6.5 130 grin tipped SMK

[RonT]

I am wondering how many of you are using SMK 130 grain tipped bullets in your 6.5 rifles? I will be shooting some steel and some paper matches and thought they may be a great choice in my 6.5 Creed.

thanks,

Ron Tilley

[Texas10]

I found the 130 Berger VLD over RL-17 to be fast and accurate. I used Hornaday brass and later Peterson in LRP and SRP. Work the load up, you may be delighted.

[psharon97]

I've used the 130gr TMK before in some matches. They work okay in my 260 remington. They weren't an exceptional bullet by any means. YMMV. At the time, the 130gr TMK was a very affordable bullet. I've since switched to the 140gr Hornady ELD Match.

[CFJunkie]

The 130 TMKs perform well in both of my 6.5mm Creedmoors.

In my 12 LRP which prefers heavier bullets and shoots most accurately with 147 ELD-M and 142 SMKs, the 130 TMK is fourth on the Powder-Bullet list.
In my 10T-SR that shoots bullets in the 130 to 140 range most accurately, the 130 TMKs are at the top of the list.
I think you might find the 130 TMK performs well in your 6.5mm Creedmoor rifle.

By the way, in my Savage 10 FP and 10 FCP-K .308s, the 155, 168 and 175 grain TMKs hold the top 11 and top 12 positions respectively in the Powder-Bullet list of loads.
In my Les Baer Super Varmint .223, the 69 and 77 grain TMKs hold the top 8 positions in the powder-bullet list of loads. It shoots 27% more accurately with the bullets seated out further.
With the .308s and the .224 TMK bullets I set the seating depth out further because the base to ogive is about the same length as the regular SMKs.
When I seated them back to the Sierra recommended O.A.L. which is the same as the SMK recommendation, I didn't get the same accuracy.

Since the accuracy of the 130 TMKs was about the same as the best loads with the 6.5mm Creedmoor rifles, I didn't seat them out any further, primarily because there is no 130 grain SMK to compare with.

[RonT]

Can I ask what powder you all are using in your 6.5 creeds? It seems like RE17 is used a bunch. Thanks,


Ron Tilley

[CFJunkie]

In my 12 LRP 26-inch barrel 6.5mm Creedmoor, I've gotten the best results with IMR4451 Enduron with IMR4350 a close second.
Reloader 17 seems to work well with some of bullet weights and not so well with others.

IMR4064 is not so great &
N150 is a bust.

RL17 did really well with the 130 TMKs in my 24-inch barrel 10T-SR 6.5mm CM.
Not so well with the heavier bullets.
IMR4350 does best with 140 grains and up and slightly better than the IMR4451 Enduron.

I never bothered to shoot IMR4064 or N150 since they didn't do all that well in the 12 LRP.

[Ranger3]

My stock Savage LRPV loves 140 ELDM Hornady match ammo, shoots in the .3''s. I have bought the 130 Sierra but have not tried them yet. I would have expected more from them.

[LoneWolf]

I've looked at the 130's, but all tables I have come up with show that you need to drive them around 200fps faster than the 140's in order to match the 140 in the wind passed 800yds. and if you can run the 140's within 100fps of the 130's they beat them hands down. Therefore, I've been sticking with 140 Hybrids in the 6.5 realm.

[wbm]

(https://rifleshooter.com/2016/05/6-5-creedmoor-load-development-sierra-130-grain-tipped-matchking-tmk-with-h4350-varget-reloader-15-and-reloader-17/)https://rifleshooter.com/2016/05/6-5-creedmoor-load-development-sierra-130-grain-tipped-matchking-tmk-with-h4350-varget-reloader-15-and-reloader-17/




(https://rifleshooter.com/2016/05/6-5-creedmoor-load-development-sierra-130-grain-tipped-matchking-tmk-with-h4350-varget-reloader-15-and-reloader-17/)

[RonT]

very interesting read, thank you.


(https://rifleshooter.com/2016/05/6-5-creedmoor-load-development-sierra-130-grain-tipped-matchking-tmk-with-h4350-varget-reloader-15-and-reloader-17/)https://rifleshooter.com/2016/05/6-5-creedmoor-load-development-sierra-130-grain-tipped-matchking-tmk-with-h4350-varget-reloader-15-and-reloader-17/




(https://rifleshooter.com/2016/05/6-5-creedmoor-load-development-sierra-130-grain-tipped-matchking-tmk-with-h4350-varget-reloader-15-and-reloader-17/)

[Texas10]

RL-16 and RL-17 seem to be producing higher velocities, although sometimes with less accuracy. You'll have to see what your barrel likes. https://rifleshooter.com/2017/11/reloading-6-5-creedmoor-with-reloder-16-rl16-and-the-142-and-150-sierra-matchking-smk/

In general, the Reloader brand tends to produce some of the highest velocities, that's been my experience and pars with what I've read about with regard to other's experiences too. YMMV. H-4350 seems to be the gold standard in the 140 class bullets however, due to availability issues its good to have a back up load. I picked RL-17 because it was more available. RL-23 seems to be gaining ground too. Check out post #9 https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/rl16-with-6-5-creedmoor.196189/

[RonT]

thank you.

[GaCop]

In my 12 LRP 26-inch barrel 6.5mm Creedmoor, I've gotten the best results with IMR4451 Enduron with IMR4350 a close second.
Reloader 17 seems to work well with some of bullet weights and not so well with others.

IMR4064 is not so great &
N150 is a bust.

RL17 did really well with the 130 TMKs in my 24-inch barrel 10T-SR 6.5mm CM.
Not so well with the heavier bullets.
IMR4350 does best with 140 grains and up and slightly better than the IMR4451 Enduron.

I never bothered to shoot IMR4064 or N150 since they didn't do all that well in the 12 LRP.



Good info CFJunkie...

[SageRat Shooter]

Can I ask what powder you all are using in your 6.5 creeds? It seems like RE17 is used a bunch.

Ron,

I've used the following powders in my 260 Rem during load development:

H4831-- Best Groups but lack on MV
H4831SC-- Best Groups but lack of MV
Ramshot Hunter-- worked better for the .270 Win with the 145 ELD-X
Enduron 4451-- MEH
RL-17, 19, 25, 26-- Good velocities, but didn't group as well as I wanted
IMR 7828-- Good groups, just not great-- Velocities were a little low.
VihtN560-- Decent groups and MV-- just hard to find an Hella Expensive
H4350-- the Winner!! Groups were .5 MOA or better and velocities around 2750-2800 FPS (25" CBI barrel)

All of these powders were used with the 143 ELD-X as the projectile and Lapua brass.

Happy load development!!

[buckfvr]

I shoot the 130 TMK after testing Berger 130 and 140 VLDS. I also tested H4350 and H414 settling with Reloader 16. Peterson SRP brass. Reloader 16 has since proven to be a good choice in several of the 6.5s we have tested, and seem to be at the upper end of the velocity spectrum for our factory rifles and barrels.