6.5 Bondstrike experience

[Darktimber]

I've got a Christensen Mesa FFT in 6.5 PRC that will shoot them .75 MOA or better all day long with my Nomad Ti suppressor. According to my Magnetospeed, Im getting 2,725 out of the 20" tube with a Sd of 9, and an Es of 18. There's absolutely no reason to attempt to hand load when I'm getting factory numbers like that for such a relatively low price. I bought cheap and stacked deep on these. I don't see a reason to ever change loadings for this rifle.
I have taken a couple of hogs with them. Bullets weren't recovered, but they were very easy to track in the brush and they didn't get far.

Did you weigh your rifle before you scoped it by any chance? I just got the same rifle and that group gives me hope. couldn't find Norma bond strike ammo, but I did find Norma whitetail which is their "budget" line. I'll be curious to see how it shoots once I get it scoped

 

[FEENIX]

Anybody hand load them? Do they like the 0.020 to 0.030 jump like eldx?

YMMV, each rifle is different. It would be best if you experimented to determine what your rifle likes. I am unsure what .26/6.5 cartridge you are loading, but they have some recommendations on their website, of course, with their powder and COAL.

https://www.norma-ammunition.com/en-us/reloading-data

Good luck!

 

[tl15tx]

Did you weigh your rifle before you scoped it by any chance? I just got the same rifle and that group gives me hope. couldn't find Norma bond strike ammo, but I did find Norma whitetail which is their "budget" line. I'll be curious to see how it shoots once I get it scoped

Don't have a stripped weight, but deducting scope and ring published weights, I come up with ~5 pounds 13oz.

 

[TexasWestPointer]

With factory Norma 6.5 Creedmoor Bondstrike, devastating kills on hogs at ranges from 30 to 120 yards. Very good killing bullet and hogs are hardy animals. No data yet at impacts at longer range.

Some of the hogs we hit with it looked like they had been hit with a big rifle

 

[Ruckmanite]

I watched them being used by 'Who-tee-who' on Youtube, they shot quite well and I think he shot some deer with them…check it out.

Cheers.

"THIS is about to be a really fun video!!!!"

Love that guy lol, middle Tennessee pure gold

 

[dmr400]

Wife used the 6.5 creed factory ammo to shoot a mature mule deer buck at 296 yards last year. Died within a few steps after a broadside shot behind the shoulder. Buck died but I would have expected an exit, but didn't get one. Bullet found just under the hide on the backside. We didn't need to trail that buck but I think it wouldn't have been the best blood trail.

For factory ammo and a factory howa 1500 that all I did was float and bed the recoil lug it was amazingly accurate stuff. 5/8 to 3/4 inch 3 shot groups at 100, every time and I was kinda skeptical so I've repeated it a bunch lol. Gun has never shot that ammo over 3/4 moa at any distance out to 300 for the first 3 shots. After that the barrel will start walking a bit, but it's a sporter weight barrel. Im pretty impressed with it.

 

[ncfireman83]

They do good in 300wsm

My 300 WSM clover leafs them!

 

[18echo]

I have 400 sitting on a shelf waiting for a 6.5x284 Norma 787 prefit barrel that Blue Mountain Precision just mailed to me the other day. Then it's finding time to load develop…. That's the hardest part!

 

[parshal]

I shot five animals in Africa this summer with the 143 in my PRC. Smallest was warthog and impala and largest were kudu, waterbuck and sable. Most shots were around 100 yards and none exited. We recovered one from the kudu and one from the sable, I believe.

They were easy to get shooting well. I loaded to mag depth and went deeper, if necessary. They were not picky on seating depth.

 

[Darktimber]

I shot five animals in Africa this summer with the 143 in my PRC. Smallest was warthog and impala and largest were kudu, waterbuck and sable. Most shots were around 100 yards and none exited. We recovered one from the kudu and one from the sable, I believe.

They were easy to get shooting well. I loaded to mag depth and went deeper, if necessary. They were not picky on seating depth.

Interesting results, were you disappointed you got no exit wounds? do you think the lack of exit wounds was a results of the cartridge being too light or the bullets being too soft? Or a combination of both?

 

[JamesWilson5]

That is hot; and impressive for a factory load!

Not bad velocity mine only gets 2860 through chronograph factory ammunition 24 inch barrel through a jp sauer

 

[Salmonhead]

Anybody have any experience with the 143 Bondstrikes? Looking for general feedback, terminal performance, etc. Seating jump would be great too. Still not much out there on the interwebz yet.

We have that bullet as a loaded round for the 6.5 prc. I've used it this season on one pronghorn, one mule deer buck and 6 whitetails. Accuracy has been in line with other good bullets like Swift and I've been holding .3 moa out to 800 yards with my hunting rig. Terminal performance has been good, although they are not as tough as I was expecting. They seem a little tougher than an ablr, but not as tough as a standard accubond and definitely not as as tough as a swift scirocco. They will make a nice longer range bullet with good BC and soft enough to open up when they get there.
The antelope was 300 yards broadside, full penetration ran 10 yards pouring blood, dead.
Mule deer was 450 yards quartered away hard. Hit back of onside ribs, caught bullet in meat at off shoulder. Buck took 3 steps and tipped over. Bullet recovered was quite rounded as the material peeled off the mushroom, weighed about 55%.
Whitetails ranged from 90 to 130 yards. No spinal shots, one head shot. Of the other 5 body shots, three dropped on their tracks, one ran 40 yards with huge blood trail, one ran 80 yards with light blood for the first 40 yards, increasing and heavy the last 20. Three bullets have been caught, all on quartering shots. One was in guts I didn't dig out. One was mule deer above, and third was in guts and recovered on quarter to shot. That one was completely mangled and still weighed 68% . Heavy trauma inside all animals.
My take is they are about a 60% retention bullet generally speaking, more as velocity drops, obviously.
I chose to run them in Utah as shots were expected to be 800 to 900 yards and I wanted the softer bullet with the extra impact velocity at 800 yards over my standard choice of the 130 swift. In the end, the swift would have been a perfect match at 450. I loaded plenty extra for target practice out west that didn't happen, so I've been using them in Michigan. For field data.
Hope this helps.
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Call or text if you want more settled info or pictures of the carnage or bullets.
Paul
616 299 1349

 

[Darktimber]

Don't have a stripped weight, but deducting scope and ring published weights, I come up with ~5 pounds 13oz.

Thanks for the info! Mine came in at 5lb 15oz which was a bit disappointing to me, I was hoping it'd be closer to 5lb 8oz but maybe that's how much they are supposed to weigh I guess, it's a nice compact little rifle. As long as it shoots well I reckon I'll keep it

 

[parshal]

do you think the lack of exit wounds was a results of the cartridge being too light or the bullets being too soft? Or a combination of both?

It seems the bullets are softer, more like accubond LR. I've taken quite a few animals with the scirocco and always an exit.

My buddy was shooting the 147 eld-m. He had no exits either but his animals didn't go as far. All were also one-shot kills. His were "more dead".

I wanted exits which is why I tried the bondstrike. Based on my experience, if I want exits, I'll use the scirocco. It not I'll use the 147 eld-m. I've just seen to many large animals expire quickly with the 147.