Projectile: Berger 6.5mm 130 AR Hybrid

[Variable]

We'll find out soon enough. I just loaded 50 rounds with RL-17, Lapua brass and cci 450 primers. Five different charges, 10 rounds each:

29.3 x10
29.5 x10
29.7 x10
29.9 x10
30.1 x10

I should be able to run through these in the next few days. I'll have my chrony with me so we should get a decent idea.

[GarandThumb]

Here is a my berger 130 hybrid with RL-17 report.

The rifle:
23 inch Lilja, AR24 profile
CMC 3.5# trigger

The Chronograph:
M1 Chrony

conditions:The load:
Berger 130 OTM AR hybrids / alphabet soup
Lapua Brass
CCI 450 small magnum primers
RL-17
COAL 2.266

The good:

Everything functioned flawlessly. No feed or cycling issues.

The bad:

As predicted in this thread, the velocities were nowhere near the Berger load data. I was hoping to see at least 2400fps. Note: My Chrony is the metric version, so everything is in meters per second. I'll convert the average velocity to feet per second:


29.3 RL-17

676.4
676.6
673.8
685.6
674.2
sd 4.290640978
es 11.8
avg 677.32 fps: 2222.18


29.5 RL-17

694.7
687.7
696.9
702.3
694.5
sd 4.696551927
es 14.6
avg 695.22 fps: 2280.91


29.7 RL-17

697.4
701.5
705
696.6
702.6
sd 3.17515354
es 8.4
avg 700.62 fps: 2298.6


29.9 RL-17

708.4
706.8
712.9
714
710.9
sd 2.691468001
es 7.2
avg 710.6 fps: 2331.36


30.1 RL-17

706
705.4
711.1
713.9
706.5
sd 3.339101676
es 8.5
avg 708.58 fps: 2324.73



The Ugly

The groups themselves were terrible.. absolutely awful. See attached photo.

Even if I had reached higher velocities the groups I got were so bad that these Berger 130s with RL-17 are a nogo, for my rifle.



berger130-rl-17-grendel.jpg


about the targets.. the group size is measured edge to edge. You can subtract .264 to get the true size... i record all my groups edge to edge. The other number that starts with a B is just my batch number, just makes it easy to record my data.

[BluntForceTrauma]

GT, thanks for the report. Good, bad, or ugly, all data teaches something.

[montana]

[acourvil]

Just to add some more data, my CFE223 average velocities with the Berger 130 Hybrid AR, COAL 2.266 using 22" barrel in ~70F temps, measured with a Pro Chrono shooting 5 shot groups:

28.4 2273
28.7 2290
29.0 2323
29.2 2331
29.4 2352
29.6 2380
29.8 2416
30.0 2431

I would say my barrel is on the slow side of what I generally see from others using the same load.

The feel of the recoil changed at 29.8, with more barrel jump than normal, but the brass measures fine, with maybe some slight extra flattening of the primers.

[LRRPF52]

Great info gents. Any time we change a component in the formula, like with the 129gr SST vs. the 130gr Berger AR Hybrid, we obviously can't assume that the load data can be used interchangeably. The interesting thing with the 130gr AR Hybrid (1.292) is that it is a slightly shorter bullet than the 129gr SST (1.32").

[bwaites]

I don't have time right now to post all the numbers, but CFE got me to a little more than 2475 with 29.8 grains of powder in my 28", Lapua brass, 450 primers. But absolutely NO accuracy.

Re17, on the other hand, was completely different. My top load of 30.9 grains gave me an average of 2565 and an ES of 16, but a very nice group well under an inch. It had no accuracy until I hit 30.9 where the group went from more than 2" to sub MOA. More experimentation is necessary, as is some pressure groups.

[Hattrick]

I haven't gotten good groups either with the hybrid 130s but im not done playing yet. I also haven't messed with 129 SST would luv to hear a little info on those

[bwaites]

I don't have time right now to post all the numbers, but CFE got me to a little more than 2475 with 29.8 grains of powder in my 28", Lapua brass, 450 primers. But absolutely NO accuracy.

Re17, on the other hand, was completely different. My top load of 30.9 grains gave me an average of 2565 and an ES of 16, but a very nice group well under an inch. It had no accuracy until I hit 30.9 where the group went from more than 2" to sub MOA. More experimentation is necessary, as is some pressure groups.

Finally had time to add a couple pictures. Even with the called flier, the larger group is .633, and the 3 shot group, the second outing with the load, went .244.

[JPShooter]

Re17, on the other hand, was completely different. My top load of 30.9 grains gave me an average of 2565 and an ES of 16, but a very nice group well under an inch. It had no accuracy until I hit 30.9 where the group went from more than 2" to sub MOA. More experimentation is necessary, as is some pressure groups.

I did not see any place where you mentioned the barrel length of your rifle, please excuse me if you mentioned it and I missed it.

Thanks!

[bwaites]

I did not see any place where you mentioned the barrel length of your rifle, please excuse me if you mentioned it and I missed it.

Thanks!

First line of my post 4 posts up, but it is a 28".

[JPShooter]

There it is! Duh......

Thanks

[motoxxx_ryder]

bumping this thread as my rifle so far doesn't like the 123 amax. so do any rifles shoot the 130 well with CFE? if not ill start looking for RL 17.

[pdq5oh]

I bought some of these bullets and was very upset to find the lengths varied from 1.307-1.328. I measured all 100 in one box. Anyone else run into this?

[cory]

I bought some of these bullets and was very upset to find the lengths varied from 1.307-1.328. I measured all 100 in one box. Anyone else run into this?

Did you measure the overall length or the ogive to base? The overall, of a HPBT especially, isn't very important.