Thread: Projectiles for the 6.5mm

Originally Posted by Flyblown

@grandpamac

We really need to know a bit more about the typical conditions this guy is shooting in. There’s a wide range of options that cover a wide range of conditions from close range bush and scrub to long range tops. As a general rule of thumb the closer your game the harder the bullet, the further away the softer it needs to be. But you already know all that.

Every single bullet mention so far will work but there will definitely be a subset that will be more suitable to how your mate is generally shooting deer.

I assumed no one would be using a 6.5-06 for close up bush hunting

Thanks everyone,
Current use is for 200 metres up to 400 metres and the chronographed velocity is just under 2,800 fps. The slow barrel twist may limit the high BC options.
Regards GPM.

Anyone tried the 129 lrab, just picked up some for a 1in 9 260rem(seems to be a few available) could be an option just not sure if they will exit? I will let you know if they work as you want when I get a chance to take them for a test run

I've used the 142 LRAB in the .260 at 2800fps they work well.
Whey do they need to exit if they do the job
I use either 143 eldx or 142 LRAB at around 2800fps some exit some don't i try and hit shoulder bones and haven't lost one or had a runner yet.

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Originally Posted by grandpamac

Thanks everyone,
Current use is for 200 metres up to 400 metres and the chronographed velocity is just under 2,800 fps. The slow barrel twist may limit the high BC options.
Regards GPM.

right..well I will say it as it appears no one else has the balls to do so.......
200-400 meters starting out at 2800fps and a 140grn isnt penertrating well???? Im not sure what size deer your buddy is shooting or where he aiming for but with my old bog standard .270 using same projectile just a LITTLE bit fatter (so in theory should penertrate LESS) two red hinds at 350ish yards,both were good meat saver in the crease shots...one went 10 yards the other 75 downhill towards me.... didnt loose much meat on either,did loose most of one shoulder as projectile went out that way on one of them and it was a long way to carry.... slow twist..yeah nah mine is 1:10 so his spinning faster.....
bog standard interlocts work boringly well..... ASSUMABLY he knows they not penertrating well after disceting dead animals???? so what is the issue???
maybe all that is needed is a SLIGHT change in the point of aim????
years ago when I bought the reloading gear there was 3 packets of interlocks with it....I stoped using the 140s as found them too hard...actually it was case of wrong projectile for wallabies,they died for sure but faster expanding work better...so really struggle to see how your buddy is finding them lacking..

[QUOTE=300_BLK;1322993]

In short if you want a traditional bullet:

140gr SST
143gr ELDX
156gr Berger EOL (requires a fast twist)

LMFAO........ how you could call ANY of those three a traditional projectile is beyond me........ correct me if Im wrong but none were around 30 years ago let alone 100 years ago when the 6.5 calibre was in use world wide.....
the hornady interloct in question would just about have to rate as the mosttraditional projectile out there along with speer soft point spitzers etc....traditional to me implies cup n core with exposed lead tip,either round nosed or splitzer

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Thanks everyone,
Current use is for 200 metres up to 400 metres and the chronographed velocity is just under 2,800 fps. The slow barrel twist may limit the high BC options.
Regards GPM.

So pretty standard NZ open country hunting then.

Sounds like your mate want’s a geyser of blood on the exit side. There’s a lot of very solid old school bullets out there that will do the job just fine, just a matter of finding the one that shoots well enough. With the 1:9” twist in mind I would look at:

Sierra 130gr HPBT Gameking
Sierra 140gr SPBT Gameking
Hornady 129gr Interbond
Speer 140gr Grandslam
Speer 140gr Hot-Cor

Of the above, for guaranteed exits and blood assuming he’s poked the hole in the right place, I’d go with the 130gr GameKing first, drive it around 2,900fps, it will work. Good solid medium game bullet.

[QUOTE=Micky Duck;1323195]

Originally Posted by 300_BLK

In short if you want a traditional bullet:

140gr SST
143gr ELDX
156gr Berger EOL (requires a fast twist)

LMFAO........ how you could call ANY of those three a traditional projectile is beyond me........ correct me if Im wrong but none were around 30 years ago let alone 100 years ago when the 6.5 calibre was in use world wide.....
the hornady interloct in question would just about have to rate as the mosttraditional projectile out there along with speer soft point spitzers etc....traditional to me implies cup n core with exposed lead tip,either round nosed or splitzer

Great words of wisdom from the Duck

Originally Posted by Flyblown

So pretty standard NZ open country hunting then.

