Suggest a 6.5 Creedmoor Hunting Bullet

[Sobrbiker]

Right around 42gr H4350 with 140 class pills will make any creedmoor owner happy unless your gun’s broke.

I’m running 140 Amax’s for critters (have a bunch stashed away from the good old days-been shooting a Creedmoor over 10yrs now). 140 Barnes match burners get the nod for non-game and shoot same POI.
They both run ~2790 out of my 20” Salvage.

 

[Sled]

I'd pick the one you can find...

But in a perfect world we could go to the store and buy them all.

To better answer your question it'd help to know how you like to shoot. Lungs or shoulder? On thin bodied game those tough bonded bullets can pencil through the lungs. A berger could shine there. For bone shots the accubond would suit you better.



Fwiw, I'm running a 135gr berger classic hunter on my Creedmoor. I've taken deer, antelope and elk with them. I'm a lung shooter and selective on my shots. When I'm using tougher projectiles I pay close attention to the fps at impact. Likewise in the past when those cup and core ballistic tips were explosive I didn't load them hot and shoot animals up close.


I'm fortunate to have two loads that shoot same poi out to 400 yards (berger and Barnes) so I have options with that Creedmoor.

 

[Bbell12]

What grain ELDM did you go with OP? I’m currently shooting a 130gr ELDM but am wondering if there’s a different grain that tunes easier than the 130.

 

[TX_Diver]

What grain ELDM did you go with OP? I’m currently shooting a 130gr ELDM but am wondering if there’s a different grain that tunes easier than the 130.

I've got some 147s on the way. Have the option to trade for some Berger 156 EOL hunters, 140 VLD hunting, 140 Hybrid Targets, 140 VLD target, and 153.5 LR Hybrid Target if I want to try some others. So I may grab a few of them and then just look for some 143 ELD-X too.

 

[JGRaider]

I'd pick a 139gr Scenar over anything Hornady personally. They are easy to load develop, and have performed beautifully on loads of hogs, deer, etc.

 

[woods89]

Small sample size so far with each but I've liked the results I've seen from the 156 EOL and the 130 TMK. The TMK's get messy, though.

 

[TX_Diver]

I'd pick a 139gr Scenar over anything Hornady personally. They are easy to load develop, and have performed beautifully on loads of hogs, deer, etc.

Out of curiosity why do you prefer the scenar?

 

[prm]

I have not shot anything with a Hornady. But the Scenar I shot a Muley buck with penciled in a couple inches then expanded nicely leaving a nice silver dollar size exit and excellent blood trail. Testing in damp magazines the Scenars penetrate very well. The Hornadys (147) seemed a bit softer. I tested the 143s but I don‘t recall how they did in comparison. Both Scenars and ELDs shoot very well for me. Don’t overthink this, almost any bullet listed here is going to be fine for deer.

 

[JasonCO]

I use the 156EOL, in my back-up 6.5CM rifle. Haven't had the need to use it yet on game...yet.
Peterson SRP, RL17, Fed Match, 2655fps, 24" Savage 10BA.

 

[JGRaider]

I find the Scenar to be a bit tougher than the Berger and ELDM's. My performance has been like the one described above, getting quarter sized exits.

 

[Stalker69]

You guys talking scenar L bullets ?

 

[Kimber7man]

You guys talking scenar L bullets ?

Standard Scenar
6.5mm 139 grain

 

[TX_Diver]

Standard Scenar
6.5mm 139 grain

Aren't the Ls the same just additional quality control or something?

 

[Mike D Texas]

That is awesome!!

This thread makes a pretty compelling argument for the ELD-M bullets... Would need to decide 140 of 147gr... It also makes it sound like they get messy on the close shots w/ meat damage and I'm not a LR hunter by any means...

Anyone using Hornady ELD Match for LR hunting?

I don't want to debate if we should or not. Just want to know if anyone has any first-hand experience with them on animals?

www.rokslide.com

Still a little torn between that or the ELD-X or Berger classic or Elite Hunter. For the price I don't think the nosler's are where I want to go.

Would be curious to @Formidilosus opinion as I think he'd posted recently about the ELD-Ms also but I can't find it now? Also this rifle will likely wear a SWFA 3-15 until I find a good deal on the 3-9. Loving the .223 w/ SWFA 6x!

The Nosler Accubond is a proven long term killer and you don’t have to worry about them coming apart on close up shots.

Another tried, true and often overlooked game Bullet is the Nosler Partition.

I’ve seen a few mention of a certain bullet just penciling through game. I’m over 40 years of hunting medium game, with a large gamut of calibers and bullets I can say that I have never seen this happen with a hunting Bullet. Only time I’ve ever had it happen personally was shooting 220SMK out of a 300 BLK.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Kimber7man]

Aren't the Ls the same just additional quality control or something?

Yes. In 6.5 the L is 136 grains. Not a lot of reports on that one. I‘ve only used that bullet once, on an antelope at 235 yards. Worked fine.

 

[PRC_GUY]

did you try Hammer 124 gr?

 

[thinhorn_AK]

did you try Hammer 124 gr?

As much as I have liked the 127g barnes LRX, the 124g hammers shoot so well out of my tikka that I have been leaning towards going that route. I actually ordered a few hundred of them the other day.

 

[NevadaMike]

Precision Hunter 143 ELD-X. I used it for the first time this week on a small deer somewhere around 25 yards. It was a broadside shot. I worried after all the stories here but the buck dropped right there with about a 1.5 to 2 inch exit between the ribs. I had read about the pencil holes and the deer running off with no blood trail but my sample group did not turn out like that thankfully. I do not reload yet and my Fierce loves the factory 143 ELD-X.

 

[Juan_ID]

Not near as much experience as some others but we have shot the 147 eldm pretty much exclusively since I got the tikka 6.5. They seem to shoot great both factory and reloads, my wife has killed 3 bull elk and 1 mule deer buck with them in the last 2 years. I think about trying something different from time to time but have yet to really have much reason to…

 

[Seeknelk]

I'd pick a 139gr Scenar over anything Hornady personally. They are easy to load develop, and have performed beautifully on loads of hogs, deer, etc.

Have you ever used the 136 scenar L at CM type velocities on game? Hope it's great since I bought 600 to try