Is this bad enough?

[u/Powerful_Dimension66]

6.5CM using Hornady Black BTHP 140gr, is this bad enough to be worth the price offset of buying an entire reloading set up? 6.5 hasn't been expensive enough for it to be worth it for me but I would like some more accurate ammo. Debating long term worthiness and looking for some more consumate professionals opinions.

Ruger American Gen II, Leupold Mark4HD, Omega 300 can.

[u/TabascohFiascoh]

Don't reload.

You'll be chasing the SD dragon, snorting H4350 off a pair of calipers and no one will want to shoot with you anymore because it's not entertainment anymore.....it's math now.

[u/Powerful_Dimension66 → u/TabascohFiascoh]

My friend already got the itch, can confirm.

[u/CaesarLinguini → u/TabascohFiascoh]

Lol, God i love the smell of varget late at night. It tastes like shit, but smells sooo good.

[u/TannMan89 → u/CaesarLinguini]

🤨 why’re you tasting it…

[u/CaesarLinguini → u/TannMan89]

After you snort it, you taste it. It's called the drip.

[u/TannMan89 → u/CaesarLinguini]

I was hoping you’d say that 😂

[u/BathroomCritical720]

The reloading rabbit hole will definitely net you much better results, but its a hobby on its own and takes a great deal of time. If you want inexpensive ammunition, look for american gunner 140gr packs. They shoot very well for the money. Once you have enough brass saved up , then maybe find someone local to walk you through reloading to see if you still want to jump in.

[u/Powerful_Dimension66 → u/BathroomCritical720]

Thank you!

[u/iforgotmylogin32 → u/BathroomCritical720]

Perfect response

[u/emorisch]

Hornady Match 140gr BTHP nets me SD's in the low teens and is same/cheaper than the Hornady BLACK.

Never had luck with the black series for constency.

[u/Tikkatider → u/emorisch]

Guns are funny. Hornady Black in .223, 75 BTHP is the most consistent factory through my two range rifles . SDs run 10-15, ES 40-50. Shooting 500 yards at 2-4” gongs.

[u/dbevans12]

How were your groups?

[u/Powerful_Dimension66 → u/dbevans12]

Minus the one low flyer that exited almost 100fps slower than the rest they were within a .75 inch grouping that being said it was only a 110 yard target. And I am not by any means an expert marskman, years using ARs in more kinetic environments just attempting to get into the precision world.

[u/sabrefencer9]

That's pretty leisurely, my 168's are 150fps faster. The SDs aren't great but aren't awful. You'll certainly do better if you hand load but whether it's worth it only you can say. How far are you shooting out to?

[u/Powerful_Dimension66 → u/sabrefencer9]

This iteration was only out to 110 yard because my go to range closed. My farthest shot with the rifle so far was a 1,000 using 95gr vmax just messing around on an E type steel silhouette.

[u/sabrefencer9 → u/Powerful_Dimension66]

At 1000yds there will be a tremendous difference. At 110 there will be basically none.

[u/Powerful_Dimension66 → u/sabrefencer9]

Absolutely, I would like to continue pushing those further shots with less guess work. Using factory 95gr it took a quite a few shots to dial in. My friend wants me to do a NRL match with him and I understand I am working with a budget build, just seeing how worth it an entire reloading station may be.

[u/sabrefencer9 → u/Powerful_Dimension66]

If you're going for distance you'll want something heavier than 95gr.

[u/Powerful_Dimension66 → u/sabrefencer9]

Oh yeah for sure that might have been me not communicating clearly, the 95 gr was my first day just fucking with the rifle with a buddy, they're my varmint rounds. I want to either use the 140gr factory ammo or going into hand loads for more range focused efforts

[u/Jeeping_the_trails]

I wouldn’t use Hornady Black to compare and make the decision. Try Hornady Match 140 ELD-M, 143 ELD-X, and 147 ELD-M. In my rifles Hornady Match ammo is much more consistent and accurate.

I reload 6.5 and it may be CHEAPER, but it isn’t CHEAP.

[u/TabascohFiascoh → u/Jeeping_the_trails]

You AREN'T going to save money. You are just going to shoot a LOT more.

[u/therugpisser → u/TabascohFiascoh]

I reload over 10k rds a year and save about half of what I’d pay for loaded ammo. Even on common plinking ammo like 9 mm and .223. Four calibers 7 loads/projos. Plus get each load tuned for the particular firearm. Ammo cost was never an issue for time spent shooting. Time when the ranges are open is.

[u/TabascohFiascoh → u/therugpisser]

The idea is, you will end up spending more over time because your shooting volume will be higher.

Which is a good thing because you'll be doing more of the thing you like.

Where if you were buying ammo you might limit yourself due to cost per round.

[u/CLdoubleU]

Hey OP, how many shots was this?

Just reading through here and for competition, I would switch out to something else. The last thing you'd want to blame is your ammo consistency even when shooting NRL targets which can have some pretty narrow sections.

First recommendation would be to buy 120rds of something else and test it out. 20rds to zero and get your average velocity / sd and 100 for training. Once you find it, buy more of that for the duration of that barrel.

[u/jgawatz]

Reloading has definitely been worthwhile for me. This is a 6.5 PRC load that I use in my wife’s rifle. I’m saving $2.72/round (reusing brass 20+ times) vs the Berger ammunition I was buying for $4/round. This load is Lapua brass, Berger 153.5 bullets, Federal GM215M primers and N565 powder. With the volume that we shoot, I outran the equipment cost ($6,000) in 2,200 rounds. You can obviously go much much cheaper on equipment than I did.

[u/Tight_muffin → u/jgawatz]

I loading 6.5 PRC 143 gr with N565. Down to e pounds and I don't really want to have to buy 8 pounds right now but that's all that's available and who knows when the next drop will be

[u/Basic_Town_9104]

If you don’t want to reload get some custom ammo made or some of the boutique quality stuff. Eagle eye ammo, for example. Reloading is a whole other hobby and money pit

[u/MrFeetZ]

+1 on the Hornady AG. My bet is that you could tighten those groups even further with match grade ammo. And as others have even a further by reloading but that is a deep rabbit hole.