6.5 PRC bullet selection

[I hunt_dm3]

Trying to decide what bullet I should run for my 6.5 PRC. It is a stock Christensen Ridgeline, 24” barrel 1 in 8 twist. I am looking for an all around bullet, will have a couple elk hunts with it but mainly deer.

Here are the bullets I have,
147 ELD Match
142 Accubond LR

I can get some Barnes 127 LRX, Berger 156, Hornady 143 ELD X, all overpriced but available. Hammer Hunter 137 is another one I was looking at.

From what is mentioned above, what would be recommended for deer and elk out to 700 ish yards?

 

[ID_Matt]

Berger 156 has done wonders in my experience. We have shot 6 or so deer and a few elk with it over the past 2 years and everything died with 1 shot.

 

[wildwilderness]

For deer I would try your 147 eldm first since you have it.

I have shot a number of animals with a 7saum 162 eldm and have good results. I do notice slower speeds with the eldm, probably due to its long bearing surface, but the BC makes up for it.

 

[I hunt_dm3]

I’m leaning towards the 147’s at the moment, I have some n570 coming this week and from what I’ve read it’s better with heavier bullets. Found a good load for Berger 156’s with it but am having a hard time spending over double msrp for them.

 

[JakeSCH]

A 6.5 PRC would not be my top choice on elk at that distance...but I tend to overthink things and my buddy has taken a handfull of cow elk over 500y with the berger in his 6.5 SAUM.

I shoot the 124 Hammers / 127 LRX / 156 Bergers out of mine. But its my deer / speed goat gun. I like the get the light weight monos and crank up the speed near 3300 FPS.

 

[I hunt_dm3]

A 6.5 PRC would not be my top choice on elk at that distance...but I tend to overthink things and my buddy has taken a handfull of cow elk over 500y with the berger in his 6.5 SAUM.

I shoot the 124 Hammers / 127 LRX / 156 Bergers out of mine. But its my deer / speed goat gun. I like the get the light weight monos and crank up the speed near 3300 FPS.

What’s your opinion on the 137 hammer? I put 139 but was referring to 137 in my first post.

 

[Norm555]

You probably need a faster twist barrel if you are going to shoot heavier than the 124 grain hammer hunter in a 6.5. Check hammer's website for each bullet to ensure your barrel will stabilize the bullet.

 

[JakeSCH]

What’s your opinion on the 137 hammer? I put 139 but was referring to 137 in my first post.

You don't have the proper twist rate for the 137 HH. You can shoot the 139 shock hammers, but their bc would give you more of a 308 trajectory. Probably not enough for 700 yards.

*edit* - you could make the shock hammers work at elevation. I have no personal experience with them on game. Just a lot more wind drift

 

[PRC_GUY]

A 6.5 PRC would not be my top choice on elk at that distance...but I tend to overthink things and my buddy has taken a handfull of cow elk over 500y with the berger in his 6.5 SAUM.

I shoot the 124 Hammers / 127 LRX / 156 Bergers out of mine. But its my deer / speed goat gun. I like the get the light weight monos and crank up the speed near 3300 FPS.

I load my 6.5 PRC with R26 and hammer 124 gr

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

My 6.5 PRC is going 2217 FPS @ 700 yards (1605 ft-lbs). This is with 147 gr ELD-M @ 3050 FPS. My 308 Win hits that velocity at 210 yards (178 gr ELD-X). No one would have a qualm at shooting a bull elk at 210 yards with that setup.

How much discipline do you have? Will you take a hard pass on a less than ideal shot at extended distance? Or will you succumb to temptation? I ask since I’d avoid shoulder shots at 700 yards on an elk with a match bullet but would be more inclined with a tougher bullet such as the Hammer (assuming enough velocity for reliable penetration).

 

[I hunt_dm3]

I load my 6.5 PRC with R26 and hammer 124 gr

What speeds are you getting?

 

[I hunt_dm3]

My 6.5 PRC is going 2217 FPS @ 700 yards (1605 ft-lbs). This is with 147 gr ELD-M @ 3050 FPS. My 308 Win hits that velocity at 210 yards (178 gr ELD-X). No one would have a qualm at shooting a bull elk at 210 yards with that setup.

How much discipline do you have? Will you take a hard pass on a less than ideal shot at extended distance? Or will you succumb to temptation? I ask since I’d avoid shoulder shots at 700 yards on an elk with a match bullet but would be more inclined with a tougher bullet such as the Hammer (assuming enough velocity for reliable penetration).

I’d wait for a quality shot regardless of the bullets mentioned for a 6.5 PRC on an elk, but I’m also not a huge fan of shooting a match bullet in a light caliber at an elk.

 

[Kimber7man]

That 142 ABLR will kill elk and deer dead. I’d use that.

 

[I hunt_dm3]

That 142 ABLR will kill elk and deer dead. I’d use that.

The more I look the more I come back to the ABLR’s. Hammers are intriguing but I’m not a fan of the cost for just shooting or predator hunting.

 

[Dioni A]

Man I've had great luck with the eldm on deer. Can't say I've been that impressed with the ablr. They're super fickle to get to shoot and are way less consistent in game than the regular accubond (my favorite bullet). Out to 700 I'd go with the eldm or standard accubond before I looked at the lr. Just make sure your above the minimum speed.

 

[Formidilosus]

Here are the bullets I have,
147 ELD Match
142 Accubond LR

I can get some Barnes 127 LRX, Berger 156, Hornady 143 ELD X, all overpriced but available. Hammer Hunter 137 is another one I was looking at.

