IMR 4895 and H4350 Powder Tests 6.5 Creedmoor in Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard with Nosler AccuBond Long Range bullets

Posted on April 20, 2018 by Ed Hale

The very cost effective Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard in 6.5 Creedmoor is a real hunting rifle designed as an all weather rifle and resists rust and corrosion day to day in the field. I love it for the less than $600 dollar price tag. Wow!

I wrote about the rifle earlier but I wanted to see what powders work best in this Weatherby with the Nosler ABLR 6.5 in 142 grain. The Nosler AccuBond Long Range is a magnificent hunting bullet as the lead core is bonded to the gilding copper jacket for maximum weight retention and penetration at a wide range of velocities. I know that RL-15 groups well 0.9 moa but at max load it was only traveling 2424 to 2440 fps and calculated to have shot variation at 600 yards at just over an inch and I believe acceptable in a hunt and shoot situation on deer. Accordingly, I tested IMR 4895 with 36 grains powder. Below is a 100 yard 5 shot group at around 1 moa with velocities of around 2460 in a cold barrel. As the barrel warmed in shots 3,4, and 5, the velocities went up above 2500 fps

Next I shot H4350 with 41 grains powder with initial velocities of 2523 fps in shots 1 and 2. In shots 3, 4,and 5 shot velocities increased just above 2600 fps.

What I learned from this test, which was done in very little wind at about 40 deg. F, is that cold barrel velocities for hunting in the first 2 shots of each powder made an impact difference at 600 yards that was measurable with a trajectory calculation A velocity spread of 20 fps for say a long range 600 yard shot with a 2 inch drop variation on the target as calculated with JBM Ballistics with H4350 was not acceptable to me for a kill shot. And 11 fps spread from shot one and two with IMR 4895 equating to a one inch drop difference at 600 yards and is acceptable. The best way to see that for real, is to shoot at 600 yards and measure vertical spread. Horizontal spread is more a factor of wind at that distance and perhaps the largest factor of all in a shoot/no shoots situation if the crosswind is say near 90 degrees and 10 mph or greater. The hunter must have done his or her homework to prove the shot by practice at long range and know what works or not. It is better to pass on a marginal shot and wait for a better one or get closer to the game. We owe it to the game we hunt!

Good Shooting!

The Little 6.5 Creedmoor? A Game Changer! By Ed Hale

Posted on April 6, 2018 by Ed Hale

The most famous of recent Internet YouTube video’s below show Wayne van Swoll taking a Bull Elk at 603 yards with the “little” 6.5 Creedmoor (low recoil) and got full penetration and an exit wound visible in the video.

He used a 129 grain Hornady bullet. A look at the Hornady site and found a bonded bullet with a .485 G1 Ballistic Coefficient. Assuming a 24 inch barrel and a hot load he was likely able to achieve a muzzle of around 2900 to 3000 fps with Superformance Powder if he used that. We can guess that he did but don’t know for sure.

A look at the JBM ballistics site of such a round looks like this at 600 yards; This Elk got hit with Deer killing energy of around 1000 ft-lbs and still got an exit wound. Why is that?

The reason there is great penetration is largely due to this bullets sectional density, which is in the .260 class for this bullet. I thought it was .280 but was in error. The Hornady 143 grain ELD-Xspanding is higher as is the Nosler ABLR 142 grain both of these SD’s are above .290 and would have been perhaps slightly better choices for this game animal. That said; the 129 grain bullet did punch an exit wound as well. The bullets small diameter vs its mass makes it penetrate far better, placing this high in the CXP3 game killing class. And with low recoil this cartridge is easy to shoot, thus increasing accuracy at long range, “less recoil than the .270 Winchester, more accurate, and holds its energy better and longer”!!

A look at a 129 grain Nosler AccuBond Long Range at the same speed arrives at 1200 ft-lbs, 200 more ft-lbs of energy with a G1 BC of .561 traveling at over 2000 fps. But the load data for Nosler max’s out at 2810 fps making each round nearly identical with just over 1000 ft-lbs of delivered energy.

Preferred energy published for Elk size game is around 1500 ft-lbs. But the .264 diameter and sectional density made it a game changer as others are able to do the same with ethical results putting Elk down with one broadside clean killing shot.

