Thread: 6.5CM bullet performance

I have a Sauer 100 which is I love and shoots tight groups with the right projectiles bit it seems to be quite fussy. I love the performance of the 129gn Hornady SST projectiles and use them in my 6.5CM Tikka, they shoot well in this rifle but the Sauer does not seem to like them. I bought some 130 Sierra TGK to try and the Sauer does like these. 43gn of 2209 give me 2780fps and sub MOA 3 shot groups.
BUT the info I have read about the performance of these bullets says that they have a relatively thick jacket and a hard core, consequently they tend to be a tough bullet by say comparison to the SST. A lot of what I hunt are Fallow deer so I am not sure how such a tough projectile will work in this case.
The SST seemed to offer the best of both worlds, a fast opening tip section with a base section which tended to hold together and penetrate.
Also to clarify my choices. I am not a big fan of the 143 ELDX which might seem the obvious choice, I feel that the 130gn or thereabouts weight gives better overall performance out to practical hunting ranges (for me that's about 500m max)
So after going for a hunt last week on the fallow and shooting 6 animals with the 130gn Sierra's they seemed to work Ok, I even recovered a projectile from an offside shoulder. Image attached.
I am curious as to what other people have found using the 130gn TGK. I am also mindful of the fact that bullet choice can often be a case of whats available vs what you actually want so another option would be good (something in that 130gn range)

So can I ask why are you not a fan of the ELDX I use them in my 19" Creedmoor and load them in a few .260 as well never had an issue up close our out to the farthest I've shot just over 600.

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Originally Posted by 25/08 IMP

So can I ask why are you not a fan of the ELDX I use them in my 19" Creedmoor and load them in a few .260 as well never had an issue up close our out to the farthest I've shot just over 600.

Same here, ive lost count of how many deer i have shot with the 143 ELDX, its a great killer up close and out far. Found them really easy to get them to shoot in all the rifles i have used them in too.

Originally Posted by 6.5 CRD

Same here, ive lost count of how many deer i have shot with the 143 ELDX, its a great killer up close and out far. Found them really easy to get them to shoot in all the rifles i have used them in too.

Probably no real issue with the terminal performance of the 143ELDX but I see no advantage either.
143gn ELDX. 41gn 2209 2575fps. 200m zero is 64mm high at 100m. 300m 26.6cm low. 2157 energy. 500m 151cm low. 1894 energy.
130gn SGK 43gn 2209 2780fps. 200 zero is 54mm high at 100. 300m 23.7cm low. 2228 energy. 500m 138.7cm low 1898 energy.

That 41gns of 2209 behind the 143ELDX did not produce a very flash group in the Sauer but to be fair that was only 1 x 3 shot group. It seemed to group ok with 40gns of 2209 but I was not really happy with the low velocity, 2540fps from memory. I have been playing around with Superformance and managed 2714fps with 45gns in my Bergara HMR 6.5CM so maybe I will try that load in the Sauer.

Originally Posted by zeropak

Probably no real issue with the terminal performance of the 143ELDX but I see no advantage either.
143gn ELDX. 41gn 2209 2575fps. 200m zero is 64mm high at 100m. 300m 26.6cm low. 2157 energy. 500m 151cm low. 1894 energy.
130gn SGK 43gn 2209 2780fps. 200 zero is 54mm high at 100. 300m 23.7cm low. 2228 energy. 500m 138.7cm low 1898 energy.

That 41gns of 2209 behind the 143ELDX did not produce a very flash group in the Sauer but to be fair that was only 1 x 3 shot group. It seemed to group ok with 40gns of 2209 but I was not really happy with the low velocity, 2540fps from memory. I have been playing around with Superformance and managed 2714fps with 45gns in my Bergara HMR 6.5CM so maybe I will try that load in the Sauer.

Give Hodgdon superprofrmance a good good you should be able to load around 46-47 grn behind the 143 ELDX

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Originally Posted by 25/08 IMP

Give Hodgdon superprofrmance a good good you should be able to load around 46-47 grn behind the 143 ELDX

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I ran a ladder on the 143ELDX with superformance in My Bergara 6.5CM HMR. Starline brass and federal 210 small rifle primers. I went from 44gn to 47gn. 45 seemed to be the sweetspot after that I was getting significant primer cratering and the groups started to open up. But to be fair this was in the Bregara and not the Sauer, however the Sauer seems to have quite tight chamber and a shorter throat so I doubt I could comfortably push them harder than I already have.

Originally Posted by zeropak

Probably no real issue with the terminal performance of the 143ELDX but I see no advantage either.
143gn ELDX. 41gn 2209 2575fps. 200m zero is 64mm high at 100m. 300m 26.6cm low. 2157 energy. 500m 151cm low. 1894 energy.
130gn SGK 43gn 2209 2780fps. 200 zero is 54mm high at 100. 300m 23.7cm low. 2228 energy. 500m 138.7cm low 1898 energy.

.

