What’s spiciest factory 6.5CM load you guys have seen?

[LJT88]

I’ve got a Tikka Tac A1 with a 24in barrel and in typical fashion it’s wicked accurate but it is slow.

I wondering if you guys have found a load that is known to be a bit hotter than most factory loads. I’ve heard people say Spark Ammunition is a bit spicy.

The rifle shoots consistently in the .5MOA range and even better with the Norma 130 load that I’m almost out of.

Hornady 140 & 147 shoot well but in the 2600 range.

Federal GMM 130 Berger shoots well but is over 100fps slower than my 24in Remington 5R rig.

I know I need to start hand loading and I can get my FPS up but can’t at the moment.

 

[W54/XM-388]

Just as a question it sounds like it is shooting with excellent accuracy, is there a reason you are concerned with upping the speed?

The Tikka barrels are well known to be very accurate for a factory barrel and are also well known to have slightly slower velocities than other looser barrels.

Does the rifle hit accurately where you want to and at the distances you want it to currently?

 

[Johnerz]

I run my Tac a1 on Berger 130 EldM, n555 and hornady cases at just under 2700 more accurate than I am

 

[DJL2]

Just use the search function with the term "no pressure signs" and you're guaranteed to find a TON of loads running 70+ ksi and well above book max.

 

[Dead Eye Dick]

In the end, its not who gets there first, its who gets to where they are supposed to get. Accuracy, my man trumps velocity every time.

We have a large variety of fine rifle scopes with great reticles and accurate repeatability, ballistic programs, and hand carried weather instruments, all of which help us get to the target IF the rifle is capable of putting the bullet where its supposed to be Regularly.

So, forget slow or fast barrels or getting the absolute maximum velocity. Its about finding the velocity/bullet combination that gives you accuracy. Its about hitting what you are shooting at.

 

[308pirate]

I’ve got a Tikka Tac A1 with a 24in barrel and in typical fashion it’s wicked accurate but it is slow.

I wondering if you guys have found a load that is known to be a bit hotter than most factory loads. I’ve heard people say Spark Ammunition is a bit spicy.

I know I need to start hand loading and I can get my FPS up but can’t at the moment.

Why do you need it to go faster? I wonder how much money you're going to lose trying to find that majikal load with the ultimate speed.

Maybe get better at wind reading

 

[LJT88]

I understand that your not going to win or lose a match or miss your target at 600m because your 150fps slower than the next guy

I’ve got a case of the factory 140 ELDM’s that I’m almost out of and they shoot great but like I said they are right at 2600.

I guess all I’m asking is there load / Brand that seems to run a little faster.

 

[LR1845]

I understand that your not going to win or lose a match or miss your target at 600m because your 150fps slower than the next guy

I’ve got a case of the factory 140 ELDM’s that I’m almost out of and they shoot great but like I said they are right at 2600.

I guess all I’m asking is there load / Brand that seems to run a little faster.

No...if you want more speed out of factory ammo shoot lighter bullets but then your fighting wind more....run your current speed in a ballistics calculator then run the speed you think you want to be at add a 10-15mph 9 o'clock wind to both and look at the difference...as a matter of fact I'll do it for you....

Here's an idea of how much it really matters...I run factory 140g ELDM shooter lines up with in 1/10th elevation out to 1082yds field verified at 2710fps...I just added a 15mph wind at 9 o'clock at 2710fps it calls for 2.4mils left at 1000yds...everything the same I bump the speed to 2810fps and it calls for 2.3mils left...is it worth chasing a 100fps for a 1/10th of a mil?

 

[NHPiper]

Tikka’s are notoriously accurate but unfortunately also have notoriously slow barrels. I had a 16” XCalibur prefit that shot 2650 with 42gr of H4350 and 140 ELDs, but I would only get 3-5 firings before splitting the neck of a case. That same load in my Seekins SP10 with a 22” Rock Creek barrel and SAC 24” Bartlein gets 2730ish and 2750ish respectively, in cold winter weather, with no pressure signs.

Factory Hornady ammo also tends to run slow. So that is probably compounding the factor. I would play around with H4350 at 41-42gr and see how it does.

