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

[snox801]

i have no simpathy for you guys. At least you are hearing something. Lol
I've been waiting for a heavy 400gr-425gr .375 for about 5 years.
So the only option we have as .365 shooters would be to go mono. I turned my repeater into a single so I could launch 400gr monos.

On a serious topic. Would these even be a consideration for the 6.5 creed. I get the larger rounds but would the creed gain anything? At some point you start to lose the fps and energy needed to take game. Would the 6.5 Berger take to long for the bc to outpace the extra speed from a lighter round? I've been toying with this for a while and I'm shooting the 124 hammers now.

 

[TX Badger]

i have no simpathy for you guys. At least you are hearing something. Lol
I've been waiting for a heavy 400gr-425gr .375 for about 5 years.
So the only option we have as .365 shooters would be to go mono. I turned my repeater into a single so I could launch 400gr monos.

On a serious topic. Would these even be a consideration for the 6.5 creed. I get the larger rounds but would the creed gain anything? At some point you start to lose the fps and energy needed to take game. Would the 6.5 Berger take to long for the bc to outpace the extra speed from a lighter round? I've been toying with this for a while and I'm shooting the 124 hammers now.

I've been wondering the same thing for my 260 ai. I'd at least need rethroat and either single feed or put it on a LA to max this out. But I sure would like to try it out.

 

[codyadams]

I've been wondering the same thing for my 260 ai. I'd at least need rethroat and either single feed or put it on a LA to max this out. But I sure would like to try it out.

If the bc is anything like what they think it will be, it would certainly be worth it if you are really reaching out. Inside 600, I don't think it would be enough of a gain over the 140's to justify the time, components or barrel life, but beyond that I believe is where the difference would show. The average range for the last 16 game animals my rifle harvested is over 600 yards, so I will try them. I am currently shooting the 147 eld-m's out of my .260 AI at 3050 fps, I'm hoping to break 2900 fps with the 156 when they come out. We also have a new 7.5 twist .264 wm that sends the 147 's at 3240, so we should be able to get the 156 moving pretty good in that as well.

 

[Cavscout68]

I have been waiting on these (as MANY others have too) for a long time now. In July I was told that they should have them in circulation by the Fall (I assumed Berger meant Fall `18) and here we are almost closing the year out and nothing . . crickets.

The 150 grain Sierra's are shooting well for me and I did some critter testing on some hogs off the power line easement with decent results. Right out of the box terminal results were okay, but heat treating the tips (Elkoholic/BigNGreen trick) seemed to make things a little nastier on the insides.

These Bergers are what I'm wanting though and I'm getting ready to do a 6.5 tailored for a 150 grain plus weighted hunting bullet. Anybody "in the know" with any information on a release date yet? Thank you.

I wouldn't rely on Berger for anything! Find you another mfg ,do load development , go have fun!

 

[Cavscout68]

If ya'll believe Berger then I'm sorry for y'all. From what I've seen Berger has let a lot of people down with bullet hype, and their quality is going down hill fast. Go find another bullet mfg that follows thru on what they say. There's a lot of other great bullet mfg out there. Happy shooting!

 

[L.Sherm]

You think the B.C will be higher than the 160 Matrix?
My guess is not enough to get all giddy about

 

[codyadams]

You think the B.C will be higher than the 160 Matrix?
My guess is not enough to get all giddy about

The Sierra 150 has a higher bc, matrix honestly didn't set the bc bar that high considering the bullets weight, I think mainly for the purpose of making it stable in an 8 twist. Applied ballistics testing only shows a .332 bc for the 160 matrix, the Sierra 150 is .353. I'm fairly certain the 156 will be a high enough bc to make it worth it, especially when considering extended ranges out to and over 1000 yds.

 

[L.Sherm]

Just how many of us shoot game animals over 1,000.
Like I've stated before if you cant keep the velocity up your talking a couple inches one way or the other.
I ran the numbers what my 6.5x300wsm is doing with 140 at 3220 and the .713 b.c of the 150's at 3150 and I think there was 1" difference at 500 and 4" at 1000.
Just doesn't make sense but that's me.

 

[The Oregonian]

I have heard that the hope is that the G1 for the 156 is .7 or higher. This was 6 months ago or so so I don't know if recent testing has changed their thinking on what may be realistic.

 

[Shootin4fun]

Wow, Lapua/Berger has lost a lot of money by not keeping up their production, unless berger was running an unprofitable business which is hard to imagine. They've also lost a lot of customers because obviously we have had to move on and develop loads using other bullets, and once you find a good one, no reason to go back.

 

[Longtooth32]

The Sierra 150 has a higher bc, matrix honestly didn't set the bc bar that high considering the bullets weight, I think mainly for the purpose of making it stable in an 8 twist. Applied ballistics testing only shows a .332 bc for the 160 matrix, the Sierra 150 is .353. I'm fairly certain the 156 will be a high enough bc to make it worth it, especially when considering extended ranges out to and over 1000 yds.

I understand what you are talking about...

My 6.5x284 hit a node with the 150 Sierra about 3090fps

My 6.5x257 Wby hit a node with a 150 Sierra at around 3400fps...

Just got the 160 Matrix in...looking forward to shooting them. They "look" like a better hunting bullet with a large Meplat. 160s must have section density on their side?...

 

[jsthntn247]

Do the 160 matrix hold together? I Have not been satisfied with any other higher BC 6.5 bullet on game, all blow up and seperate the core. Wasn't there another match bullet maker out there with a bonded version? Was hoping the Berger would have hit the market by now.

 

[elkaholic]

Do the 160 matrix hold together? I Have not been satisfied with any other higher BC 6.5 bullet on game, all blow up and seperate the core. Wasn't there another match bullet maker out there with a bonded version? Was hoping the Berger would have hit the market by now.

If they are the same bullet as when Marshal owned Matrix, yes, they will stay together. They were a little too tough at longer range IMO. We use to anneal the tips to make them expand.
Matrix use to carry bonded bullets as well but they weren't high b.c.

 

[joes264]

If the bc is anything like what they think it will be, it would certainly be worth it if you are really reaching out. Inside 600, I don't think it would be enough of a gain over the 140's to justify the time, components or barrel life, but beyond that I believe is where the difference would show. The average range for the last 16 game animals my rifle harvested is over 600 yards, so I will try them. I am currently shooting the 147 eld-m's out of my .260 AI at 3050 fps, I'm hoping to break 2900 fps with the 156 when they come out. We also have a new 7.5 twist .264 wm that sends the 147 's at 3240, so we should be able to get the 156 moving pretty good in that as well.