Just to draw out the significance of this :
There is a big difference between MV of 2575 and 2780.
2500’s might be OK for target but is really sub par for hunting, where some flatness of shooting is helpful.
The TV is getting down where bullets dont open up.
At 2540 like one has mentioned you need to use a rangefinder and holdover on anything past 100m.
If you stoke up a Grendel it can do as well as that…

Originally Posted by Bagheera

Just to draw out the significance of this :
There is a big difference between MV of 2575 and 2780.
2500’s might be OK for target but is really sub par for hunting, where some flatness of shooting is helpful.
The TV is getting down where bullets dont open up.
At 2540 like one has mentioned you need to use a rangefinder and holdover on anything past 100m.
If you stoke up a Grendel it can do as well as that…

That's pretty much my point. The 41gn 2209 is 1 grain under book max for the 143 ELDX and the 43gn of 2209 with the 130gn is book max using the hornady reloading app and using the data for H4350 which is ADI2209. Both projectiles might carry a similar energy to the 500m mark but the flat shooting advantage od the 130gn makes it a clear choice. I know some will claim they can get higher velocities than mentioned here but I think there will always be a velocity advantage to the 130gn vs the 143gn Projectile, there has to be.

projectile placement is just as important.....way back in 1900 and nuts n bolts using fmj in 303 was still quite common..hit big billy goat or even small nanny through both shoulders was much more effective than slipped in through ribs.
if your worried your projectile may be a little too hard..give it something to work on..smash some bone.
workmate uses the whitetail in same and has large run of single round kills..granted all are under 200 yards...but he sure doesnt overthink it..just point ,shoot,then drive truck over and pick up (he shot red hind with me the other week and moaned it was too far away as we had to drag it 200 yards to truck lol) Im sure you will do fine with what you have got,we all seem to overthink this way too much these days.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

projectile placement is just as important.....way back in 1900 and nuts n bolts using fmj in 303 was still quite common..hit big billy goat or even small nanny through both shoulders was much more effective than slipped in through ribs.
if your worried your projectile may be a little too hard..give it something to work on..smash some bone.
workmate uses the whitetail in same and has large run of single round kills..granted all are under 200 yards...but he sure doesnt overthink it..just point ,shoot,then drive truck over and pick up (he shot red hind with me the other week and moaned it was too far away as we had to drag it 200 yards to truck lol) Im sure you will do fine with what you have got,we all seem to overthink this way too much these days.

Yep, placement is still the deciding factor.
I took my old man out for a hunt when he was visiting from Oz over christmas, 6.5 creedmoor bergara singleshot with 143 ELD-X up the spout. Found him a red spiker tucked up asleep, quartering towards us uphill but head facing downhill and away from us at 150m, neck shot was taken (I personally would have still tried for lungs and heart). Perfect bang flop, only for the deer to stand up and trot to the bush edge when we had walked 100m closer. Almost lost the animal but he got it with a followup (more lessons learnt, he didnt put a second up the spout ready like I told him to) Turns out the first shot went in through the neck and out through the opposite jaw without expanding and missing absolutely everything arterial. Completely unexpected result, caused the old man to have a lack of faith in the projectile and sent him on a big rabbit hole of research trying to find the right projectile to reload with based on his experience and knowledge of hunting smaller game 30 years ago, looking up all kinds of Nosler this and that.

Later on with a bit of a google up to get my facts right I tried to school him on ideal shot placement for deer and the virtues of the hilar and shoulder shot, frangible match bullets instead of stouter hunting bullets (not that I think the ELD-X was really at fault here) but he didn't really want a bar of it. I've given up trying to tell him that shooting deer is not like shooting wild dogs in outback Australia, you can't just neck shoot them and expect the hydrostatic shock to do the rest. He's got a real hangup on shooting dogs through the shoulder and having them run hundreds of metres, up to 1k even and often surviving.

Bit of a thread hijack, sorry lads.

Im funning the factory Hornady 143eldx in my and they are falling out of the barrel 2530fps but dam they hit like a brick

400y is 8.2moa 100y zero

Try some Berger’s 👌 or the 147 eld-m

In the age of the internet, most seem to overthink things these days.
The deer are no more difficult to put down

A cheap as chips 129g Hornady interlock, trickling along at 2630fps muzzle velocity out of a Kimber 260 20" barrel.
Close range bush hunting.

Entry wound on Jap Hind


Exit wound

Running pretty much the exact same load with the 130gr game changers in my 22inch Bergara b14 2780fps.Had great results with the this projectile. Works on Tahr, Reds, Chamois and fallow to be fair it made a big mess of the fallow at 200yards.

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Originally Posted by Bergara_bangstick

Running pretty much the exact same load with the 130gr game changers in my 22inch Bergara b14 2780fps.Had great results with the this projectile. Works on Tahr, Reds, Chamois and fallow to be fair it made a big mess of the fallow at 200yards.

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Thanks for that. I don't think the Sierra Gamechangers are the hard bullet that some writeups (and Sierra) say they are.