Best 6.5 CM Hunting Bullet for Moderate Long Range Distances

[snox801]

I agree, but I'm really just trying to cover 0 - ~500yards. Were I trying to go farther than that, I would be looking at something bigger and/or faster. But I think the 6.5 creedmoor has enough horsepower for out to 500 yards (on medium big game). The only issue is that I'm skeptical about lead-free monolithics when you start getting into the long end of that range.

Ok like feenix said the more we get into it the more we find out your needs.
This last post is perfect example.
For your stated distance of 500 yards have absolutely zero fear of a mono the added speed will offset any bc shortage.
500 is very easily doable and well within the bullets designed parameters.
That goes for about any mono out at this time.
You should be well above any min FPS needed to open and carry plenty of energy at 500. I have killed some what are considered tough animals over 500 with mine and the 124 hammer. They had plenty in f power left to give complete pass through while hitting both shoulder and leave a nice 1.5" exit on audad and pigs at that distance.
So I would have to think most monos would have the same performance.
I personally chose the hammers based on some of your concerns about distance. They are a bit softer metal than Barnes and cutting edge.

 

[Csbc4fun]

I can only add from personal experience with precision Hunter 143 ELDX not knowing all the number jargon. Mule deer 155" 4x4 one and done at 275 with major heart trauma. Elk at 475 layer down and started pawing at the sky, another heart problem. Found the whole bullet stuck in the hide on the exit side. Pigs dont really count as I don't think the bullet makes any difference when they get hit an inch below their ear. Worked for me.

 

[JMW67]

Why not just load up the 123 absolute hammer at 3100 to 3200 fps and never look back at 500 and under. This combo at 3150fps at sea level will still be running close to 2000 fps with approx 1075 ft lbs of energy at 600 yards so 500 would not present a problem at all Talk to Hammer Bullets there are some companies loading their bullets at this time

 

[Hoss Smith]

For loaded ammo:
Federal Fusions if you can find them. SPS has 140 Partition seconds.

Not high, but decent BC with the proven terminal performance you're looking for.

I second the SPS 140 partitions also the accubond

 

[Hard rock]

Nope, great bullet but it is not the best.
Wildrose had it right it's good at distance but up close it very soft. Hit the shoulder of an elk good luck. I take lots and lots of game every year and my main bolt rifle is my creedmore. I've shoot both hornady 143,147. Hammers are simply much better at everything but paper and steel.
Each bullet has a min FPS they open at. If you take that number and run them through your app you find that the bc means nothing.
In fact both my 124gr hammer hunter and my 123gr absolute have a farther functioning distance when using lowest FPS for bullet. I think that's a far way to judge the effective range. 143 has more energy at the max range but that means nothing if the bullet doesn't open.

If I was going too shoot hammers and was worried about the minimum 1800 fps impact velocity I would use the 109 gr absolute and drive it 3300 plus I'm getting 3722 fps from my prc , so I think you should be able too get a load for that bullet from a custom load . It would take a little research if you don't load but is doable . The OP also stated he did not want a fragmenting lead bullet and said he might drop the idea of a long range lead bullet . The 109 hammer would work good in the Creed if you could find a custom loader too load it. Good luck

 

[Pacecount]

I shoot 143 gr ELDX through a 22" barrel but I really don't hunt anything bigger than deer with it. If you double lung em they die.

 

[Shawn Carverelli]

I shoot a gas gun(s) 6 and 6.5 cm. Both shoot the eld-x very well

 

[WildRose]

Thanks but I'm asking for a LEAD option that will out-perform the lead-free loads that I have at longer distances.

Hornady ELD-X, Nosler Accubond, or Accubond LR.

Any of those three will meet your needs, just figure out which will shoot best for you.

