aftriathlete
WKR
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2022
- Messages
- 417
Hoping to get out and start shooting my Tikka T3X Superlite in the next 2-3 weeks, so the search for ammo has begun. I have some thoughts/questions and I'm interested to get some opinions. I'm planning to buy whatever ammo I can find, cheaper the better, to just put some rounds down the barrel to start breaking it in and help with velocities before I start shooting/finding my hunting ammo of choice and zeroing and getting familiar with it.
Midway has 3 options in stock for 6.5 CM ammo -- Hornady Varmint Express 95 grain, Berger Match 153.5 grain, and Sako Powerhead Blade 120 grain, so options are limited. I do not reload and I am thinking consistency is my top priority, which is something reloaders are able to sort out for themselves. So are match grade ammos going to work better than hunting-focused ammos for repeatable velocities and ballistics? It appears that there are some options on AmmoSeek for 140 and 147 grain ELDM, thought I haven't gone too far down the rabbit hole of actually trying to purchase from individual vendors. I know ELDX is popular in 6.5 CM, but I read some threads with individual dudes' ballistics data that supports it does its job well when it hits the target but it might not be the most consistent especially with a lot of up and down variability on the range (elevation variation? not sure what to call that.)
Obviously match ammo is not necessarily designed to optimize the projectile killing an animal, they are designed to optimize hitting a target, but just a quick google of "hunting with match ammo" turns back a lot of results where guys say they don't hesitate to hunt with match ammo depending on the application. Any thoughts here on that? This is for pigs, goats, and axis deer hunting in the next 3 years in Hawaii. I intend to find an ammo of choice in the next 3 months and buying up as many boxes as I can find to take with me out there as anything that's hard to find here is impossible to find in Hawaii.
Midway has 3 options in stock for 6.5 CM ammo -- Hornady Varmint Express 95 grain, Berger Match 153.5 grain, and Sako Powerhead Blade 120 grain, so options are limited. I do not reload and I am thinking consistency is my top priority, which is something reloaders are able to sort out for themselves. So are match grade ammos going to work better than hunting-focused ammos for repeatable velocities and ballistics? It appears that there are some options on AmmoSeek for 140 and 147 grain ELDM, thought I haven't gone too far down the rabbit hole of actually trying to purchase from individual vendors. I know ELDX is popular in 6.5 CM, but I read some threads with individual dudes' ballistics data that supports it does its job well when it hits the target but it might not be the most consistent especially with a lot of up and down variability on the range (elevation variation? not sure what to call that.)
Obviously match ammo is not necessarily designed to optimize the projectile killing an animal, they are designed to optimize hitting a target, but just a quick google of "hunting with match ammo" turns back a lot of results where guys say they don't hesitate to hunt with match ammo depending on the application. Any thoughts here on that? This is for pigs, goats, and axis deer hunting in the next 3 years in Hawaii. I intend to find an ammo of choice in the next 3 months and buying up as many boxes as I can find to take with me out there as anything that's hard to find here is impossible to find in Hawaii.
