6.5 prc elk bullet poll!

[WildRose]

Did you mean to quote my post? I wasn't making a comparison of terminal performance

Yes and that's what we're discussing.

 

[Hoss50]

Under 500 yards I am going to shoot copper all day. Hammers or Barnes.

 

[northhunter]

I just took a nice cow elk with 123 Absolute Hammers. Worked perfectly.

 

[OG-danimal]

Anyone have a successful year with the 6.5 caliber and any of the above bullets?
Cheers!

 

[richhymas]

I watched a friend of mine take a big aoudad out of palo duro canyon with the eldms. No elk but still a stout animal. He was quartering to us hard, the bullet punched through 3/4 of the body length and exited the front of his hind quarter.

At what estimated impact velocity or distance? The ELD match bullets are too soft for me for elk. Maybe ok at slow velocities but a 225 ELD match really came apart on the front shoulder of an elk at 200 yards, didn't exit a DRT cow elk in the heart at 200 yards, and didn't exit the back of the head/base of skull/C1 vertebral body at 600 yards. Just too soft for me.

 

[richhymas]

I guess I should also note in my personal rifles I'm running hammer hunters, absolute hammers, and partitions, depending on application. With the exception of a 308, it gets the old 168 a max.

Inside 500 yards I love a scirocco II

 

[richhymas]

"ELD m's are not a hunting bullet that is unethical and totally wrong have a nice day"


I don't hunt with ELD-Ms, so I don't have dog in the fight. That said, what I've experienced, learned by quietly reading and by hearing firsthand hunting accounts has lead me to these conclusions:

1. Most hunters who hate ELD-Ms inevitably have never seen an ELD-M in action and are basing their opinion totally on internet folklore.

2. Most hunters who hate ELD-Ms seem to actually believe there is such a thing as a perfect bullet, that never fails.

3. Most hunters who hate ELD-Ms have no understanding of what kind of role serendipity plays in mankind's success.

Serendipity:
(sĕr′ən-dĭp′ĭ-tē)
n. pl. ser·en·dip·i·ties
1. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.

Sometimes things do what they are not supposed to do.

Interesting comment. I gave them a try on 3 elk before I knew I wanted something tougher. 225 ELD match on deer or antelope is probably ok. But not on elk. I prefer and ELD-X or similar. Scirocco if they could buck the wind drift a bit better. For inside 500 scirocco all the way.

 

[Prieto9000]

I would rather throw the 130gr Sirocco II

I like those too, but man they are picky. I haven't been able to get them to shoot under 1MOA in any of my 6.5's.

 

[quandary]

To the OP @djprice91

As the Berger and Hornady are clearly designed for longer shots past 500 yds where they can take advantage of their high BC, I'm not saying they wouldn't perform at close range but it would make a better apples to apples comparison.

I killed a large whitetail last week in OK at 170 yards with a Berger 156 EOL. Absolutely jellified the front of his lungs and severed the aorta from the heart. Why would you not want to use a round that works great from short range and long range?

However given that I have choices I would not use my 6.5PRC for bull Elk or Moose. I would go with either the 300WM or the 7PRC.

 

[Lee7588]

I used 130 gr Badlands BD2 on whitetails this year and everyone dropped like a sack of rocks no bullet recovery, longest shot this year so far was 275 yds. I haven't had any long range targets and no elk tags for me this year

 

[richhymas]

I like those too, but man they are picky. I haven't been able to get them to shoot under 1MOA in any of my 6.5's.

That's too bad. I must have gotten lucky with my 300 WSM. I was easily getting 1/2 MOA with the 180 grain bullets and terminal performance was perfect. I switched last year to the 212 ELD-X after miscalling the wind drift in a 15-20 MPH wind at 600 yards. Hit a broadside deer in the butt. Luckily he spun a 180 so I simply aimed at the butt and double lunged him. If I wasn't an Idaho mountain hunter shooting at 400-700 yards regularly I would have just continued with that bullet for the life of the gun.

I couldn't get it to tune well in my 300 PRC so doesn't surprise me that you are having a bit of tuning issues as well.

 

[rlshrumva]

Dude copper/hard for elk. Too many big bones for lead… I use Barnes 168 ttsx in my 300 win mag, and 135 Berger Classic Hunters (drt bullets) in my 6.5 Creedmoor.

 

[doctorjj]

After seeing what the 156gr Berger's did to my dad's mule deer, my mule deer and my elk on our hunt, I would stick with the Berger.

 

[yogibearmech]

None of the above 140 Berger Hybrids.