140 Berger 6.5mm VLD; 1800 fps expansion velocity

[Alan Griffith]

For elk, how hard and fast is the rule for reliable expansion where a VLD has to hit at or above 1800 fps?

Alan

 

[Korhil78]

I am not quite sure that I understand your question. Different 6.5mm cartridges will hit 1800 fps at different ranges. A 264 win mag will be at a much farther range than say a 260 when it drops to 1800 fps. A few more details would be helpful... Cartridge, muzzle velocity, etc.

 

[bigngreen]

I like to keep them above 1800fps, the 6.5 is a long bullet will not so much frontal area and it can take it a bit to open so I like to give it a bit better chance.

 

[Alan Griffith]

I am not quite sure that I understand your question. Different 6.5mm cartridges will hit 1800 fps at different ranges. A 264 win mag will be at a much farther range than say a 260 when it drops to 1800 fps. A few more details would be helpful... Cartridge, muzzle velocity, etc.

I don't believe a specific cartridge matters. Whether it leaves the muzzle at 2500 or 3500 fps. What matters is what distance the bullet travels down through 1800 fps or faster as bigngreen stated.

But for ***** and giggles, I'll throw out my 6.5x47 where the MV is 2845. If I shoot at an elk at 10000' elev and the temp is 30 F, I'm going to hit 1800 fps at about 1460 yds. That is using Berger's G7 .313 BC in an 8 twist barrel.

Alan

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

For elk, how hard and fast is the rule for reliable expansion where a VLD has to hit at or above 1800 fps?

Alan

Did you run your load threw a ballistic app? That's what you need to do. What you need to figure out is, at what point does your load drop below 1500 foot pounds of energy? That's your safety window regardless of fps, use that as a guide for killing power on elk.

 

[Alan Griffith]

Icanhithimman,

I use Shooter.

Sorry, I'm in the camp that does not believe is using Ft Lbs of Energy to judge wether or not a load is suitable to kill an elk.

Alan

 

[MontanaRifleman]

I agree with BnG. For a 6.5, I would like to see more than 1800 fps on elk and depending if you're talking cow or bull. I would really hesitate to shoot a mature bull with a 6.5 bullet going less than 2000 fps.

My personal preference lower end limitation is a 30 cal, 180 gr bullet @ 1800 fps or above (assuming the bullet opens @ 1800 fps) which comes out to 1300 ftlbs of energy. A bullet like that should easily penetrate both lungs and do sufficient damage to make a quick kill. I would probably not attempt a shot that would encounter heavy bone with a 180 gr bullet @ 1800 fps. I shy away from using KE as the indicator of what I can or cannot shoot. Elk come in a large size range of about 300 - 900 lbs so what might kill a 300 lb calf might not be a good choice for a large bull, and what might be good for a large buck deer might also be good for a cow or calf elk.

I look at the game animal, bullet caliber and size, bullet construction, bullet terminal characteristics and minimal opening velocity. it's probably a good idea to pad minimum opening velocity by a few fps.

 

[Korhil78]

I don't believe a specific cartridge matters. Whether it leaves the muzzle at 2500 or 3500 fps. What matters is what distance the bullet travels down through 1800 fps or faster as bigngreen stated.

But for ***** and giggles, I'll throw out my 6.5x47 where the MV is 2845. If I shoot at an elk at 10000' elev and the temp is 30 F, I'm going to hit 1800 fps at about 1460 yds. That is using Berger's G7 .313 BC in an 8 twist barrel.

Alan

I gotcha now. I didn't know exactly what you were asking at first. I thought you were asking at what distance does your gun drop to 1800 fps. But I see what you are asking now and I agree with what BnG said.