I'd start with the guys who designed the Creedmoor; Creedmoor Sports, and their 142 gr Sierra loading. That is, if anyone ever gets ammo in stock again,..
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Best factory ammo for 6.5 Creedmoor
- Thread starter Brett4533
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davidu
Well-Known Member
Already said. Every rifle is different.
jpndave
Well-Known Member
I only shoot handloads in my rifles. So personally I'm not going to be much help.
My brother is a sniper on a local PD force shooting a RPR as you are. They only use factory documentable loads (makes for a great source of free once shot brass same lot for my son's rifle). 140 ELD-M has been extremely effective and many have used that bullet very effectively on game, myself included. They have also shot the Federal Fusion with good results. The ELD-M ammo in that rifle are near one hole groups regularly.
I have two other friends shooting the Superformance 120gr GMX solids and a Federal 120gr Trophy Copper with exceptional accuracy and great performance on game (hogs).
None of that is particularly cheap. I think the ELD-M match stuff could normally be found at reasonable prices. That is where I would start.
Another friend uses the cheap stuff of various brands in several rifles with mediocre result. Not sure how much help that all is but good luck.
davidu
Well-Known Member
Moved my reply
Last edited:
davidu
Well-Known Member
Wrong thread
Sorry
Trying to move it
Sorry
Trying to move it
My Ruger shoots the 147 eldm's really good and I handload the Burger 156's. Out shoots my brother-in-laws 300 on targets, it ****es him off because my setup cost 1k and his is 4K. Ruger's for the money are great!
I have tremendous success with Hornady 143 eldx
WallyM11
Member
I have a similar question as the op. I'm starting my way through factory ammo after break in.
What about a 26" barrel with 1:7 twist? Will it be more likely to shoot the heavier bullets better?
I've started cheap and light. None have really impressed me.
What about a 26" barrel with 1:7 twist? Will it be more likely to shoot the heavier bullets better?
I've started cheap and light. None have really impressed me.
rellison312
Well-Known Member
I found Hornady ELDM 140 grain shot best.
My Tikkas love Norma Tac (130gr), and Hornady 140gr ELD (X or M). several others I know say the ELD is hard to beat. As mentioned above, the manufacturing has come a long way in the last few years, having realized the increasing demand for high performance ammunition.'
Also as mentioned, buy good ammunition, and save the cases for future use..
Also as mentioned, buy good ammunition, and save the cases for future use..
JakeC
Well-Known Member
Not sure if you're hunting or plinking, but I've got about 1k rounds down my 6.5 creed all at the range. It's a savage 10, 1-in-8" twist 20" barrel. My experiences with factory are as follows (5-shot groups @100y, price @ cabelas or my local shop, general thoughts.) I'm a good enough shot that I think I hit the ceiling on most of these rounds and my given sizes are fair (my handloads are .2-.4" and I don't neck turn or wash brass. I can shoot.) These are my experiences with my barrel, and savages are weird, but I think what I learned reloading these cases backs up the generalizations.
Winchester gray box, 125g: (was an open tip hunting/match mongrel, now a FMJ) .9-1.75". $15-18. Good trigger practice and warmup. Not the worst, cheap. Appears to have been relabeled with a different 125 grain bullet so current accuracy likely different.
Winchester red box 125g: same as above. $21. huge jump in price since I bought it. Not worth it at that price, but still a cheapish warmup, or fouler after a deep clean.
Winchester Black box 140g: .8-1.2". $28. Absurd price jump in last 10 months. Okay round, bad price. Uses name brand target bullets in cheap brass with inconsistent burn. best of Winchester but only buy if Hornady and Sig aren't available.
S and B black box 140g soft point flat base: $16-20 I think. 1.25" Identical performance to Core Lokt, maybe fewer wild fliers.
S and B tan box 140g FMJ: $14. Slightly better than the black box above. Best of the cheaper, less accurate stuff. Also, the very cheapest. Sold gleefully in my local store as SHTF ammo, like I'll be sniping the jackboots off the gendarmes, especially with this stuff. For the record, the bullets look like crayons. Exactly what I'd expect from the French, and I'm French.
Federal gold medal 130 grain Berger OTM: 32-35 bucks depending on the store. 1.25-1.5". Garbage. Absolutely the worst I shot in any gun ever. Supposedly the dog's bollocks in other guns but the cases were too long for my chamber. Much longer than they should have been. Past trim length before firing AND a crush fit on the shoulder. An inaccurate waste of money.
Nosler Ballistic Tip 140g: $34. 1.5". Biggest surprise of them all. Not awesome and not a deal. For me. I suspect that it was just in the worst possible velocity node for my gun. Nothing discernible I could find wrong and well worth a try in another rifle. The only round I tried I would hunt with. I should try it again after bedding and new rings actually.
