6mm ARC Ballistics – V-MAX vs ELD-VT
In this blog post and video we’ll be going over the ballistics results for our testing of two popular varmint/predator loads for the 6mm ARC. We’ll take a look at group sizes, velocities, energy, penetration and expansion. You’ll get to see how both bullets performed going into and through several different style targets. Hopefully it’ll be useful information for choosing your load or at least interesting.
Caliber: 6mm ARC | Barrel Length: 22” | Test Distance: 100 Yards
Bullet: 58gr Hornady V-MAX (.250 B.C.) | Muzzle Velocity: 3,436 FPS | Muzzle Energy: 1,520 FT/LB
Bullet: 80gr Hornady ELD-VT (.410 B.C.) | Muzzle Velocity: 2,955 FPS | Muzzle Energy: 1,551 FT/LB
Ammunition manufactured by Druid Hill Armory & Hornady
Accuracy
We didn’t spend a ton of time shooting groups, but honestly, we didn’t need to. Both the 58gr V-MAX loaded by Druid Hill Armory and the 80gr ELD-VT loaded by Hornady shot 5 round groups well below Minute of Angle (0.75 MOA & 0.64 MOA respectively). After a couple of groups with each, we moved on to more scholarly pursuits. But before we get to that, it’s kind of cool that our ten round strings with each load had identical SD’s (15 FPS) and nearly identical ES’s (44 and 46 FPS).
Cardboard Test 1
For our first test, we combined 10” of layered, saturated cardboard with a sheet of ¾” plywood 12 layers deep. The plywood might simulate something like a shoulder blade. Behind the target we placed water jugs to try to catch the bullets after passing through this layered block. This gave us a very good look at how much and how quickly the 58gr V-MAX and 80gr ELD-VT expanded/fragmented as well as the difference in their wound channels.
In the first 12 layers of cardboard, prior to reaching the plywood, neither bullet is coming apart. Upon making contact with our simulated shoulder blade, each bullet seems to be opening up, but the V-MAX did slightly more damage to the wood.
Going through layers 13 – 31, the 58gr V-MAX really does its work. With each layer we peeled back, the hole gets bigger and bigger. The cavity is filled with plywood fragments and shredded cardboard, though interestingly, we did notice that a good amount of cardboard seemed to be missing. We’ll get to that in a moment. All of this damage is happening in the 2-3 inches immediately behind the plywood, so give or take 4-5 inches into the target. Through these same layers, the 80gr ELD-VT’s hole grows in size as well, but not to the same extent.
From layer 31 to the back of our target, the ELD-VT maintains a consistent, medium size channel, but the V-MAX’s channel steadily closes down.
In the water jug behind the target that the V-MAX went into, we found an abundance of copper and lead fragments. But in addition to the remnants of our bullet, we also found that the missing cardboard had been sucked like a vacuum into the jug. The hole in the water bottle wasn’t all that big, yet there the cardboard was none the less.
As for the ELD-VT, the bullet destroyed its water jug. We were able to recover the lead core and some small fragments, but not really any copper jacket to speak of. The 80gr ELD-VT is definitely showing more ability to penetrate and the 58gr V-MAX more ability to fragment quickly, at least at these velocities.
Cardboard Test 2
In our second test, we’ve again compressed layers of saturated cardboard (less the plywood), but have rotated the target 90 degrees. We wanted to shoot with the layers rather than through them.
Like in the previous test, the 58gr V-MAX from our 22” 6mm ARC began to open up quickly. It then maintained a nice wound channel all the way until it stopped with small pieces breaking off the bullet and leaving the main channel in different directions. What we didn’t see in the test was an area where the cavity ballooned up and then shrank down like in the prior target.
The 80gr ELD-VT seemed to shine nicely in this one. It penetrated a little bit deeper into the target before expanding than did the V-MAX, but when it got going, it shredded some cardboard. The void it created was wide and deep with some fragments going off in different directions and one continuing on well past where the main part of the bullet stopped.
