This is a fact. Sometimes, the bullet performs as advertised, but the game expires differently.
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6.5 creedmoor blood trail
- Thread starter Blacklab1
- Start date
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Whitetail deer + Creedmore =
Hornady SST OR Nosler BT.
Another good one is Berger's 130 OTM.
Hornady SST OR Nosler BT.
Another good one is Berger's 130 OTM.
I used Berger for a few years and had excellent results until one time I didn't on a deer. I switched back to ballistic tip for deer.I remember a thread a few years ago in which a guy swears he shot a big buck, but the Berger bullet failed. A lot of people joined in bashing Berger. He was so sure of himself about it. A few days later, he ran into that same buck, which was alive and well. IIRC, he also has a trail that validated the missed shot. LL!
I feel that you need 100% confidence in your projectile. The OP apparently has lost it with this ammo and should do a little research and find out what they want to try next year. No shortage of choices for the 6.5 CM.
Sobewan
Well-Known Member
Every time I read a post like this I think there's another hunter who needs to learn how to track... assuming they can put the shot on target. No deer with its vitals taken out is going to go far. Even without a blood trail you could do a simple grid search in the general direction and probably stumble across the deer. Should have been easy enough to follow the tracks in the snow in this case. I understand some of us are older and don't get around as well as we should, especially when poking around in the bushes after dark. I dunno. Just seems to me there are some skill sets that could be worked on. I spend a lot of time in the off seasons tracking and studying animal movements and behaviors. Helps me decide where to hunt and when and it can be entertaining. Tracked/stalked a fox to its den once and got to enjoy seeing it nurse its kits and see them play. Startled the heck out of them when I stepped out from cover 30 feet away. Not the cartridge.
Creedmoor shooter
Well-Known Member
The nolser ballistic tip is one bad mamajama. That bullet is responsible for killing my 2nd biggest buck. I've also killed a couple coyotes at 400 and 500 yards with the 120 nosler bt and it performed excellent
Years ago, I found a Noser ballistic tip that shot great out of my 6mm Remington. Shooting 2 deer with the Nosler turned the rest of those I had loaded into a target ammo. The problem was they were exploding on impact and not exiting.
Since then, 40+ years ago, I only use a exposed lead tip bullet. They mushroom nicely and, in my experience, always exit.
Also, when not shooting for a mount, the neck shot does not damage any meat and there is no running off
Since then, 40+ years ago, I only use a exposed lead tip bullet. They mushroom nicely and, in my experience, always exit.
Also, when not shooting for a mount, the neck shot does not damage any meat and there is no running off
Nosler redesigned the ballistic tips many years ago. Just saying.
Once you find what works best for you definitely stick with it.
I was a long-time end-user of Nosler (NP, NAB, NBT, and ABLR) and Hornady (A-Max and SST) bullets before transitioning to Berger. I still use other bullets, but Berger is my go-to bullet.
I agree that you need to know your setup, but the OP asked if others have had the same experience. As noted, I have been using the projectile since 2018 and have harvested six thus far without issues. So, yes, I have 100% confidence in the projectile in question. The same is true with @Jcook02. Both of us are sharing our real-world experiences. Often, it is easier to blame anything else but ourselves.
The Badger
Well-Known Member
Small sample size. Sometimes things happen like a hunk of fat plugging the exit, or high lung requiring the cavity to fill before dumping good. They can cover so much ground so fast. Sounds like the results were ok on first two. Breaking at least one shoulder will shorten the tracking job. Not the rounds fault and probably not the bullet either.
I shot 4 white tails this season 80yd to 285yd. All 4 dropped where they were standing so no worries about a blood trail or lack thereof. A buddy had his scope go bad on this trip so I lent him my rifle, he shot two within 10 minutes of each other, very little blood, but still got the deer within 80 yds. 24 hunters in camp, 14 using 6.5CM. 8 using 140gr Nosler Accubonds, 6 using Hornady Precision Hunter 143gr ELDx. All were one shot, One of the deer needed a blood tracking dog to find it, but it only went 50 yds into thick briars... The guides said that the 6.5CM typically leaves them with little or no blood trail to follow. When hit high in the chest the chest cavity has to fill up before any blood pumps out. That is the case with any rifle. So far, in my experience, with the Accubonds and the ELDx the round is an absolute killer. I will limit my range to 600yds simply because my eyes aren't what they once were. I have deer shot through the heart, blew it up, with a .270 and the deer still went nearly 100yds. Some are tougher than others. Don't give up on the caliber. Reload for it or get the Hornady Precision Hunter 143gr ELDx.
I've gotten tender hearted in the last few years and when you shoot deer in the lungs and then go up to finish him off I hate the look of terror in his eyes when he see's a human walking up to him and he can't figure out why he can't breath and get away so for the last 5 or 6 years I have been shooting them in the neck and that disconnects them very fast, the last 2 were with other bucks and I shot then looked back after the recoil and just saw bucks all over the place and couldn't see the one I hit so my mind started playing games on me wondering if that buck right there was the one I shot at and somehow I missed so maybe I better shoot again but the buck I was looking at kept looking over his shoulder to a spot about where the buck was when I shot so I figgured he was looking at his buddy and couldn't figure out why he wasn't following the others out of there. The others milled around too long for my patience, I don't push deer when I see them I sneak in and out when hunting so as not to alarm deer, but finally I walked down to them and the other bucks ran off and the one I shot in the neck was right where I shot at him just tipped over in his tracks. hopefully no pain, no meat full of adrenalin, and no searching
I did see the post where you answered the OP about the Winchester ammo.
This post below is the one I quoted and has nothing to do with Winchester ammo but it's alluding to the fact that this person couldn't have had a failure with a Berger because he missed.
I stated that I did have a failure from a Berger that penciled through which after some research isn't that uncommon. There's remedies for this but I feel that I shouldn't have to do more than worry about making the shot.I remember a thread a few years ago in which a guy swears he shot a big buck, but the Berger bullet failed. A lot of people joined in bashing Berger. He was so sure of himself about it. A few days later, he ran into that same buck, which was alive and well. IIRC, he also has a trail that validated the missed shot. L
I know you and many others have had good luck with them and as I said earlier confidence is what each of us are looking for.
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