Bullet failure 130 grain nosler partition with 6.5 creedmoor

[Todd Carpenter]

they say 127gr barnes lrx will penetrate a moose shoulder

 

[MNbogboy]

We quartered it out gutless. First bullet may have deflected low. Second bullet was centered on the shoulder (scapula I believe). The quarters are on ice. When I cut and wrap after my deer hunt I will look carefully for the bullet or fragments thereof. I will give it one more shot next month with the 6.5 but will probably use a different bullet. I will also instruct my daughter to stay behind the shoulder. Hopefully she doesn't stay too far back and get a gut shot. Any recommendations for a good bullet choice for a 6.5 on cow elk out to 400 yards?

Last year I used the Speer 140 gold dot. Worked great on an antelope, mule deer and 2 whitetails
All quick kills. The only recovered bullet was textbook mushroomed with 4 petals. Grouped well at 100 & 600 but they were unobtanium for most of the winter. My back order came in March that was ordered in december. I also picked up a factory seconds order of Speer deep curl 6.5s the gold dot, deep curl and federal fusion bullets are all made by Speer with the same electro chemical bonding process.
The recovered bullet still weighed 128 grains! Great weight retention sold me on those over any cup & core bullet I've used. Far better performance than the nosler ballistic tips & Bergers that I've used.
These were shot out of my 6.5/257 Bob Ackley. 40° mv 2825. 1.875" group at 610 yards.

 

[Muddinmetal]

If there is ever any doubt about a cartridge or bullet not doing it's job the answer is always Swift Aframe

 

[5gauss]

Not sure if anyone else had this problem, but my son almost lost a cow elk yesterday due to bullet failure. He hit his cow elk low in the front shoulder smashing the bone above the elbow. Bullet appears to have completely come apart and did not enter the chest. Follow up shot smashed the same shoulder high but also failed to penetrate the chest. All this at 325 yards with a 6.5 creedmoor and a 130 grain nosler partition. We came back the next day and found the cow bedded in trees. She got up and ran off. Ultimately he killed her with a 270. So should I blame the 6.5 creedmoor as being too light for cow elk or the 130 grain nosler partition??? Anyone else kill elk with a 6.5 creedmoor with a solid shoulder shot? If so, what bullet did you use because my 11 year old daughter has a tag next month and can't handle the recoil of much more than my creedmoor.

Nosler makes RDF 130, and Accubond 130...right here in Bend Oregon..

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

It is not possible that any partition in any caliber can not harvest any game animal, it has stood the test of time and needs no one to speak for it...on the other hand, poor shot placement, angle or low velocity comes into play...that little fake, fraud and phony need more case just doesn't cut it...

 

[Orange Dust]

Here's my $.02. Rifles are just like shotguns and handguns. The more powerful, the more they kick. Everyone, including me likes to start youngsters and ladies with minimal recoil and especially blast. Doing otherwise can quickly steer them away from both hunting and shooting. Folks who have seen lots of stuff die also know that the smaller the caliber or gauge, the more important shot placement and distance becomes. You can easily kill a brown bear or moose with a .22 Hornet if you get close enough and put the little bullet in exactly the right place. Does this mean the .22 Hornet is adequate for those animals? It certainly is in the right hands, but might just be suicide in the wrong ones. Everyone here knows what would have happened with the same hit from a heavy partition from a big cased .338 Mag... Get the knife. However, most likely it is an even less than ideal tool for the little one than the creed. When ever hunting with a cartridge that is on the lite side for the game you are hunting you have to work within the limitations you have. If the animal had been closer, perfectly broadside, punched through the ribs deflating both lungs.... Get the knife. We must all be honest with ourselves in both our abilities, and knowledge of anatomy. We must use that knowledge along with the limitations of whatever cartridge we use to decide when and when not to shoot. Expert hunters touting extreme range kills with little cartridges may be great marketing hype, but of little use, and may actually be detrimental to the average hunter. It proves little more than the Eskimo killing many moose with a .22 Hornet, or Bell killing elephants with a 6.5x55.
I can't consider this bullet failure. In my mind it is operator error, and no one wants to be told that.