Good hunting bullet

Status
Not open for further replies.
Txcookie;

I use the Sierra 140 grain Gameking, catalog #1730. I haven't been able to use it on feral hogs, they being in short supply in the backwoods of Montana, but it's good for anything else I have tried it on. My Swede is a custom left hand bolt gun with a Lilja barrel & put together by a very competent smith. The accuracy is there. Most of the time it'll shoot mid-to-high .4's or low .5's, three shots at 100 yards. The best it's ever done is a .261" three shot group at 100 yards. With the modern Tikka action, I worked up a load that runs 2725 muzzle velocity. It shows no signs of overpressure through multiple reloads on the same brass.

900F
 
Not to derail, but CB, do you have a picture of your rifle? Sounds like a nice rig.
 
I have a half dozen different 6.5 caliber cartridges including the Swede. For hunting they all get fed the same bullet. The Berger 140 Hunting VLD, it's high BC makes it great when the pokes get way out there.
 
I haven't hunted in years, but I have done some informal testing with my 6.5x55mm. I found the 140gr Sierra GameKing to be a soft, explosive bullet, the Speer 140gr Hotcor to be incredibly tough, to the point I thought the bullets weren't expanding at all until I captured one, and the Hornady 140gr Interlock and SST to be somewhere in between. The Nosler 140gr Partition opened up fast, but also penetrated deeply, as to be expected. I'd personally have confidence in either Hornady bullet or the Partition, but have no real world results as of right now.
 
Gtscotty;

It's a sad fact that my blood pressure & trying to do digital pictures just don't get along. The major problems seem to come after the pics go into the computer & before an online site accepts them. I've come to the conclusion that the programmers and I just do not think the same way. My doctor recommends that I not do that to myself anymore. It's a shame, the Swede is a very pretty gun even if I do say so myself.

The rig has a Rob Smith stock, done very nicely for a lefty, and Tom Stevens did a beautiful job of checkering. Cheek riser is on the correct side & the palm swell is just sweet. Dave Young of Tracy Montana did the major metalwork. He blueprinted the action, replaced the original Tikka floating recoil lug with a custom unit, and fitted the 22" Lilja barrel. It wears a Zeiss 3.5-10X 44mm Conquest in Talley rings. The Zeiss has the #43 mil-dot reticle. Dennis Erhardt of the Frontier Gun Shop in Helena matte blued the metal & made the barreled action & rings match the scope. He did a wonderful job at a very reasonable price.

Outside of the barreled action itself, it's pretty much a Montana gun in that Lilja, Rob Smith, Dave, Tom, and Dennis are all located in state.

900F
 
Last edited:
The october 2015 issue of shooting times did some reloading tests on multiple bullets and is not a bad place to start. I could probably get you a copy if you would like.
 
I've settled on 140 gr. Remington bulk bullets (come in a resealable bag, I guess they are corelocts) in .260 Remington. The price is right and they work well on our PA whitetails. We've also used 120 Sierras and had them come apart and mid-level velocities.

Laphroaig
 
I've settled on 140 gr. Remington bulk bullets (come in a resealable bag, I guess they are corelocts) in .260 Remington. The price is right and they work well on our PA whitetails. We've also used 120 Sierras and had them come apart and mid-level velocities.
Click to expand...
That's what I use in my 6.5 Swede. No need for a premium bullet at the Swede's velocities -- regular cup-and-core bullets work just fine.
 
Pretty much any hunting bullet will work. I am a Partition fan but with my 6.5 Creedmoor I have decided to standardize on 130 grain bullets and unfortunately there is no 130 grain Partition, so I am trying Accubonds. I had my crosshairs on a doe last Thursday and opted out since my grandson had already provided me a doe to clean.
 
I have two 6.5mm rifles...a 6.5-06 and a 6.5 Creedmoor. .. I use the 140 berger hybrid in the '06 and the 123gr amax in the Creedmoor. Recently shot a doe at 875yds with the hybrid and it did a job on her shoulder
 
Favorite Whitetail Round.

I have hunted several years with a Swede and a 260. Both were loaded with 120gr Speer HotCor. Experimented with Barnes and decided that the Speer did all that was needed on whitetails. Over 2 dozen kills can't be argued with. It isn't bragging if you have done it.
 
I shot a whitetail with 140 gr Nosler Partition straight on with my Swede with complete lenghtwise penetration.
 
I also think the 140 grain Nosler is the best bet, especially on hogs with the gristle plate or on bears.
 
I've had good success from 120 and 140grn Speer HotCores.
Only one 120 grn recovered. 30" of deer penetrated, recovered bullet weighs 108 grn, perfect mushroom. Never recovered a 140...
Also, the Hornady 120grn SST ( not catalogued blem Remington Accu-tip) is spectacular performer. Next up for deer " shooting" are some 123grn A-max. Very accurate from my. "challenged" 1/10" twist Rem-M7.
 
I am partial to Hornady Interlocks. But that is true of more bullet diameters than 6.5.

Best advice is that the gun will choose which bullet it likes best. A 6.5 Speer will group differently than a 6.5 Sierra will group differently than a 6.5 Hornady than a 6.5 Nosler...

I have had consistently good field performance from Speer, Hornady, and Nosler (not so much Sierra). But I have friends who swear by the Gamekings.

But, at the end of the day, the rifle will tell you which one it likes best.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top