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What bullets 6.5/.264 for PRS

Willie16wild

WillieGunner
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Full Member
Minuteman
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Mar 3, 2017
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Punxsutawney, PA
What bullets are you using this year with what powder for PRS style shooting?

I am only looking for 6.5/.264 caliber.

I am shooting 6.5 creedmoor again this year. I used Nosler 140gr rdf bullets last year and h4350. The 140gr rdf bullets did work out good but every once in a while i would have a flier. They didnt seem very dependable so i plan on changing bullets this year.

I just wanna see what everyone else is using for this year and see if anything new came out i missed.

I thought about the 130gr seirra gamechangers just cause there new or maybe try the 142gr seirra matchking. I have no idea what i am going to pick yet.
 
I was not a fan of the RDF bullets in either 6mm or 6.5mm though the 105's were worse, they had a flier every 3rd or 4th shot even though the rest of them were in the same hole.

I really liked shooting the 147 ELD-M for the amazing BC and with RL-16 you can really get them cranking at around 2900 fps (it took 42gr of RL-16 in my rifle, but be careful working up a load). I also liked the 123gr SMK for matches that were shorter range, since there's a local club match that doesn't go past 600 yards. At that match the 123gr load was great since I was running them at 3110 fps, meaning at 600 yards with a 10mph wind it was only 2.7 mils of elevation and 0.9 mils of wind compared to 3.0 and 0.8 for the 147 ELD-M at 2900 fps (the 123 was better for wind with any target inside 500 yards).
 
I have been using either the RDF's or 140/147gr ELD-M with H4350.

I can't find reason to spend more on other bullets when these shoot so well for what they cost. If other bullets were waaay more accurate, I could be swayed, but that hasn't been my experience.
 
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140 Berger Hybrids, behind 42.5 grains H4350, Lapua brass and CCI BR4 primers. That's my 6.5 creedmoor recipe which I've had excellent results with.

I’ll second this. I’m using 42.7 of 4350 with the Hybrids and absolutely love them. So much, I hesitate changing even though they are pricy.
 
147 ELDM with 47.1gr RL26

2765fps out of my 21" barrel. You can feel more recoil, though. The extra 150fps doesn't come free. For competitions I've though to try RL16 or H4350 with some 130gr ELD's, but I also enjoy having just 1 load to keep track of for a given caliber.
 
RL 16 has more often then not proven itself to have much closer SD/ES's which lend to very repeatable POI. I have several loads with different pills that all have SD's in the 2-4 range and ES's of 5-9....its magical stuff for sure. Just be diligent on cleaning after shooting to minimize the carbon rings building up in your chamber. RL26 for the heavy 147s+ and H1000 for that matter will not disappoint and is easy on the barrel.
 
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Much like @Lowlight I am a big proponent of the Lapua Scenar 136 and 139 gr bullets and have been using them for the whole 2018 season. They have a lower BC than other bullets of their weight class, but they are incredibly easy to tune, are not jump sensitive and you can usually purchase them by the 1000 lot quite easily.

I am switching to a 6 mm for my main match gun this year and will be running the 105 class bullets, but if I were to switch it up in the 6.5 CM, I'd be looking at the 130 ELD's personally. Crank up the speed a little more, get the BC up there and have a flatter shooting option with less recoil :)
 
147's and 45.8 rl 26 in peterson brass. 2830 ES=6fps has been sub 1/2 moa from -4F-70 degrees. Haven't shot it in the heat of the summer. Vetical at 900 is very good usually less than 1" and I would think most of that is me. @ 500 it will be about a bullet width in stable conditions
 
142 smk Lapua brass 42 grain of H4350. I would shoot the 150s if I had the twist rate they have an insane bc
4955 shot the 142smk's well. I saw speeds over 2940 but was getting a shiney swipe there. Another .3 put me at 2980something in a hot barrel. badly cratered primer and significantly heavier bolt lift. It ran well in the 2850 range but doesn't compete in the wind with the 147's
 
After loving the 140hybrid, I tested the 147. Have excellent results with 40.4g of 4350. At 2713 avg. (low node) ES of 5 SD of 2.3. Still have about 420 left to load which is Awesome but I broke 4-5 tips off during reloading. I have deformed several and noticed some are deformed right out of the box.

My next order will be Hybrids. You can not match Berger’s consistency.
 
After loving the 140hybrid, I tested the 147. Have excellent results with 40.4g of 4350. At 2713 avg. (low node) ES of 5 SD of 2.3. Still have about 420 left to load which is Awesome but I broke 4-5 tips off during reloading. I have deformed several and noticed some are deformed right out of the box.

My next order will be Hybrids. You can not match Berger’s consistency.

Don’t try JLKs...
 
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140 Berger Hybrids & Varget. I’d love to shoot a lower cost bullet, but none of them seem to be as consistent or as accurate for me.

At just under 2000 rounds on my current barrel, I re-measured length-to-lands, adjusted seating depth/COAL to match original load, and shot a quick 3-shot group (prone/bipod) to check zero & re-check load accuracy.

01121D57-A76B-48FE-A942-C4A1E04FF170.jpeg
 
A hidden gem worth a peek is also the 140 Barnes Match Burners. These things are about 15-20% cheaper then others in its weight range and while not as sexy in the BC department its just silly how good they shoot out to 1k. I think my dial in is maybe 1/2-3/4 MOA more then my ELDs and speeds are identical. I have actually run these in all calibers they make them in that I shoot and all are respectable performers.
 
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After loving the 140hybrid, I tested the 147. Have excellent results with 40.4g of 4350. At 2713 avg. (low node) ES of 5 SD of 2.3. Still have about 420 left to load which is Awesome but I broke 4-5 tips off during reloading. I have deformed several and noticed some are deformed right out of the box.

My next order will be Hybrids. You can not match Berger’s consistency.

If you're breaking tips are your bullet tips bottoming out in the seating stem, seating by the tip instead of the ogive?
 
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Using Hornady dies and was only a few tips that got messed up. May not have been perfectly straight when going into The die. Mostly upset that quit a few were deformed right out of the box, about 8 of the first 100 I Went to load. Loaded 80 or so today and not a single issue. They have shot great for me so far.
 
250eldm 147's for 73.00 from Midsouth when they go on sale. I try to buy what i think the barrel will last once I have a load from the same lot. This has treated me well for many many years.
 
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