Berger 6.5mm 156 gr. bullets. . .where are they???

[unclericco]

And we have potential liftoff....Berger says these are ready and will be shipped August 1

https://bergerbullets.com/product/6-5-mm-156-grain-eol-elite-hunter/

.679 kind of a disappointment but still looking forward to seeing how they do out of my 26 Nosler.

 

[Nomosendero]

The BC is a little less than the 147 ELDM, but close enough to see which one is more accurate in a given rifle.
I suppose MAYBE it would be better than the soft 147 up close on big animals.

 

[unclericco]

Luckily they are recommending a 1:8 twist. Was a little worried they would need faster

 

[codyadams]

The BC is a little less than the 147 ELDM, but close enough to see which one is more accurate in a given rifle.
I suppose MAYBE it would be better than the soft 147 up close on big animals.

Berger Averages their bc from 3000 fps to 1500 fps. So when you compare apples to apples, and average the three Hornady B.C.'s, the Hornady 147 has a G7 B.C. of .334, whereas the Berger's G7 B.C. is .347. If you go off of the numbers posted by Bryan Litz (take it for what it is) then the 147 has a G7 B.C. of .315.

Either way, as stated earlier in the thread, it means inches at 1000 yards.

 

[Nomosendero]

And the Hornady can likely be started a little faster, splitting hairs, slight advantage if you have the right twist, hardly a game changer. Again, for me it depends on which is more accurate in my rifle & up close performance on big animals.
For me at least I won't cry too hard for the difference on targets at 1000yds. & I would use a bigger rifle beyond 800 anyway for a big animal, I know John Burns and other do well with a 6.5 @ 1,000, just not my personal preference.

Berger Averages their bc from 3000 fps to 1500 fps. So when you compare apples to apples, and average the three Hornady B.C.'s, the Hornady 147 has a G7 B.C. of .334, whereas the Berger's G7 B.C. is .347. If you go off of the numbers posted by Bryan Litz (take it for what it is) then the 147 has a G7 B.C. of .315.

Either way, as stated earlier in the thread, it means inches at 1000 yards.

 

[Swamplord]

Well I guess I'm one of the guys that should be eating crow right about now !

Would much rather be eating a burger though,


Awesome news that the Berger boys finally have this bullet coming to market, just for bagging on them I'll buy a K when they are available, got an 8 tw barrel needs burning then on goes the 7 tw

 

[lancetkenyon]

Just ordered 500 today at my local shop. My 6.5SS w. 26" 1:7.5" Proof should be ready just in time.

 

[codyadams]

Ordered 200 on top of whatever Berger sends me, if they are still sending bullets out to their beta testers. I guess we will see....

 

[lancetkenyon]

What were you testing them in, and how were they flying?

 

[codyadams]

What were you testing them in, and how were they flying?

I havent got any yet, they kept telling me they were going to send me some, then they are shipping soon to distributors, so I don't know if it's still gonna happen. I will be testing them in a 7.5 twist .264 wm and an 8 twist .260 AI, possibly a 6.5 cm, but we will see if I get around to that....

 

[lancetkenyon]

I will be testing them in a pair of 6.5SS (1:8" & 1:7.5").
I am sure I will be trying them in some of my buddies' rifles too. Probably 6.5SAUM and 26 Nosler.

After I saw the release, and ordered some, I got to thinking.
I think the ballisticians and marketing guys at Berger are geniuses. They kept the bullet a little shorter, barely reducing BC to .679 G1. Lots of guys were complaining about it. Still better than almost anything else out though, except maybe the 150 SMK @ .713* (*above 1760fps) and the 147 ELD-M @ .697 G1 BC. But think of this. It is a "Hunting bullet", not a "match bullet like those two where people might balk at using them. And adds weight over these for better SD and energy, which is countered by higher velocity of the other two. It also kept the minimum twist requirement at 1:8", no need for a 1:7" or 1:7.5" twist. How many guys already have a 1:8" barrel on some 6.5mm rifle already? And even a lot of the factory rifles are coming with 1:8" now. So how many MORE 156 Elites are they going to sell with that? I say they just upped their future sales of this bullet by tenfold if not more. Freaking smart like a fox.

 

[codyadams]

I will be testing them in a pair of 6.5SS (1:8" & 1:7.5").
I am sure I will be trying them in some of my buddies' rifles too. Probably 6.5SAUM and 26 Nosler.

After I saw the release, and ordered some, I got to thinking.
I think the ballisticians and marketing guys at Berger are geniuses. They kept the bullet a little shorter, barely reducing BC to .679 G1. Lots of guys were complaining about it. Still better than almost anything else out though, except maybe the 150 SMK @ .713* (*above 1760fps) and the 147 ELD-M @ .697 G1 BC. But think of this. It is a "Hunting bullet", not a "match bullet like those two where people might balk at using them. And adds weight over these for better SD and energy, which is countered by higher velocity of the other two. It also kept the minimum twist requirement at 1:8", no need for a 1:7" or 1:7.5" twist. How many guys already have a 1:8" barrel on some 6.5mm rifle already? And even a lot of the factory rifles are coming with 1:8" now. So how many MORE 156 Elites are they going to sell with that? I say they just upped their future sales of this bullet by tenfold if not more. Freaking smart like a fox.

Thing is, they actually AREN'T fully stable (that is, above a 1.5 sg) at sea level in an 8 twist, at 59°, until you get above 3200 fps. If temp drops much, that changes things as well. So a 7.5 twist is still a better bet for these, mainly if your at lower elevation, but to market it as requiring a 7.5 twist would be sales suicide. They will still work for the majority of people with an 8 twist, as long as they don't shoot at low elevation on cold days.

 

[codyadams]

Also it's interesting looking at the measurements. When comparing the 140 Elite Hunter to the 156 EOL, the nose is only .021" longer, so very little....the bearing surface is .094" longer, and the boat tail is .006" shorter. It strongly appears they catered to the 8 twist creedmoor crowd. They had no regard for factory twist rates with the .277 170 EOL or the 7mm 195 EOL, but with the 6.5 they do. I get it, they will make more money this way, but possibly at the expense of a less efficient bullet. It should still fly well though, we will see.

 

[NEMTHunter]

From what I have seen from another testing it. The bullet shoot's very well.