SPORTING ANSWERS

Best load for 6.5mm calibre

RIFLES

Q Can you give me an idea for the best load in my new Sako S20 6.5 Creedmoor? I will be using it for deer and foxes.

A Being a short case and mid-bore diameter, the 6.5 Creedmoor favours powders in the medium to medium-slow burn rate, such as RL17, Swiss RS50 and RS62, Norma URP or Vit N140. Because it is 6.5mm calibre and has a 1:8 twist rifling rate you can use bullets as light as 85-gr Sierra all the way up to 160-gr Hornady if you like, but it is best at home with 120-gr, 129-gr or 140-gr bullet weights. These offer a good blend of velocity, energy and downrange ballistics with regard to retained energy and wind-bucking abilities — one of the reasons people favour the 6.5mm calibre.

I have used the 140-gr Hornady SST bullet with 43 grains of Reloder RL17 powder in the Creedmoor to achieve 2,781fps and 2,405ft/lb energy. This makes it a good deer load, but for fox use you need to drop down a few bullet weights to a lighter 85-gr or 95-gr projectile. I like the Sierra 85-gr hollowpoint with 48 grains of Swiss RS50 powder for 3,284fps and 2,035ft/ lb energy, or the Hornady 95-gr V-Max bullet loaded to 3,211fps and 2,175ft/lb with 44 grains of Reloder RL15. Both bullets shoot flat and expand quickly on thin-skinned game such as foxes.