Performance of 6.5 SS and 140gr Cutting Edge bullets.

[Outlaw6.0]

I use Hornady & Nosler brass in a couple of short action cartridges. Given a choice, i'll take the Hornady. Not quite as consistent maybe but stronger IMHO. The Norma brass I use in the 6.5WSM is pretty dern consistent but kinda soft compared to the Hornady Lazzeroni brass I use IMHO (keeps me out of trouble I guess ).

Hornady has stepped up their game, hats off to them. I'm not trying to say Norma/Nosler is bad because it's not. Just stating my preference in the short action & short mag cartridges.

Mark,

I think you will see a lot less fouling in your new custom barrels. I've had good accuracy with factory barrels but have always gotten more fouling. I'd like to hear your results when you get a chance to share.

Where are you with getting your new rigs put back together?


t

 

[MontanaRifleman]

I use Hornady & Nosler brass in a couple of short action cartridges. Given a choice, i'll take the Hornady. Not quite as consistent maybe but stronger IMHO. The Norma brass I use in the 6.5WSM is pretty dern consistent but kinda soft compared to the Hornady Lazzeroni brass I use IMHO (keeps me out of trouble I guess ).

Hornady has stepped up their game, hats off to them. I'm not trying to say Norma/Nosler is bad because it's not. Just stating my preference in the short action & short mag cartridges.

Mark,

I think you will see a lot less fouling in your new custom barrels. I've had good accuracy with factory barrels but have always gotten more fouling. I'd like to hear your results when you get a chance to share.

Where are you with getting your new rigs put back together?


t

Tyler,

Still gotta get them to the smith

I'll will post results when I get them back and shooting... hopefully they are good results

 

[Outlaw6.0]

Tyler,

Still gotta get them to the smith

I'll will post results when I get them back and shooting... hopefully they are good results

You're killing me smalls! Some times I think i'm more excited about them than you are


t

 

[MontanaRifleman]

You're killing me smalls! Some times I think i'm more excited about them than you are


t

Yeah, yeah I know

Heck, I'm gonna have a busy fall and might be lucky enough to get a week of hunting in. Gotta a couple of months of work up in Medicine Lake to do. I should take a rifle with me!

 

[elkaholic]

Man, I sure wish they'd make a quick run of 6.5 SS brass...

Do yall know if RCBS can make dies for it? Or is it still a completely custom die thing?

I have a deal with Whidden to produce custom dies. They are top quality bushing/micrometer set that I can get in two months......Rich

 

[elkaholic]

The 300 SAUM Norma brass is working out GREAT for me! The primer pockets stay very tight and the brass is very consistent and easy to work. Also, it holds an extra 1 1/2 grains over the Rem case. Go figure? I have been thinking about producing headstamp brass but need to have enough interest. Maybe after seeing some of the results from this sweet little case that thinks it BIG and fits nicely in a short action, who knows.......Rich

 

[royinidaho]

Kinda looks like about next spring Rhian will be sticking one of those things together for me.

That's my indication of interest.

 

[bigngreen]

Well I tacoed a 5 point bull last evening at 820 yards with one CE 140 to the neck, just got him in the freezer but I'll have to get to a computer to get the pics and details up. I did not get a bullet but there are some interesting details on bullet performance that I'll let the pixs show.

 

[elkaholic]

Well I tacoed a 5 point bull last evening at 820 yards with one CE 140 to the neck, just got him in the freezer but I'll have to get to a computer to get the pics and details up. I did not get a bullet but there are some interesting details on bullet performance that I'll let the pixs show.

Congrats on a good shot and some tasty meat! I can't wait to see the "lack of bullet evidence" I think you scared him and he fell off a cliff!......rich
By the way; don't you know you can't kill an elk with a little cartridge like that!

 

[elkaholic]

Kinda looks like about next spring Rhian will be sticking one of those things together for me.

That's my indication of interest.

We would love to have you on board Roy!!.......Rich

 

[bigngreen]

Impact velocity was 2160 fps with 1450 ft lbs of energy. The bullet turned and what I thought was a hole from a horn on the top of the neck was the exit, so it bored a hole that turned up 90 degrees through a vertebrae and did not break the neck.

 

[elkaholic]

Impact velocity was 2160 fps with 1450 ft lbs of energy. The bullet turned and what I thought was a hole from a horn on the top of the neck was the exit, so it bored a hole that turned up 90 degrees through a vertebrae and did not break the neck.

Wow! Does it appear that the bullet didn't expand? It sure sounds that way.
You must have hit close enough to the spinal cord that it paralyzed him.....Rich

 

[barnesuser28]

See Rich! You cant kill elk with a 6.5 at long range! The bullet just bounces right off! JK, need to nail one with an annealed 160 Matrix!

 

[bigngreen]

Picture time! This was a great end to a very nice day, got him put away in the freezer and I documented all the weights and took a lot of processing pics! The bullet impact was within an inch of where my point of aim was, I normally don't neck shoot but I kinda wanted to drop him so he didn't drop of into a bad place and he was standing about 40 feet from two track so he was standing right where it was perfect to load him. Also wanted to get the 140 gr Cutting Edge bullet on a hard spot to see how it did with a hard hit in the bone. I'll try to smoke a cow behind the shoulder to see how it performs in a much softer hit with more hydraulic action.

First a real poor hero shot but I was getting dark fast so we were kind of in a hurry to get the insides out.



Second picture is a 6.5 SS round in his right hoof print and where his front feet were when we got to him, he travel vertical!!



Bullet exit angle indicated by chain saw file in the bullet hole coming up from the center of the spine which exited the top of his neck. Picture from the of side.



Dad spent quite a while taking this neck apart to find the bullet path, it only broke a couple small bones of when it hit his neck square on from the side, then it turn up through the center of the spine through the spinal cord and out the top with about a quarter size hole in the meat on exit the hole through the bone was about 3/8th of an inch and the hide had two 6.5 holes, with very little blood shot.
His neck was not broken, I can't say that the bullet opened or not, I found no bullet frag and I looked very hard and none through the spine, my opinion is it did not open and turned into a banana but it's a dead elk and no bullet recovered to give us the facts so you can make your guess as to what the bullet did!

You can see the bullet path indicated by yet more chain saw files.