Loads for 6.5CM with 90gr Varmageddon Bullets?

[J.Baker]

Anyone happen to have a good load for the 90gr Varmageddon bullet in the 6.5 CM?

[Blue Avenger]

i own one, But never shoot it. No help with that.

[CFJunkie]

My three 6.5mm CMs like bullets that are 130 gr or heavier, so I never tried anything lighter.
Two perform best with 140gr and heavier.

[Robinhood]

Buddy shoots 100 grain for dogs. I am sure he said R15. I am betting you could find something in the 748, 8208, 4064, Varget, R15 range. I also bet you can find a load for 3200 fps or higher.

[wbm]

You probably already looked here but just in case. Not a varmageddon but some interesting velocity results for sure.

https://reloadingdata.speer.com/Downloads/speer/ReloadingPdfs/65-creedmoor-with-90-gr-tnt-hppdf.pdf

[Robinhood]

You probably already looked here but just in case. Not a varmageddon but some interesting velocity results for sure.

https://reloadingdata.speer.com/Downloads/speer/ReloadingPdfs/65-creedmoor-with-90-gr-tnt-hppdf.pdf

Wow. Look at those velocities!!!

[J.Baker]

Basically have a friend who wants me to load some up for him for shooting groundhogs around his farm. Given the low shot angle and proximity of a couple houses on the other side of the tree lines bordering the creeks he worries about where those heavier match oriented bullets will end up if they ricochet. Longest possible shot on his farm would be just shy of a mile, but you'd have to get up on the barn roof to shoot that far given the roll of the land. Longest ground level shot would be around 600 yards or so, though most of the hogs we kill out there are inside of 300 yards. The high BC match bullets offer little to no real benefit inside of 300 yards - not to mention the varmint bullets are a fair bit cheaper to buy.

[J.Baker]

You probably already looked here but just in case. Not a varmageddon but some interesting velocity results for sure.

https://reloadingdata.speer.com/Downloads/speer/ReloadingPdfs/65-creedmoor-with-90-gr-tnt-hppdf.pdf

Both the factory loaded Nosler 90gr (BT) and Hornady Varmint 95gr (v-max) have listed velocities of 3300fps, so it's a bit surprising to see velocities as high as 3500fps in that data. Hornady ammo is usually loaded pretty hot in my experience. Don't believe I have ever purchased any Nosler ammo before this so no clue what kind of pressure to expect from it.

Naturally that data lists both R15 and R17 - both of which I have none, but it doesn't list R16 which I have a fresh pound of that's been sitting here for a few years that IIRC I won as a door prize or something at a banquet dinner.

[J.Baker]

Was just running some basic ballistic comparisons and find it really interesting that the 90gr Varmageddon with it's 0.35 G1 B.C. @ 3300fps actually shoots a touch flatter out to 900 yards than the 140gr Nosler RDF with a 0.330 G7 B.C. @ 3750fps. It's only at 1000 yards and beyond that the higher BC of the RDF is able to overcome the velocity advantage of the much lighter/shorter bullet. Of course the RDF wins hands down all day long when it comes to wind drift, but that's to be expected.


90gr Varmageddon @ 3300fps

9583


140gr RDF @ 2750fps

9584

[Whynot]

But wind is still the reason most shots are missed (in the age of very accurate rangefinders and ballistic solvers).... so the trajectory- in most normal situations- takes a backseat to wind drift.

[J.Baker]

But wind is still the reason most shots are missed (in the age of very accurate rangefinders and ballistic solvers).... so the trajectory- in most normal situations- takes a backseat to wind drift.

I guess you didn't bother to read the last sentence of my post above before pontificating the obvious.

[Whynot]

I guess you didn't bother to read the last sentence of my post above before pontificating the obvious.

Umm.... yeah- read the last sentence..... and didn't think that I was "annoyingly pompous" in my reply. It was just discussion.... I was agreeing with you- but noting why everyone is gravitating to the heavies....

If I was trying to be pompous and condescending in stating the "obvious" I would have went with the fact that you found it interesting that faster lower BC bullets shoot flatter initially than heavier slower higher BC bullets-- because that truly is "obvious".

Hope you find a combination that shoots good for you.

[WeeHooker]

Back in the day, I had an avid ground hog hunter friend turn me on to 223 'goffer loads" made up with Blue Dot shotgun powder. These loads were much quieter than standard 223 loads as all the powder would be burnt in 16" of barrel. ( Low bark and flash) POI of a 40gr bullet moving at 2300 fps was plenty for the critters and within an inch of the factory stuff at 100 yds too. Very sweet and useful loads that he shot by the hundreds on the farm he had permission to hunt. You might look into something like that for your buddies situation.
FWIW, Recently I've been reloading 120gr bullets in 6.5CM using H4895 at a 75% max load. (4895 is one of the few powders that can be loaded in lower quantities in most cartridges down to 65% ish of max range without fear of detonation. These are very pleasant loads that I use for punching paper out to 300 yds. At 100 yds, I get 1/2 MOA with them.