. MV out of my 26" barrel is 2950. It is outstanding consistency. This is one of many groups and not the smallest.

Speed kills...hint

 

[RAWHDE]

Buy a couple of boxes of FGMM 130 grain. The cartridge uses the Berger OTM bullet. MV out of my 26" barrel is 2950. It is outstanding consistency. This is one of many groups and not the smallest.

Speed kills...hint


View attachment 8218137

Same same

 

[Lwood]

Ditto on the FGMM. I've not shot the 130's, but the 140 SMK shoot better in my gun than any of the others in your list. So worth a try I would say but they are also slower.

Good price on the Hornady though.

 

[TheJeanyus]

Hornady 140s are the best combination of price, availability, and performance IMO.

 

[acudaowner]

smk 142gr and barnes 140 gr match burners and the 145gr match burners also shot great for us .

 

[TheOE800]

I’ll echo the 130gr FGMM Berger. I just bought some 130gr Berger loaded Berger to compare it to.

 

[C130]

I just bought my son the same rifle a couple of weeks ago. We’re using the Hornady 140g ELDM. It seems to shoot very well with that ammo. I use the same ammo in my 6.5CM. Last Sunday I had access to a chronograph and was surprised at how accurate the speeds were compared to what Hornady publishes.

I’m sure you’ll love that gun. I have the Matrix Pro, Impact Action, Bartlein barrel, and I like my sons PMR Pro II a lot. There things I prefer on that gun over mine. His gun has the weight kit installed also.