Factory Bullet Recommendations for 6.5 Creedmoor

[belizejet]

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.

For a decade I've shot the 175grn LRX in my 300WM and killed probably a dozen big game animals with it. Works great. I never tried the 190grn LRX but if it's not broke……

 

[FEENIX]

To recap;

'Match bullets create too much damage.'
and,
'Match bullets aren't suitable for hunting. Per the box.'


Too much damage can be mitigated by reducing caliber. Big magnums aren't as popular these days, .224-264 bullets are quite popular these days, because we have better bullets. And energy doesn't matter. 224-264 bullets are quite popular these days

Many "match" bullets were designed for hunting. Humans. In war. And they're good at it.
They are designed to rapidly expand. Why would someone need that for punching paper?

I don't care what the recommended guidelines are if a product flat out works.
ELDMs are stacking bodies like cord wood.

I agree! Oh wait, are you saying match bullets are not suitable for hunting? Now that there is what you call a fuddddddddddddddddddddddddlooooooooooore.

I still have a few ELD-Xs but will switch to ELD-Ms when I use them for target shooting.

 

[RugerHawg413]

Let's get this thread back on track to the OP's question.



If those are the only bullets you are considering, I would go with the 143 ELD-X. It has been very consistent for me out of both the 6.5 Creedmoor and the 6.5 PRC and you can find it in factory ammo. It will wreck some meat at shots under 300 yards but I've never lost a deer with them. I used the Hornady Precision Ammo last year with my CM and dropped an 8 point in his tracks at 260 yards.

I currently shoot the 156 EOLs out of my PRC but I also have a 1:7.5tw barrel. I was not able to get acceptable performance out of a 1:8tw in my PRC and you will get less velocity out of a CM which will exacerbate the stability issue. It might work with your barrel and altitude but it did not for me.

Personally I think the Accubond is not needed for medium sized game and I've had issues tuning them in my rifles.

If you are open to other bullets, the sky's the limit. Bergers are my favorite brand due to their accuracy and lethality. I accept that there will be meat damage but I've never had to track any animal further than 40 yards. I'll trade less meat for not finding an animal any day. Out of the CM I would try the 130 OTM, 135 Classic Hunter, 140 VLD, 140 Elite Hunter and the 144 Hybrid. I've had good success with them all. I think the 130 OTM and 135 Classic Hunter would be the best and they are easy to tune.

I've also used Sierra 130 TMKs, ELD-Ms, SSTs, Core-Lokts and tipped Core-Lokts (I honestly think these are SSTs) on stuff from ground hogs to deer. I don't have any experience with all copper bullets yet.

Understood, thank you for the info!!

 

[buzby]

I agree! Oh wait, are you saying match bullets are not suitable for hunting? Now that there is what you call a fuddddddddddddddddddddddddlooooooooooore.

I still have a few ELD-Xs but will switch to ELD-Ms when I use them for target shooting.

I was summarizing 2 contradicting options previously stated in this thread.