Preferred Long Range 6.5 bullet.

[MallardAddict]

i know bullet selection is often preference so I am looking for everyone’s preferred 6.5 bullet. I have a 6.5 WSM enroute and plan to run 140gr bullets at 3200 fps. Main use will be deer and elk to 800 yds and steel to a mile.

Due to my uses I am leaning to a high BC projectile but know next to nothing about the 6.5 offerings.

Lots of guys like the eld series bullets and I have had good accuracy and good terminal effects with the .284 180 eld-m and the 212 eld-x over 500yds but haven’t shot any game with them under 200. My concern is how they will hold up based on muzzle velocity at 50-200 yds should I be presented with that shot.

I hear good things about the Berger vld’s But again it’s always long range stuff and not short to medium ranges where my concern lies.

Any insight or on game performance from 50-800 yds is appreciated.

 

[Rick Richard]

I have taken a couple of deer within 50 yards with the 140s in 6.5 Creed and they are devastating. I would not hesitate using them if I were you...just my opinion based on my experience.

 

[martinakl]

I'd look at the 147g, Hornady ELD-M. So far, I'm seeing positive results. Berger VLD like performance.

I'm doing a 6.5 PRC soon and plan to shoot the 147g ELD-M, if the 155g Berger Elite Hunters aren't out yet.

I've shot a deer up close (~50 yards)with the 6.5mm, 140 Berger, VLD hunting. They worked great. You could barley see the entrance hole but it destroyed the insides.

 

[L.Sherm]

I have shot deer and elk 250-890 with my 6.5WSM at 3200+ in a 26" barrel with 140VLD's i have been happy with the results. I'm running H1000 in mine but Rhovee had better luck with RL26 in a 24" that may be why the shorter barrel may have preferred a little faster powder.

 

[codyadams]

In my .260 AI I'm shooting the 140 VLD's at 3070 fps, and they work great. Have killed animals from 200 yards on out to 925, and at 200 they are still going 2840 fps. If you hit bone at close range, they still exit, just with a bigger hole, in my experience on deer and pronghorn. In this video they are all with my .260 AI except the pronghorn that runs 75-100 yards and flops over, and the pronghorn along the river bank where you hear my 7 year old nephew in the background, those are with a 7mm rem mag and 180 Berger VLD's.

On my bull elk you see in this video, it was 715 yards and just above center line right through the shoulder, hit the scapula on entrance side and just behind it on the exit, double lung hit, and the exit was silver dollar size, but the bullet was hanging in the hide in the exit hole. On another cow elk shot at 610 yards (not in the video) it was a heart shot, and the bullet left a silver dollar size exit, no bullet recovered. In the 20-25 animals I have shot or seen shot with my rifle, only one bullet has ever been recovered, and all of the animals went down like you see in this video.

 

[WeiserBucks]

140 Berger VLD has worked great for me . I no longer have a 6.5 , but if I get another one in the future I'm going straight back to old faithful.

 

[Sykes]

I've had great luck with Berger bullets
308 and 168 vlds took a whitetail at 330 yards and a black bear at 100
6.5 CM 140 vlds one cow elk 150 and my wife shot hers at 300
300wsm 185 vld cow elk 250 bull elk 350. All dead

 

[FURMAN]

I shot two whitetail does at 675yards with 147s at 2820fps out of a Creedmoor and the performance was great. Both deer ran less than 50 yards and the internals were mush.

 

[Greyfox]

JLK 140 VLD at 2985FPS out of my 6.5x284. Over 50 mule deer, whitetail, and antelope, to 1188 yards. Terminal performance is comparable to the Berger Hunting 140 Hunting VLD, but with a bit higher .323BC. Mostly DRT, with full penetration: 1 inch entrance, 2/3 inch exit. One of the few recovered bullets(inside hide on far, angle shoulder) with 60% weight retention: from a 500+ yard, very big bodied Alberta mule deer...DRT

 

[wyodeer]

I have shot several animals with the 140 vld out of a creed and they have worked great from 200 to 500 ish yards. Also shot a couple antelope last year with the 140 eld-m and performance was very good as well. One at 400 one at 430

 

[codyadams]

This was my 6.5 cal 140 Berger VLD after going through a bull elk at 715 yds. Hanging in the meat in the exit hole.

 

[North Idaho Hunter]

147 ELDM @ 2825 FPS, bull elk under 300 yards. shot in the thick part of the shoulder, exploded. did not penetrate to vitals.

140 ELDM @ 2725 FPS, mule deer buck. 300 yards, shot in thick part of the shoulder, exploded as well. did not penetrate to vitals.

If your hunting is consistently under 500 yards, I strongly - strongly advise you pick a tougher bullet. especially if you get shot opportunities that are less then perfect.

 

[Huckleberry75]

Swampy makes some great bullets.

JLK 140 VLD at 2985FPS out of my 6.5x284. Over 50 mule deer, whitetail, and antelope, to 1188 yards. Terminal performance is comparable to the Berger Hunting 140 Hunting VLD, but with a bit higher .323BC. Mostly DRT, with full penetration: 1 inch entrance, 2/3 inch exit. One of the few recovered bullets(inside hide on far, angle shoulder) with 60% weight retention: from a 500+ yard, very big bodied Alberta mule deer...DRT
View attachment 91820

 

[Huckleberry75]

I picked up some of the 140 Elite Hunters to try in my 6.5saum. Hoping to get around to that testing in the next couple of weeks.