Sierra GameChanger 140 Grain 6.5 No Blood Trail

[jacack]

Ran the 140s out of a 6.5 saum at 3100.

Shot a antelope at 480 , hit him a little farther back than I expected (miss judged the wind)
He ran our to 520 and stopped and looked like he was about to tip over but I sent a second one that hit perfect and put him down.

First shot was just behind the last rib but quartering so exited mid ribs on the far side. Second hit just behind the shoulder and had a large exit .

I think they are tougher than what I expected.

Bc is a little low for a 6.5 140 but in my little use I liked the performance.

Going to shoot some hogs with them and see how they do at closer range

 

[General RE LEE]

Ran the 140s out of a 6.5 saum at 3100.

Shot a antelope at 480 , hit him a little farther back than I expected (miss judged the wind)
He ran our to 520 and stopped and looked like he was about to tip over but I sent a second one that hit perfect and put him down.

First shot was just behind the last rib but quartering so exited mid ribs on the far side. Second hit just behind the shoulder and had a large exit .

I think they are tougher than what I expected.

Bc is a little low for a 6.5 140 but in my little use I liked the performance.

Going to shoot some hogs with them and see how they do at closer range

Sierra gave the GameChanger a thicker jacket which makes it "tougher".

 

[Idaho Lefty]

Sierra gave the GameChanger a thicker jacket which makes it "tougher".

YUP,. i heard that, too ! Seen the "Evidence" of POOR expansion, on YouTube ( Barbour Creek Testing, in Gel ).
Looks like, they are being made for, the New Breed of Elk that, I've heard about,.. the one's with, Ballistic Armour,.. on !

 

[bamban]

Question for you sir about the TMK, do they perform like an Amax, SST or Berger? Better to keep them off the shoulder?

TIA

The 224 cal 77 TMKs launched at 2750 behaved like the ones you enumerated.

 

[rustyshackleford]

Five, One shot Kills this Year,..
My 21 y/o Grandson did 3, ONE Shot kills on, Deer with, his 6.5 PRC from, 220 to 465 yards using, the 143 ELD-X's and ALL did, ONE Hop,.. DRT !
My 12 y/o grandson, shot, a Muley at 265 yds with, a 87 gr. Berger HVLD, placed behind the "Crease", thru my .243, again One Hop,.. DRT !
I shot an Elk with, my .270 WSM ( 140 Cl hunters ) and instantly, "Heels and Hooves" with, a high shoulder shot that, Penetrated BOTH, Shoulder Blades and stuck in Hair on Far side with, MINIMAL, Meat loss.
With, the Bergers, there's usually, not much Blood,.. JUST,. DRT !
All, the Bullets, used.. did,. "well" AND our Family is, sticking with, THESE, Bullets !
Go to Barbour Creek on YouTube for, Bullet "results". The Sierra tipped, GK Bullets seem, "Hard" and did NOT fare "well", in Gel !
They'd probably would be OK, if used as, Shoulder Roast, shot's, tho ! ,.. See post 12, above !

And yet they just made a new video implying they are too soft. Clearly they're onto something with their methodology.

 

[Mike Matteson]

Still didn't see where the shot placement was. If you hit them in the guts or somewhere where it doesn't count. I don't care what bullet you are using. i have done poor shot placement, and they don't count, and makes for a lot of tracking if possible. Generally Poor Shot Placement is the Problem.

 

[Cbass1019]

2 deer had small exits and the other don't know. Again I think these bullets are very tough and probably would be better for larger game than whitetail.

not a tough bullet according to my testing, completely disintegrated at 100 yrds MV of 2820

 

[Idaho Lefty]

So IF, I'm reading this "right", there's 2 Versions, AND,,.
it sounds like, NEITHER seem to, work, very well,..
If, wanting to use Sierra's,.. I stick with, the 140 gr. Game Kings

 

[rustyshackleford]

So IF, I'm reading this "right", there's 2 Versions, AND,,.
it sounds like, NEITHER seem to, work, very well,..
If, wanting to use Sierra's,.. I stick with, the 140 gr. Game Kings

There's one tipped game changer and it's too hard or too soft depending on the day of the week at Barbour

 

[JMW67]

There's one tipped game changer and it's too hard or too soft depending on the day of the week at Barbour

maybe they make the jello different day to day

 

[Rosebud]

I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but, 110 Hammer Hunters 2965 MV, 6.5 CM doe on the bottom of the rack was 185 yds, Buck wad 335 yds. Both dropped at the shot. Killed Monday afternoon12-6-21. I'm in Alabama, only have one buck tag left and two months of season. But its still a doe per day. Fill all my friends freezer.

 

[TRG65]

For several years we used the 123&147 eldm in my son's 6.5s. I don't think there was ever an exit wound. But all the deer died very quickly if not on the spot. This year he used my 338 win mag with 230 eldx. Broke the shoulder and the heart and lung cavity was full of mush. Deer had been skittish before the shot so it still ran 20 yards from the field to the wood. The entrance and exit were both at about the center line or just below so there still wasn't a blood trail to follow. There is no complaining about the shot or the performance. Some shot placements don't give much of a trail. The same load has folded deer and painted the ground on both sides.

 

[Idaho Lefty]

@ TRG65,..
The 143 gr. ELD-X and 147 ELD-M's, look like, Winners ( for Deer/ Antelope ) to me for,.. the 6.5 Creed or, PRC.
Especially since, the 140 and 135 grain Berger, Hunting Bullets,.. ARE,.. MIA !

 

[Paladin300]

I have had the chance to try the 140 grain 6.5 Sierra GameChanger on 3 deer now out of my 6.5 Creedmoor and I am unimpressed to say the least for lack of blood trails. All 3 deer had virtually no blood trails, 2 were recovered and last night I hit a doe that went into a thicket and lost her after a 2 year hour search and no blood.

I think the Gamechanger is a very stout bullet vs the ELD-M and ELD-X. I am going to try the ELD-M next go around and see if I get a bigger entrance wound to make sure there is some blood.

Heavy 6.5 bullets, 135 and up, like 270, 140 and up, have high sectional densities. The lighter bullets moving faster carry more energy and make bigger exit wounds.

I am shooting the 145gr eldx in my 270. Earlier this year I shot a doe with one and lost her with no blood trail. We found her three days later 300 yards from where I shot her. Shot was about 60 yards and the bullet went through both lungs. The exit wound was not much bigger than the entrance wound. The bullet passed through her and struck another doe standing hidden about twenty yards behind her. That deer looked like a murder scene. The bullet entered behind the shoulder and exited in front of the hip leaving an enormous exit wound but it had to travel through two deer to do so. The second deer fell were she was shot, recovered.

Fast forward to 6:30 this morning and I shot a second doe at 199 yards, which we verified with a range finder, through the heart. Bang flop!!! The bullet eviscerated the heart but failed even at that range to expand much. Exit wound was not much bigger than a nickel. The 145 eldx is just to much bullet for a 100-150lbs whitetail. The sectional density is to great for shots inside 200 yards. They are great bullets for elk but to much for small to midsize deer. Bullet selection is critical.

While it may seem counter intuitive to do so, because in America "more is moe better" and "most is most better", lighter bullets traveling at higher velocities make better since and generate more energy inside 300 yards. If you don't anticipate having to shoot beyond 400 I would lighten up on the bullet, not just change it for something else of equal weight. In 6.5 I would drop down to a 130 or less. I am going to load some 130 Bergers this evening and will most likely hunt the rest of the year with them. I can't speak for the Seirras but the eldx is a great bullet for long range or elk or larger game but the heavy 145s are just to much for a whitetail.