In hind sight I would have chosen a heavier 6.5 bullet with high BC and a .290 class sectional density such as the Hornady ELD-X Precision Hunter 143 grain or the Nosler ABLR in 142 grain as they would arrive with a bit more energy and buck the wind a bit better too. I do have to say the 129 grain did its job magnificently regardless.

Taking a Moose with the Creedmoor can be done with heavier bullets in the 140 grain class but the shooter should opt for broadside shots. The Swedish hunters use the 6.5×55 with great success.

Having said all that; The “little” 6.5 Creedmoor is the talk of the gun world in Target as well as Hunting.

The .375 Ruger; just plain fun with Speer 235 grain Hot-Cor and reduced loads!

Posted on February 27, 2018 by Ed Hale

Just when I get in a Rifle rut, I pull out my Ruger M77 in .375 Ruger with medium to low power loads that I load myself. This female red deer was taken with a low power load and just crumpled. The .375 Ruger is geared for the largest game on the planet but you can tame it too.

Not any more powerful than my 50 cal muzzleloader shooting 300 grain bullets and 100 grains of Pyrodex and recoil is similar and tolerable too. What is so cool is that with a 235 grain Speer Hot-Cor and reduced power loads you can still shoot accurately and pack a deer and black bear killing wallop with 2200 fps.

The bullets group well at 150 yards. See below. 1st shot set for 100 yards and low. I raised the crosshairs and the next 3 shots were around a 1.5 inch group.

On a bench rest I had to use a thin neoprene pad to tame the recoil. I wrote this below article about powder a while back in 2014.

http://www.nhrifleman.com/2014/09/05/375-ruger-reduced-loads-and-powder-are-here/

Natchez is offering the 235 grain at a very low price so stock up my 375 shooting friends.

https://www.natchezss.com/speer-hot-cor-rifle-bullets-375-cal-375-235-gr-semssp-50-ct.html

Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard 6.5 Creedmoor with Nosler 142g Long Range AccuBond

Posted on December 10, 2017 by Ed Hale

On December 8, 2017, it was a cold 40 degrees, cloudy, however, the air was amazingly still. It was “bugging me” that the last test (a few days ago and an earlier article) for 100 yard groups for this Weatherby® Vanguard® Weatherguard® rifle was windy and the 1.75 inch lateral spread may or may not have been caused by wind. The 50 yard group was very tight, around 3/8th of an inch. Accordingly, I had to know if it was the wind or rifle at 100 yards but I had no more Hornady bullets left. The next best thing was my Nosler’s.

I had powder and a some 142 grain Nosler Long Range AccuBonds, so I gave them a close look and loaded some in Nosler Custom Brass for the 6.5 Creedmoor with CCI Benchrest Primers (BR2). This is like the best of the best of the best, some might say.

Research began with a hot long range hunting load using Reloader 15 powder. I loaded 36.5 grains at a COL of 2.801 inches and 81% load density volume. The Nosler Manual tested a muzzle velocity (MV) of 2635 fps with a 24 inch barrel. Not super fast for sure, ,low recoil, but with a ballistic coefficient (BC) of over 0.7 (G1) it didn’t have to be so fast because most spitzer bullets have much lower BC’s and lose velocity rapidly due to increased air friction.

Most technical folks like to talk about killing energy for deer at around 1000 ft-lbs energy. This round can kill a deer at 725 yards (1000 ft-lbs at 1785 fps per JBM Calculations) if you know the distance, wind, altitude etc. and the shooter can stay within a 3 to 4 inch kill radius and the bullet can shoot an MOA or better at 100 yards.

Target #1 below at 100 yards with 1.25 inch group. Yes, the first shot was from a cold shooter, me and a cold barrel.

Target #2 was shot 5 minutes later than Target #1 resulting in a 9/16 inch group.

Ok, so the average of the 2 groups are 0.9 inches. The bottom line is that this Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard rifle shoots sub-MOA with this load, bullet, COL and powder.

Accordingly, this would be a great cartridge and load on an elk out to where energy crosses 1500 ft-lbs (2200 fps) more or less, which is about 350 yards. Most experienced hunters stay within their capability with is often around 300 yards or less unless you practice at those longer ranges in field conditions and use a rangefinder.

The Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard has a high Monte Carlo stock to align my eye with the scope and does not punish me as it has a very forgiving recoil pad with the 6.5 Creedmoor.

A match made in a hunters heaven. All I can say is, go buy this rifle for Christmas and give Nosler LRAB’s a try!!

Good Hunting! Practice, Practice Practice.

Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard 6.5 Creedmoor (Out of the Box) at the range with Leupold VX-6 and Hornady Precision Hunter Ammo

Posted on December 1, 2017 by Ed Hale

The Weatherby® Vanguard® Weatherguard® rifle is affordable with retail around $750 or less, is weather resistant with Weatherguard coating, advertised as MOA or better out of the box and easy to carry in the field. It weighs around 7.25 lbs bare naked and 8 lbs with Leupold’s VX-6 3-18x44mm scope, my go-to test scope and hunting scope. Scope mounts are sold separately and are only for this rifle. The Vanguards internal magazine holds 3 cartridges and the 24 inch hammer forged Weatherguard coated Barrel is a mat finish. Typical barrels are 22 inches so yo get a bit more energy with the extra 2 inches.

The innovative fluted bolt includes 3 gas vent ports (seen above) in the event of a case failure thus venting gas safely. I have never had a case fail but hey you never know. The action works as smooth as I have experienced in more expensive rifles. The safety is a two position lever, located to the right rear of the bolt seen below and shown in the Fire position.

The Vanguard Trigger is a 2 stage (creep free) trigger that can be adjusted down to 2.5 lbs. My test rifle trigger pull weight is around 3 lbs 6 oz or so and breaks cleanly and consistently as advertised.

I am using the Hornady Precision Hunter 143 grain ELD-X bullet as my standard for off the shelf accuracy. I just love this Precision Hunter ammo.They fly true and proven at close range at 50 yards to 1000 yards in an accurate rifle.

The recoil pad is thick and soft thus reducing felt recoil substantially.

FEATURES INCLUDE:

SUB-MOA accuracy guarantee (.99” or less 3-shot group at 100 yards when used with Weatherby® factory or premium ammunition)
Adjustable Match Quality, Two-stage Trigger
Fluted Bolt Body
One-piece Machined Bolt Body
Fully Enclosed Bolt Sleeve
3-Position Safety
Cold Hammer Forged Barrel
Integral Recoil Lug
Hinged Floorplate

STOCK:

Monte Carlo Griptonite stock features pistol grip and forend inserts
Right side palm swell

BARREL AND METALWORK:

24-inch barrel
#2 contour
Tactical Grey Cerakote for exceptional weather and corrosion resistance

Below is first group 3/8 inch at 50 yards, very windy conditions up to 15 mph and swirling. I tried to shoot in the wind lulls.

Below is a 6 shot 100 yard group using the same ammo as in the 50 yd group above, again with 15 mph winds and swirling. The spread 1.75 inch spread is very likely wind driven but the core 4 shots are huddled at less than 3/4 inch. Will try again at some point as I am out of ammo. Experiences of Vanguard owners on the Weatherby website are all very exuberant.

This core group of 3/4 inch is what I would have expected with the 50 yard group so tight. The wind likely played a role in the lateral spread.

I was very pleased with how easy yet snug the bolt moved as I worked the bolt. The Rifle handled smoothly and the trigger was crisp.

What made me want to shoot and test this rifle was, first, its Weatherby name, I like the Comb on a Weatherby since I placed a large scope on this rifle it raised my cheek correctly.

I remember years ago when Roy Weatherby built a 300 Winchester Magnum rifle for John Wayne. See photo below

If John gets one, you know they are good. Today the rifle is made by Howa of Japan and the attention to detail is visible.

This is a hunters rifle and I believe it can handle far off places like Alaska in the frozen north with a measure of its rugged reliability as well as the plains of Africa and the 6.5 Creedmoor can easily handle Elk size game at long ranges to 400 yards or so or deer at 700 yards.

The rifle comes in many calibers from .223 to 300 Wby Mag. http://www.weatherby.com/vanguardr-weatherguard.html

This is an “affordable” and highly reliable rifle I would want under my Christmas tree. Check it out at your local Sporting Goods Store!