 

[whatsupdoc]

Get a new barrel. Any research on Tikka will reveal that they are slow, you most likely knew this
when you purchased it. So here you are asking about spicy rounds. There is a guy on youtube
that was playing with spicy rounds on a 50 BMG, he is now infamous.

 

[4O6shootist]

Want spicy? Get some unknown munitions mayhem line ammo. I know your pain. My 20" proof 65cm barrel runs same velocity at equal charges as my 24.5" Tikka ctr. However the ctr shoots better.

 

[Frank Green]

You can up your powder charge and not see a significant increase in velocity but the pressure is there.

Most of you don't realize that bore and groove sizes as well as the actual chamber spec. play a huge part in velocity.

A tight bore/tight groove barrel will typically drive up pressures which in turn drives up velocities.

A looser bore/groove barrel and things swing the other way.

So unless you know the actual bore and groove size to the 4th decimal place and know what the chamber was cut to....you are kind of grasping at straws.

Box ammo like at Hornady, Federal etc...are loaded and tested in Saami min spec. pressure and velocity test barrels. You don't know what is on your gun necessarily. So your not always comparing apples to apples when one guy says my barrel gives me 2600fps with brand X ammo but another guy says I can only get 2550fps or even the other way when another guy says...I get 2700fps.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

 

[powdahound76]

Funny.

My Tikka T3 factory 22” barrel runs 155 AMAX Black at 2800. Near the prediction for a 24” barrel (2850 fps predicted on box).



***Maybe its because its all copper fouled and “smoothed out” the imperfections.

Ask Frank, any guy named Frank will do, that is a dad-burn fact.
Follow the science.
And me for more rifleology learnin

 

[StrayDog]

FWIW, Berger runs on the hotter side in the 6.5cm.

 

[just browsing]

Well shit, I’m over here turning my 153.5s down to 2600 on purpose because it’s easier to spot trace and doesn’t make a shit’s worth of difference down range

 

[spife7980]

Well shit, I’m over here turning my 153.5s down to 2600 on purpose because it’s easier to spot trace and doesn’t make a shit’s worth of difference down range

Same, 37.8 gr of h4350 gives me 2600 with a 140 and its a dream to shoot.

 

[308pirate]

No...if you want more speed out of factory ammo shoot lighter bullets but then your fighting wind more....run your current speed in a ballistics calculator then run the speed you think you want to be at add a 10-15mph 9 o'clock wind to both and look at the difference...as a matter of fact I'll do it for you....

Here's an idea of how much it really matters...I run factory 140g ELDM shooter lines up with in 1/10th elevation out to 1082yds field verified at 2710fps...I just added a 15mph wind at 9 o'clock at 2710fps it calls for 2.4mils left at 1000yds...everything the same I bump the speed to 2810fps and it calls for 2.3mils left...is it worth chasing a 100fps for a 1/10th of a mil?

Some people just don't care about facts.

More velocity, more recoil, more money = more better is what they think

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

Hey guys reccomend me a load that will blow up my gun in bad conditions. Thanks!

 

[kthomas]

Same, 37.8 gr of h4350 gives me 2600 with a 140 and its a dream to shoot.

This is the journey we all eventually go on it seems.

When we start and are newish/fresh to this sport, we want to squeeze all the performance (a la velocity) out of our rifles. Then as individuals we eventually learn that that extra velocity comes at a price: more powder usage, decreased barrel life, decreased brass life, pressure issues in conditions such as rain or really hot environments, etc. We also start to learn that extra velocity comes with minimal gains: wind calls are only a tenth or two different, elevation differences don't matter as we are dialing anyways.

I know when I started extra speed was always desirable. But once I learned more my cartridges run a bit slower and slower. My 6 BRA for example has gone from running close to 3,000 fps with 105's (my barrel seems very fast), to the high 2800's. It shoots just as good but I have a lot larger window before pressure, and hopefully it gives components longevity.

I'll take a stable and well performing load over a very fast one any day.

 

[b6graham]

FWIW, Berger runs on the hotter side in the 6.5cm.

yup my 140 and 144 berger ammo was in the 2840 range

and they were accurate too

 

[SuperBoot]

Can confirm, Berger factory 140's were "weeks worth of regret" levels of spicy in the 2 cases I've used.
~2850 out of a 24" Bartlein.

