What 6.5cm factory ammo for hunting

[DEW0341]

Wondering what 6.5cm factory ammo people are using for hunting specifically on mule deer. I used the 140amax last year and destroyed the front left quarter of the small bodied socal buck I killed (158lbs with guts). Love how the round shoots but I think I would like to find something else even though I have a few boxes of it left. I bought a couple boxes of 143 ELD-X's to try out as well as the new 129 interlock American whitetail boxes. Curious to hear what other people are using?
The Deer I killed with the 140gr amax

The destruction on entrance

Exit hole

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[Ndbowhunter]

If it was me, I'd neck shoot that deer and not worry bout change.

 

[hodgeman]

You need a tougher bullet...everything you list is on the soft side and generally for long range shooting.

How far are you shooting? If it's under 500yds- stick a TTSX or an Accubond in that thing and get after them.

 

[ianpadron]

Less work to make burger meat, keep shootin what you got...

If I had a 6.5 Creed I'd be zappin those 120 grain Hornady SSTs out at 3000fps. Some guns like the Superformance stuff, others hate it so YMMV

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[WestNE]

To me, one of the most attractive aspects of the 6.5CM is the fact that it's moderate velocity gets the most out of a lot of traditional cup and core bullets that have gained reputations of destroying meat in magnum calibers. Last year I shot this very large bodied muley through both lungs with factory Nosler 140gr Ballistic Tips. Very little meat damage, liquified lungs, half dollar exit, and a very dead deer 15 feet away. The same could be said for SST's, most non-bonded soft points, etc.

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[Shooter19802003]

I also like the sst, wife shoots them in her 7-08. Thinking of going mono though. Also looking at partitions.....still not sure.

 

[luke moffat]

Have only had my 6.5 Creedmoor since February so my experience is extremely limited and only to two caribou.

Both shot with a 143 ELDX Hunter Precision factory.



A large bull caribou at 250 yards that the exited with about half dollar sized exit hole and ran 10 yards and tipped over.


A smallish cow caribou at 180 yards....DRT.


Thus far pretty impressed and say it works just as well as the TTSXs, Accubonds, Sciroccos, Core Lokt, Partitions and more than I have used in the past. Guess I have been lucky in that I have really haven't had a bullet "fail" mainly cause they all poke holes in the lungs and then they die. IMO they all work if you put them in the right place. I will certainly continue to use them in this gun.

 

[5MilesBack]

Only one shot at an animal with the 6.5CM so far, and that was my daughter's small whitetail doe at 375 yards last December. It was the Hornady factory 143gr ELD-X. Shot was just a little back, so nothing but ribs for bones and we found the core and jacket just inside the offside hide separated. The deer died, but I expect more from the bullets I shoot.......especially on a little tiny doe.

I'm going to load up some lightweight TTSX's and see how they shoot in this gun.

 

[cooperjd]

i'll be ordering and hopefully testing out prime ammo 130gr offerings.

 

[Mtslackcountry]

I bought a case of the prime 130's and it shoots .25 moa out of my tikka 6.5. The few things I read about it is its not a good hunting bullet but I don't have anything substansial to report.

I will be shooting steel with mine and at $26 a box its dam good for the money

 

[DEW0341]

I couldn't help but buy some of the American whitetail hornady stuff I got it 15$ a box off selwayarmory.com. If it shoots near as good as the 140 amax I had I'll be carrying that into the woods this year I think



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[117d-rto]

Only one shot at an animal with the 6.5CM so far, and that was my daughter's small whitetail doe at 375 yards last December. It was the Hornady factory 143gr ELD-X. Shot was just a little back, so nothing but ribs for bones and we found the core and jacket just inside the offside hide separated. The deer died, but I expect more from the bullets I shoot.......especially on a little tiny doe.

I'm going to load up some lightweight TTSX's and see how they shoot in this gun.

Have you chronographed the factory stuff out of your rifle? I was disappointed to see mine doing mid 2650 out of a x-bolt with a 22" barrel. For hunting it'd prefer to see closer to 2800fps with my Creed, think I can get there with reloading and 130gr bullets.