Hand-Loaded Nosler AccuBond LR 142 grain in Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor

Posted on October 7, 2017 by Ed Hale

The G1 ballistic coefficient for this bullet is .719. The fact that it exceeds 0.7 is world class long range capable of delivering game killing energy at over 600 yards for the 6.5 Creedmoor.

Tech Talk – It has been said that the bullet has a secant o-give and needs more room away from the lands when chambered than your normal bullet but having said that, it does not take from accuracy on bullet jump.

A few days ago, I loaded up some Nosler AccuBond LR’s in 142 grain with IMR 4350 and W760 Powder specified by Nosler in my almost new Ruger American. I used 41.5 grains IMR 4350 and 40.5 grains of W760 powder, max loads. I selected the powder because they were among the fastest at the muzzle and geared for delivering lots of energy at longer ranges.

The cases were Nosler Custom and the primers were CCI BR2’s. Cartridge overall length followed the Nosler Manual of 2.805 and they fit the Ruger magazine perfectly and fed perfectly.

First IMR 4350 cold shot with the Ruger American was 1 inch higher than subsequent 4 shots. Accordingly, I eliminated the cold barrel shot from the group. If I included it the spread was 1 1/8 inch and if I eliminated it the spread was 7/8 inch.

Estimated velocity out of the 22 inch barrel was around 2670 fps after subtracting 60 fps and the 2 more inches in the Nosler manual using a 24 inch barrel compared to the 22 inches of the Ruger.

The W760 Powder shot 1 3/16 five shot group with an estimated velocity of 2610 fps accounting for the shorter 22 inch barrel.

Examination of the primers looked normal and extraction was easy. These loads were terrific.

The results indicate that this grouping for IMR 4350 is terrific for shots in a 6 inch circle at 600 yards. Further that the energy for deer suggests 650 yards where 1000 ft-lbs was calculated and the velocity was 1802 fps. Windage at 90º moved the bullet 28 inches at 10 mph crosswind. That is a lot! Quartering crosswind of 14 inches. The shooter would have to adjust for the crosswind or get closer to the game, a much better scenario. At half that distance 325 yds the shooter would only be off by 6 inches in a 90º wind and have elk killing energy of 1500 ft-lbs.

Below is the Ruger American Predator. A great affordable rifle for anyone!

The Scope was a Leupold VX-3. See them at https://www.leupold.com/search?q=vx3

In a perfect world, early morning and just before dark usually offer little wind for those longer shots.

Killing game cleanly is the name of the game!

Good Hunting!

Subsonic or Low Noise 22LR Ammo

Posted on September 16, 2017 by Ed Hale

Over the years the neighbors moved in from the city, right? And If they hear even a supersonic 22 LR go off with a cracking sound then your neighbors are complaining. As a kid I had a bolt 22 that would take 22 short, long or long rifle. I need another one!

My backyard garden had chipmunks and red squirrels chewing on my plants and my house. What to do? I have had it! My bb gun is a pain-in-the-backside to pump and shoot every time.

I bought some subsonic ammo that wont make that cracking sound of breaking the sound barrier. This ammo speed is less than the speed of sound which at sea level is around 1120 to 1130 fps in the 60 to 70 degree F range. As temp goes up so does the speed needed to break the sound barrier. Ammo in the 1000 fps range is adequate. The problem then becomes one of diet in your particular rifle or pistol. Semi-Autos can be finicky and not eject and feed the next round so you need to experiment or shoot just one at a time, which is fine with me. The key is accuracy! At 25 yards I can hit the head of a chipmunk with a steady rest with Aguila SuperExtra subsonic 40 g heads.

But I really want to know what is out there so I tried CCI Quiet but my Marlin 22LR semi won’t even shoot them. There are video’s that say they work fine but you got to have a rifle that shoots them. Pistols are by their nature much louder so you may need hearing protection there for sure.

Next is 22LR Low Noise Ammo – This ammo is sold by many manufacturers like CCI Quiet, Remington and Winchester among many in the low-noise 770 fps or less

Here is a video series below on YouTube. The Ruger 10/22 seems to shoot well with many or bolt or lever action.

Experimentation is best but accuracy is key!