In this test, with both bullets, we saw something that was kind of hard to show on camera. I mentioned fragments going off in different directions. Well as we were peeling layers apart, we could see tiny little bits of lead or copper throughout. Just here and there and most were smaller than bird shot pellets, but the bullets definitely did some fragmenting.
Wood Test
For our third test of these two 6mm ARC varmint loads’ ballistics, we layered together a much denser target, 2×4’s.
Going through the first board, both bullets seem to do about the same amount of damage. Very similar hole sizes.
But in the second 2×4, the 58gr V-MAX does something reminiscent of the first cardboard test: It craters out the center of it but leaves a smaller exit hole before stopping in board number three. The 80gr ELD-VT made it through the third board, leaving some fragments there and stopped in the fourth. Going into such a dense material, neither was able to break apart or spread out too much. The V-MAX really wanted to act like a grenade in that second board though and the ELD, once again, got a bit deeper.
Velocity, Trajectory & Energy
The charts and graphs below show the ballistics data for the 22” 6mm ARC with the 58gr V-MAX and 80gr ELD-VT. Without diving super deep into them, I’d still like to make just a couple of observations.
The trajectories of both of these loads are very similar. The 58gr starts out nearly 500 FPS faster than the 80gr, but the 80gr has a much higher B.C., so that zippy little V-MAX is never more than a few inches flatter than the modern, Extreme Low Drag bullet.
The heavier weight and higher B.C. of the ELD-VT helps a lot with maintained energy. Though both bullets start with about the same amount of energy, by 500 yards, the ELD-VT has 76% more (281 FT/LBs).
As we noted above, the V-MAX starts out way faster than the ELD-VT (500 FPS), but at 300 yards, both bullets have the same velocity (2300 FPS). At 600 yards, the ELD-VT is 300 FPS faster.
Conclusion
Both of these bullets performed quite well. But they performed differently. Which one you choose depends on your specific requirements and perhaps which your gun likes best.
The V-MAX bullets, I think, were designed at the time with a focus on fragmenting and not over penetrating. When Hornady designed the newer ELD-VT bullets though, they had an additional goal. They wanted them to be more efficient. They wanted them to maintain their velocity, energy and trajectory better than varmint bullets traditionally had. To that end, they made them longer, a touch heavier and created something with a substantially higher B.C. The tradeoff, perhaps, might be that it doesn’t fragment as quickly or as much and penetrates deeper. Depending on your specific needs, maybe this isn’t a tradeoff at all. You may consider this to be an added bonus to its efficiency. But if speed, trajectory and as little over penetration as possible inside of 300 yards are your priorities, then the good old V-MAX still has you covered.
Ultimately, having two well performing varmint/predator loads for your 6mm ARC is a win.
| 22” 6mm ARC – 58gr Hornady V-MAX (.250 B.C.) | |||
| Range | Velocity (FPS) | Energy (FT/LB) | Trajectory (IN) |
| 0 | 3436 | 1520 | -1.5 |
| 100 | 3025 | 1178 | 0 |
| 200 | 2650 | 905 | -2.3 |
| 300 | 2305 | 684 | -9.6 |
| 400 | 1987 | 508 | -23.6 |
| 500 | 1697 | 371 | -46.5 |
| 600 | 1442 | 268 | -81.9 |
| 22” 6mm ARC – 80gr Hornady ELD-VT (.410 B.C.) | |||
| Range | Velocity (FPS) | Energy (FT/LB) | Trajectory (IN) |
| 0 | 2955 | 1551 | -1.5 |
| 100 | 2726 | 1320 | 0 |
| 200 | 2509 | 1118 | -3.2 |
| 300 | 2302 | 941 | -11.9 |
| 400 | 2105 | 787 | -27.2 |
| 500 | 1917 | 652 | -50.2 |
| 600 | 1741 | 538 | -83.1 |
