Amax 6.5 140 gr Thoughts ??

[MCLE]

Hi guys I'm going to start playing with a 6.5x47 pick it up tomorrow and will run it in.I have 500 Berger VLD 140 gr and thought this might not go all that far better find another 1000 or so to keep a bit of a buffer.Well as it turns out after a cople of phone calls 6.5 Bergers are as hard to find as Rocking Horse Shit. as l have been shooting a 6mm for a while I diddent know that they were a bit short on the ground.But I'm probably not telling a 6.5 mm shooter something new.Hybrids and VLDs are on Backorder I'm told.So this brings me to the Amax 140 gr i picked up 300 of them to give them a go and save the Bergers.So just after some info what are they like.
Thanks Michael H

[AlanF]

Hi guys I'm going to start playing with a 6.5x47 pick it up tomorrow and will run it in.I have 500 Berger VLD 140 gr and thought this might not go all that far better find another 1000 or so to keep a bit of a buffer.Well as it turns out after a cople of phone calls 6.5 Bergers are as hard to find as Rocking Horse Shit. as l have been shooting a 6mm for a while I diddent know that they were a bit short on the ground.But I'm probably not telling a 6.5 mm shooter something new.Hybrids and VLDs are on Backorder I'm told.So this brings me to the Amax 140 gr i picked up 300 of them to give them a go and save the Bergers.So just after some info what are they like.
Thanks Michael H

Michael,

I tried the A-maxes several years ago in a 6.5-284, without enough success to use more than about half a box. I remember they simply didn't perform as well as the 142gn SMKs that were my projectile of choice at the time. You'll notice they have a shorter and slightly steeper boat-tail than almost any other 6.5 bullet. I'm just guessing but maybe that means they're slightly less stable. The other thing about A-maxes is that they had a reputation in some calibres where one batch can be a world-beater, and the next batch make good foulers. However that latter criticism was probably just a stage they went through.

BTW the Q-Store website shows 6.5 140gn Berger VLDs and Hybrids as available (i.e. not marked as "Out of Stock").

Alan

[6602steven]

not wanting to tell you how to do your job but from talking to a mate who's shooting 6.5X47, his opinion in his experience and advice he received from the likes of stuart elliot and les fraser is that the 140 VLD's are too heavy for the 47 case

i'm not sure what the bearing length is like on the Amax so they may perform differently.

i'd try BRT, SARA and Qstore and if they're out of stock get on the list for the next order. it seems a lot of this stuff has become a preorder item rather than an impulse purchase as i'm finding with my 7mm stuff

steve

[MCLE]

I was talking to BRT the other day and they painted a bleak outlook for the next Couple of months.And as for the Hybrids longer.I have placed an order with BRT so we will see.i have seen some fantastic scores shot at 1000y with the 6.5x47.I have read in the past about the concerns of 140gr out of the 47 but from what I have seen in comps and club shoots they shoot fantastic scores.I will use the Amax to run it in and hopefully come across some more Bergers.The Amax might surprise me
Michael H

[MCLE]

Thanks Alan I hopped on line at the Qstore and ordered some Berger Hybrids they weren't marked as out Of stock so with luck l will have a heap turn up during the week.So have to think up a new excuse for poor scores
Michael H

[Frank Green]

Hi guys I'm going to start playing with a 6.5x47 pick it up tomorrow and will run it in.I have 500 Berger VLD 140 gr and thought this might not go all that far better find another 1000 or so to keep a bit of a buffer.Well as it turns out after a cople of phone calls 6.5 Bergers are as hard to find as Rocking Horse Shit. as l have been shooting a 6mm for a while I diddent know that they were a bit short on the ground.But I'm probably not telling a 6.5 mm shooter something new.Hybrids and VLDs are on Backorder I'm told.So this brings me to the Amax 140 gr i picked up 300 of them to give them a go and save the Bergers.So just after some info what are they like.
Thanks Michael H

Michael,

I tried the A-maxes several years ago in a 6.5-284, without enough success to use more than about half a box. I remember they simply didn't perform as well as the 142gn SMKs that were my projectile of choice at the time. You'll notice they have a shorter and slightly steeper boat-tail than almost any other 6.5 bullet. I'm just guessing but maybe that means they're slightly less stable. The other thing about A-maxes is that they had a reputation in some calibres where one batch can be a world-beater, and the next batch make good foulers. However that latter criticism was probably just a stage they went through.