Most Read Article: The .270 Winchester vs. the 6.5 Creedmoor by Ed Hale

Posted on September 15, 2017 by Ed Hale

My rifle article has the shooting world by the tail and read by tens of thousands around the world from New England to Alaska, and in South Africa. They just can’t get enough of it!!.

So here it is again below. Enjoy!!

http://www.nhrifleman.com/2017/03/10/the-270-winchester-vs-the-6-5-creedmoor-by-ed-hale/

To Shoot a Charging Bear with a S&W Model 69 in 44 Magnum?

Posted on September 13, 2017 by Ed Hale

Have you practiced hitting a 3 inch ball (the size of a bears brain) coming at you, undulating up and down at 20 miles an hour? I took some shots yesterday with the Smith & Wesson Model 69 Combat 44 magnum at just a stationary target and I could only get one bullet, the first shot, in the kill zone out of 5 shots. See Video below.

But that was just initial practice. Serious practice with a moving target over time would be best. And you or I might reach the conclusion that we are not up for that task.

I saw a video where someone used a 1911 pistol in 45 ACP place more than one bullet in the brain kill zone however the 45 ACP is not Brown Bear medicine and would not likely penetrate the skull before the bear reached your body.

Brown bear experts suggest that a 12 gauge shotgun with slugs and 00 buckshot are best in brown bear country.

But on black bear here in New England the S&W Model 69 for general use on deer in regular gun season or bear is just fine say for an archery bear hunt where the bear is climbing the tree you are in and you want more protection than spray repellent.

So where does that leave us in our testing with the SW Model 69 Combat Magnum? I like the confidence I feel with a pistol in 44 Magnum on my hip and will share more on my carry of it in the deer woods this fall.

Note: during deer Muzzleloader or Bow season, you must have “license to carry permit with you” in addition to your muzzleloader/archery license or leave your pistol home.

Open Carry it during “regular”gun season if you like but if concealed under a jacket you need a “conceal carry permit”. When in doubt call NH F&G to get any questions answered before hitting the woods. Unless you have a conceal carry permit, you must unload your pistol while in a vehicle just like your rifle or shotgun. Bone up on pistol laws.

Be Safe! Good Shooting!

Nosler AccuBond 130 grain; 6.5 Creedmoor vs .270 Winchester

Posted on August 18, 2017 by Ed Hale

Just for fun and comparison purposes I decided to do some ballistic comparisons using the Nosler AccuBond™ in this article as I am such a believer of Nosler bonded (welded) lead to the copper jacket for big game hunting. The 130 grain bullet was used and made so famous in the .270 Winchester by Jack O’connor.

Below you can see the significant differences in the cartridge size.

It is simple amazing that the smaller than .308 cartridge size of the 6.5 Creedmoor verses the 30-06 size of the .270 parent Cartridge can launch Nosler AccuBond bullets that at 400 to 500 yards are essentially equals.

Max Point Blank Range for 130 grain .270 is 301 yards w muzzle velocity of 3100 fps

Max Point Blank Range of 130 grain 6.5 Creedmoor is 286 yards with muzzle velocity of 2900 fps

MPBR Difference: 15 yards. Not much!

At 500 yards the .270 has around 50 ft-lbs more energy than the 6.5 Creedmoor. Not much difference.

At 575 yards both max out deer killing energy at 1000 ft lbs according to JBM Ballistics comparisons.

At 325 yards the 6.5 will deliver elk killing energy of 1500 ft-lbs where the .270 delivers the same energy at 50 more yards of 375 ft-lbs. Again not much difference

The recoil of a .270 Rifle is around 19 ft-lbs and the 6.5 Creedmoor is around 4 ft-lbs less at around 14.5 to 15 ft-lbs. 4 pound less is a big difference that is near 30% in favor of the Creedmoor.

The .270 Winchester is not as inherently accurate as the 6.5 Creedmoor.

Last but not least, my Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor costs under $400 dollars. Wow! and shoots 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards.

Nosler introduced the AccuBond Long Range bullet few years back. I just purchased the 142 g version with a G1 BC of .719. The 142 grain being heavier shoots around 2700 fps at the muzzle but the BC is so high that it cuts the air like a razor delivering over 1000 ft-lbs at nearly 700 yards for deer.

June 2026

Category Archives: Bullet Tests and Reviews.