Thread: 6.5CM bullet performance

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.

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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.

@zeropak I chose the 130 tgk for the same reason. I'm running 42.5gr of h4350 and getting good grouping. I'm yet to run them over the crony to check velcitiy but when I ran the numbers the velocity/energy retention down range along with the drop numbers is why I chose them. My howa groups well with them. Still new to hunting so yet to get one on an animal but everything says they'll do the trick

Has anyone tried the 123gn SST?
Looking to load it up for my 6.5 grendel

Originally Posted by Grantn

Has anyone tried the 123gn SST?
Looking to load it up for my 6.5 grendel

I have shot a fair number of deer with the 129SST. They are good performers. The front section seems to open quite quickly and cause a decent wound channel. The rear section holds together, I have retrieved a few projectiles from the animal off side which are good mushroom, core and jacket still together. I expect the 123gn with the lower grendel velocities would be similar.

Originally Posted by Grantn

Has anyone tried the 123gn SST?
Looking to load it up for my 6.5 grendel

Yep, I used them in my Grendel on deer & goats. Excellent performer, as zeropak mentions.

I have had impressive results with the 143gn Norma Bondstrike in my 6.5PRC. The projectiles are quite expensive.
I thought the bonded bullet might be too tough hut it was quite the opposite.
Impact velocity about 2300 fps. Dropped on the spot.

Anybody else running 120gr Nosler BT's in their Creedmoor? I've shot a few deer, a chamois & a few goats and had good results. They seem to make a decent wound channel and no pass through on deer, usually under the skin on off side.

Originally Posted by Mathias

Anybody else running 120gr Nosler BT's in their Creedmoor? I've shot a few deer, a chamois & a few goats and had good results. They seem to make a decent wound channel and no pass through on deer, usually under the skin on off side.

What kind of distances have you been shooting them?

^ I ask because I want to understand the rough velocity range that they performed in

Originally Posted by Grantn

What kind of distances have you been shooting them?

Only to about 250m max at this stage.

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Originally Posted by Mathias

Anybody else running 120gr Nosler BT's in their Creedmoor? I've shot a few deer, a chamois & a few goats and had good results. They seem to make a decent wound channel and no pass through on deer, usually under the skin on off side.

I use the 120 BTs in my .260 and Swede. I have found they penetrate well and often exit at close to medium ranges unless you hit major bones, (ranges up to 200m). Observations based on fallow deer that are my main game animal.
Both of these deer were the same shot, behind the leg, through the heart at 80 meters. Bullet exited the second animal. In the fog I didn’t see the second one after waiting for some others to move off!



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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.

so reading that...I would think he had been using a really fragile explody projectile all those years ago.... we have all heard tales of bullets exploding on outside of shoulder...personally Ive only seen it once and entirely my fault,shouldnt have been using that load on that animal a 110grn hp varmit in .270w on fallow yearling.still have the skin here and remember it like yesterday.hit fair in shoulder,animal dropped and screamed (still haunts me ,only time ever heard deer do it) reloaded and put 130grn norma through same place,instant lights out. I know it went through same hole as there is no other hole in skin.
that same 110 was dynamite on wallabies.....still is,just dont try it on anything bigger.lesson learnt.
wasnt fault of bullet...was wrong tool for the job.

@zeropak just an update on this. I haven't managed to run the 135Gr Bergers just yet - hopefully next weekend in fallow territory.
However, this weekend I ran some 142gr ABLR doing 2760fps on some reds. Took two hinds, one at 263meters, the other about 270meters. Shot both through the shoulder and they both dropped dead within 3-4 seconds. They left a tennis ball sized hole for an exit wound in the off shoulder and tuned the inside to jelly meat. Keen to see how the Bergers compare, but thought you may be interested in these projectiles too. Obviously not going quite as fast as I'd like, but for a 0.4moa 3 shot group for the first ever load with them, I'm pretty happy!