Federal Gold Medal 6.5 Creedmoor 140 Grain Open Tip Match

The Open Tip Match designation is frequently confused with hollow-point expanding bullets, but the two are functionally different. The small opening at the nose of an OTM bullet is a byproduct of the jacket-drawing manufacturing process, not a feature engineered for expansion. The core is inserted from the base, and the tip aperture is too small and inconsistent to initiate reliable expansion on soft tissue. This load is designed for match accuracy, not terminal performance, and should not be substituted for a hunting or defensive hollow-point load.

Both loads are well-regarded in the precision rifle competition community, but they use different projectile designs. The Hornady ELD-M uses a polymer tip that resists aerodynamic heating and claims a higher published BC (0.646 G1 vs. 0.580 G1), which can provide a marginal advantage in long-range wind drift. The Federal OTM uses the Sierra MatchKing — a traditional lead-core boat-tail without a tip insert. In practical competition at 600 yards and under, the difference is small enough that rifle fit, trigger control, and environmental reading will dominate group size far more than the bullet design choice. At 800 yards and beyond, the BC advantage of the ELD-M becomes more measurable.

Technically, the Open Tip Match bullet is not prohibited in most jurisdictions that restrict hollow-point projectiles, because it does not meet the legal definition of a hollow point in most state regulations. However, the OTM is not designed for controlled expansion, and terminal performance on deer-sized game is unpredictable — ranging from pass-through with minimal energy transfer to fragmentation depending on impact velocity and tissue density. Federal produces dedicated hunting loads in 6.5 Creedmoor, such as the Terminal Ascent and Fusion lines, which are far more appropriate choices for ethical big-game harvest.

Federal does not publish a minimum twist rate recommendation for this specific load. The 140 grain Sierra MatchKing in 6.5 Creedmoor is generally stabilized by 1:8 twist barrels, which have become the industry standard for this caliber. A 1:9 twist may also stabilize this bullet depending on barrel length, temperature, and altitude, but optimal stability and accuracy are most consistently achieved with a 1:8 twist. Shooters using non-standard twist rates should verify stability with a Greenhill or Miller stability calculator before committing to this load for competition.

Yes, this load uses Federal Match Grade brass cases with Boxer primers, making it fully reloadable with standard reloading equipment. Federal’s Gold Medal brass is generally considered mid-to-upper tier in terms of consistency and case life. Competitive reloaders often save this brass specifically because the case dimensions and primer pocket uniformity tend to be tighter than standard production brass. That said, this page covers factory ammunition only — specific reloading data, charge weights, and handloading recipes are outside the scope of this reference.