BTW the Q-Store website shows 6.5 140gn Berger VLDs and Hybrids as available (i.e. not marked as "Out of Stock").

Alan

Hey Alan and Michael! I wouldn't totally rule out the Amax's. Just in the last year another very popular bullet maker had bullets fouling barrels badly. Didn't matter what caliber. We had guys with 6mm's, 6.5's, 7mm's and .30cal. bullets all have fouling issues. I got the customer to try a different lot or a different manufacture and the fouling went away and no more accuracy issues. Seems the jacket material was a softer/different composition/mix in the alloy. I'm not going to name the maker as I still shoot they're bullets in my guns as well.

Jeff at work (I posted pics. of his 6.5 Creedmoor rifle in the Creedmoor thread) purchased 500rds of box ammo loaded with 140 Amax bullets. Only shot the gun at a 100 yards but it was shooting 1/4 to 1/3 moa. The factory loaded 129gr. bullets that he got some ammo of didn't have any fouling issues but that lot would hold sub 1/2 moa but didn't shoot as good as the 140's did. Still not bad for box ammo.

I've got some 105 Hornady BTHP bullets and accuracy wise they shoot neck and neck with the Berger 105 Hybrids I have in my 6 Creedmoor.

With the shortage still going on with bullets, powder and primers and even brass over here I'll lay my hands on at times with what ever I can get.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

[MCLE]

Thanks Frank
I will try some Amax today and with luck they will go well. I have tried the 80gr Amax for my sons 223 and they shot well.I agree with you about supply.
Michael H

[6.5x55ai]

I have shot the 140 A-Maxs in my 6.5x55bjai and at 800yds the score with them was comparable to my normal 142 SMKs. I never continued with them though as they had more variability than the Sierras when batching. Not that the Sierras have always been too good!! To be honest for the 6.5x47L if you are trying to do too much with the 140gr projectiles you may as well shoot a 6.5/284 (or in my case a 6.5AI). Sure, the 6.5x47L may have a better barrel life but you cannot make it into something it is not. With my 6.5x47L I started off with 123gr Scenars which were excellent but really offered nothing over my 6BR/107 SMKs. I now shoot 130 Berger in the 47 and these give superb accuracy and some advantage over the 6BR but not the legs obviously of the 6.5.AI.

[AlanF]

Adam Davies won F-Open at the ACT Queens in 2012 using 140 Hybrids in a 6.5x47, and 2208 powder from memory. So while I agree that 120 to 130 gn projectiles are probably ideal for the case, there are exceptions!

[6.5x55ai]

Yes and likewise the 6BR can scare the shite out of the hotter calibres out to 1000yds but only in the hands of an excellent shooter and as long as there is virtually no wind

[Brad Y]

I liked the 130VLD's in the 6.5x47L but dont limit yourself to them. If the 140 hybrid or VLD shoots better then go for it! Would also look closely at the 136 scenar L.

[macguru]

Yes and likewise the 6BR can scare the shite out of the hotter calibres out to 1000yds but only in the hands of an excellent shooter and as long as there is virtually no wind
•••••••••••••••••••••••

In the real world i would go for something bigger, there is usually wind everytime i shoot 1000 yds ....

[MCLE]

Thanks all we run the Barrel in today.A long and thankless job but has to be done using the Amax to save the Bergers .But had time to have a shot at 300y to get a Zero.The first 10 moved around the 5 and 6 ring a little gave it another good clean.Went back and had another go and it started to play ball using the Bergers stayed in the 6 ring.Tried the Amax and they stayed in the X knocking the spotter out but 300y doesn't tell you a lot l know but we will see.As for the 6.5x47 to shoot the longs I have seen it shoot fantastic scores at 1000y are there better cals for the longs probably but it will do for now.
Thanks Michael H

[DaveMc]

Mike - read this article

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/201 ... -accuracy/

The amax projectiles I have tried in various forms have always showed great promise at short range - BUT.....????

[bsouthernau]

Mike - read this article

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/201 ... -accuracy/

The amax projectiles I have tried in various forms have always showed great promise at short range - BUT.....????

I was going to pipe up and say what a wonderful long range bullet the 208gr .30cal A-Max is but then saw that it was specifically excluded from the discussion. The 140gr 6.5mm also has the "correct" boat tail angle.

Barry