A 6mm or 6.5 millimeter bullet is long for its weight, which is what makes it efficient in the wind. The front end then decides whether the bullet is meant for paper, for varmints or for big game. Three designs cover almost everything on this shelf.

Polymer tip

A polymer tip is a plastic point that sharpens the bullet's profile and helps start expansion. Hornady's V-Match line for the 6mm ARC is built around the ELD-VT bullet, a polymer-tipped design aimed at varmint and tournament shooters, and its loads are at hornady v match 6mm arc ammo.

Several 6mm GT loads use the same design, and the cartridge's range is at 6mm gt ammo. In 6.5 millimeters, Hornady's Grendel loads, at hornady 6.5 grendel ammo, use polymer-tipped bullets too.

Hollow point

A hollow point has a cavity in the nose. In varmint bullets that cavity starts expansion. In match bullets the hole is a by-product of how the jacket is formed, and it is there for accuracy, not expansion. The 6.5-284 Norma, a cartridge of long-range target shooters, is mostly seen with match hollow points, as in 6.5-284 norma hollow point ammo.

The 6mm BR, a benchrest cartridge, tells the same story at shorter distances, and its loads are gathered at 6mm br ammo for sale.

Soft point

A soft point leaves the lead core exposed at the nose so that the bullet opens on impact. It is the traditional hunting design and still the most common bullet in older cartridges. The 6.5x54 Mannlicher, a design from 1900, is usually loaded with a soft point, as in 6.5x54 mannlicher soft point ammo.

At the big end, the 9.3x74R fires a bullet of around 286 grains, a weight European hunters have used on large game for more than a century. Those loads are listed at 9.3x74r 286 grain ammo.

Matching the bullet to the job

Anyone who wants to buy 6.5 creedmoor ammo will probably buy more than one bullet type over the life of the rifle: plain practice rounds, a match load and a hunting load.

The 6.5 PRC, at 6.5 prc ammunition, is a magnum-class cartridge whose higher impact speeds make bullet construction matter even more. The Weatherby RPM, at 6.5 weatherby rpm ammunition, is another.

Bullet designs and brand lines change over time. Read the bullet type and weight on the box, and confirm current stock and any state shipping restrictions before ordering.