6.5cm 130vs140

[4dds]

Do you prefer the 130’s or the 140’s and why? Is the +-100fps enough of a difference to give the edge to the 130’s? Been playing with different loads and bullets but I’m fixing to get some Berger’s for my Comp load and have been arguing with myself as to which one would be best.

 

[MikeMcCasland]

I've shot both the 130 AR Hybrids and 140 Hybrids out of a .260 in F-Class before. In that rifle I was able to find an accuracy node with the 130s that was more than 100 FPS faster than the 140s. That said, it doesn't always work out that way, and it wasn't enough to were I felt like I was going to gain or drop a point as a result.

For what it's worth, I'm shooting 142 SMKs out of a 30" 6.5CM these days at ~2820 FPS. It doesn't give as good a numbers as the .260, but it's more accurate, and has yielded me higher scores.

I would choose whatever bullet gives you the best accuracy on paper, and acceptably low SDs for the longer range stuff. I think that's more important than any minor advantage a calculator shows.

My 2C.

 

[Steel head]

I prefer the 140’s mainly because of marginally better splash at distance.

The minor testing I’ve done with 130’s has shown me they shoot really nice especially for normal distances.

 

[clcustom1911]

I prefer the 140’s mainly because of marginally better splash at distance.

The minor testing I’ve done with 130’s has shown me they shoot really nice especially for normal distances.

This. For my steel stuff, I use 130's for 800-ish and in. 147 ELDm's for beyond. 147's smack the shit out of steel at 900 with some serious authority.

 

[Sixfivesavage]

In my AI I was unable to push a 130 any faster than I could a 140 Berger so the 140s win out obviously.

 

[Hondo64d]

Do you prefer the 130’s or the 140’s and why? Is the +-100fps enough of a difference to give the edge to the 130’s? Been playing with different loads and bullets but I’m fixing to get some Berger’s for my Comp load and have been arguing with myself as to which one would be best.

I’ve wanted to use the heavier, higher BC bullets in my Creedmoor and have had no problem finding accurate loads with both the 130gr AR Hybrid and 140gr Hunting VLD. The 130s most accurate load clock 2868 and the 140s at a little over 2700. When I run the numbers, the 140s don’t gain me anything until about the 1000 yard line so I just stick with the 130s.

John

 

[lte82]

Doubt you can go wrong with either, but I like the 130 Hybrid. Less recoil, similar wind drift, flatter trajectory inside 1000 yards. At a 2.80" OAL they are jumping around .020 in a standard SAAMI chamber, so you can also run them mag length in an AR. Really versatile bullet...

 

[longgunJR]

I believe the main reason Berger developed the 130s was to accommodate for COAL and feed of a magazine, the fact that no one has brought that up yet in this post tells me that 140s are the way to go.

 

[Steel head]

I believe the main reason Berger developed the 130s was to accommodate for COAL and feed of a magazine, the fact that no one has brought that up yet in this post tells me that 140s are the way to go.

I’ve been magazine feeding 140’s in my 260 for years.

Even before long AICS pattern mags became common.

Now I run 147 out of the magazine no sweat.

With the shorter case length 140’s in 6.5 CM is easy mode.

 

[Milo 2.5]

Not really related, but a few yrs ago I customized a Win Model 70, long action, did a 6.5-06. It had a Rock Creek 8tw, and it was a fast barrel, problem was finding the right powder for a 140 hybrid. Many worked good, none great by my standards, even RL 25 was kind of an ass kicker. The lightbulb came on, try a Norma 130gr golden target, and VV N550, whoa, I wont even say how fast it ran, it was a laser and accurate.
No matter what it accomplished, past 1200 the 140 hybrid stomped the 130gr bullet. in high winds, the 140 gr from 1k -1200 ruled also.

OP, not that you are basing performance past 1200. Seems to me the 6.5 creed was built with the 140gr amax in mind.



Today, I cannot decide if the 6.5-06 or the 6.5SLR was my stupidest decision to build off.

 

[Nik H]

I went to a 1,000 yard range this week with a couple of buds and brought a variety of ammo to try. I shot at 600, 700, 775, 810 and 1,007 yards based on what my LRF was telling me. I brought

American Gunner - 140 grain HPBT
Hornady - 140 E-LDM
PRIME - 130 grain OTM
FGMM - 130 grain Berger
Berger - 130 grain
Berger - 140 grain

All of them were good to 810 yard targets. At 1,007 I began to see some specific differentiators.

1. The American Gunner was inconsistent at that distance. I couldn't repeatedly engage a standard torso plate at that distance.
2. The factory Hornady 140 ELD-M was underpowered based on elevation setting on my scope but was way more consistent than the AG round. This jives with some of the SD numbers I have measured previously.
3. The PRIME was definitely consistent from an accuracy perspective and required less elevation correction than either of the Hornady offerings.
4. The FGMM was not as consistent as either the PRIME or Hornady ELD-M but it was not at all bad either. Pretty close but it is pricier than most ammo that I use. I have not measured it via chronograph but based on required correction, it is as fast as the PRIME.
5. The Berger 130 grain was speedy. Required the least elevation correction of all the rounds. It was also super consistent. I was able to repeatedly bang the 10" plate at this distance despite the wind blowing in all directions.
6. The Berger 140 was the star of the show though. Holy crap. It is definitely hotter than the Hornady ELD-M. Not as hot as the 130 grain but it shot well. I hit 6/6 on the 10" plate. I would say it was a 7-8" group.

The Berger ammo just works. I was shocked. It is $2 to $3 bucks more per box than the Hornady but it is definitely worth it if you are shooting that far and want consistency. The 130 grain version is better than thee FGMM and costs no more. I haven't chronographed thee Berger rounds yet but intend to soon.

Next time I go, I will try the Hornady 147 ELD-M and the FGMM using the 140 grain Sierra bullet.

 

[lte82]

I believe the main reason Berger developed the 130s was to accommodate for COAL and feed of a magazine, the fact that no one has brought that up yet in this post tells me that 140s are the way to go.

I called Berger and spoke to one of their ballisticians several months ago. He highly recommended the 130 hybrid over both the 135 and 140 hybrid for PRS using a 6.5 creedmoor. Flatter trajectory, less recoil, super easy to tune.