Sounds like your mate want’s a geyser of blood on the exit side. There’s a lot of very solid old school bullets out there that will do the job just fine, just a matter of finding the one that shoots well enough. With the 1:9” twist in mind I would look at:

Sierra 130gr HPBT Gameking
Sierra 140gr SPBT Gameking
Hornady 129gr Interbond
Speer 140gr Grandslam
Speer 140gr Hot-Cor

Of the above, for guaranteed exits and blood assuming he’s poked the hole in the right place, I’d go with the 130gr GameKing first, drive it around 2,900fps, it will work. Good solid medium game bullet.

When he said 'traditional' I'm picking he meant copper and lead, as opposed to solid monolithic bullets like Barnes ttsx.

[QUOTE=Micky Duck;1323195]

Originally Posted by 300_BLK

In short if you want a traditional bullet:

140gr SST
143gr ELDX
156gr Berger EOL (requires a fast twist)

LMFAO........ how you could call ANY of those three a traditional projectile is beyond me........ correct me if Im wrong but none were around 30 years ago let alone 100 years ago when the 6.5 calibre was in use world wide.....
the hornady interloct in question would just about have to rate as the mosttraditional projectile out there along with speer soft point spitzers etc....traditional to me implies cup n core with exposed lead tip,either round nosed or splitzer

@Micky Duck I'm sorry my definition of traditional bullet design doesn't fit into your narrow selection of 2 projectiles. When I say 'traditional' I am referring to copper cup, lead core as opposed to mono metal design.

The SST and ELDX are cup and core with a red plastic tip and good marketing behind them.

The EOL has an enclosed lead core with a longer draw on the swaged jacket and then a separate pointing exercise to increase BC.

yip but none of them are more than 25-30??? years old..... plastic pointy bits in the end is still a relatively new fandangled idea..... but agree cup n core is traditional...just for me its the older lead tip designs that would wear that label and I still believe for what GPM has described the 140grn hornady interloct should for all intents and purposes be just about ideal..... cannot see any rhyme nor reason for the issue discribed other than maybe needed a wee tweak in place to place said projectile...and furthermore your SST and ELDX (a slipperier shapped SST ) will more than likely compound his issue not improve the penertration as both will open as fast if not faster than the interloct....but both should work just as well if again point of impact is tweaked slightly.
I for one are very interested to hear where said animals were hit.....and what internal damage was seen......

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

yip but none of them are more than 25-30??? years old..... plastic pointy bits in the end is still a relatively new fandangled idea.....

Aye, maybe the plastic is new, but a tip made of a different material is not new at all...

https://youtu.be/esOM76P6vE4

Hornady do a metal (aluminum) tip with their A Tip but these are their sooper dooper long range 'target only' bullets.

Really nothing new in the firearms world

Originally Posted by GWH

When he said 'traditional' I'm picking he meant copper and lead, as opposed to solid monolithic bullets like Barnes ttsx.

I didn’t take any notice of the whole traditional or modern business. I was only looking at what was going to stabilise comfortably and shoot accurately in the 1:9” twist barrel, and kill the deer cleanly (which remarkably these bullets have been doing for decades!). Anything <1.5 stability is out in my book, so ELD-X for example doesn’t make the cut. There’s no point suggesting even longer bullets that require a fast twist because he doesn’t have one!

+1 for the 130gr hpbt gameking. Will cut a hole through the animal and leave an outstanding blood trail

If more penetration is required then a projectile of stouter construction is required, look at bonded or monolithic options.
Barnes tsx,ttsx or lrx, Hornady gmx or cx, Nosler etip, Nosler accubond, Hornady interbond, Swift aframe or sccirrco are a few examples.

Personally for the shooting you've described I'd be going with something softer and the interlock he's using would be reasonably high on the list, as the .277 version has worked well in the past for me in that range.