6.5 prc elk bullets

[dogz]

Elk have big lungs and big heart . They can go quite aways when shot there. Bust a shoulder they they are done right there. Dirt knap. I'm not woried about losing a pound of shoulder compared to track and pack an elk farther . Those who like the"crease" shot on elk have fun with that

your experience with hitting a shoulder is vastly different from mine! I'll take behind the fronts all day for a fast kill.

 

[WildRose]

You either haven't shot an elk through both shoulders or have never cut your own meat cause that right there is impossible!! Having actually shot a bunch of elk and cut over 2500+, you don't shoot an elk in both shoulders and only loose a pound of meat with anything, ESPECIALLY a tipped bonded bullet like the Accubond, which we dubbed the Accubomb in the cutting room cause you'd find that little white tip in so many huge messes!

I'll just leave this one lay, I'm not going to lower myself to that level tonight.

 

[cjl2010]

We've caught a couple, one in an elk I hit running on a hard quarter dead through the center of the shoulder, wrecking the whole front of her chest cavity and ending up half way up her neck on the of side. The other two were a frontal shot on an Alaskan bull moose that we found in the back flank and on the same moose on the of side of the neck after smashing through it.
The 140 Berger is in my top 5 for best hunting bullets I've seen!

I snagged a late rifle tag this year, I'll give the 156 a try and see how they shoot. I used the 140s from reading your past reviews on them and they don't disappoint.

 

[Boyd Pendleton]

ive just kept loading up the only hunting bullets that were available early on with the 6.5 PRC and have used the 143 ELDX loaded to mimic the factory loads. it has done great for me on deer and elk. the Elk was at 496 a couple years ago. the cow spun around and didnt go more than 10 steps and died. all the deer shot with it went right down…

best bullet to use is what you have and are comfortable with and can shoot well.

best to you!!!

What powder and weight did you find to be close to the factory 143 ELDX loads?

 

[Boyd Pendleton]

I shot an elk and pronghorn this year with a 156. Both at 350 yards. I'm going to keep using them.

My buddy took factory 143 ELD-X to Africa last summer and dropped everything with one shot including an

 

[WYO300RUM]

your experience with hitting a shoulder is vastly different from mine! I'll take behind the fronts all day for a fast kill.

I wouldn't shoot at shoulder with a 215 Berger unless I had to. I'm sure it would break bone though. I have always used Barnes TSX or TTSX. They are bone busters. May try Hammer's this year. Might try on a Az. late season bull hunt this year. Have a good load with a 181. Heavy rifle though. Taking 6.5 PRC with 156 Berger load that my CDS dail if for for sure

 

[WYO300RUM]

I snagged a late rifle tag this year, I'll give the 156 a try and see how they shoot. I used the 140s from reading your past reviews on them and they don't disappoint.

Me too ! 4B

 

[Damage Inc.]

I've seen as high as 30% of shoulder shots with hard monos or bonded bullets will fail to penetrate into the chest of an elk when hit in the shoulder.

I'm rather dubious about this statement.

 

[Stonyman88]

Hey all,
I'm new to the forum and new to reloading. I just bought a proof MPR in 6.5prc with a 24" barrel and 1:7.5 twist. I have all the components to reload my own stuff. I'll be hunting mostly mulies but also would like to be able to hunt elk. The biggest question right now is what projectiles to load to make effective and ethical kill on elk. Max effective range I'm looking for is probably 500 yards and under. I have a bunch of Berger 156 EOL. Should I look for something with a bonded core? Thoughts and experiences welcomed. Thanks!

Been using the Berger 140 ELD, With H 1000 & RL26 ,, down goes rusty, but what your have is great also.

 

[Tidus56]

I shot an elk and pronghorn this year with a 156. Both at 350 yards. I'm going to keep using them.

My buddy took factory 143 ELD-X to Africa last summer and dropped everything with one shot including an Eland.

An Eland! That's pretty impressive, that is a big animal.

 

[WYO300RUM]

I should of said in last post that my 300 RUM now weighs 12.6 pds without bipod, sling or ammo. It was my go to rifle for elk and most anything. I put a 28 in. 5R varmit contour Bartlien barrel on it. I should of thought it out more and went carbon fiber. I'm going to take it with me to my Az. elk hunt in Nov. My CDS dial on it is set up for a Berger 215 load and shoots great to 600 yds. but also taking my C.A. Ridgeline in 6.5 PRC so when I hike about. It's dial is set up for 156 Berger. I'll be aiming for the crease with both I shot a buck here last year with 156 and it took top of heart off after going through front of chest. He was angling to my right. He went down right there. Shot two doe whitetail last year with 156 also. Both lung shots at 217 and other around 100. Both down right there. Both not real bad meat damage. Shot a buck in Ca. last Sept. With a 124 Hammer . I was impressed and minimal meat damage. The only animal I ever shot with a 140 HVLD in a 6.5x284 was a doe lope 2 years ago at 213 yds. I hit shoulder. I had to throw that whole shoulder in trash. My fault. A shot a doe whiterail same year with a Norma 156 Oryx bonded. Minimal meat damage. Same year 2 more doe lopes with 143 ELDX at 148 and 316 yds. Minimal meat loss on both. Few years ago 3 doe whiterail with same bullet from a 6.5 Needmore. Same results . A little less destructive than a Berger but I think Berger is built to come apart. I've always shot TSX, TTSX and Accubonds out of 300 RUM. Maybe this year s 215 Berger ?

 

[Raudy707]

I'm rather dubious about this statement.

We call bull chip on stuff like that where I come from.

 

[bigngreen]

I'm rather dubious about this statement.

So was I being a certified Barnes fan boy, was in a position to watch 200+ elk get killed a year for a few years and look at a LOT of wound channels. In Mt, in my area at the time most guys could take two elk so just me and a couple buddies and family and it was not an issue to see another 15-20 elk killed many of which I load for and I cut, and prior to that I ran a wild game processing facility in Bozeman Mt, which was in the heart of some of the biggest late season elk hunts so I've probably cut more elk than a lot on this forum have seen.
There is a reason a hard mono and a bonded bullet do not penetrate at as high a rate some think they do!

 

[Idaho Lefty]

After studying, Terminal Performance of, Bullets for, many years and after having, a few "disappointments" W/ AccuBonds / others, I took Bigngreen's recommendation on using, the 140 grain, Berger Bullets, for my .270 WSM and now, I will shoot, NOTHING, ELSE for, ELK / Moose !
Velocity and Fragmentation, KILLS ! I went, kicking and screaming to, the "Far side" as was, an old school, type and had read, the "complaints" !
The .270 WSM and 6.5 PRC are, "Kissin' cousins" as per velocity, so I too, would recommend the 140 HVLD's or Elite Hunters and drive them,..
as FAST as you can, accurately,.. You'll be, Happy, the Elk,.. NOT so, much !