Savage Stealth 6.5 Creedmoor.

**NF1E** · 11-03-2023, 11:21 AM

Haven't had this rifle out in a few years. Scope is a Leupold MK-4 8.5 - 25. Using a box of Federal GMM with 140 gn Sierra Match Kings. Warmed up with 10 shots on another target then shot this one off bipod with bunny bag under the butt. X ring on the MR-31 c is .75 inches. Whatta Hobby!

**want2ride** · 11-04-2023, 01:15 AM

We live in the new golden age of accuracy! It is amazing how accurate rifles can be with off the shelf ammo and a stock rifle. I know, if i threw factory rounds in my LRP it would be super accurate too.

Good shooting!

**Dave Hoback** · 11-04-2023, 07:43 AM

Very cool! Great shooting.

**CFJunkie** · 11-04-2023, 08:08 AM

Very impressive shooting and very consistent.

I find that each barrel has a particular preference for powders and bullet weights, or probably more precisely bullet shape. So, you might want to try some of the newer, higher BC bullets.

In my 6.5mm CMs, I find that the 142 gr SMKs, the 130 TMKs, the 130, 140 and 147 ELD-Ms and the 143 ELD-X all out-shoot the 140 SMKs.
Of my three 6.5mm CM, the two 26-inch barrels like the 140 to 147gr bullets, but my 24-inch barrel rifle shoots the 130s best.

Berger 140s, all three of them - Match, Long Range, and Hybrid - also perform well but it took me a lot of rounds to find out what jump they liked.
Could not seem much difference between them. Any difference might show up at longer ranges than I shoot.
The Bergers all liked different jumps, and each jump was far off the 0.020 thousandths jump that I usually start new bullets with.
With pricy bullets like the Bergers, experimentation got pretty expensive.

I believe the 140 SMKs poorer performance may be because the bullet shape of the older design 140 SMK doesn't perform as well as the newer Secant shaped tips of the newer bullets I listed.

**NF1E** · 11-04-2023, 09:11 AM

Thanks, I have been loading Berger 140s for years now and found just the load that works for my applications. The group posted above was done simply for a 10 rnd group request that was under .75 moa on another forum using the commercial ammo. Very rarely use that stuff. The Bergers group about 1/2 the size of the smks by the way. Most of my 10 rnd groups with handloads run in the .30 or there abouts at 100 yds. Whatta Hobby!

**charlie b** · 11-04-2023, 09:27 AM

Reminds me of a video a guy did comparing a bunch of .308 rifles. Almost all of them performed well with one or two factory loads. Which one did well with all of them? Yep, Savage (I don't remember the model). Shot less than 1" with four different brands, all with different weight bullets. One group looked like the one above.

CFJ has experience like mine with the expensive bullets while the SMK's and Hornady ELD's are more tolerant of jump, the Bergers and 6mm Vapor Trail I have tried like to be jammed into the lands a bit.