The Remington Core-Lokt 140 Grain 6.5mm Creedmoor with pointed soft point projectiles is the third factory hunting load I’ve tested for shot group accuracy as I search for my preferred factory hunting load in the Battle of the 6.5 Creedmoor Factory Hunting Loads.
The testing protocol remains the same: shoot a group of 4 shots at 100 yards, let the barrel cool for at least 15 minutes, and repeat until the remaining 16 rounds of the ammo under test is depleted. Let’s take a look at the ammo specs and test results.
Specifications
| Bullet Type | Pointed Soft Point |
| Bullet Weight | 140 Grains |
| Ballistic Coefficient | 0.410 G1 |
| Sectional Density | 0.293 |
| Advertised Muzzle Velocity | 2700 FPS |
| Price Paid | 20 Rounds @ $21.00 |
External Ballistics
| Range (yd) | Drop (in) | 10 mph Wind Drift (in) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft-lb) |
| 0 | -1.5 | 0.0 | 2700 | 2266 |
| 100 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 2484 | 1918 |
| 200 | -4.2 | 3.5 | 2279 | 1614 |
| 300 | -15 | 8.2 | 2083 | 1349 |
| 400 | -34 | 15.2 | 1897 | 1119 |
| 500 | -62.6 | 24.9 | 1723 | 923 |
| 600 | -102.9 | 37.5 | 1561 | 758 |
| 700 | -157.6 | 53.5 | 1415 | 622 |
| 800 | -229.7 | 73.2 | 1285 | 513 |
Results
I had a hard time finding the 4th shot of the first group I fired with this ammo during the range session. I did find it later on the target I used for a different ammo test. This was due to me aiming at the wrong target and not a wild round. That particular round would not have impacted the group size of the first group which I confirm by superimposing the other target on this one.
Taking into account the first group during the initial test, here is what I got:
- Best Group: 1.727 inches
- Worst Group: 2.707 inches
- Average Group: 2.0137 inches
- Standard Deviation: ±0.4016 inches
Conclusions
With an average group size just over 2 MOA (minute of angle) or 2″ at 100 yards, I personally would be comfortable using this ammunition for hunting medium game (~50 to ~300 lbs) out to 300 yards and big game (~300 to ~1,000 lbs) out to 300 yards with this rifle and ammunition. Let me explain why.
Given an average group size plus one standard deviation of roughly 2.5″, I have a very high confidence of getting a clean hit at 100 yards on a 10-inch “vital zone” target. That group size will grow linearly as the distance increases to roughly 5″ at 200 yards, and 7.5″ at 300 yards. All of those group sizes at the different distances give me confidence I can accurately place a shot in the vital zone at those distances assuming I can compensate for drop and wind drift. My confidence does drop a bit beyond 200 yards because I have limited experience shooting a rifle beyond that, but that can be remedied with a some practice, taking some chronograph readings, and getting to know the true drop and drift data. Which I plan to do once I settle on my preferred factory load for this rifle.
In terms of penetration and energy, the ballistics based on the advertised velocity indicate adequate impact energy of 800+ ft-lbs for medium game at 500 yards and 1200+ ft-lbs at 300 yards. Additionally, the 140 grain 6.5mm projectile’s sectional density of 0.297 exceeds the desired sectional density of 0.200 for medium game and 0.250 for big game using a medium bore rifle. More information on matching the cartridge to the game can be found on the Chuck Hawks website.
This particular factory load yielded the worst group sizes out of all the other factory loads I’ve tried so far in the same 6.5mm Creedmoor hunting rifle. I’m a bit disappointed as this was the brand of ammunition I used to harvest my very first deer. While the accuracy yielded is “good enough” to kill a deer, I will not be opting for this factory load for this rifle. That’s not saying this is bad ammo. I’m just saying other factory loads have worked significantly better with this rifle. This ammo may work just fine another hunting rifle chambered for 6.5mm Creedmoor.