Rundown on the various Hornady 6.5 G loads?

[MeatAxe]

Unfortunately, the Hornady website sucks donkey balls - it's slow and crashes frequently, so I am not sure what all is available as loaded ammunition.

Am looking for the best SD rounds for 18" bbl. AR15s (LaRue & PSA), in terms of accuracy, lethality and barrier penetration.


These are the rounds I know of:

SST - excellent hunting round in terms of accuracy and lethality. Have used this with good results in other calibers.

American Gunner - don't know this one. Appears to be a budget BTHP - any good?

Frontier - don't know this one, either, appears to be a budget fmj - any good? Does is fragment in soft targets?

ELD Match - Ballistic tip - should be accurate, how is it in terms of barrier penetration and lethality?

ETA: I guess there's another "Black" 123 gr. BTHP?

BLACK? - what does the "Black" designation mean? - is it just a marketing thing?

Any other loads available that I haven't mentioned? Any V-Max or A-Max, etc.?


Thanks for any info you could enlighten me with!

[Rosecrans1]

SST "bullet" is great. The SST factory loaded rounds were so-so in both of my grendels. (bolt and gas).
American Gunner factory rounds didn't shoot well in either of my Grendels.
The Frontier is budget but actually shot well in both mine. Under under MOA in the RAP.
ELD Match: I reload the ELD's and they perform very well and can be used for hunting. Not ideal but lethal.
Black: Marketing for use in "Black Guns". ELD loaded Hornaday Black shoots very well and consistent in both mine.
Hornaday "Custom" using the SST sucked in my gas gun. Great in the RAP.

Your results may differ widely with mine. Just giving my opinion on what I have used on the limited hardware I can shoot them through.

[MeatAxe]

Thanks for that info!

[LRRPF52]

[LRRPF52]

[MeatAxe]

Thanks for the info!

What is the difference between the 6.5G Hornady Black 123 gr. ELD Match and the Black 123 gr. BTHP besides the ballistic tip? Any difference in accuracy, fragmentation, etc.?

[VASCAR2]

The 123 grain ELD-M ammo usually has higher velocity than 123 grain BTHP Black or American Gunner. The 123 ELD-M ammo seems to have lower extreme spread and standard deviation compared to the 123 grain BTHP Blk/AG ammo.

[mdram]

i would steer clear of frontier
they had a reputation in 223/556 of blowing up guns

it may be fine now, but im still not risking it