Hornady ELD Match: 28 on sale, 32 or so off sale. 3 different weights: 120 grain: fine, my gun didn't love it. 1.25". 140g: Pretty good on sale, 3rd most accurate, .8-1.25". 147g. .6-1.25". Second best most accurate overall for either value or accuracy. Sorta worth the full price but don't trade anything nice for it. Reloading the cases I learned that basically Hornady puts really nice, high value bullets with good powder and good measurement into cheap brass. Which is frustrating because if it weren't for GIANT flash hole burrs, case neck and volume variations nobody would ever sell another creedmoor reloading die or loaded round.
Remington Core-Lokt 140g Soft point flat base: $22. 1-1.5". This stuff is fine. It tends to put 3 in the same hole then 2 more someplace else entirely. Some guns might like it and shrink that up by a quarter inch. Close to being a great value. Technically a hunting round. It's accurate enough for killing but I do not trust remington bullets above 2500 fps after seeing some deer shot and doing my own testing.
THE BEST: Sig Elite performance match. $26, often on sale for 22 or so. .5-.9" For me if I wasn't reloading I'd buy all I could afford when on sale. Sierra match king bullets, consistent powder charge, great primers, and only minor brass deviations. Oddly, it reloads poorly becaus ei think the brass is overly hard but it is very consistent stuff. I've shot maybe 200 rounds of it, I've seen others shoot it. I've split a box with another guy. Same results every time in every gun I've seen. The best deal going at any price.
It's long but I hope this helps.
Winchester gray box, 125g: (was an open tip hunting/match mongrel, now a FMJ) .9-1.75". $15-18. Good trigger practice and warmup. Not the worst, cheap. Appears to have been relabeled with a different 125 grain bullet so current accuracy likely different.
Winchester red box 125g: same as above. $21. huge jump in price since I bought it. Not worth it at that price, but still a cheapish warmup, or fouler after a deep clean.
Winchester Black box 140g: .8-1.2". $28. Absurd price jump in last 10 months. Okay round, bad price. Uses name brand target bullets in cheap brass with inconsistent burn. best of Winchester but only buy if Hornady and Sig aren't available.
S and B black box 140g soft point flat base: $16-20 I think. 1.25" Identical performance to Core Lokt, maybe fewer wild fliers.
S and B tan box 140g FMJ: $14. Slightly better than the black box above. Best of the cheaper, less accurate stuff. Also, the very cheapest. Sold gleefully in my local store as SHTF ammo, like I'll be sniping the jackboots off the gendarmes, especially with this stuff. For the record, the bullets look like crayons. Exactly what I'd expect from the French, and I'm French.
Federal gold medal 130 grain Berger OTM: 32-35 bucks depending on the store. 1.25-1.5". Garbage. Absolutely the worst I shot in any gun ever. Supposedly the dog's bollocks in other guns but the cases were too long for my chamber. Much longer than they should have been. Past trim length before firing AND a crush fit on the shoulder. An inaccurate waste of money.
Nosler Ballistic Tip 140g: $34. 1.5". Biggest surprise of them all. Not awesome and not a deal. For me. I suspect that it was just in the worst possible velocity node for my gun. Nothing discernible I could find wrong and well worth a try in another rifle. The only round I tried I would hunt with. I should try it again after bedding and new rings actually.
Hornady ELD Match: 28 on sale, 32 or so off sale. 3 different weights: 120 grain: fine, my gun didn't love it. 1.25". 140g: Pretty good on sale, 3rd most accurate, .8-1.25". 147g. .6-1.25". Second best most accurate overall for either value or accuracy. Sorta worth the full price but don't trade anything nice for it. Reloading the cases I learned that basically Hornady puts really nice, high value bullets with good powder and good measurement into cheap brass. Which is frustrating because if it weren't for GIANT flash hole burrs, case neck and volume variations nobody would ever sell another creedmoor reloading die or loaded round.
Remington Core-Lokt 140g Soft point flat base: $22. 1-1.5". This stuff is fine. It tends to put 3 in the same hole then 2 more someplace else entirely. Some guns might like it and shrink that up by a quarter inch. Close to being a great value. Technically a hunting round. It's accurate enough for killing but I do not trust remington bullets above 2500 fps after seeing some deer shot and doing my own testing.
THE BEST: Sig Elite performance match. $26, often on sale for 22 or so. .5-.9" For me if I wasn't reloading I'd buy all I could afford when on sale. Sierra match king bullets, consistent powder charge, great primers, and only minor brass deviations. Oddly, it reloads poorly becaus ei think the brass is overly hard but it is very consistent stuff. I've shot maybe 200 rounds of it, I've seen others shoot it. I've split a box with another guy. Same results every time in every gun I've seen. The best deal going at any price.
It's long but I hope this helps.
JakeC
Well-Known Member
I forgot to mention Hornady American Gunner. 140g match bullet. Runs around 55/box for 50. groups were .7" to 3". I think in most guns this stuff is an incredible value. That type of bullet is like vanilla ice cream with hersheys, no gun dislikes it. My problem was that its powder burn was dirty beyond belief. My throat and neck would carbon foul so hard that within ten shots I was going from 3/4 MOA to getting groups so big I didn't even know where to look for them at first. Two snake passes and she was back under an inch for five shots or so. That being said that is likely 75 percent a Savage issue and only 25 percent a Hornady issue.
