Hunting & Fishing 6.5 CM White Tail Hunting

[BeardedNewGuy]

I have used the Hornady 143 grain eld-x with great results. I can not find them since the world is crazy again. Plus I procrastinate a lot so I do not have any for hunting. Looking for a good round that I can still find to hunt. I do reload this round so all i really need is a bullet. I hunt white tail less than 300 yards.
Thanks.

 

[stello1001]

The following will work, look for them...

127 LRX
135 Berger
120 GMX
140 GMX
129 SST
140 ELDM

 

[ma smith]

129 ABLR
142 ABLR

 

[Abbotm2]

130 VLD Hunting (found some on Natchez the other day)

 

[chase723]

Not to be too tongue in cheek but honestly pick a bullet that isn’t an FMJ and put it in the head/neck/high shoulder/chest. FMJs work for head shots just fine, but that’s a pretty low probability shot.

 

[BeardedNewGuy]

I do have couple hundred 140 eldm at home but heard mix results with them. I use them in my target gun.

 

[BeardedNewGuy]

Not to be too tongue in cheek but honestly pick a bullet that isn’t an FMJ and put it in the head/neck/high shoulder/chest. FMJs work for head shots just fine, but that’s a pretty low probability shot.

very true. I just see to many people who shoot all kinds of bullets at big game and have issues killing them. now I do not know their shot placement.

 

[BeardedNewGuy]

In my experience, ELDM work fine for hunting but if you hit a bone or shoot through the shoulder the break apart and blow up and may damage more meat than something like a copper solid bullet or a bonded bullet that sticks together better when you hit bone.

If you take a perfect broadside, double lung/heart shot, then just about anything would work fine.

If the deer is at a weird angle quartering away or toward you, just know what can happen with a match bullet going through heavy muscle/fat/bone potentially not getting an exit wound with a good blood trail and the bullet breaking apart or be confident enough to do brain/neck shot where it needs to go for DRT.

I usually go for neck shot if I can. less tracking if any and less damage on meat.

 

[Ram4402]

I have been wanting to try the 140gr gold dots.

 

[Mike Casselton]

The last two (Florida) deer I shot were with my 6-BR.
Both shots right at 25yds and I used a 65gr Watson FB, Benchrest bullet that left the muzzle at 3450.
I also killed a 70lb hog with a brain stem shot at 80yds the same day.
All three kills dropped in their tracks.

I'm pretty sure the 140 ELDM will do the job if you don't try a stem to stern shot on a 275lb deer.

Disclaimer: I've also killed hogs with the 6.5 140 ELDM.

 

[jwhjwh54]

6.5 ELDM 130 gr loads I made and the hog was DRT. Use your ELDM until you can find a hunting bullet. I still prefer a hunting bullet but that's probably just 30 years of marketing having an affect on me. I like the 140gr accubond in 6.5, but for whitetail would use about any hunting round at this point. I've used the SST's in 6.5, the hornady white tail stuff is fine, federal fusion bullet works well too.

 

[260284]

I do have couple hundred 140 eldm at home but heard mix results with them. I use them in my target gun.

The 140 ELDM will act like a Berger. My son shot a doe with my rifle and the 140 ELDM. Double lung at 240 yards, no exit, lungs were destroyed.

 

[fmillik]

I have used the Hornady 143 grain eld-x with great results. I can not find them since the world is crazy again. Plus I procrastinate a lot so I do not have any for hunting. Looking for a good round that I can still find to hunt. I do reload this round so all i really need is a bullet. I hunt white tail less than 300 yards.
Thanks.

Just bought another couple of boxes of 140 Berger hybrids for hunting. They have been a phenomenal round. (Was a big 143 eldx guy beforehand).

 

[XTREM HTR16]

139 scenar
130 Berger hybrid

 

[Junco Grande]

I still like the ELDX but have had them pencil hole through at 100
140ELDM will do great, just dont hit the shoulder bone...
140 Elite hunter did the trick on the first buck this year, 250# S. Texas deer, at 250. No exit and insides were mush. Pic..

 

[260284]

I did have a 140 ELDM pencil thru the neck of a big whitetail buck at 75-100 yards. It was a finishing shout out of my 260 running 2715 fps. Did the job, but was surprised to see the exit the same size as the entrance when I caped him out.

The Norma 130 Golden Target that Prime used to use are great for having an exit. Have shout deer from 100 to 450 and have always had two holes. Had one on a quartering to me on a doe that went over 20" at 350+.

 

[Campguy308]

I use my match load for white tails. 130 VLD Target H4350. Works on white tail and hogs. The white tails around here are small. Punch thru heart or lungs and the job is done.

Head and neck shots are a poor choice.

 

[J-Fonz]

Sig 140 OTM dropped 3 this season already, all DRT.