 

[WildRose]

What part of his needs won't it meet.
He laid out parameters and I have responded with data.
The bc will be irrelevant if the FPS drops below min for expansion. Since he is looking for a hunting bullet not a target it indeed does.
As stated above I posted that in fact both loads of hammers I use stay above min FPS just a touch farther than those of the 147 Hornady. I've played with the numbers for Berger's also and in the creedmore you simply can't get enough speed to make the bc relevant for hunting.

We tend to get overly focused on bc's here quite frequently.

In truth as long as it's a pointed bullet rather than a RN or RNFP BC isn't that big of a factor inside of 600yds.

Even beyond that range my major focus is on terminal performance as I can account for all the variables affecting a bullet in flight and adjust for them.

What I can't change or control is how a given bullet is going to perform at a given impact velocity so that is where my focus is.

I can adjust my expectations and intended POI based on how a bullet is designed but I have to accept how it will perform terminally based on the range/impact velocity. I want the most predictable terminal performance I can find above all else.

 

[WildRose]

I'll add that last night I was reading some magazine put out by Federal. It's pretty clear that they think I should be using either their Accubond load or their Terminal Ascent, which they say is the "holy grail" for what I'm looking at. It's just marketing so I take it for what it is. But I find it interesting that no one mentions the Terminal Ascent bullet.

It appears Federal Ceased Production of the TA bullets and has not come up with a replacement as yet.

They spent a lot of money marketing them for the rollout and then they just seem to have disappeared just as quickly.

You can still occasionally find some Federal Premium Ammo loaded with them but I've never been able to find the bullets themselves available either from Federal Directly or any retailer.

The Accubond LR, Accubond, or Hornady ELD-X are where I'd point you in no particular order although you can count on more expansion at lower speeds with the LR and ELD-X than the original Accubond.

I have shot truck loads of Accubonds and Hornady Interbonds over the last forty years and as long as you put them where they'll do the most good they won't fail you. I prefer to put them through the Shoulder and spine for an instantaneous DRT result.

Put them solely through soft tissue and they don't expand as well but if you put them through the top of the heart/lungs nothing is going to run more than fifty yards with the possible exception of a really large hog. They just have an unbelievable will to keep going far beyond any other game animal I've shot or seen shot.

 

[MoreSalsa]

Ok like feenix said the more we get into it the more we find out your needs.
This last post is perfect example.
For your stated distance of 500 yards have absolutely zero fear of a mono the added speed will offset any bc shortage.
500 is very easily doable and well within the bullets designed parameters.
That goes for about any mono out at this time.
You should be well above any min FPS needed to open and carry plenty of energy at 500. I have killed some what are considered tough animals over 500 with mine and the 124 hammer. They had plenty in f power left to give complete pass through while hitting both shoulder and leave a nice 1.5" exit on audad and pigs at that distance.
So I would have to think most monos would have the same performance.
I personally chose the hammers based on some of your concerns about distance. They are a bit softer metal than Barnes and cutting edge.

So I'd love to believe I could just stick with a mono for the longer ranges, but it's stuff like this that makes me think that I might be pushing it when I get to a certain distance that is likely well short of 500 yards: https://forum.nosler.com/threads/monometal-expansion.29316/

What I see is marginal expansion at around 2000 fps. On my box of LRXs, it lists the sea-level 500y velocity at 1928 fps, and I'm guessing that velocity is higher than what I'd actually get out of my 24'' barrel. I have not looked at the hammers, but this seems to be the pretty consistent feedback for TTSX, GMX, and LRX monos.

On the other hand, it seems like I could reasonably expect a lot (or at least a little) more from lead bullets like the Accubond LR or ELD-X at even sub-2000 fps velocities. In fact, the next pic down in that posting seems to suggest this.

If I'm missing something, please let me know.

 

[WildRose]

So I'd love to believe I could just stick with a mono for the longer ranges, but it's stuff like this that makes me think that I might be pushing it when I get to a certain distance that is likely well short of 500 yards: https://forum.nosler.com/threads/monometal-expansion.29316/

What I see is marginal expansion at around 2000 fps. On my box of LRXs, it lists the sea-level 500y velocity at 1928 fps, and I'm guessing that velocity is higher than what I'd actually get out of my 24'' barrel. I have not looked at the hammers, but this seems to be the pretty consistent feedback for TTSX, GMX, and LRX monos.

