Range Report Fast vs Heavy

[Timetoshoot]

At First the idea of going lighter and fast made a ton of sense. New left hand gain twist 6.5 CM barrel 22”. likes three loads, and im now in the process of choosing a load for next summer.
all three .5 MOA for 10 shot groups with .7 to .9 sd
147eldm at 2750 (temp stable dope verified to 1000 yards)
130hyb at 2825. (temp stable dope verified to 1000 yards)
135classis Hunter at 2920 (RE26 worked up as hunting load don’t think it will be stable in summer heat dope verified to 800)

I shoot year-round most of my shooting in is between 5300 feet and 9000 feet elevation.
At 1,000 yards Looking at windaged with a 10 mile an hour full value wind the 147 has.2 mil advantage over the 130 and .1 advantage over the 135
Again at 1,000 yards looking at elevation 135 is king with a ..9 mil advantage over the 147. And the 130 has a .3mill advantage over the 147.

in This situation the 147 Is not as flat shooting as the other two rounds, but it holds the wind better. At 1200 and 1400 yards it maintains its advantage. I’m better at reading a dope chart than I am at reading the wind. . It’s also cheaper to load and I have not seen any of the reported problems with the 147.

so my question is; Given this data set is there something I’m missing that would encourage you to choose the lighter faster bullet?

 

[blbennett1288]

I understand the lighter and faster argument, but at least in 6.5CM I think there is a happy medium. If you can get the 135 - 140gr traveling around 2875-2900fps it'll do everything the heavies will.

 

[308Gunner]

I was in the same boat and then I found the 130 RDF’s and everything is cool. I run them in a 6.5 SLR out of a 22” moving along at 2910

 

[kthomas]

I personally think 140's are the sweet spot with 6.5 creedmoors, but I haven't used a barrel shorter then 24".

140's at ~2830 fps has worked very well for me, with hits at a mile plus.

For pure ballistic purposes, I would take a wind advantage over elevation advantage. With tools like laser range finders, it's uncommon to be shooting at unknown distances. It's a known quantity that we can easily adjust for. Wind on the other hand is an estimation, minimizing the amount of windage you require through ballistics makes errors in windage slightly more forgiving.

Personally, I don't chase BC or ballistics too much. Find a bullet that shoots well out of your gun and learn to know it inside and out. For me, that's 140 Berger Hybrids. Every time I go "ghost chasing" to get the next best thing, I always end back up at Berger Hybrids.

 

[Bayoubigcat]

Two thoughts:
First, look at what wind variance gives you the 0.1 mil advantage (for my Creed shooting 147s it’s 0.6 mph difference, 10.7 mph = 1.8 mil and 10.1 mph = 1.7 mil). If you can call the wind to within that difference then it matters.

Second, if 0.1 mil at 1,000 is the difference between a hit or a miss then it matters.

 

[Nik H]

I bounce between the 130 and 140 Bergers in 6.5 CM. I do think, from an overall perspective, that the 140 grain 6.5 CM bullet is best for most situations but my experience at 1,000 to 1,250 yards is that the 130 grain produces more repeatable and consistent hits on days where the wind speed was low and predictable. I choose the bullet based on the day's environmental data.

Although we are all talking about 6.5 Creedmoor, this conversation applies to other calibers as well. I recently bought an AI AXMC in 338 LM to keep my AT company. Everyone that talks 338 LM thinks 300 grain bullet. However, my results show that the 250 grain is far better. The 300 grain is too heavy and limits muzzle velocities to < 2,750 fps. The caliber is really optimized to function at MVs above 2,850 fps. I get over 2900 fps using the Berger cartridge loaded with the 250 grain Lapua Scenar. Even the 250 grain Sellier and Bellot for cheap ammo shoots < 0.5 MOA repeatedly out to 600 yards for me. Not the case for the 300 grain version. I haven't had the opportunity to take it out longer yet as it is a drive for me and it is winter now in New England. I am also still getting my fundamentals locked down with it being a new rifle.

It seems that the prevailing consensus regardless of caliber is push the weight regardless of the outcome. I think in the case of the 6.5 Creedmoor, it makes some sense depending on the environmental conditions but in the case of the 338 LM, I just scratch my head.

 

[steve123]

"I have not seen any of the reported problems with the 147."

I think there was a whole thread about the 147's blowing up mid air, maybe that was on another forum??

 

[Bayoubigcat]

"I have not seen any of the reported problems with the 147."

I think there was a whole thread about the 147's blowing up mid air, maybe that was on another forum??

Pretty sure it has been discussed here and numerous other places. Wouldn’t say it’s a common problem but happens more than it should (specifically in 7 twist barrels).