 

[DocRDS]

Add chili pepper to your gun powder. Season to

Mine (140) run about 2850 in the texas sun with habenro powder.

 

[kthomas]

yup my 140 and 144 berger ammo was in the 2840 range

and they were accurate too

Factory Hornady 140's (AMAX's and ELD-M's) are about ~2850 fps out of my 24" Benchmark. I haven't tried AB ammo.

However my particular Benchmark may be fast.

Which is what I think @Frank Green was pointing out - can't compare ammo velocities from different individuals barrels (even from within the same barrel brand), as minute differences can make big differences in velocities.

 

[b6graham]

Factory Hornady 140's (AMAX's and ELD-M's) are about ~2850 fps out of my 24" Benchmark. I haven't tried AB ammo.

However my particular Benchmark may be fast.

thats some spice i haven't seen from hornady much

last time i ran hornady 140/147s it was a 24" bartlein and they were 2720 at best. i forget it's been like 5 years

 

[kthomas]

thats some spice i haven't seen from hornady much

last time i ran hornady 140/147s it was a 24" bartlein and they were 2720 at best. i forget it's been like 5 years

Could just be this barrel.

An old lot of AMAX 140's and a newer lot of ELD-M's produce similar results.

Hornady is not known to be spicy, so I have a feeling its the specific barrel I have.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

As others have said accuracy and consistency > velocity. Tikkas are notoriously slow, better solution would be to spin a prefit on it if it bothers you that much.

 

[DocRDS]

To be helpful I have seen a 100 fps difference between barrels, so YMMV.

 

[308pirate]

Hey guys reccomend me a load that will blow up my gun in bad conditions. Thanks!

And I don't want answers that contradict what I want.

 

[Kiba]

Many years ago I had a couple cases of factory Hornady 140 Amax that was running 2850 out of a brand new 26" barrel in my AI AE Mk3. Those were the days when they printed the load info right on the box, I believe it was 42.5gr H4350.

It was certainly warm but didn't even leave a hint of ejector mark on the soft Hornady brass. I reloaded to the same velocity with H4350 and primer pockets were done after 4-5 firings.

That same lot of ammo pierced 50% or more primers in my GAP10, but that was mostly because my GAP10 shipped with a large firing pin. Rifle went back and forth to GAP a couple of times and GAP finally swapped the bolt for one with a small firing pin and the piercing stopped, but that ammo was still way too hot for a semi auto and had a bit of ejector flow and nasty ejector swipes.

 

[Nik H]

I don't know about spicier but the FGMM 130 grain Berger tipped cartridge does me pretty well. I prefer a lighter, faster cartridge and this one clocks in at around 2930 fps. I have shot it with great results to 1,250 yards.

The old Sparks 140 ELDM offering pushed the limit IMHO as I clocked it at about 2760 fps. I got really nice accuracy and no over pressure signs but I don't see them available any longer.

 

[Stoweit]

Berger 130 factory ammo around 2920ish out my 26” Proof SS.

 

[TheOE800]

Norma 130gr was pushing 2900fps in my Dave Tooley AINA 26” Bartlein years ago.

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

The new norma 143 factory golden tiger is going 2650 in a new hawk hill 26" 6.5creed 8 twist

 

[LR1845]

The new norma 143 factory golden tiger is going 2650 in a new hawk hill 26" 6.5creed 8 twist

The Norma 143 shoots great in both my SP10 and bolt gun.

 

[Conrad]

I don’t advocate chasing speed but if you want spice then R26 is your seasoning, just don’t eat it in the heat of summer.

Bullet nor barrel length matter in the wake of this pixie dust. Oh but good luck finding it. lol

 

[LJT88]

I agree, that Norma 130 was great.

Hahah. Things really went sideways…..

I guess my title and statement was a little miss leading.

I DO NOT reload. I’m not trying to blow up my rifle. Hahah.

All I’m saying is I’m about out of my current lot of ammo. If I have to buy a bunch more ammo and cost and accuracy are relatively the same I’d rather buy and shoot a load that runs 2700-2750 instead of 2590ish

 

[TheOE800]

The new norma 143 factory golden tiger is going 2650 in a new hawk hill 26" 6.5creed 8 twist

About the same in a 26” proof and 26” factory TRG. By no means spicy.