On the other hand, it seems like I could reasonably expect a lot (or at least a little) more from lead bullets like the Accubond LR or ELD-X at even sub-2000 fps velocities. In fact, the next pic down in that posting seems to suggest this.

If I'm missing something, please let me know.

You aren't.

Just keep in mind that the Accubond LR and ELD-X will not perform optimally with high velocity impacts. The Accubond LR is too soft and will deform often in unpredictable and undesireable ways and the ELD-X is likely to fragment and separate from the jacket. In the case of the latter as long as you put it in the right spot you should have a clean kill but in the case of the Accubond LR it may fail to penetrate deeply before spinning off at odd angles missing the vitals.

For ideal performance you really need to consider the ranges you're most likely to use them at.

Another Option is the SST which is designed to penetrate the body cavity and fragment violently. At high velocity that tends to make for huge holes and lots of ruined meat but at lower impact velocities they are very effective. They also have high BC's and tend to be very accurate so that's another option you might want to consider.

 

[snox801]

So I'd love to believe I could just stick with a mono for the longer ranges, but it's stuff like this that makes me think that I might be pushing it when I get to a certain distance that is likely well short of 500 yards: https://forum.nosler.com/threads/monometal-expansion.29316/

What I see is marginal expansion at around 2000 fps. On my box of LRXs, it lists the sea-level 500y velocity at 1928 fps, and I'm guessing that velocity is higher than what I'd actually get out of my 24'' barrel. I have not looked at the hammers, but this seems to be the pretty consistent feedback for TTSX, GMX, and LRX monos.

On the other hand, it seems like I could reasonably expect a lot (or at least a little) more from lead bullets like the Accubond LR or ELD-X at even sub-2000 fps velocities. In fact, the next pic down in that posting seems to suggest this.

If I'm missing something, please let me know.

Your are not wrong to believe that. Hence why hammers are so popular.
I stopped using Barnes for that same reason.
they are made of vastly different metals and are designed to works in completely different ways.
Same for cutting edge. They are both designed to lose the frontal portion of the bullet and mushroom like Barnes.
You can't lump them all In together just like you can't cup core. Much different designs and metals used.
Take it from a guy who has taken hundreds of game animals a year for a while with lots of different bullets and lots past 500. It's very rare I use anything but a hammer now.
When they state 1800fps that means it will work as intended at 1800. That's means it will lose the front have of the bullet. I have gotten the same performance from the 124gr hammer at 200 as I have at 600. Nothing goes much past 30-40 yards after hit.

 

[MoreSalsa]

Your are not wrong to believe that. Hence why hammers are so popular.
I stopped using Barnes for that same reason.
they are made of vastly different metals and are designed to works in completely different ways.
Same for cutting edge. They are both designed to lose the frontal portion of the bullet and mushroom like Barnes.
You can't lump them all In together just like you can't cup core. Much different designs and metals used.
Take it from a guy who has taken hundreds of game animals a year for a while with lots of different bullets and lots past 500. It's very rare I use anything but a hammer now.
When they state 1800fps that means it will work as intended at 1800. That's means it will lose the front have of the bullet. I have gotten the same performance from the 124gr hammer at 200 as I have at 600. Nothing goes much past 30-40 yards after hit.

Okay, makes sense. I was focusing on your statement "500 is very easily doable and well within the bullets designed parameters. That goes for about any mono out at this time."

I'll definitely take a look at the Hammers if I can get a hold of some. Seems like Accubond LR and ELD-Xs (and maybe GDSP) are also worth a run through the rifle to see how they shoot. It will probably be dictated by availability. I've pretty much ruled out SSTs due to frag issues but I'll revisit them as well.