Who has killed lots of elk with a 6.5 mm bullet?

[Shooter264]

My boys first elk killed with a 6.5 saum at 768 yards with a 140 Jlk. Not bad for a 12 year old.

 

[bounty hunter 2]

What kind of velocity do you get with a 140gn bullet from the 6.5 saum?

 

[Shooter264]

What kind of velocity do you get with a 140gn bullet from the 6.5 saum?

3080 out of a 24" bbl. Can push them faster for sure but brass life is great and very accurate

 

[Greyfox]

My boys first elk killed with a 6.5 saum at 768 yards with a 140 Jlk. Not bad for a 12 year old.

Nice work!!
Your posts are of the very few that show the use of the JLK VLD's. I have been using them for about six years in my 6.5x284's and found them to be excellent. BC is higher then the Bergers at .323, they are consistent, exceptionally accurate, and the performance on game, very reliable. Swampy does a nice job.
This is a recovered bullet from a very heavy Alberta mule deer taken at long range.

 

[Shooter264]

I agree. I've been shooting JLK's for 17 years or so. Been shooting them when Jimmy Knox was building them before he sold the business to Swampy. On the left is a Jlk from a 352" bull I shot at 902 yards with a 6x284, 105 at 3330. On the left is a 180 Jlk I shot a grizzly with at 275 yards with my 28 Yukon at 3185. I'm out of the old J4 jackets and have just starting the new ones.

 

[joe406]

Many of my rifle customers ask about the 6.5x284 or the 6.5mm SAUM cartridge for elk.

I have no such experience so I would appreciate some knowledgeable advice on them or similar cartridges that I can pass on to them. Hoping to hear from guys who have actually shot elk with them more than the opinions of those who have not done it.

Rich and Rhein (sp)?

I shot a cow this year with my 26 Nosler (140 gr. Accubond). 285 yds, good broadside hit. It ran about 100 yards. I wouldn't want to try a shoulder shot.

 

[bounty hunter 2]

I am very curious to know what kind of velocity you get from the 26 Nosler??? I am interested to know just how my 6.5-06 Ackley compares in velocity.
I built my rifle specifically for 100gn bullets using a 1/10" twist 28" Packnor barrel. The load I have been shooting gets 3690 fps average with a 15 fps extreme velocity spread.
I don't see anyone else using the lighter bullets in 264 caliber. I shot an elk with this load last year at 637 yards and it performed well at that range. It was a broad side hit behind the shoulder. I found what was left of the bullet not much more than the expanded jacket with a tiny bit of lead on the off side under the hide. In this case it put the big cow down on the spot but as you said could have been much different if the shoulder was hit.

 

[joe406]

I am very curious to know what kind of velocity you get from the 26 Nosler??? I am interested to know just how my 6.5-06 Ackley compares in velocity.
I built my rifle specifically for 100gn bullets using a 1/10" twist 28" Packnor barrel. The load I have been shooting gets 3690 fps average with a 15 fps extreme velocity spread.
I don't see anyone else using the lighter bullets in 264 caliber. I shot an elk with this load last year at 637 yards and it performed well at that range. It was a broad side hit behind the shoulder. I found what was left of the bullet not much more than the expanded jacket with a tiny bit of lead on the off side under the hide. In this case it put the big cow down on the spot but as you said could have been much different if the shoulder was hit.

Best guess is about 3400 fps (26" barrel with 8.5" twist). It is a new rifle and I was shooting Accubond Trophy Grade to get me started, zeroed at 200. I'm still putting together my equipment for reloading the 26. My plan is to hand load 143 gr ELD X so if anyone has a load for that I would appreciate it. I chose not to load the Accubond LR because I think it is too thin skinned, and at high velocity I suspect it may fragment early and badly. If Barnes made a bullet (a harder bullet) with better BC, I think that would be a pretty good bullet for this rifle.

 

[bounty hunter 2]

I cant make a direct velocity comparison because I doubt my 1/10" twist will stabilize 140+ gn bullets. I do plan to try some 120gn bullets though. If a 120gn 25 cal bullet will stabilize in a 1/10" twist I will guess that the same 120gn weight should also stabilize in a 1/10" twist 264 cal.
A 264 cal 120gn vld style bullet may be a bit longer than a 25 cal 120gn spt. BT but not by much.
I did end up backing off my original load with the 6.5/06 because after about three shots primer pockets were becoming noticeably loose.
I shot a rock chuck with this load last spring right at 600 yards and the terminal effect was still very impressive. I have an idea that on deer size game anything closer than 600 yards and the Hornady bullets I am using may act as little bombs and not penetrate at all. At 600 they are still moving fast enough for good bullet action as the chuck demonstrated but still held up well enough to penetrate an elk broad side as was the case with the cow elk I mentioned.

 

[TX Badger]

With so many variables (bullet weight, 6.5x47- 26 Nosler, 10- 1000 yds) would a better conversation center around energy at impact after you punch your numbers into a ballistic calculator?

Also, I know that this is a touchy subject but what about some more examples of marginal performance. I think this is more informative if we are exploring the performance limits of the caliber. I am happy for all of you that made great/clean shots, but that only tells us that things worked when everything went perfectly.

Bigngreen started down that path a little. I would like to hear more. For example- How much energy is required to take a quartering on shot through the shoulder with a particular bullet?...

 

[mdupon]

I've killed a lot of cow elk with my 6.5x284. I've killed two bull elk and when I draw a good bull tag I take my 300 RUM as I like the extra "insurance."