6.5 PRC as a ELR antelope cartridge?

[codyadams]

I have spent some time with the 153 a-tip working on expansion and seeing how they will hold together. running them between 2975-3050 in my 6.5 prc and expansion is not reliable only 2 out of 20 ever expanded even shooting through milk jugs filled with water. they penciled through the first and started to tumble in second and recovered from dirt mound the were bent and flat depending how they hit the mound but not expanding. the 2 that exploded the milk jugs looked like 143 eldx would.
even know they are very accurate I wont be using them for hunting

testing was done at 100 yds. as distance increases and velocity slows it will get worse

This was my concern....it's not an animal, but I have never seen a reliably expanding bullet used for hunting NOT expand on milk jugs unless the range was extreme (beyond the bullets usable/recommended velocity). I am hoping that Barbour creek does a thorough ballistics gel test on this bullet soon to confirm one way or another.

An issue may be that if the bullet does tumble, people are likely going to misinterpret that as expansion, if a bullet tumbles inside an animal it will likely do a large amount of damage, and very possibly kill quickly and possibly even exit, especially on smaller game such as pronghorn and coyotes, which tend to be common terminal test animals for bullets. This will lead people to believe that it worked well, thus giving it a thumbs up, and then the unreliability of the bullet will eventually lead to pinholes and other issues.

 

[338 dude]

I have spent some time with the 153 a-tip working on expansion and seeing how they will hold together. running them between 2975-3050 in my 6.5 prc and expansion is not reliable only 2 out of 20 ever expanded even shooting through milk jugs filled with water. they penciled through the first and started to tumble in second and recovered from dirt mound the were bent and flat depending how they hit the mound but not expanding. the 2 that exploded the milk jugs looked like 143 eldx would.
even know they are very accurate I wont be using them for hunting

testing was done at 100 yds. as distance increases and velocity slows it will get worse

I agree and at 100 yards if it's not expanding forget about it any further this is a picture of my buddy we went to Wyoming on a DIY antelope hunt his shot was 783 yards I used Sierra match King 142 g blow up the picture and look right behind the front leg there is a tiny hole that's all it did through and through no expansion Look right in the shadow of the scope that is the entrance he didn't go far and bled a lot but no large exit

 

[codyadams]

Just FYI, I talked to someone at barbour creek today and they said in their ballistic gel testing, they worked at 300 yards but failed at 600 yards. I didn't get any further details. No video out yet that I can see.

I personally wouldn't use them. There are other good high bc options

 

[Litehiker]

CAN1010,
The is exactly the kind of info we need on various 6.5 PRC bullets. I wonder if the Hornady 147 gr. ELD-M would do on deer size game?

Eric B.

 

[Kimber7man]

Lots of game taken with the 147. The Atip is an answer for the long range competitive shooters trying to wring out that last 1/16"...

 

[Yeager]

So what is the difference in the terminal ballistics of the ELDM and the A-TIP? Are they not both basic target bullets? Just asking?

 

[Mach 1]

People put way to much emphasis on the "expanding bullet". At 1000yds the 6.5 prs is going about 1700 fps and has around 1020 foot pounds of remaining energy. I wouldn't be afraid of using the atips on antelope at that range. Place a good shot and it will be fine. If it's the best load you have for that rifle I'd use it and not overthink it.

 

[Bravo 4]

I couldn't disagree more.

 

[Mach 1]

I couldn't disagree more.

Lol I'm sure your not alone

 

[Greyfox]

I couldn't disagree more.

+1......recipe for an un-recovered animal.

 

[Mach 1]

+1......recipe for an un-recovered animal.

Lol. Anytime you take a 1000yrd shot on an antelope your cooking from a
Recipe for an unrecovered animal. If truly honest there are very few people here that aren't going to push past their respective limits for a trophy class animal. Lord
Knows I've lost my share of whitetails in the horrible and constantly changing Kansas wind.

 

[codyadams]

People put way to much emphasis on the "expanding bullet".

Like, state statute??

Majority of state regs I have seen require you to use an expanding bullet. I know the A-tip would likely not be ruled as a "non expanding" bullet by anyone, that is mostly reserved for FMJ's. Just saying that there is a reason that bullets NEED to expand to do proper damage to an animal. If no bone is hit to create secondary projectiles, the wound from a bullet that didn't expand would look very similar to a target tipped arrow wound. Which is also illegal for big game.

 

[Greyfox]

Lol. Anytime you take a 1000yrd shot on an antelope your cooking from a
Recipe for an unrecovered animal. If truly honest there are very few people here that aren't going to push past their respective limits for a trophy class animal. Lord
Knows I've lost my share of whitetails in the horrible and constantly changing Kansas wind.

Being "Truly Honest", and with all due respect, my take is that your advice and rational seems flippant. With a few dozen antelope shot, and seeing others shot by hunters over the years with a variety of calibers and bullet types, a 6.5( or even a 30) caliber non-expanding bullet can result in a long tracking endeavor, or lost animal, particularly at the longer ranges. Antelope can cover remarkably long distances before they succumb to a pencil sized hole, even through the major vessels. The terminal performance of the bullet is a critical factor in LRH. As for shooting game at long range, the knowledge, decision process, and skill to actually make an effective long range shot is perhaps a separate discussion.

 

[Bravo 4]

Lord
Knows I've lost my share of whitetails in the horrible and constantly changing Kansas wind.

Add bad judgment in equipment (wrong bullet) and shooter error (bad wind call) together and you have someone that doesn't need to be shooting animals at that distance (or maybe any) out of shear ignorance. The ignorance is not knowing better, but with the information out there today that is a moot point so I would call that stupid. Having seen Mach 1's previous posts in other threads I think he is neither ignorant nor stupid, I think maybe just being facetious. Although, I have been wrong before.