6.5 Creedmoor best hunting loads

[TexasPatriot.308]

I have a chance to buy an almost new Weatherby Vanguard in 6.5 Creedmoor that I know shoots 1/2 to 1" groups consistently. I have a friend that has a huge guide hunting ranch in South Texas and he told me probably the number one round that he has to use his tracking dogs for wounded game is the 6.5 CM. I know there are lots of guys that swear by this caliber, my question is what is the best hunting bullet type in this caliber?

 

[LoonWulf]

Same ones in every other caliber.....

You need to select your bullets based on game hunted, and shots your willing to take, or more specifically pass on.

I've STILL never shot anything with my CMs, but they have killed 3 decent size Axis, and a couple 4-5 pigs. Only bullets used we're 140 Eld-Ms.

I shot one decent size cow with my 6.5-284 using 143eld-x, and at 50yds that was probably too soft a bullet for that big a critter, but it still put it down inside of 40-50yds.

Anything larger than 200-300lbs, and I'd give up my squishy bullets for bondeds, or add more weight.

 

[Garandimal]

I have a chance to buy an almost new Weatherby Vanguard in 6.5 Creedmoor that I know shoots 1/2 to 1" groups consistently. I have a friend that has a huge guide hunting ranch in South Texas and he told me probably the number one round that he has to use his tracking dogs for wounded game is the 6.5 CM. I know there are lots of guys that swear by this caliber, my question is what is the best hunting bullet type in this caliber?

1. What do you intend to hunt?
2. Do you reload?

- For an all around Premium load - the Federal Premium Vital-Shok 140 gr. AccuBond would work.
- Both Barnes and Remington load the Mono-copper 120 gr. TSX/TTSX.
- For a bulk conventional load, the Federal Power-Shok 140 gr SP (which is presumably the SPEER Grand Slam) is a very good performer at this velocity.

For a hand-load:

- Either the Premium Nosler Partition, or the conventional SPEER Grand Slam, in 140 gr., would be my choice (and are my choices for the 6.5x55mm).
- For deer and antelope, the 125 gr. Partition would be hard to beat.




GR

 

[jmr40]

he told me probably the number one round that he has to use his tracking dogs for wounded game is the 6.5 CM.

Calling BS on this. The cartridge hasn't been used for hunting long enough for any observations like this. And there isn't anything magical about any bullet. A 130-150 gr bullet impacting between 2000-3000 fps is going to do exactly the same thing in any 6.5 caliber rifle that it'd do with a 27, 28, 30, or 33 caliber rifle regardless of the headstamp on the brass.

Soft bullets that are heavy for caliber tend to give good penetration at moderate to slow speeds, the 143 ELDX is a good one. Softer, lighter bullets may well impact faster than the bullets are designed for and fail. I wouldn't use a 110 or 120 gr bullet designed for varmints driven over 3000 fps. If you're going to go with lighter 120-130 gr bullets a tougher bullet might be called for. A 120 Barnes TTSX would be a good option if you decide to go that route. Both work, but the softer bullet will be a better choice for longer ranges. The tougher bullets need speed to expand and might not expand well at longer ranges.

Pick one, they all work, but don't ask any bullet to do a job it wasn't designed for. Understand the limitations, strengths, and weaknesses of whatever choice you make and only take shots that are within the design limits of the chosen bullet.

 

[Captcurt]

I have taken several whitetails with the CM with the majority falling to 130gr Accubonds. Shots ranged from 30 to 350 yards ( 357 to be exact). Took 5 or 6 with the 143gr ELD-X out to 200 yards. No problems with either bullet. While doing culling on a private farm I have taken around 40 head with the CM. It will do anything to whitetails or hogs that my 270 did and with less recoil.

 

[Gtscotty]

The 140gr Accubond works well, 127gr LRX if you want a lead free option. I know folks that have used the 140gr SGK, and the 143gr ELDx with no problems as well. If my rifle liked the 130gr Accubonds, I would have no problem using them on deer either.

If your friend is having to track deer shot with the 6.5 the most, I'd guess it's because the 6.5 is being used the most, it's kills deer and bigger just fine.

 

[Varminterror]

If your buddy isn’t full of crap, then it’s a correlation, not causation. Many, many new shooters who think the 6.5 creed is a turnkey solution to transform them into a long range hunter, so these newbies buy a rifle and head to a guided ranch to fling a bullet at something. We saw the same “poor killing performance” for the 7RUM and by extension 7RM in the early 2000’s (because guys mistook the new hotness flying around the hunting mags - the 7RUM - for the older 7RM). The RUM’s came out as a canyon crossing, deer and elk killing laser, and they flew off of shelves. Unfortunately, low-skill newbies wounded a lot of game.

