Hornady’s New Target-Varmint V-Match and the ELD-VT in 6.5 Creedmoor
As a frequent reviewer of ammunition, I appreciate three aspects of product performance. The first is that the ammunition accomplishes its designed role with precision, i.e., accuracy. This requires the second important aspect I desire to see, which is a slight standard deviation (a measure of variation between cartridges) in velocities, meaning highly consistent loading in the manufacturing process. Related to the first two – and it may sound a bit trivial, but trust me, it isn’t – the manufacturer of said ammunition resists the temptation to introduce so-called ‘blue sky’ into their estimates of muzzle velocity. Blue sky occurs when a manufacturer reports that a bullet travels faster exiting the barrel than it does from most of our firearms. You’ll often hear the explanation reviewers or the manufacturer give: “You must use such and such length barrel to achieve these velocities.” If that is true, then the manufacturer is shooting themselves in the foot (pun intended) when most of us might not own a firearm with that length barrel.
One thing I have consistently encountered with Hornady ammunition is a tight standard deviation and no blue sky. That isn’t to say that I won’t someday find a problem with something they produce; it just hasn’t happened yet with ammunition as different as 50BMG loads used by me recently to enter the ‘one-mile club,’ .300 Winchester Magnum used on a whole slew of African Plains Game, and the focus of this review, their brand new V-Match ammunition, topped with their also just released ELD-VT bullet. Hornady designed and engineered this load + bullet combination for long-range matches and hunts for predators, prairie dogs, or other animals that often prefer staying on the far horizon rather than coming into bayonet range. I had the opportunity to interview Hornady’s Marketing Communications Manager, Seth Swerczek, about their newly released ammunition and bullet at the 2024 Dallas Safari Club Convention. You can watch Seth as he runs through the design and applications for these two new products here.
Range Analyses
The ammunition Seth sent me for an MG Arms Ultralight chambered to 6.5 Creedmoor allowed me to test how this normally uber-accurate chambering worked with a relatively light-for-caliber, 100-grain bullet. After sighting in at 0” at 100 yards, I fired three-shot groups from the bench at 100, 200, 300, and 400 yards. My Labradar unit recorded an average muzzle velocity of 3208 + 12.3 fps from 8 fired shots. The muzzle velocity listed on the V-Match boxes was very similar at 3200 fps. Trajectories at 100, 200, 300, and 400-yards were 0”, -3.5”, -10”, and -23”, respectively. For me, the trajectory data are crucial. I realize that ballistic turrets allow quick adjustments, but under hunting conditions, I’m trained in holdover – I realize this is age-related, and younger shooters probably just rolled their eyes. Regardless, I determine the trajectories achieved with my hold and enter these data into my iPhone before hunting. I go back to these data occasionally during the hunt just to ensure I remember correctly – again, it’s an age thing…
The Bar Graph illustrates the accuracy results from both a bench and a 4StableSticks rest. Accuracy from the bench was less than 0.5xMOA at 100, 200, and 300 yards, and slightly less than 1xMOA at 400 yards. The V-Match ammunition is not only a competition round but also designed for predators like coyotes, bobcats, and nuisance species such as prairie dogs. With this application in mind, I tested accuracy from the 4StableSticks Ultimate Leather standing rest. As with the results from the bench, all groups were less than 1xMOA. Though attaining larger groups off the standing rest at 100 and 300 yards, the 200-yard group was identical to the bench, and at 400-yards the group was slightly smaller in diameter than that obtained from the bench.
Conclusions
The V-Match ammunition with the 100-grain ELD-VT bullet easily lived up to the description given by Seth Swerczek of a cartridge designed for both long-range match work and predator/prairie dog hunts out to distances of 400 yards or so. Even off the standing rest, group sizes were sufficiently small for hitting a coyote or bobcat-sized target at the furthest distance attempted. Likewise, attaining sub-0.5x MOA for 50% of the trials and sub-1xMOA for all trials indicates the consistent accuracy of the ammunition. Finally, the trajectory of the 100-grain bullet at all distances reflected the initial 3200 fps muzzle velocity, providing the speed necessary for its relatively flat trajectory. This helps those of us who think about hold adjustment rather than clicks at extended distances. I look forward to trying the V-Match and ELD-VT combination on upcoming hunts for Southeast coyotes!
Mike Arnold has been a life-long hunter. The Hunter’s Horn blew very early for him. From the age of five, Mike has spent months each year pursuing game animals – from quail and rabbits behind his parents’ house, to kudu and leopard in Africa, and Brocket deer in Mexico. Mike’s articles include feature pieces in Sports Afield, Hunter’s Horn, Safari Magazine, and African Hunting Gazette. Mike also produced two TEDx presentations on the topic of conservation-through-trophy-hunting. You can find links to many of his articles and his Blog here.
Mike is also a Professor and the Head of the Department of Genetics at the University of Georgia. He works in conservation biology and is the author of the 2022 book, BRINGING BACK THE LIONS: International Hunters, Local Tribespeople, and the Miraculous Rescue of a Doomed Ecosystem in Mozambique. Mike’s book is available for purchase at bringingbackthelions.com, Amazon and local bookstores.
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