Bobby Tomek
02-26-2024, 03:34 PM
https://i.postimg.cc/Kv8ThPNh/speer-120.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
Back in the 80s, the very first bullet I remember using in a 6.5 JDJ was the 120 grain Speer Hot Core. It was flat-based and didn't quite live up to Speer's BC claim of .433, but at 2350 fps MV, it simply worked, giving consistent accuracy and terrific terminal performance. Somewhere along the way -- and amid a host of various 6.5s -- I sort of forgot about that bullet and migrated to the newest "latest-and-greatest" offerings.
But when friend and forum member Doug recently listed three boxes of these for sale, nostalgia got the best of me. They arrived recently, so I decided to try them in the 24" 6.5 BRM Contender barrel. I didn't feel up to doing lots of testing, and since the hopper was filled with SW Precision, that's the route I went.
The first group at 200 yards went 1.28" for three shots and averaged 2556 fps. I was quite pleased with those results and could have lived happily ever after with such performance. The case necks were sooty, and all other indicators pointed to everything being on the mild side, so I decided to try another load. Bumping the charge a half-grain, I was rewarded with a group that went an even 0.9" for three shots at 200 yards. At that point, I tweaked the seating depth a bit, loaded three more and sent them downrange. This group went 0.83", and the chrono readings averaged right at 2600 fps.
I was out of energy at this point, but I loaded six more, put them in the carrier and hopefully will get to send one of those 120 grain Speers into a hog before long.
Back in the 80s, the very first bullet I remember using in a 6.5 JDJ was the 120 grain Speer Hot Core. It was flat-based and didn't quite live up to Speer's BC claim of .433, but at 2350 fps MV, it simply worked, giving consistent accuracy and terrific terminal performance. Somewhere along the way -- and amid a host of various 6.5s -- I sort of forgot about that bullet and migrated to the newest "latest-and-greatest" offerings.
But when friend and forum member Doug recently listed three boxes of these for sale, nostalgia got the best of me. They arrived recently, so I decided to try them in the 24" 6.5 BRM Contender barrel. I didn't feel up to doing lots of testing, and since the hopper was filled with SW Precision, that's the route I went.
The first group at 200 yards went 1.28" for three shots and averaged 2556 fps. I was quite pleased with those results and could have lived happily ever after with such performance. The case necks were sooty, and all other indicators pointed to everything being on the mild side, so I decided to try another load. Bumping the charge a half-grain, I was rewarded with a group that went an even 0.9" for three shots at 200 yards. At that point, I tweaked the seating depth a bit, loaded three more and sent them downrange. This group went 0.83", and the chrono readings averaged right at 2600 fps.
I was out of energy at this point, but I loaded six more, put them in the carrier and hopefully will get to send one of those 120 grain Speers into a hog before long.