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[DEW0341]

2730 out of my 22" savage


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[luke moffat]

2730 out of my 22" savage


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Wow that is impressive!!! I believe the box says it's 2700 fps which I have yet to get a rifle to shoot as fast as the box claims. My buddy's 22" Ruger Precision shoots them at 2570 fps range and my 24" Tikka shoots them at 2630 fps and my buddy's Ruger American Predator with 22" barrel averages 2600 fps. Both shoot the ammo 1/2" 5 shot groups and it is more than fast enough to kill caribou to atleast 250 yards which is the furthest I have seen mine kill something so far and still does first round hits on 12" plates at almost 1100 yards.

That said I reload the 143 eldx to just over 2850 fps. I would think if you are besting the factory ammo speed by 30 fps from a 22" barrel that is more than enough. Heck you are getting a full 100 fps faster with that ammo and your 22" than my 24" barrel if that held true you may be able to get 2900 fps or so from your speedy barrel.

 

[5MilesBack]

Have you chronographed the factory stuff out of your rifle? I was disappointed to see mine doing mid 2650 out of a x-bolt with a 22" barrel. For hunting it'd prefer to see closer to 2800fps with my Creed, think I can get there with reloading and 130gr bullets.

Ya, it was consistently upper 2790's with a few just over 2800. I have the Ruger FTW Hawkeye. 24" barrel, 1:8" twist.

I'm going to try to get the 120gr TTSX's up around 3000 or so.

 

[luke moffat]

Ya, it was consistently upper 2790's with a few just over 2800. I have the Ruger FTW Hawkeye. 24" barrel, 1:8" twist.

I'm going to try to get the 120gr TTSX's up around 3000 or so.

Wow you are getting 2800 fps from the 143 eldx load? I guess I have a bunch of slow barrels here. That or the Labradar reads slow? 170 fps difference with the same factory ammo and both 24" barrels. Amazing the differences!

Heck u are even besting hornady advertised claim of 2700 fps but 100 fps!! Pretty darn good

 

[5MilesBack]

Heck u are even besting hornady advertised claim of 2700 fps but 100 fps!! Pretty darn good

Hmmmm......I just read an article online where the writer posts an average of 2663fps out of his FTW rifle. Maybe my chrono is off, or......I was shooting in the middle of summer last year. Or perhaps I got some hot loads????? There are swipe marks on my brass, but the primers don't appear to be too flattened. I'll re-chrono the next time I'm at the range.

But I did set up my dope chart based on that 2800fps, and the 375 yard shot was spot on with elevation using the turrets.

 

[luke moffat]

Yeah I don't know strange. That said 375 range the difference between 2700 fps and 2800 fps is less than 1.5" difference so hard to say. Assuming there were even 1.5" (sub 1/2 MOA groups).

Lots of variables, just impressed by the velocity you got.

 

[DEW0341]

Wow that is impressive!!! I believe the box says it's 2700 fps which I have yet to get a rifle to shoot as fast as the box claims. My buddy's 22" Ruger Precision shoots them at 2570 fps range and my 24" Tikka shoots them at 2630 fps and my buddy's Ruger American Predator with 22" barrel averages 2600 fps. Both shoot the ammo 1/2" 5 shot groups and it is more than fast enough to kill caribou to atleast 250 yards which is the furthest I have seen mine kill something so far and still does first round hits on 12" plates at almost 1100 yards.

That said I reload the 143 eldx to just over 2850 fps. I would think if you are besting the factory ammo speed by 30 fps from a 22" barrel that is more than enough. Heck you are getting a full 100 fps faster with that ammo and your 22" than my 24" barrel if that held true you may be able to get 2900 fps or so from your speedy barrel.

I don't know why 2760 ran through my head, mine is 2640 with the 140 amax out of my 22" savage. Had to break out the ol notes I haven't looked at in a while. My fault


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[Boreal]

My Kimber Montana just didn't like the factory ELDX. Would not group well at all. Still good enough for five black tailed deer on Kodiak, so far. But need better accuracy for longer range than the 100 yard max I had on Kodiak. Reloaded the ELDX and managed to get good groups, with velocity at 2657.


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