Bobby,
I know you use the 6.5x55. I am interested in hearing from you or anyone else that may have used the 160 grain Hornady Roundnose on game. This rifle will be my daughter's and one day she WILL be using it for moose and elk. I have considered a 140 partition for this work, but am also thinking the 160 grain Hornady would do the trick. Any advice/experiences??

I have used both the Sierra and Hornady 160 grain RNs to a limited degree but found they provided little more than the 140 grainers would --- and they would not shoot nearly as flat. However, I must add that the bulk of my hunting is for deer and hogs, with a heavy emphasis on the latter, for there is no bag limits or season on the hogs -- and in many areas, they are considered "nuisance" animals due to the damage they do.

Both 160s showed decent expansion on the wild hogs I tried them on, and expansion testing shows the Sierra to be the stouter of the two -- albeit by a small margin.

But the ballistic properties and terminal performance of the various 140s is what keeps my attention. And for most hunting, those long, slender 140 grain bullets will provide all the penetration you need without going to a premium projectile. That being said, if I were in pursuit of elk, a 140 grain Partition would certainly get the nod, but the 140 grain Sierra BT GameKing is certainly tough enough to penetrate sufficiently and get the job done. Personally, I'd also use the 140 grain NPT on moose as well, but I'm certain some would prefer the additional weight of the 160 grain bullets.

Nevertheless, a properly-placed 140 grain NPT will handle any moose you may run into...

[ 02-08-2003, 20:15: Message edited by: Bobby Tomek ]

Johnny Ringo:

I have a sample of one to report with the 160-grain Hornady RN out of my Model Seven in .260 Rem. My intent for this gun/cartridge was to duplicate the classic 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Shoenauer, so I loaded up to 2350 fps with that bullet. Recoil is very modest and the bullet and load produced MOA groups at 100 yards. It was meant to be a close to medium range rig.

I shot a large doe quartering toward me at around 20 yards with it. The bullet punched through the shoulder joint and kept going diagonally in a straight line through the vitals, exiting out the other side. The doe made five bounds and collapsed dead within 20 yards. The wound track indicated good expansion and no fragmentation. FWIW.

On the other hand, I shot a similar-sized deer with a 7mm-08 and 140-grain Nosler Partition (at a higher velocity) and it went down just as quickly with similar ballistic results. Since the 6.5/140 would have better sectional density than a 7mm/140, I'm pretty sure the former would have sufficient penetration on elk with proper shot placement.

[ 02-08-2003, 21:09: Message edited by: Slingster ]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Anyone else?