Same thing could easily be happening now with the 6.5 creed.

Otherwise, your buddy is just full of it.

 

[horsemen61]

Ttrl!

 

[mshootnit]

I have a chance to buy an almost new Weatherby Vanguard in 6.5 Creedmoor that I know shoots 1/2 to 1" groups consistently. I have a friend that has a huge guide hunting ranch in South Texas and he told me probably the number one round that he has to use his tracking dogs for wounded game is the 6.5 CM. I know there are lots of guys that swear by this caliber, my question is what is the best hunting bullet type in this caliber?

I would go with a fairly hot loaded 129 gr. SST

 

[Newtosavage]

I would go with a fairly hot loaded 129 gr. SST

I just picked up some 129 SST's for my 6.5 CM today. I'll be interested in seeing what they can do. Seems like a great bullet weight for hunting with the 6.5 CM

 

[rayatphonix]

Hornady Interlocks and SST’s work very well for me. Nosler BTs are my other go to bullet.

 

[rayatphonix]

I load my Hornady 129 gn bullets at about 2650 to 2700 fps and they do just fine. I don’t think that’s particularly fast for a 129 grain bullet, but it works wonders on SC deer.

 

[Walkalong]

I work with a fellow that has shot deer with a wide variety of calibers for a long time. Last year he bought a 6.5CM and took some deer last year and this with it. He's shooting some sort of 140 Gr load, but I don't remember which one. He likes it a lot.

 

[horsemen61]

Ttrl

 

[Captcurt]

I load my Hornady 129 gn bullets at about 2650 to 2700 fps and they do just fine. I don’t think that’s particularly fast for a 129 grain bullet, but it works wonders on SC deer.

I didn't shoot deer with the 129 Accubond LR, but I did play with it out to 500 yards. Shooting a mild load, 40gr of H4350, the bdc in my Vortex Crossfire II was dead on from 100-500 yards. I didn't chronograph it but I doubt if it was 2600 fps.

 

[FL-NC]

For starters, I would look at the bullet that is already being used to shoot those 1/2 to 1" groups (assuming its a soft point for hunting), because if that is what is already going on, then I don't see any point messing with something that isn't broke. My RAR gives similar performance with Federal non-typical 140 grain, available at academy for $16 a box.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I’m actually going to go with TexasPatriot308.
Too many 6.5 shooters are imagining themselves long range snipers, thinking a hit equals a kill. It may in combat, but not hunting.

Most HUNTERS using the 6.5’s due to rag-writers ballyhooing the high sectional density bullets, and long range target accuracy are using either 140gr heavy game bullets or match type bullets that either don’t expand, or blow up, fragmenting.

Unless a bone is hit or heart hit at top through major vessels, an animal can make a lengthy run. I’ve seen it with my own use. I much prefer the 100-125gr 6.5 bullets to the 129-160gr bullets for 80-200lb deer.

I’m not just picking on the 6.5, but the .243, .30/06, .338, and .375’s have exhibited similar characteristics. I’ve seen deer hit with either a 175gr Corlokt from a 7mmMag or 220gr from a .30/06; either badly torn up, or a mid section puncture wound running miles...

Just right bullet placement or a better balanced bullet expansion, weight retention is the key. I prefer to heart-lung or CNS hit my deer/pigs as I eat them. So, I prefer something like a light to mid weight Ballistic Tip, or Corlokt to a heavy tough bullet. Also, keep ranges reasonable. Under 400yds. Adequate impact velocity is essential to killing performance. And, shot placement X3.

Added, year before last, I was hunting a shotgun only area. I hit a smallish 8pt buck at 110yds with a Federal 5/8oz Sabot slug. Deer was knocked down and got up and ran out of sight. I tracked it for ~400yds till I ran out of blood trail. I returned 4days later to see 20 vultures working the carcass on exposed lakebed. I later returned to carcass for post mortum exam. Two ribs midway back (3”) were broken from obvious bullet impact.. the .54cal slug penetrated the deer like it was toilet paper. Deer ran a 800yd zig-zagging arc.
In open terrain, it would have been a easy retrieval. In dense, wet S.E. it was a loss.
So, even a small, tack driving cannon, can lose a deer!