The very cost effective Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard in 6.5 Creedmoor is a real hunting rifle designed as an all weather rifle and resists rust and corrosion day to day in the field. I love it for the less than $600 dollar price tag. Wow!

I wrote about the rifle earlier but I wanted to see what powders work best in this Weatherby with the Nosler ABLR 6.5 in 142 grain. The Nosler AccuBond Long Range is a magnificent hunting bullet as the lead core is bonded to the gilding copper jacket for maximum weight retention and penetration at a wide range of velocities.  I know that RL-15 groups well 0.9 moa but at max load it was only traveling 2424 to 2440 fps and calculated to have shot variation at 600 yards at just over an inch and I believe acceptable in a hunt and shoot situation on deer.  Accordingly, I tested IMR 4895 with 36 grains powder. Below is a 100 yard 5 shot group at around 1 moa with velocities of around 2460 in a cold barrel. As the barrel warmed in shots 3,4, and 5, the velocities went up above 2500 fps

Next I shot H4350 with 41 grains powder with initial velocities of  2523 fps in shots 1 and 2. In shots 3, 4,and 5 shot velocities increased just above 2600 fps.

What I learned from this test, which was done in very little wind at about 40 deg. F, is that cold barrel velocities for hunting in the first 2 shots of each powder made an impact difference at 600 yards that was measurable with a trajectory calculation  A velocity spread of 20 fps for say a long range 600 yard shot with a 2 inch drop variation on the target as calculated with JBM Ballistics with H4350 was not acceptable to me for a kill shot. And 11 fps spread from shot one and two with IMR 4895 equating to a one inch drop difference at 600 yards and is acceptable. The best way to see that for real, is to shoot at 600 yards and measure vertical spread. Horizontal spread is more a factor of wind at that distance and perhaps the largest factor of all in a shoot/no shoots situation if the crosswind is say near 90 degrees and 10 mph or greater. The hunter must have done his or her homework to prove the shot by practice at long range and know what works or not. It is better to pass on a marginal shot and wait for a better one or get closer to the game. We owe it to the game we hunt!

Good Shooting!

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