Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles 6mm longer range varmint bullet?

My 6mm Creed, a Ruger Precision Rifle, is satisfyingly accurate with the 108 grain Hornady ELD-M bullet and either H4350 or Superformance. I have not yet however used that bullet on varmints. Good expansion? Is there a better varmint bullet I should try?

I see this rifle as being a longer-range alternative to my 204 Ruger, a CZ that does great to 300+ yards. But sometimes a fellow just wants to reach out and touch rockchucks, prairie dogs or sage rats at longer distances.

Thanks, Guy

The 108 is the eld-m, it will work great on long range varmints, you will get good expansion.

If you want maximum splat on small colony varmints you may want to go lighter/faster

Cascade,

I've procured three 6CMs and hope for a fourth soon. Two of them are set up for the 108M ELD and we find that to be perfect for wolves although shots on wolves are few.
I've taken several coyotes with the 108M and if taken in the chest, facing you, there is no exit but a shoulder shot hitting bone is really messy.

My third 6CM is loaded with 95gr LRX Barnes which also is very accurate and sufficient for caribou.

H4350 works good but I find RL16 to be sightly better.

In fact, RL16 has become a favored powder for me, especially in these 6CMs and 270W with 130gr.

Thanks for the catch! I was thinking "M" but went ahead and typed "X" anyway. Sigh. Fixed it.

Ya, I may try a lighter bullet too - but hoping to capitalize on the longer/heavier bullet for times when my little 204 Ruger just isn't the right tool for the job.

Thinking that next spring I'll make a varmint safari... Haven't done that in quite a while.

Regards, Guy

in a 6mm Rem, with a 1 in 7 twist, 24 inch barrel and long action, I've always ran the 75 grain Hornady HP... bought a couple thousand when they were being discontinued.

with an MV of 3675 fps it can really reach out there.....for powder it gets H414, or W 760 ( essentially the same powder)...

the 80 grain Ballistic Tip is a good alternative...

87 Vmax

Heck of a bullet. Good bc and good splat factor

I know the now defunct 105Amax would tear them up pretty bad. Longest hit was probably 800+/- I bought some 108’s to try but haven’t loaded them yet. I’d like to try the 87vmax too.

IMO the Berger 95gr VLD is the bullet you seek, have killed many a rockchuck at 1000+ with this bullet

The 108 eld m acts the same.

I shoot both the 108 eld and the 108 berger elite hunter in my 6 creedmoor. Both great bullets but the hornady opens quicker

Cool! Thanks guys!

yep....87 V

used to run 'em my 8T 6XC

243win. & 87gr. vmax is great low recoil critter smacker .
Fine little bullet w/.400 bc .

Back to the 75 grain HPs.... some bullets can reach out further, with better BC...

but the "Balloon Splat factor" in those fast moving 75 gr HPs, ( Speer, Sierra, Hornady) is pretty darn high...

They can really disfigure a Prairie Dog, or Rock Chuck....

I don't use them regularly on Sage Rats, but they literally vaporize those little critters...

Cascade's picture above inspired me to bring up that point.

In my experience just about any of the plastic-tipped bullets, no matter the weight or supposed purpose, will expand well on even on small varmints at longer ranges. As an example, tried the 95-grain Sierra Tipped Matchking from my Sisk 6XC on prairie dogs maybe 3-4 years ago, Muzzle velocity was around 3100, and it "lifted" them impressively out to around 600 yards--as far as I shot at any.

John
That's the bullet I used in my 6mm. Sierra told me it was their most explosive bullet for that application;

600 yards is a long shot on an itty bitty varmint!

Guy