Which 6.5?

[NigelM]

You're absolutely right edi on many fronts, the difference is in the recoil and the bullets. A 143 6.5 bullet has a g7 bc of 0.315. A 155 Scenar in 308 has a bc of 0.234. At long range that's a lot of lost velocity/energy and significantly more wind drift than the 6.5. The 6.5 has a lot less recoil than the 308 as a bonus. It's a pussycat to shoot.

The 308 has proven itself to be one of the most accurate cartridges ever designed, but I believe that as bullet design has moved forward so rapidly over the past few years there are a few better options out there now, both for LR and hunting.

 

[User00033]

And to add to that edi, the shorter range performance of the 143gr ELD-X is absolutely on a par with any of the 150-165gr .308 bullets I’ve used, including Nosler BT Hunting, Sierra Gameking, Hornady A-Max and SST. The velocity is give or take the same, the bullet construction is spot on, the minor difference in weight counts for bugger all. Put it in the right place, and neither the shooter not the deer is going to know the difference.

It’s a case of horses for courses for me, not a debate about one being better than the other.

The 6.5mm is, for my application, a heavy barrelled, prone position, medium range precision hunter, it must shoot MOA or just over reliably in a light breeze. Target species: goats, fallow and red meat deer, i.e. generally smaller, younger animals and hinds. Wouldn’t even cross my mind to take it into the woods.

The .308 is my woods gun, in anticipation of larger animals - specifically heavy stags - at short range in the thick stuff. I’m just starting on a new project, decided to change my T3 .308 stainless laminate 22” into a 18” or 20” with a new DPT Hunter chassis and suppressor... it will shoot 180gr ProHunter RN (2170) at about 2400fps. Wouldn’t even cross my mind to shoot goats at 500m with it.

 

[ejg]

Recon we are on the same page, Nigel & Dodgy.
I have a few places where I shoot foxes over valleys min 200m . A 120gr type high bc might be good for that. Don't want to go too heavy because of bounce. If bounce then the smaller the better....
edi

 

[NigelM]

Recon we are on the same page, Nigel & Dodgy.
I have a few places where I shoot foxes over valleys min 200m . A 120gr type high bc might be good for that. Don't want to go too heavy because of bounce. If bounce then the smaller the better....
edi

I'm sure you will be very pleased with your new Creedoor Edi.

 

[Rasputin]

Posted in another thread but didn’t eat much response. What factory ammo are you guys shooting? Is the eldx 143 the best and most readily available? Blaser r8 if that makes a difference cheers.

 

[NigelM]

Posted in another thread but didn’t eat much response. What factory ammo are you guys shooting? Is the eldx 143 the best and most readily available? Blaser r8 if that makes a difference cheers.

I don't own one, I have a 6.5 Lapua, but have used one on the range out to 900 yards. It was using Hornaday Precision Hunter 143 ELD-X and was exceptionally accurate. Dodgy home loads the same bullet in his and pushes velocity another 100 fps or so over factory loading.

 

[nun_hunter]

I home load the 143 ELD-X as it seemed to make the most sense for the Creedmoor. I couldn't find any factory ammo so had to home load even though I wanted to run the barrel in a d get used to the rifle with factory ammo first.

 

[NigelM]

I home load the 143 ELD-X as it seemed to make the most sense for the Creedmoor. I couldn't find any factory ammo so had to home load even though I wanted to run the barrel in a d get used to the rifle with factory ammo first.

Edgar Brothers are the importers. Their stocks are not good, usually waiting for the next shipment. If you call them they should be able to tell you who they have sold to and you might get lucky.

 

[User00033]

Sorry Rasputin haven’t used any factory ammo in my rifle. The Hornady Precision Hunter gets good reviews here, my mate used it before he made the call to load with ELD-X and he was very happy with it. The first time I ever shot his Creedmoor it was with that ammo.

I think though it depends what you want to achieve, if its short range work for little deer I would look to a traditional soft point hunting bullet maybe, something like the Federal Power Shok. I don’t think there’s much to be gained from paying top dollar for high BC bullets if you aren’t routinely pushing them well past 400m.

 

[Rasputin]

Sorry Rasputin haven’t used any factory ammo in my rifle. The Hornady Precision Hunter gets good reviews here, my mate used it before he made the call to load with ELD-X and he was very happy with it. The first time I ever shot his Creedmoor it was with that ammo.

I think though it depends what you want to achieve, if its short range work for little deer I would look to a traditional soft point hunting bullet maybe, something like the Federal Power Shok. I don’t think there’s much to be gained from paying top dollar for high BC bullets if you aren’t routinely pushing them well past 400m.

Just normal deer ranges <200 then maybe a few days fun times shooting at some longer stuff on a range. If anyone reloads in lancashire would be happy to chip you a few quid and or some labour etc.

Thanks