2021 Mule Deer

[lazyMlazyK]

I've heard a bit of good and bad about the terminal performance of the 143 ELD-X shot from a 6.5 Creedmoor, so I had to test it out for myself. This is the first blood shed by this rifle. Not a huge rack by any means, but no slouch either. Either way, it's meat for the freezer that will feed my family many times over, and making sausage and jerky in the winter keeps me from going stir crazy.

At 165 yards, the bullet threaded the ribs and sheared the top of the heart. A complete pass-through. I kind of wish it would have hit a rib on entry or exit so I could see what it would do, but at least it got the job done. The deer walked about 20 yards and piled up. Tracking from its bed, it looked like every other step you took a ketchup bottle and just squeezed a two foot long stripe of blood on the ground - thought that was pretty crazy. Entry was .264", exit was maybe a dime or quarter sized hole.

 

[Dub]

nice job!

 

[1raggedhole]

Nice work! Handload or factory?
I’m am excited to test the 123 sst on a muley next week in WY. Handload in my 6.5c, over 39.5 RL15. Pretty good bc (0.51). Flies nice. Would prefer a bonded bullet, but for some reason, can’t find them anywhere. Apparently everyone that owns a 6.5 decided to shoot bonded hunting bullets this year.

 

[lazyMlazyK]

Nice work! Handload or factory?
I’m am excited to test the 123 sst on a muley next week in WY. Handload in my 6.5c, over 39.5 RL15. Pretty good bc (0.51). Flies nice. Would prefer a bonded bullet, but for some reason, can’t find them anywhere. Apparently everyone that owns a 6.5 decided to shoot bonded hunting bullets this year.

Handload. Spent almost the last two years working on this load and tweaking and tuning for just a 165 yard shot

let us know how your hunt goes!!

 

[Chiquita]

How many pounds of meat does that yield?

 

[Caveman Jim]

Nice muley.

 

[WyleWD]

Nice work! Handload or factory?
I’m am excited to test the 123 sst on a muley next week in WY. Handload in my 6.5c, over 39.5 RL15. Pretty good bc (0.51). Flies nice. Would prefer a bonded bullet, but for some reason, can’t find them anywhere. Apparently everyone that owns a 6.5 decided to shoot bonded hunting bullets this year.

If you're successful, I doubt you'll be disappointed in the performance of the 123 SST on deer. Good luck!! And let us know how it goes. JME. WD

 

[Bill K]

I used the Barnes Vortex 120 SSTX bullet in my 6.5 Creed and put the bullet into the left front chest, just along side the left front leg, it took a portion of the heart and traveled back hitting and taking out 1/3 of the liver, then exited on the right flank, in front of the right rear leg, no bone hit, and no bullet recovery, total pass through.
Deer was angling towards me at approx 140 yrds. Dropped like a rock. Decent mule tail. Not a monster, but will fill the freezer with good eats.

 

[1raggedhole]

Handload. Spent almost the last two years working on this load and tweaking and tuning for just a 165 yard shot

let us know how your hunt goes!!

I’m curious about the load you have. My hells canyon speed seems to like the lighter bullets better than those 143s.

 

[choprzrul]

I've heard a bit of good and bad about the terminal performance of the 143 ELD-X shot from a 6.5 Creedmoor, so I had to test it out for myself. This is the first blood shed by this rifle. Not a huge rack by any means, but no slouch either. Either way, it's meat for the freezer that will feed my family many times over, and making sausage and jerky in the winter keeps me from going stir crazy.

At 165 yards, the bullet threaded the ribs and sheared the top of the heart. A complete pass-through. I kind of wish it would have hit a rib on entry or exit so I could see what it would do, but at least it got the job done. The deer walked about 20 yards and piled up. Tracking from its bed, it looked like every other step you took a ketchup bottle and just squeezed a two foot long stripe of blood on the ground - thought that was pretty crazy. Entry was .264", exit was maybe a dime or quarter sized hole.

Well done sir!

It makes me smile when you talk about all of the work we put in to get 1/2" groups and then have close shots in the field. Having the confidence is probably the most important part for me.

 

[Bill K]

Even tho many toot long range shooting and how they had to shoot their Elk/Deer, etc at over 700 yrds. By far the majority of game animals killed each year, I bet is still within the 200 yrds or less, that hunters have been killing in, for decades. But still nice to know your rifle can group a load beyond .

 

[lazyMlazyK]

How many pounds of meat does that yield?

Not as much as I had hoped. No damaged meat from the hunt. I was able to get 25 lbs. of ground plus the back straps and tenderloins as steaks. I didn't save the neck roast.

 

[GotRDid]

Well Done, Gentlemen!
Hope to share a success story of my own this weekend.

 

[Fast14riot]

Handload. Spent almost the last two years working on this load and tweaking and tuning for just a 165 yard shot

let us know how your hunt goes!!

Lol, I did the same thing with my hunting rifle. Several powder ladders, seating depth, long range testing. ES of <20, SD of 12, to shoot my deer at 30 yards!

 

[twdjr]

Congrats!

 

[lazyMlazyK]

Lol, I did the same thing with my hunting rifle. Several powder ladders, seating depth, long range testing. ES of <20, SD of 12, to shoot my deer at 30 yards!

Kind of frustrating, isn't it?! Gives a fella lots of confidence for those close-range shots though.