Wife bought me a new Savage!!

Any one who feels that bullets like the Sierra 6.5 120 gr are not adequate for deer. Here are horns from mature muley bucks over my last 11 seasons. All were one shot kills with the Sierra 120gr except
Horns%20001_zpsmpnc6zfg.jpg
for one shot with a Nosler 125gr partition.
 
The lighter bullets pretty much never do better with wind drift. They drop a little less, but we're talkin 11 inches difference at 600 yards, and only 5" at 400. At 400 to 600 yds, you have to hold over or dial with either of them, so 5 more clicks at 400 or 8 more clicks at 600 don't mean much. But, the 5-11 inches less of drop at 400-600 in trade off for more wind drift and less energy on target may be worth it for some people.

As far as wind drift, which is generally more important than drop for longer range shooting, because wind is the part your guessing, where as distance is exactly quantifiable by a rangefinder, the heavier high bc bullets will do better. You also have significantly more energy with the heavier bullets for hunting. Like 360 ft.lbs more at 400 and over 400 ft.lbs more at 600. By 600 yards the 100 grain bullet drops under 1000 ft.lbs of energy.

If your hunting deer and hogs, I wouldn't recommend going lighter than 130 with a lead core bullet. A mono, that is something else I won't go into ha ha. If your hunting rock chucks, prarie dogs, coyotes or other varmints and want the best sub 400 yard trajectory with the least holdover and most explosiveness, that is where the lighter bullets work better.

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Your velocities for 140 is considerably high. You are running about 50-75 fps under normal max velocites with the 100 grn bullet. I would call that realistic for handloading to drop down a little to catch the high node. Now do the same with the 140 and plug 2650 into the velocity and see the difference.
 
Stick with the 140. The down range velocity will be maintained with the heavier bullet and better BC's. I couldn't disagree more about using a 100 gr or 120 gr bullet. Not to mention the ability to push through the wind. I shoot mine sub MOA with 140 Berger VLD hunting bullets and it's money from a 100-700 meters and further.
He said that he is limiting it to 500 yds so most of what you said will be cleared up with any ballistics program as codyadams did above. If you run it with more realistic numbers and only look at 500 yds and less you will see what I was talking about.
 
The only advantage I have ever found is for sub 400 yard coyote hunting. Many times you don't have time to range and dial, you just have to estimate range and take the shot. At sub 400 wind is not a huge deal usually, but being able to aim on fur and send a round within 10 seconds is, so my 22-250 shot 40 grain v-max's at 4150 fps for a while. I zeroed at 350 yards, and it was within 4" above or below of POA out to 400 yards, a laser like that was deadly on coyotes.

Shooting prarie dogs outside 400 though was much more challenging. Wind blew that poor little bullet all over the place and if there was any at all, made hits at 400-600 yards completely inconsistent, and more luck than anything. Past 600 just wasn't very practical for it, even in light winds. That is why I am rebarreling to a tight twist 22-250 AI :)
Shooting at the rest of the group of pigs while they run away is another reason I told him to look into lighter bullets. No time to dial those shots either.
 
Your velocities for 140 is considerably high. You are running about 50-75 fps under normal max velocites with the 100 grn bullet. I would call that realistic for handloading to drop down a little to catch the high node. Now do the same with the 140 and plug 2650 into the velocity and see the difference.
Sorry, but you are completely incorrect. The data I used was directly from hogdons reloading data, I used the fastest data for both a 140 and a 100 that was listed. And actually gave the advantage to the 100, as the 140 data was 19 fps faster then I listed, if you want to get picky. You may be able to get faster with a 100, but you can get equally more velocity with a 140. So, my point still stands.
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Shooting at the rest of the group of pigs while they run away is another reason I told him to look into lighter bullets. No time to dial those shots either.
And to this point, you would already be dialed for the range from your first shot, or have the proper holdover established. Your still less energy and more wind drift with the lighter bullet.
 
Any one who feels that bullets like the Sierra 6.5 120 gr are not adequate for deer. Here are horns from mature muley bucks over my last 11 seasons. All were one shot kills with the Sierra 120gr except
Horns%20001_zpsmpnc6zfg.jpg
for one shot with a Nosler 125gr partition.
No one is saying a 120 won't kill deer, that is just silly. People are just saying a 140 class bullet does it with more energy and less wind drift.
 
My personal experience hunting deer & elk here in SW Colorado has been that the over whelming amount of game I have taken has been at 200yds or under.. I don't see how any one can correctly dope the wind across a canyon. There are no wind flags. You have up drafts & down drafts, wind sheer. You can have multiple cross winds in varying directions & velocities. This is where animals are wounded & lost. Hunter ethics seem to disappear when game is sighted regardless the range.
 
Sorry, but you are completely incorrect. The data I used was directly from hogdons reloading data, I used the fastest data for both a 140 and a 100 that was listed. And actually gave the advantage to the 100, as the 140 data was 19 fps faster then I listed, if you want to get picky. You may be able to get faster with a 100, but you can get equally more velocity with a 140. So, my point still stands.
View attachment 129635 View attachment 129636
That data is not for the same bullets you used to do the graphs. Even hornady's factory ammo in the 140 eldm is listed at 2710 fps. That info also doesn't agree with my nosler manual or hodgdon reloading magazine for the 140 grn bullet.
 
And to this point, you would already be dialed for the range from your first shot, or have the proper holdover established. Your still less energy and more wind drift with the lighter bullet.
Pretty hard going if you are set up right and they come out 50-100 yds away and then run 200-400 yds away while still being shot at as I habe seen pigs do more than once.
 
That data is not for the same bullets you used to do the graphs. Even hornady's factory ammo in the 140 eldm is listed at 2710 fps. That info also doesn't agree with my nosler manual or hodgdon reloading magazine for the 140 grn bullet.
Your grasping at straws now. Pretty much everyone that loads for a 6.5 creed can get a 140 to 2800 or more with at least one powder.
 
That data is not for the same bullets you used to do the graphs. Even hornady's factory ammo in the 140 eldm is listed at 2710 fps. That info also doesn't agree with my nosler manual or hodgdon reloading magazine for the 140 grn bullet.
2700 fps is not pushed that hard for the creed. With hornady brass and a 140 2850 is pretty easy to obtain or faster depending on the powder you use with 24in and 26in barrels. Heck even my fathers 22in hits 2800 or better. The point is nobody says a 120 wont kill deer. They just dont have anything over the 140. Energy goes to 140, wind drift, and Sectional density.
 
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