6.5 for deer...2600 fps <<< VS >>> 2800 fps...???

[MudRunner2005]

The problem with the ELD-X isn't low velocity terminal performance, the only real problem with them is that they are way too frangible with high velocity impacts at least for my taste.

If they had used the same bonding process with it as they do the Interbond it would be one heck of a bullet but they chose not to.

This is the exact reason why I always had such good hunting performance with the Hornady 139 SST in the 7mm-08, but horrible results with it in the 7mm RemMag. The velocities of the 7mmRM was causing them to grenade on impact. This is why I pretty much strayed-away from Hornady bullets for hunting.

 

[Bravo 4]

This is the exact reason why I always had such good hunting performance with the Hornady 139 SST in the 7mm-08, but horrible results with it in the 7mm RemMag. The velocities of the 7mmRM was causing them to grenade on impact. This is why I pretty much strayed-away from Hornady bullets for hunting.

I like the heavy for caliber SST for hunting. The light ones seem to separate but the longer shank on the heavies (162 compared to 139) seems to keep them together while still opening fast and creating a large wound channel. I've put the 162 through both shoulders of whitetail at close range @ 7mag velocity and under 50 yards and always had an exit.

 

[Joefrazell]

So while we are on the subject. Not worrying about meat damage where would you place your shot to try for drt? For me personally I'd think a higher shoulder broadside shot would be the ticket as long as youve got the horsepower to get through everything. I personally use the 215 berger hybrid which is a target bullet of coarse. I think a bullet like this will be much more effective with bone in front of it then behind the shoulder. I don't think I'd try a high shoulder shot on a big crtiter like an elk with a smaller lighter caliber like my 6.5cm.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I center punched the shoulders on7 plains game animals this spring and literally dropped them all in their tracks. None of them took a step. My wildebeest spun and flipped over backward for a distance traveled after the shot of 5 feet. If I want to anchor an animal the shot will be on the point of the shoulder our just behind the point.

Steve

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I'll start another thread

Steve

 

[RockyMtnMT]

It's in long range hunting

Steve

 

[daniel brothers]

I will have my buddy doing a lot of practice shooting in all kinds of hunting situations. He is pretty green. He killed a doe deer last year with my rem 742 30-06, but the deer still ran off 70 yds just like most deer I've killed with that rifle.... but now... I'm wanting him to shoot this 6.5 CM with a load that will not necessarily pass through both sides, but will actually dump all it's energy in the lung area to cause the deer to dump on the spot.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I will have my buddy doing a lot of practice shooting in all kinds of hunting situations. He is pretty green. He killed a doe deer last year with my rem 742 30-06, but the deer still ran off 70 yds just like most deer I've killed with that rifle.... but now... I'm wanting him to shoot this 6.5 CM with a load that will not necessarily pass through both sides, but will actually dump all it's energy in the lung area to cause the deer to dump on the spot.

Good luck with that.

Steve

 

[WildRose]

I am on the same page as wildrose when it comes to bullet performance. Other than my choice of precision mono metal pure copper bullets. LOL I choose our Hammer Bullets.

In all seriousness rose bullet experience and on game performance expectations are identical to mine. I made the same evolution through bullets in my quest for better performance and less meat loss. Mine almost ended with a bullet design that we got a patent on and the start up of manufacturing and marketing. I say almost because the quest for perfect bullet performance did not end there. We continued to tweak copper alloy and hollow point size to find the perfect bullet performance. My partner Brian and I are no different than anybody else that has a passion for the hunt, the animals, and nature in general. We want quick clean kills with minimal meat damage. When it comes to bullets materials are not all created equal. Cost of materials and manufacturing is of great importance to the large companies. I will leave that at that. For us, we have no investors other than us to answer to and we are of like mind. We will not sacrifice bullet performance to save money. We learned a lot about copper and trust me it was expensive to learn. When we started we just thought we would get some pure copper and make bullets....not! Our first several tries at copper were not failure, or bad, just not what we wanted. There was always a give or take depending on impact vel and we could not control what the bullet would do on impact. We have an alloy now that is simply amazing. Our bullets are fragmenting to exactly the point that we want them to be regardless of impact vel. Bullet deformation is almost identical regardless of impact vel. Higher vel will squish the bullet more. Retained weight is always the same whether or not bone is hit. They do their expanding within an inch or two of impact and pretty much always exit. I am in agreement with what others said in this thread that drt bang flop should not be counted on. With that said, we are seeing more of them now than I have ever seen in my years of hunting.

