Factory Bullet Recommendations for 6.5 Creedmoor

[FEENIX]

So, your Berger bullets run out of velocity at the same distance??? Possible if you load to tailor it that way. What about energy then or are you just about velocity?

Negative! My point, as noted, is "Whichever bullet choice you choose, know its limitations at POI for the game you will hunt." My unwritten rule is 1500 FT-LBS and greater than the minimum recommended velocity (>1600 FPS) for the bullet to expand effectively at POI—for instance, Berger's 6.5 CM factory ammo with 156 Berger.

At my altitude.

So, per my unwritten rule, my POI is 550Y. Even though the velocity is still >1600 FPS at 1000Y, the 1500 FT-LBS threshold is 550Y.

 

[ARlife4me]

Negative! My point, as noted, is "Whichever bullet choice you choose, know its limitations at POI for the game you will hunt." My unwritten rule is 1500 FT-LBS and greater than the minimum recommended velocity (>1600 FPS) for the bullet to expand effectively at POI—for instance, Berger's 6.5 CM factory ammo with 156 Berger.
View attachment 545609
At my altitude.
View attachment 545610
So, per my unwritten rule, my POI is 550Y. Even though the velocity is still >1600 FPS at 1000Y, the 1500 FT-LBS threshold is 550Y.

You have similar rules when it comes to shooting as I do. I make determinations based off the cartridge, muzzle velocity and use of said firearm.

 

[Will.284]

I've got several creeds and in 2 I use hornandy 133 eldx on deer ,elk speed goats etc out to 450-500 I worked up a a Berger 140 load that is excellent my prs guns I'm running 130 grain Berger ,nosler with excellent results. Next on my list is Hammers

 

[Will.284]

I've got several creeds and in 2 I use hornandy 133 eldx on deer ,elk speed goats etc out to 450-500 I worked up a a Berger 140 load that is excellent my prs guns I'm running 130 grain Berger ,nosler with excellent results. Next on my list is Hammers

Sorry that's 143 eldx factory

 

[Rum Man]

Well for years and years all I shot was Remington CoreLoks , then i discovered Bergers ! They are my Favorite now !

Hammers that have been discussed above ...well i just use them for Building Houses ! Lol

My Brother and his Wife picked up a Mossberg Patriot in 6.5 Creedmore and use the Winchester Deer hunter XP 129 gr with great results but there shots are no further than 200 yards .

After reading this thread I'm going to find some 130 Otms and give them a try !

Rum Man

 

[doctorjj]

The mule deer my dad shot with the Berger 156gr sure didn't make it far with a hole you could put your fist through where it exited. I wouldn't hesitate to use those bullets on elk, as long as the distance was reasonable. The elk and mule deer I shot with that bullet in 6.5 PRC both died VERY quickly. I think you're getting a lot of speculation without much field experience when it comes to comments on those EOL bullets.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Negative! My point, as noted, is "Whichever bullet choice you choose, know its limitations at POI for the game you will hunt." My unwritten rule is 1500 FT-LBS and greater than the minimum recommended velocity (>1600 FPS) for the bullet to expand effectively at POI—for instance, Berger's 6.5 CM factory ammo with 156 Berger.
View attachment 545609
At my altitude.
View attachment 545610
So, per my unwritten rule, my POI is 550Y. Even though the velocity is still >1600 FPS at 1000Y, the 1500 FT-LBS threshold is 550Y.

The 1500ftlbs thing is basically fuddlore at this point unless you're still using 50 year old bullet technology, it really isn't applicable to modern bullet designs at all. There's some good info on this stuff out there from ballisticians that know way more than random people on the internet. Hornady has some really good podcasts that touch on this and what actually kills.

 

[buzby]

Hornady ELD-M are great bullets too.
The "M" stands for murder, not match

 

[belizejet]

Hello,
I was wondering if anyone had some good bullet recommendations for 6.5 creedmoor? I am going to start to use a rifle in that caliber to hunt with and don't have a ton of experience with that caliber. The main three options that I am looking at right now are:

Nosler Accubond 140 grain
Berger EOL Elite Hunter 156 grain
Hornady ELD-X Precision Hunter 143 grain

I have shot both the accubond's and ELD-X's in different calibers, though I have had more experience with accubonds and have been pleased with the results they have given me. I would be mainly hunting pronghorn, sheep/goats, and mule deer with this rifle. And maybe even elk at some point but the other species are the main targets for this rifle setup. Please let me know what you think and if you have a completely different choice of bullet, please share that as well. Any and all info is welcome and appreciated. Thank you!

I've had pretty good luck with 127grn Barnes LRX factory loads. They penetrate like nothing else. I've not shot Hammer bullets but they are similar being a copper bullet.

 

[sellce]

We have 3 creedmoors in the family and all of them shoot barnes 127 grain lrx bullets great. Many deer , hogs and a couple of elk have dropped with it

 

[Rum Man]

Hornady ELD-M are great bullets too.
The "M" stands for murder, not match

I love it !
I'm going to find out if they kill Coyotes this weekend ! They shoot Fantastic in my Ruger Rpr out to 1200 yards !

Rum Man

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Hornady ELD-M are great bullets too.
The "M" stands for murder, not match

They'll wreck a lot of meat too. I shot a few deer with 140 and 147 ELDM's and a bunch with AMAX's I wouldn't use them again. They generally drop stuff like it was struck by lightening, very similar to how Berger target bullets kill and similar wound channels too with expansion starting instantly which IMO makes them not a great choice for less than ideal shots like quartering towards.

IMO bullets like the LRX, Terminal Ascent, Hammer Hunter, TGK, CX, and ELD-X are better choices. The LRX is my all time favorite hunting bullet, those things perform so consistently it's unreal and you won't pick pieces of jacket and core out of the meat.

 

[rlshrumva]

Just purchased my first 6.5, would love to hear what factory loads others have found best.....

I went through a long/extensive test with about 10 different types of loaded ammunition for my 6.5 Creedmoor (Franchi) and the best three for me was/is:

1. Berger 135 classic hunter
2. Hornady Superformance 120gr CX
3. Winchester Deer Season 125gr XP

I chose the Berger's as I'm using this rifle for deer/speed goats, and I wanted a DRT result. Hope this helps!!

 

[Mickp7]

I was surprised to see it took til page 5 to see the ELD-M's mentioned. Given they perform similarly to my beloved Bergers and tend to shoot great out of many rifles, I expected to see it as a front runner.

I've been thinking of trying the LRX in my 300WM. It's seen almost exclusively TTSX but I just finished getting a reload setup together and was thinking of keeping it a Barnes bullets gun.

OP- I'd recommend trying a few of the different recommendations and seeing what groups best in your gun. All should work well for deer and smaller. I'd look to the heavier options if elk is a consideration.