6.5 for deer...2600 fps <<< VS >>> 2800 fps...???
- Thread starter daniel brothers
- Start date
AckleymanII
Gold $$ Contributor
Shooting partner and I have been working up loads with the 6.5- 129g and 142g Nosler long range accubonds in 6.5x47L and 6.5 Creed. We got single bullet hole groups with both bullets, R#15(129) and AA4350(142). AA4350 performed better than H in both calibers.
I have shot 7 with a 6mm 105 HVLD out of a 6XC, 6 were hit right on the top of the shoulder joint all fell in their tracks. One I remember because it was a real tough shot shooting out of trees on a steep hill down across the top of a tree line back into some thick stuff. 410 Yards on the Lica but looked like 1K. hit right on the shoulder bone actually blew bone out the entrance hole shattered that shoulder and broke the off side shoulder and exited about a 50 cent piece hole. My buddy gut shot one about 520 Yards. I seen where it went into some timber and we lost it. waited about a hour then went to the last place I see it and went down hill about 50 yards and found her dead. That 105 went clean through about mid Gut did some damage. I shot one with a 150 HVLD 270 win perfect shot I even seen that bullet hit seen the puff of hair come off when it hit 210 Yards she ran the death circle. So did not go right down. But I would say if she ran straight maybe 20 yards. So I was not happy with that. I have seen first hand 7MM 140's 168 270 150 HVLD's by many other work DRT many times. There are say 6-7 maybe 8 or more that feel it Maybe one of the best whitetail bullets we have ever shot right up there with the Nosler Partition and the Hornady Interlock. I seen john Burns shoot through cow bones at 25 Yards and at 700 yards. They said the cow bones they got at the butcher shop are heavier and thicker than any bone on a ELK ,Now he used a 7mm 168 HVLD 3,100 FPS and it went through the cow bone and made a large wound channel.. They said the HVLD will penetrate several inches of what ever it encounters and then comes apart delivering it's energy. I have had good luck with them working as advertised. Now a lot of people dont like them and have had bad experiences. So shoot what you like but from what I have seen they work well.
Been shooting them at least 10 years now and still think they work as well as any thing we have ever used. Ah I did shoot one with a 6.5 140 HVLD DRT I think it was right at 400 Yards
Been shooting them at least 10 years now and still think they work as well as any thing we have ever used. Ah I did shoot one with a 6.5 140 HVLD DRT I think it was right at 400 Yards
Last edited:
I am not sold on the ELDX bullet yet. although I see one hit with a 7mm 162 and it went right down. they shot several more 3-4 more, I wasn't there but they all went DRT and different yardage. But Target shooting at some rocks at 980 Yards I found some jacket cups with no core in them. I thought the velocity should have been low at that distance and dont think the core should of separated at that range. I Think it's BS and that bullet is meant to come apart So I have them loaded in my 280AI and my 6XC so I will see if I can get a few wacked with them to see how well they do. but guy's I talked to using them have been happy.
It's sad that you can't just accept what I say as another truth from a guy with tons of been there and done that. I never said what you said wasn't true. The way you respond makes a guy like me who has a very knowledgeable opinion not want to bother when you respond like a woman and say shit like this.
That's some funny shit right there. I never post anything based on speculation and don't ever tell anyone what to use, just give some info based on personal experience.You're not the only one who has shot a few deer in their lifetime. I kill on permit for farmers (unlimited) as It appears you do also. No need to get pissy I always welcome help you can use whatever floats your boat come on out and see our method if it works it works.
Berger is only one brand off bullet I use, I've used and still use Nosler as you mention which are fine bullets. I suggest you take it up with Berrger maybe they will stop selling hunting bullets if you explain your concerns. But again based on experience I've found the 140 HVLD more effective than the 100 NBT you've used which is a rapid expanding bullet. I don't have any idea how one uses a 100 NBT on deer but has a problem with a 140 HVLD. I've personally used both and my experience appears to differ.
Last edited:
I believe that using target bullets for hunting came about with the ridiculous ultra-long-range hunting game. Pushing the limits made people think that they have to have mega-bc bullets to get there. That led to using target bullets. Now, there are some hunting bullets such as the ELDX that SUPPOSEDLY are better. I am not convinced yet. The bottom line in my eyes, is that shooting game at obscene ranges is not hunting, but more like shooting targets that suffer if you botch the shot. I have never been a fan of using target bullets for hunting, but started playing with the 147, because it was heavy-for-caliber. It has worked well and has blown through both shoulders of deer with relatively little damage to the small amount of meat that is on the shoulders anyway.
The thing that separates the "hunting" bullets, from "target" bullets, is the fact that they usually react consistently when penetrating deeply, or hitting bones. Target bullets can hold together like a bonded, or just unwind. You really never know and that is why deer is as large as I will go using them.
The thing that separates the "hunting" bullets, from "target" bullets, is the fact that they usually react consistently when penetrating deeply, or hitting bones. Target bullets can hold together like a bonded, or just unwind. You really never know and that is why deer is as large as I will go using them.
My impression is that a Berger is both a ballistic and terminal performance advantage at long distances. For short distances they are probably unnecessary and not preferable to a bullet such as a Nosler BT on light skinned game (deer). Just my take from some experience and what I have gathered.
