I have been using my 6.5x55 Tikka for deer the last two seasons. Shot a buck at 75 yds and a doe at 175 yards the first year with 129gr. SST's. Buck was hit in the pocket behind the shoulder right through the heart. It ran about 50 yards before piling up. Very little blood on the ground and a dime sized exit hole. I shot the doe with the same bullet quartering slightly away. I broke the near shoulder and narrowly missed the far shoulder. She ran about 100 yards and had a quarter sized exit hole. Not a great amount of blood either.
I switched to 130gr. Barnes-X TSX at 2700fps last year and shot a buck at 35 yards. Hit just on the crease behind the shoulder. It ran about 100 yards before piling up. Also very little blood on the ground and a nickel to quarter sized hole.
I'm looking for more expansion and larger exit hole. Anchoring the deer where hit would also be nice. I will be using this rifle at woods ranges (35 to 100 yards max) and at moderate field ranges (200 to 500 yards). Any opinions on the 6.5mm 140gr. A-max for use on deer at 2700 to 2800fps? Any other thoughts on acceptable bullets for this cartridge and velocity range would also be appreciated. Thank you for your time. Hello to Carl Nye. Mark Varner
I switched to 130gr. Barnes-X TSX at 2700fps last year and shot a buck at 35 yards. Hit just on the crease behind the shoulder. It ran about 100 yards before piling up. Also very little blood on the ground and a nickel to quarter sized hole.
I'm looking for more expansion and larger exit hole. Anchoring the deer where hit would also be nice. I will be using this rifle at woods ranges (35 to 100 yards max) and at moderate field ranges (200 to 500 yards). Any opinions on the 6.5mm 140gr. A-max for use on deer at 2700 to 2800fps? Any other thoughts on acceptable bullets for this cartridge and velocity range would also be appreciated. Thank you for your time. Hello to Carl Nye. Mark Varner