Hi,

I have previously polled what might be the biggest game you've taken with a 6,5mm rifle.
Here

As an extension to that - which bullet and in which weight would you opt for if you were really to stretch the capabilities of a 6,5mm?
By stretching I mean shooting bigger game than the 6,5 is perhaps really apt for.
Mostly, I think of the 6,5x55 or .260 (non-magnum 6,5mm's).

Edit: Corrected typos in the heading, attached link, added details.

- Lars/Finland

I happen to like the Nosler 140 Accubond. Have not tried their 142gr with the .719 bc.

How are you defining stretch the capabilities? Long distance shooting? Bigger game? Both? What 6.5 are you talking about? 6.5x55? 260 Nosler?

quote:

What 6.5 are you talking about? 6.5x55

He has referenced non-magnum and his buddy using a 6.5x55. He had asked about plains game (not the big ones)

All this was from a search. I sure don't remember when it was posted.

32" barrel, right?

You could stretch a 140 to 3,000 fps with a long enough barrel.

For killing stuff way out to say 400 yards the 125 or 140 grain Partition or 130 grain Accubond are great. For punching paper the 140 Berger VLD is pretty hard to beat at any distance.

I would say a 140 grain Partition, Accubond, Weldcore or A-Frame would bet the most balance of expansion, penetration and range. If you aren't shooting too far you could even go 155-160. I'm partial to the 155 Lapua Mega for closer shots but Oryx and Weldcore would also be good performers. Actually, just about any 140-160 hunting bullets should work really well at the moderate velocities the 6.5x55 produces.

140 Partition for Elk kind of Larger game would be a good and popular choice.
Now:
160 Solids for the really big kind...However Bell said they bent too often to be as good as his 7mm 175 grain solids in an elephants head. He used the 160'ish RN softs to good effect on Giraffe, zebra and the like but of course everyone knows Bell had some magic dust coating on all his small bore bullets.
I have never found any of the .264 RN solids from the old days to try but I would like to. I would expect them to work when directed to and through the right spot.

I've done just fine with 160gr. RNs and when they were available The very original Barnes 160s.These I used in 6.5 Carcano, 6.5x55 and perhaps the original 6.5x .284. roger

The biggest animals that I've shot are whitetail deer and pronghorn with my 6.5x284.

I've used the 100 grain ballistic tips at stupid velocities, the 120 grain Barnes TSX at 3200 fps and the 140 grain TSX at 2900 fps.

I shoot the 142 grain SMK at 1,000 yards with it in F Class competition.

I've shot Elk, Sheep, and Deer with my Kimber 260 using Barnes 120 ttxs's. The sheep was 400 yards. Bullet performance was excellent.

The 143 ELD-X might be something. I wouldn't get too excited about Noslers stated BC. The only number they can get right is the phone number.

If Litz says...it is...

I'm with Wyben on this, to really get velocity and great killing power and shooting at what my hunting conditions would deem reasonable I think a good 120 grain bullet does it all.
A well constructed 120 grain bullet at 2900-3000 ft per second will do about everything a 6.5 was made to do.
I understand the fans of heavy bullets at short ranges but where I live a flat shooting rifle is handy, 3 and 400 yard shots are not uncommon.
Always amazes me that a 130 grain bullet is a phenom in the 270's but a 6.5 must shoot 140's or 160's to be effective???

for a 6.5x55 (Swede) the 130gr Barnes ttsx is simply unbelievable, deer, elk moose no problems.

In SA we use use the same combination on everything up to and including Kudu.

The biggest game animal that I've ever shot with the 6.5x55 was an Eland using a 156 grain Norma factory load.

I use the 140 Accubond in the 6.5x55. I dropped a good sized stag in a heap right where it stood.

quote:

I happen to like the Nosler 140 Accubond. Have not tried their 142gr with the .719 bc.

From what I've been reading, consensus on Noslers .719 BC is highly over rated. I read somewhere that the BC value was around .611.

.719 would be more appropriate for a 160gr VLD. Even then, the 160gr 6.5mm Matrix is only .685 so I'm not sure how Nosler arrived at .719. However, by all accounts the 129gr LR Accubond is correct at around .561 (most of the other 130gr VLD's such as the Swift Scirocco are that BC as well).

I am working up loads for the 143gr ELD-X in my 6.5mm SAUM. BC on that bullet is 0.625 which from what I've read is pretty much correct. It will be interesting to see how these perform on game.

With regards to a heavy 6.5mm projectile, I like the looks of the Woodleigh 160gr PP. BC is actually quite respectable at 0.509, which is almost identical to a Berger 140gr 7mm VLD at 0.510. The SD value is similiar to a 220gr 30 cal.

When you consider that the 160gr Nosler Partition semi spitzer in .270 is highly rated for bigger Deer, but has a BC of 0.434 and an SD of 0.298 then it really makes the 6.5mm look very good.

Largest animal I've taken with a 6.5 is deer. I've played with a couple, a 260 Rem, a 6.5x55, a 6.5 Rem and a 6.5x68. In the 260 and the 6.5x55 the 125 gr Partition is hard to beat. The 6.5x68 (ballistically a metric 264 Win) needs a stout bullet but because of the slow twist doesn't shoot bullets heavier than 130 grs. My 6.5 Rem seems to be that sweet spot in the middle. It shoots everything well. If the shots will be 150 yds + the 129 Hornady SST shoots very well in my 6.5x68. Closer than 150 things get a little messy, so the 125 Partition is the better choice. In the 6.5 Rem (6.5/284 and 6.5/06 would be the same) the 120 gr TTSX bullet kills like a much bigger rifle.