Good stuff Guys.... but are we talking mostly shoulder shots or behind shoulder shots... because most bullets will work on the shoulders.... right...?
No.... Most bullets that are not hunting bullets work very poorly on the shoulders. That is not to say they do not work. I believe there are better choices if you are going to shoot the shoulder. The person who can put that shot behind the shoulder has little to fear from just about any bullet.
I never said they didn't work!
On deer sized game, shot at the average distance/yardage they are shot at across the country, they will never know the difference between 2600 or 2800 fps with that cartridge. Stretch that distance/yardage out beyond average, then it becomes a different ballgame.
well I started hunting at 12 with my dad and his buddy's, we sat In the wood and if a deer did not walk by you did not see one. And Driving deer was real popular back then as we could hunt like 5 miles of farms in one direction. everyone allowed you to hunt. We drove deer to posters and we killed on every drive. But time was changing the older guys were done hunting and we were loosing hunting ground as people died and sold farms and new owners did not allow hunting.
So when I was around 16 years old I had a 270 win 4-12 on it. me and my buddy shot ground hogs all summer one year I put 500 130 NBT's through that 270 and we started shooting deer like we were ground hog hunting. sit on one side of the hill where we could see a large area and ah there was a deer but at 450 yards. we thought 300 and 400 was kind of a give me can't miss shot. too easy. so we started shooting them further just using Kentucky hold over and windage and we were quite good at it. So good in fact I went ground hog hunting with a guy who had one of the first rangefinders I ever seen and he would ask me how far to that fence line and I would guess it at 400 yards and he would say 382 and so on and when I seen what he was doing and got my hands on that range finder everything changed. We have been shooting across these hills since I was a kid with just about every caliber and rifles you can think of and we have tried most bullets, not all of them but most of them. I shot thousands of 130 NBT through a 270 win and shot a lot of deer with them. But the problem we have is some times it is cold like 20 deg F 60% RH sold cold thick air and wind gusting to 25 MPH and when you have conditions like that even a 400 yards chip shot now you need a High BC super accurate bullet and the higher BC wind defying bullet is your friend. I have held off a foot with a .610 BC at 400 yards you can do the math cold and windy. We have much better equipment now days but not much has changed since I was 16 years old. So some people might just want to get into shooting long range and hunting long but we have been doing for a long time. nothing new to us other than we have better equipment and better bullets, powders, ect. I never did like the 150 SST's in the 270, I shot four and they all ran two were perfect shots and they still ran 40 yards. Now I know a guy who has killed 20 with that same bullet and he swears by em. I dont like them to move and the Berger really has been as good as anything. Most went right down, a few ran, not far. but yes you have to hit them in the boiler room. So shot placement really is everything. I guess.
So when I was around 16 years old I had a 270 win 4-12 on it. me and my buddy shot ground hogs all summer one year I put 500 130 NBT's through that 270 and we started shooting deer like we were ground hog hunting. sit on one side of the hill where we could see a large area and ah there was a deer but at 450 yards. we thought 300 and 400 was kind of a give me can't miss shot. too easy. so we started shooting them further just using Kentucky hold over and windage and we were quite good at it. So good in fact I went ground hog hunting with a guy who had one of the first rangefinders I ever seen and he would ask me how far to that fence line and I would guess it at 400 yards and he would say 382 and so on and when I seen what he was doing and got my hands on that range finder everything changed. We have been shooting across these hills since I was a kid with just about every caliber and rifles you can think of and we have tried most bullets, not all of them but most of them. I shot thousands of 130 NBT through a 270 win and shot a lot of deer with them. But the problem we have is some times it is cold like 20 deg F 60% RH sold cold thick air and wind gusting to 25 MPH and when you have conditions like that even a 400 yards chip shot now you need a High BC super accurate bullet and the higher BC wind defying bullet is your friend. I have held off a foot with a .610 BC at 400 yards you can do the math cold and windy. We have much better equipment now days but not much has changed since I was 16 years old. So some people might just want to get into shooting long range and hunting long but we have been doing for a long time. nothing new to us other than we have better equipment and better bullets, powders, ect. I never did like the 150 SST's in the 270, I shot four and they all ran two were perfect shots and they still ran 40 yards. Now I know a guy who has killed 20 with that same bullet and he swears by em. I dont like them to move and the Berger really has been as good as anything. Most went right down, a few ran, not far. but yes you have to hit them in the boiler room. So shot placement really is everything. I guess.
Really good stuff FJIM. There's nothing better than lifelong stories of practical experience... and that is MORE important to me than...
Paragraphs....LOL
Paragraphs....LOL
Last edited:
120 BT is the lightest I would go. I really never intended to go to a 120gr but gun loves it and it has performed great on deer.
I just checked my two best loads and they are not 200 fps apart like i was guessing, because my new chrony says these two loads are 300 fps apart. My clover leaf Carolina Load is now 2600 fps with 140 sst, H3831 sc, fed 210, .... and my dime-nickel size load is almost touching 2900 fps (2889)... now I hate to give up nearly 300 fps, because that will surely help a lot with DRT kills. What do you guys think?
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.