Well That Was Overkill - 6.5 PRC and Whitetail

[Blakelok]

Went on a hunt for whitetail in the Texas Hill Country, and got caught by a thunderstorm rolling in. More meat for the freezer is always nice and the opportunity to harvest this doe presented itself before it started to storm. Shot at 110 yards with a 6.5 PRC - 24” barrel and factory Hornady 143 eld-x.

6.5 PRC is a bit much I think - especially for a shoulder shot.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Just shoot a bullet with a more solid construction.
Eld is made to open at lower velocity, therefore opening violently at closer range.

 

[KoolBreeze]

Thanks for the pic, that confirms that I don't want to shoot those bullets. If you're going to shoot the shoulder, you need something that will hold together and not explode when it impacts bone. Every plastic tipped bullet I've used, which is not many, does that. That's why I love the partition.

 

[Blakelok]

Yea I’m hoping more factory ammo is announced at SHOT Show. I did find that Barnes has a factory loading coming out with a 127gr LRX.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Staying off the shoulder helps, too.

 

[jofes]

Thanks for the pic, that confirms that I don't want to shoot those bullets. If you're going to shoot the shoulder, you need something that will hold together and not explode when it impacts bone. Every plastic tipped bullet I've used, which is not many, does that. That's why I love the partition.

Correct me if im wrong but looking at the pic, he is showing the offside shoulder, the trauma from the exist wound is bone fragment not the bullet exploding.

 

[Blakelok]

Staying off the shoulder helps, too.

It does. But it was the only ethical shot I had under the present conditions and constraints.

I really like this rifle, but likely won’t be taking it along on any more whitetail hunts in this area. It’s not needed.

I’ve shot 3 whitetail this year with 3 different calibers: .25-06, 6.5CM, and 6.5 PRC. I’ll stick with the .25-06 or .30-30 for this thick brush hunting.

 

[Blakelok]

Correct me if im wrong but looking at the pic, he is showing the offside shoulder, the trauma from the exist wound is bone fragment not the bullet exploding.

Here is the entry:

 

[apl1893]

That’s what happens with those rapidly expanding bullets at close range

 

[N2TRKYS]

It does. But it was the only ethical shot I had under the present conditions and constraints.

I really like this rifle, but likely won’t be taking it along on any more whitetail hunts in this area. It’s not needed.

I’ve shot 3 whitetail this year with 3 different calibers: .25-06, 6.5CM, and 6.5 PRC. I’ll stick with the .25-06 or .30-30 for this thick brush hunting.

I've shot several with my 7 SAUM with 160 grain bullets and they have never looked that bad. Not even on the coyote I killed with it at around 50 yards.

I'd change bullets instead of not using the rifle.

 

[6mm Remington]

The shoulder may have looked the same using a different bullet with the exact same placement. Sometimes bone being shattered can really make a nasty hole. I'm a big Nosler fan and think a stouter bullet may have helped some. I'd try any of these.
120 gr. E-tip
125 gr. Partition
130 gr. Accubond
140 gr. Accubond or Partition

 

[UpNorth89]

Pretty much any bullet exiting the shoulder would provide the same result.

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[jfs82]

Yea I’m hoping more factory ammo is announced at SHOT Show. I did find that Barnes has a factory loading coming out with a 127gr LRX.

Yeah, they confirmed this in email to me a while back, wonder what the fps will be?

 

[alexanderg23]

That’s why I only shoot copper bullets. They don’t blow up and I don’t want my meat to have lead in it.

 

[Tannerc]

Man what a hammer! How’s the recoil?


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[Blakelok]

Man what a hammer! How’s the recoil?


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The recoil really isn’t bad at all. Less than a .308 in a similar weight gun.

 

[Tannerc]

That is really nice Sounds like it may be a great choice for the wife!


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[Lytro]

Your bullet choice with the eld-x is what turned the shoulders into hamburger. The caliber should be ideal for deer, but you could get away with just about anything on those smaller bodied deer in TX. I'd shoot whatever you have that's most accurate, but aim for vitals.

I really like shooting Hornady SST's out of my 7mm Rem Mag for deer and elk. They can be pretty destructive too, but I stay away from shoulder shots.

 

[excaliber]

Bad shot placement if you wanted to eat the meat. Most any bullet at that angle would have destroyed that offside shoulder too. The bullet did exactly what it was supposed to do. The shot placement was the failure.

 

[296]

Woah that’s a heck of an exit. I used the 7mm Rem Mag with a 162gr ELD-X on my first buck at 198yds. It sure didn’t look anything like that. Granted I didn’t hit the shoulder, it was a lung & heart shot but the bullet was found in the hide on the offside.