To the op. I said earlier that I would run a lighter bullet faster in hopes of more dramatic or quicker kills. Speed does kill more quickly if the bullet is up to the task. With your 6.5 I would load one of 2 bullets. Our 110g Hammer Hunter or our 117g Sledge Hammer. The 110g is a better bc design and would extend your range farther. The 117g is designed for normal range hunting like you are doing where bc does not matter. Either of these bullets will take bone or not and increase your impact vel significantly over what you are currently looking at, without worry of destroying your meat or coming apart on a shoulder hit and not reaching the vitals.

Steve

A man that doesn't believe in his own product would need to be in a different line of work.

 

[WildRose]

...

To the op. I said earlier that I would run a lighter bullet faster in hopes of more dramatic or quicker kills. Speed does kill more quickly if the bullet is up to the task. With your 6.5 I would load one of 2 bullets. Our 110g Hammer Hunter or our 117g Sledge Hammer. The 110g is a better bc design and would extend your range farther. The 117g is designed for normal range hunting like you are doing where bc does not matter. Either of these bullets will take bone or not and increase your impact vel significantly over what you are currently looking at, without worry of destroying your meat or coming apart on a shoulder hit and not reaching the vitals.

Steve

You can't get around this part of the equation, it is the velocity that is squared, not the mass.

Arguments can run for weeks or more over bullet diameter and hydrostatic shock but with the thousands of animals I've opened up killed with all sorts of projectiles at every practical speed we can imagine I have become a firm believer in the effects of the latter.

Yes I want a good sized hole on both sides for the rapid bleed out but the more tissue that is turned to goo the faster that happens regardless.

What never ceases to amaze me is the fact that you can get a direct CNS shutdown without even striking it due to that factor.

Faster and lighter definitely does the job at least up to the point of the heaviest bodied dangerous game animals who seem to have an enormous capacity to soak up energy the lighter bodied animals lack.

 

[WildRose]

Yep. Too many videos showing the bang flop. Should not be expected.

Steve

A whole lot of editing.

 

[WildRose]

I will have my buddy doing a lot of practice shooting in all kinds of hunting situations. He is pretty green. He killed a doe deer last year with my rem 742 30-06, but the deer still ran off 70 yds just like most deer I've killed with that rifle.... but now... I'm wanting him to shoot this 6.5 CM with a load that will not necessarily pass through both sides, but will actually dump all it's energy in the lung area to cause the deer to dump on the spot.

A few years ago I killed a large WT buck. Single, perfect shot that took out both shoulders and both upper legs but missed the spine by about 3".

We tracked him exactly 173 paces across flat ground in tall grass.

He did every bit of it driving with nothing but his hind legs.

Some animals just have an incredible will to live.

 

[just country]

morning, think small, aim small, hit small. accuracy first.
most people can not shoot real accurate what I have observed.
2in. to 3in. groups r norm. justme gbot tum.

 

[Greyfox]

Having shot dozens of medium sized game animals(whitetail, mule deer, antelope) with the various 6.5's from 100-1200 yards, IMO, the ability to effectively kill the animal with one shot has far much more to do with the bullet placement then the absolute velocity. Regardless of distance, if a 140gr expanding bullet with good weight retention, traveling at least 1800FPS at the target, is properly placed, the game will be on the ground in short order. Whether it's DRT or within 50 yards of POI, can be a crap shoot, but, I will say that greater then half of my game shot meeting-or exceeding the aforementioned performance has been DRT, the reason for my attraction to the 6.5's for medium game hunting. The absolute muzzle velocity, whether 2600FPS or 3100 FPS dictates my maximum effective range much more then concern about whether the animal crumples up at the shot or not. Given this, using a good bullet(which I believe is the case with the 140SST) at 200 yards, I personally believe the difference in killing power between 2600 and 2800FPS will be very difficult to distinguish.
Shown: one of several "DRT" whitetails shot, this one at 754 yards, with a terminal velocity of 2100FPS, 142gr JLK, behind shoulder, mid body. The OP's 6.5 CM at 2600FPS MV would be at approx. 2300FPS at 200 Yards.