6.5 Shooters Favorite Reload Bullet For Hunting Deer and Elk?

[bgbuck153]

156 Berger's out of my daughters PRC @ 2960. 600 yards last year on a mature doe. I feel performance should have been better but it all worked out and she dropped in her tracks. Not much meat bruising and narrow wound channel.
380 I think. Devastating to say the least. Massive bruising and hole. shot was quartering to.
35 yards on a mature large body buck. Broadside. Entered top of heart area and blew that apart and bullet expansion/explosion just shredded both lungs top to bottom and liver. Bullet did not exit but blew a hand size hole of ribs away as in my entire open hand went thru the ribs. Deer didn't go 20. Ive never ever seen a bullet destroy so much internally. I'm a bit blown back that it didn't exit at least some.

I'm loading up 139 scenars per my buddies suggestion and all the reviews for her Idaho elk hunt next fall in the sawtooth. I'm also loading 139 hammer hunters too. So which ever shoots bests gets to be in the hot seat.

 

[Biggergun]

in my 6.5 sherman la i shoot the barnes 127 lrx starline 270 and vv565 at 64gr and goes 3300 and killed 2 deer and a elk this year, deer were 396yds and the bullet went thru both scapulas, 2nd deer 312yds thru the neck looking at me full on..elk 412yds in the ribcage it knocked her down she got up took 2 steps and tipped over dead.

 

[General RE LEE]

2/2 with the 143 ELD-X Precision Hunter 6.5 Creedmoor. Both bucks spun in a circle and DRT.

 

[Joefrazell]

147 eldm

 

[docdempster65]

Hard to beat Nosler 142-grain AccuBond LR or --when/if you can
find it, new Norma 143-grain BondStrike bullet.

 

[Ga6570]

I Use both the 127 LRX with great results in the 6.5 Creedmoor, and 143 ELDX in the 6.5 PRC the LRX has my longest Elk kill at 603yrds 5years ago. Elk at 493 this year with the ELDX. Deer as close as 45yds to 337 this year with the ELDX. All one shot kills.

As I've said before, choose a bullet that shoots good/great. Practice with it. Be comfortable with it. You will kill with it IF you do your part! Shot placement matters!!

 

[Greyfox]

I have shot about 50 whitetail amd big bodied Canadian mule deer over the past 10 years using identically performing 140 Berger HVLD's and 142 JLK VLD's. Shots were from 150 to 998 yards, average for all about 450 yards. Most were DRT....about a half dozen down and dead within 50 yards. Driven at 2975-3010FPS with a 6.6x284. Recently tried the 156 Berger EOL on a couple of deer with similar results. No experience with Elk but have buddies that have had similar results to mine using the 140 Berger HVLDs to 600 yards.

 

[Tree Farmer]

Shot 2 doe this year with Berger 140 Elite Hunter in my PRC. Very accurate and both DRT. The first doe was 460 yds, complete pass through. The second was 140 yds and did not exit. I like 2 holes, so while lethal I don't plan on using that bullet next year. My wife shot a doe at 200 yds with a 130 Accubond. Ran 60 yds with complete pass through (always the case in my experience). I'll continue to load AB's and plan to experiment with something from Hammer. I'm looking for accuracy and reliable exit wound.

 

[Quintus]

100 grain Partitions before they were too light.
125 grain Partitions before they were too old.
130 HPBT Gamekings before they were too blunt
130 grain Accubonds, Tipped Gamekings, and Bergers VLD before THEY were too light
140 grain Accubond and Partiton both too old and low BC.
These have all been stellar performers on game in the .260, 264 WIN MAG, 6.5-06, 6.5x284N, 6.5Creed, 6.5 Swede, and 6.5PRC. I could not pick a favorite.

 

[corsair4360]

Nosler Partitions..... for hunting

 

[osok-1k]

I bought a Browning A-bolt II when the 6.5 Creed first came out, topped it with a Bushnell E-6500 2.5-16 and bought some Hornady 129 SST Superformance which was the only thing available that I could find. After boresighting, my first three to confirm were in the same hole at 100 (under 3/8"). I adjusted zero and went hunting. I've taken close to thirty deer from 120 to 170 lbs and the furthest anything went was about 20yds (heart shot) and that was from momentum as he was trotting after a doe. I started using the 143 Eld-x when it came out, a little less accurate in that gun but at .75 or better, it's plenty accurate for a hunting round. I've taken quite a few with that round as well and I don't think that one kills better that the other. DRT is DRT. I hunt for meat and I want as little meat damage as possible which is why most of my shots are head or neck which also adds to the DRT factor. I load for everything I shoot and I can't really improve on these factory loads in any practical, real world scenario. I can match them and maybe improve very slightly but I load mine just because I'm a little anal about things and I enjoy loading. If I were hunting an area where my shots were under 150, I would likely take my old Marlin 30-30 which shoots Lever-revolution under an inch at 100 and doesn't tear up everything as it does its thing. We all tend to over think what we're really wanting to accomplish while hunting (at least I do) and squeezing the absolute max velocity and accuracy on the bench is one thing, doing that in the field ain't happenin' and it doesn't matter anyway. If you can hit a target the size of an orange every time at every distance you plan to shoot and in each scenario (blind, stalking, supported and unsupported) then you will do well and be successful. If you can't you need to work on why and practice fundamentals, practice from your stand or blind, from a tree, from your shoulder, whatever you are faced with when actually hunting. Build confidence, be honest about your true capability and improve those things that make a real difference in the field. You'll be glad you did.

 

[big johnson]

130 gr. swift scirocco , reloader 17 or imr 4350

 

[wyodeer]

I have used 140 Berger hvld, 140 eldm, and 147 eldm
147 is out of a 6.5 ss at 3100 ish and is pretty explosive. I may try 150 smk if they shoot
The 140's were out of a creedmoor at around 2800 and have worked very well every time.
That is on one very big bear, 8-10 antelope, 3 whitetails and 2 big muleys. No elk, I use bigger rounds
The 147's were a big antelope and mule deer. Both were big holes and damage

 

[littlebighorn]

I'm shooting the 124g Hammer Hunter in my Creedmoor and my 6.5X284 with great success.
I'm currently playing with the 123g Absolute Hunter bullet but no results yet.