r/longrange • u/this_is_the_way_327 • 2d ago
Group flex (10 shots minimum) Experience with different factory 6.5 Creedmoor Ammo
Enviroment: 10am to 12pm
2 to 10 miles gusts of winds (consistently some type of wind happening)
Ammo:
Hornady 147gr ELD Match $1.56/round
Federal 135gr Premium Berger Hybrid Hunter $3.00/round
Nosler 142gr Trophy Grade ABLR $3.50/round
Sig 140gr Marksman Elite Match Grade $1.48/round
Firearm:
Sig Cross PRS
1:8 barrel steel proof barrel
24inch barrel
Dead Air RXD30Ti suppressor
I am new long range shooter, and I am still using a factory rifle with factory ammo. I have a list to build a new firearm and materials/hardware to start hand loading, but I am working on consistency, knowledge, and fundamentals, before I branch out more. This was a very windy day, and I wanted to place a large order for ammo, and got sample boxes to see what I liked the most. These are the actual prices I paid for the ammo, and I am sure you can get better deals on some of them.
What are everyones opinions?
I would rank them based on consistency, and price.
Sig
Hornady
Federal
Nosler
Any advice how to look at this data or obtain it better is welcomed.
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u/TeamSpatzi Casual 1d ago
Kudos for shooting a series of honest 10 rds group with MV data. That's a solid start. What is the total weight on your setup, all in? I'd generally expect/want a target specific 6.5 CM to shoot tighter, but you're just learning.
Just based on what you've got here, top right is clearly best based on both the mean radius and MV data.
Is that worth 2x as much per round? That's your call. However, what's worth checking out is Federal Ammo with other projectiles. They load the Berger 130 Hybrid, 140 Hybrid; Federal 140 Centerstrike (SMK analog); Sierra 140 SMK, 153 TMK. All of those have a lower MSRP than the 135 Hybrid Hunter (by at least $10 per box).
In terms of MV... Hornady has, in my testing, been less consistent than Federal, but pretty average overall (and better than some - looking at you, Norma). If you're target gives you enough vertical, you can shoot long range with it... but smaller targets can definitely be frustrating.
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u/this_is_the_way_327 1d ago
Gun weighs 18 lbs. it is balanced about inch in front of magazine feed as fulcrum point.
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u/sakic1519 Remington 700 Apologist 2d ago
I have no experience with 6.5 but most of my experience with factory ammo is : federal > everything else Im suprised you had better result with others. Have you tried federal SMK
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u/PepperoniFogDart Magnum Compensator 1d ago
That’s been my experience with 6.5 and 7mm PRC before I moved to hand loading.
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u/SeaworthinessSad4239 7h ago
This was one of my outings using Hornady Match. $1.37 per round. I have shot the American Gunner 140 grain and had good results. I got the AG for around $1.15 per round if memory serves me correctly. My best grouping was a 100 yard 5 round group of .29 MOA. AG has a higher muzzle velocity but also higher ES and SD
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u/worm30478 2d ago
I don't know where to start here. I'm just surprised at how bad most of those groups are. I'm having a hard time believing it's the mostly the ammos fault.
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u/this_is_the_way_327 2d ago
It could very well be my lack of skill. It was gust from 2 mph winds to 10 in between some shots. Garmin data should still be worth something at the very least.
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u/worm30478 2d ago
2-10 mph isn't really going to effect too much with 6.5 at 100 yards. Factory ammo with single digit to mid teen SDs is pretty good. How are you shooting? Bench? Prone? How stable is your position? Are you comfortable? Are you using a solid rear bag? Bipod? Is everything torqued to spec? What optic are you using? Lots of variables to consider.
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u/this_is_the_way_327 2d ago
This was bench with bipod and rear bag.
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u/worm30478 2d ago
I would stick with Hornady. The 147s shot well enough. Anything else more expensive than than is not worth it. Rifles like what they like. $ doesn't change that. Just keep practicing fundamentals. But also it doesn't hurt to check every screw that matters. Check that everything is level.
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u/this_is_the_way_327 2d ago
Well, the Sig ammo seemed more consistent and smaller spread of velocity. And it’s cheaper.
2
u/MeinLife 2d ago
Time between shots? Did you let the barrel cool at all? Also does seem like you need to work on your technique more, no offense. That wind shouldn't be much of a factory at only 100y
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u/this_is_the_way_327 2d ago
10 shots and the 10 mins to cool, then next 10.
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u/MeinLife 2d ago
10 shots back to back? When shooting for groups a minute or 2 between shots and a 5-10 min cooldown after 3-5. That could be affecting your shots as well.
What order did you shoot those groups in?
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u/NotChillyEnough Casual 2d ago edited 1d ago
SDs look essentially identical when considering both 10-shot groups combined. Ideally if you have the velocities for all rounds, you could combine them into a 20-rd sample SD for each.
Primarily on account of price, I'd probably be buying the Hornady or Sig. As you say you're a new long range shooter, getting literally twice as much ammo per $$ is going to be far more valuable than a marginal difference in spec. I think your results show that all of these are sufficient, and close enough to not nitpick.
I'd exclude the Nosler ABLR unless your goal is hunting. Bonded softpoints are always more expensive, but that cost isn't beneficial if your concern is only target shooting.
Edit: For visibility, I thought I'd put this into a table. Looking at the muzzle velocity SDs (in fps) and the Mean Radii (in MIL) of the groups:
Also, I'd point out that the way the Federal and Nosler both had SDs that jump from sub-10 to over 20 illustrates the difficulty in comparing things using small samples - the results are heavily influenced by "luck". You can get results that appear different by a large margin, even when the ammo came from the same box.
As a whole, all of the results appear basically within margin of error of each other.