From what is mentioned above, what would be recommended for deer and elk out to 700 ish yards?

700 yards impact velocities will result in relatively poor, to no, bullet upset with Barnes or Hammers. Monos are a poor choice for extended range terminal effects. The rest that you listed will kill fine at your stated ranges.

How much discipline do you have? Will you take a hard pass on a less than ideal shot at extended distance? Or will you succumb to temptation? I ask since I’d avoid shoulder shots at 700 yards on an elk with a match bullet but would be more inclined with a tougher bullet such as the Hammer (assuming enough velocity for reliable penetration).

That’s not how bullets work. The lower the impact velocity, the less expansion/upset, the deeper (not shallower) the penetration. There is no match bullet mentioned that has any issue at all going through a scapula at 700 yards. The problem at 700 yards is minimal bullet upset causing insufficient tissue damage, not penetration.

 

[I hunt_dm3]

700 yards impact velocities will result in relatively poor, to no, bullet upset with Barnes or Hammers. Monos are a poor choice for extended range terminal effects. The rest that you listed will kill fine at your stated ranges.



That’s not how bullets work. The lower the impact velocity, the less expansion/upset, the deeper (not shallower) the penetration. There is no match bullet mentioned that has any issue at all going through a scapula at 700 yards. The problem at 700 yards is minimal bullet upset causing insufficient tissue damage, not penetration.

Curious why you think a mono going 2000 + FPS at 700 yards wouldn’t be a good choice but a thin jacket match bullet would? Also, 700 yard reference was for deer, I would stick to 500 yard for elk with the 6.5. Further explanation on your reason for match over mono at that speed and distance would be appreciated.

 

[ElPollo]

Curious why you think a mono going 2000 + FPS at 700 yards wouldn’t be a good choice but a thin jacket match bullet would? Also, 700 yard reference was for deer, I would stick to 500 yard for elk with the 6.5. Further explanation on your reason for match over mono at that speed and distance would be appreciated.

Not speak for the Formidable One here. And I am not sure if linking another forum is kosher. However, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Post in thread '6.5 Creemoor 120 Hornady GMX load on Elk?'
https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/6-5-creemoor-120-hornady-gmx-load-on-elk.297827/post-2993732

The take home from the post above is that standard monos (not counting hammers and the like) don’t increase tissue damage via fragmentation. So speed and expansion are what drives that damage. As you slow down expansion decreases. Once you start dropping below about 2000, it gets a little dicey. Your chance of penciling without expansion increases. If it expands it will expand less and cause less tissue damage. Not all mono bullets are the same. Some will expand more than others at slower speeds. Barnes says their TTSX will expand down to 1600 and other say similar things. But the expansion at those speeds doesn’t do a whole lot to increase to damage tissue.

My own personal experience and the only mono that I ever recovered was from a pronghorn at about 350 yards with a 270 Winchester and a TSX. The bullet entered the front of the shoulder, broke it and travelled the length of the body, coming to rest under the skin behind the opposite rear quarter. The bullet barely expanded despite hitting bone. If it had been a traditional heart lung shot, I suspect it would have penciled right through the animal and we’d have been off to the races for a bit.

I still use monos for some things, but I stay pretty conservative with them in term of the shots I am willing to take and for distances.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

700 yards impact velocities will result in relatively poor, to no, bullet upset with Barnes or Hammers. Monos are a poor choice for extended range terminal effects. The rest that you listed will kill fine at your stated ranges.



That’s not how bullets work. The lower the impact velocity, the less expansion/upset, the deeper (not shallower) the penetration. There is no match bullet mentioned that has any issue at all going through a scapula at 700 yards. The problem at 700 yards is minimal bullet upset causing insufficient tissue damage, not penetration.

Thanks for the clarification. I always attempted to put match bullets through the vitals and "tougher" bullets through the shoulders.

 

[I hunt_dm3]

Not speak for the Formidable One here. And I am not sure if linking another forum is kosher. However, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Post in thread '6.5 Creemoor 120 Hornady GMX load on Elk?'
https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/6-5-creemoor-120-hornady-gmx-load-on-elk.297827/post-2993732

The take home from the post above is that standard monos (not counting hammers and the like) don’t increase tissue damage via fragmentation. So speed and expansion are what drives that damage. As you slow down expansion decreases. Once you start dropping below about 2000, it gets a little dicey. Your chance of penciling without expansion increases. If it expands it will expand less and cause less tissue damage. Not all mono bullets are the same. Some will expand more than others at slower speeds. Barnes says their TTSX will expand down to 1600 and other say similar things. But the expansion at those speeds doesn’t do a whole lot to increase to damage tissue.

My own personal experience and the only mono that I ever recovered was from a pronghorn at about 350 yards with a 270 Winchester and a TSX. The bullet entered the front of the shoulder, broke it and travelled the length of the body, coming to rest under the skin behind the opposite rear quarter. The bullet barely expanded despite hitting bone. If it had been a traditional heart lung shot, I suspect it would have penciled right through the animal and we’d have been off to the races for a bit.

I still use monos for some things, but I stay pretty conservative with them in term of the shots I am willing to take and for distances.

So you would take Hammers at distance over the LRX? I personally would rather two holes over one. Which is why I’m thinking of going to monos. And I like the idea of the bullet staying together (LRX) rather then shedding the pedals (Hammer). I prefer to get as close as possible but want the ability to stretch it out if needed.