The 140 AB in the swede was a thumper on a red stag in Argentina. Everything I've taken with that combination was DRT.

The velocity for my loads is a modest 2650 fps.

The Naturalis and Peregrine bullets would be my choice.

I shoot a lot of white tailed deer with my .260 rem. some at 300 yrds. I use 120 grain sierra SP or Nosler Ballistic Tip.. sometimes I use the 123 hornady SST

I'd vote 130 TSX or 140 A-frame.

Bigger game.....129 grain GMX

Longer range.....143 grain ELD-X

Lars,

nosler partition 140 grains worked great for me on caribou and red deer in 260 rem.

North Fork
AFrame
Oryx
Partiton

In that order.

I have a 6.5-06 and am playing with the ELD-X and Burgers in the 140 gr weight. Had the barrel twist at 1 in 8 specifically for those bullets. I think both are good for longer range...but I'd use the ELD X for bigger game...not as fragile it seems to me.

Gary

Guys, read the first post! The OP wants to shoot game bigger than the norm for the cartridge, talking about shooting deer is not helpful. Plus he wants to use a mid-sized cartridge, not a 6.5 Mag, .264 Mag or 6.5-06. Plains game signifies long but not extreme range. Not too many posts were on point.

I have taken exactly one Alaskan moose with my .260, everything else was deer-sized or caribou. I used the Nosler 140 Partition on the moose, the bullet stopped under the hide on the far side after traversing the heart lung area and hitting a rib going in and coming out. Hard to fault that performance on an 1000 pound animal...


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quote:

Edit: Corrected typos in the heading, attached link, added details.

- Lars/Finland

Nimrod. OP was edited. It was not very clear when most people responded.

quote:

Originally posted by Bvekenya:
for a 6.5x55 (Swede) the 130gr Barnes ttsx is simply unbelievable, deer, elk moose no problems.

In SA we use use the same combination on everything up to and including Kudu.

This sounds on point.

I've used the TSX 130 with great results on deer. Two bang/flops at 225+ yards, but they aren't plains game.

In my Steyr Classic Mannlicher Full-Stock, I shoot the 156 gr factory Norma Oryx to less than .5 MOA. That's a caliber with a proper grain bullet for the cartridge. The Europeans know what they're doing when it comes to the 6.5x55.!!!!

When fired from the 6,5x54mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer cartridge, 160 grains of good bullet at 2,220 fps has killed everything in Africa.

My thought too. I shoot Hornady 160 grain round nose out of my 6.5 Swede and 6.5 x 57. I shoot 140 grain "anything pointy" out of my 6.5 x 284 and 264 WM because I'll pot-shot coyotes as far as I can see them.

I just got some 120gr E-tips which I'd like to try on boar. They should be just the job, but I wonder if I'll push them fast (~2750fps muzzle) enough for reliable performance on lighter bodied deer at medium ranges so don't know if they'll prove a useful all-rounder or not?

Aagaard called the 6.5x55 the perfect deer cartridge -I agree. With my HT'D M98 it's accurate , low recoil and muzzle blast .I think the best is a 140 @ 2750 [which I get ,no problems] accurate with a 4350 burning rate powder . Better if you use a 140 premium. Long used it was called oldfashioned , then they rediscovered it LOL.

6.5x54 MS is best served with 160 grain Round Nose. Woodleigh makes a very good one, but at the velocities involved the Hornady also works well.

Nosler Accubond 130gr (white tip)in my 260 Remington. I have used this bullet to take 2 white tail every year since I bought my rifle. I load it with W-760. Best cold bore first round load I have ever had. Rifle is older blued Rem 700 Mountain Rifle with the spaghetti barrel and box mag.

This is my hunting rifle and hunting round. The bullet, the load, and the rifle have proven themselves year after year. rch

Two schools of thougt on this subject..The 6.5 x 54, 57 etc, made their mark in history with the great penetration of the era, that was a 260 gr. soft point with lots of lead exposed and at fairly slow velocity..It worked then and will work today..

The new school of thought ranges from 125 to 140 gr. bullets of excellent construction and they also work as well, shoot a little flatter, and kill as well I suspect..

Pretty basic stuff in the evolution of bullets and powder..I suppose one could call it a game changer.

quote:

Originally posted by SmallCal:

quote:

Originally posted by Bvekenya:
for a 6.5x55 (Swede) the 130gr Barnes ttsx is simply unbelievable, deer, elk moose no problems.

In SA we use use the same combination on everything up to and including Kudu.

This sounds on point.

I've used the TSX 130 with great results on deer. Two bang/flops at 225+ yards, but they aren't plains game.

Another vote for the 130gr TSX FB. Last winter I shot a good size bodied caribou bull with one from my 6.5 Creedmoor, 18.6" barrel Ruger Stainless Hawkeye. Muzzle velocity is 2775 fps. The bill was at 300 lasered yards . Bullet entered alongside the throat and exited right next to his nut sack. Bull turned to go and collapsed. Penetration was around 45inches. Minimal blood shock meat in the neck. I am looking forward to moose hunting with the same rifle/load . Very easy and pleasant shooting . I've set mine up as a modern 6.5 carbine with a 1-4×24, 30 mm tube SWFA SS Classic scope. Which is a perfect scope for any big game rifle or carbine.