Best 6.5 CM for whitetail

I put a 6.5 together for deer season this year but I'm not overly familiar with the caliber and was wondering what factory ammo everyone is using for whitetail. It's zeroed with Winchester 125gr whitetail that does shoot sub MOA @ 100 yards but it seems to me that a heavier bullet may be better. The farthest I'll be shooting is 400 yards on my Kansas trip. I'd rather not get into hand loads in case my luggage gets sent to Florida while I get sent to Kansas.

The precision hunter 143 eldx or 140 eld match.

cajun said:

The precision hunter 143 eldx or 140 eld match.

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This^^^

We have had very good luck with the Federal Terminal Accent. I really like this bullet. If you like old school, the 140 SBT Sierra worked great in my daughter's 6.5 Swede.

I have used Hornady Whitetail for several seasons with great success. 5 shot groups sharing the same ragged hole. Happy hunting!

I bought a 6.5 Creedmoor when they first came out, the only ammo at the time was Hornady 129 SST Superformance. I've killed more than thirty deer with that round and they were all DRT except one that was chasing a doe and went as far as his momentum took him. Today I use the 143 ELDX which I think is a slightly heavier jacket than is optimum for thin skinned whitetails so I also use Hornady ELDM. I built a rifle with 7.5 twist to stabilize the 147 and I don't think I will go heavier because of lower velocity. Consider that the 6mm bullets in 243, 6ARC, 6mm Creedmoor and such are very effective whitetail rounds and heavier weight does not necessarily translate to better performance. I loaded some Sierra 123 TMK which I have not yet taken an animal with so I don't know how they perform on game. The Winchester 125 you mentioned will do just fine at 400 but a heavier bullet will retain more energy beyond that, practically speaking. Shot placement means more.

Blacklab1 said:

I put a 6.5 together for deer season this year but I'm not overly familiar with the caliber and was wondering what factory ammo everyone is using for whitetail. It's zeroed with Winchester 125gr whitetail that does shoot sub MOA @ 100 yards but it seems to me that a heavier bullet may be better. The farthest I'll be shooting is 400 yards on my Kansas trip. I'd rather not get into hand loads in case my luggage gets sent to Florida while I get sent to Kansas.

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If those shoot well run them. More than enough for a deer.

143 ELD-X

White tail dont need much horsepower to take. For the money the Hornady 129gr SP zaps them real easy and good price.

I reload and love the 120gr TGK @2930 fps.

I bought mine for deer hunting as well. And it really likes the Berger 140gr Elite Hunter Rifle Ammunition. They are very accurate and deadly. Good luck!!

The Berger 130gr OTM ammo and Hornady 143ELDX will get the job done. Both shoot great and wreck whitetails.

Always shot the 143 ELDX after the Elite hunter failed.

This year I switched to the factory load by Federal. 130gr Terminal Ascent. We'll see how it goes this year in a couple of weeks.

My daughters and I use Norma Whitetail 140's in a Tikka. Hammers Montana Whitetails!