6.5mm Norma Gold Match

[bluedot]

Have any of you used the Norma Gold match bullets?

How did they perform? I built a 6.5x55 rifle with a 28" pacnor 3 groove with a palma contour and am just getting started working up loads for it.

I have gotten decent accuracy with the 123 lapua scenar, the 120 sierra matchking and from the 140 nosler custom competition, 1'm getting started on the 142 sierra and it shows promise,

I'm basically put this rifle together as a long range rock chuck rifle that will hold up to the Montana wind better than my .223/22-250's.

 

[tsiero]

I have tried them but abandoned them for the Lapua 139gr bullets. My rifle has a 1/8 twist barrel and at 1K I can get 5-6" 5 shot groups. I use H-4350, H4831, VV-550- and VV-560. Velocities range from 2860 to 2600FPS. In match use in Europe these rifles will go 3-5K rounds. Good luck as it is a great cartridge.

 

[HazMat]

my 6.5 lapua really likes them.
good accuracy out to 700yds.
jm

 

[wc872]

Not very much experience but some. Match rifle in 6.5x284. Load was 52.0grs. RL22/142gr. SMK/Rem 9 1/2 primer. As I recall the load chrono'd like 2962fps. I bought some 130gr. Norma's because of the small Meplat. The load was exactly the same except for seating the Norma 130's. I only had one occasion to fire a 9 rd. string at 1,000 yards. With the same scope setting changing only the ammo. The Norma 130's grouped 2 MOA higher & 1 Moa to the left of the 142gr. SMK's.
Semper FI

 

[bluedot]

Thanks, I can get the Norma's for a decent price but have to buy 500 at a time and didn't want to go into them blind. Guess I will give them a try.

 

[dennisinaz]

Blue dot,
Did you try them? I have 500 of the Diamond line,moly) and 300 of the uncoated ones. Loaded the first ones up today in my 260. I had a hot load on my first round of 108 Lapuas that finished me for the day so I didn't get to test them. I used H4831SC at first but it was HIGHLY compressed and I switched to Ramshot Hunter for the loading density. I would think the Swede to be about the same as the 260 case.

 

[kren]

I reckon half of Norways competition shooting runs on the Norma Diamond Line,coated) or Golden Target,naked) bullet, ive used both extensively,as have everone here) and they tend to run very well in all sorts of barrels. I cannot speak for BR results, but for prone shooting they are as good as or better than anything.
For long range shooting they give me the best ballistics possible to buy.

The Norma Diamond Line loaded round comes as "felt" or "bane", field or target, in 6.5x55 and runs at 900 and 830m/s. This is ammo that can readily give 10mm groups in an accurate rifle, like the Sauer 200STR.

For powder Vithavuori N150-165 and VV 550-560 as well as Norma 204 or MRP, MRP or maybe 560 will give the best velocities. The new Reloder 17 should be similar or better. 3000fps is quite attainable in long barrels if you have lots of brass.,We have free once used Raufoss brass, which is made by Lapua or the other way round...)

However, the barrel that will shoot 5k rounds on VV N140 or 150 may only shoot 3k on MRP og VV N550

K

 

[bluedot]

Thanks for the replies guys, I have not got around to ordering any of the 130 Norma's yet. Just finishing up hunting season here, so will probably get some to play with soon. I've been using VV n165 for the 142's and MRP for the 123's so will probably play with those powders first.

N165 is giving me 2997 fps with 142's and less than .5" groups, with decent SD and ED. MRP with the 123's is decent velocities of 3120 fps but ES and DS is larger than I like. Will probably experiment with some other primers, just got some of the wolf primers to try and see if they help.

I've got a short action here that the barrel is going south on, ,25 wsm ie "BARREL BURNER" got about 1000 rds and throat is getting really rough) and I am trying to decide between building a 260 rem, 6.5 creedmoor or a short action swede. My current swede loads to an overall length of 2.92 with 123's so I would only have to shorten it to 2.85 to work in my short action.

 

[kren]

VV n165 for the 142's and MRP for the 123's

I would definately have done that hte other way round, N165 / 123s and MRP/142s, if i didnt get strange accuracy issues. That is a VERY common load over here.
MAny people get better accuracy, at the cost of some speed, with a Norma 204-like powder: Norma N19

K

 

[bluedot]

kren, For whatever reason I got much better accuracy with better velocities with the N165, I know that the MRP/RL22 is one of the more popular powders,

I have gotten decent accuracy and velocity with it but the extreme spread and standard deviation is a little excessive, when using the MRP with the 142's the accuracy node that I found was at a substantially lower velocity than with N165.