Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 6.5 120gr. Sierra Pro Hunter review

Hey Gang,

I have been working up some loads for a 6.5 Swede and have found that it really likes the 120 grain Sierra Pro Hunter. Anyone have any experience with this bullet on deer size game?

Extremely almost scary accurate, reliable quick kills, good expansion & pass thru's on soft tissue but won't penetrate both shoulder joint sockets.

I used the Sierra Book's "Hunting Load": in RL19, WLR's and range pickup WW brass for field work some years ago ....and just bought another Swede to do exactly the same thing again for a No Drama shooter when I do my part correctly.
Ron

The 120gr Pro Hunter is one of my go to bullets for accurate ammo to play with. It has worked well in a 260, 256 Newton, and a pair of 6.5 creedmoors. I have a hard time getting around the 140 partitions for hunting, but I did kill a mule deer buck with the pro hunter out of a 260 and I'd not hesitate to use them again.

My Swede loves RL19 with 140s. I just like all the weight and SD I can get for hunting. Never know what will pop up or the variables so I go " bigger is better" as long the rifles agree.

I loaned my 260, a Tikka T3, to my brother this past deer season.

I was standing with him when he shot a doe and a button buck at about 90 yards or so. The first was hit at the base of the neck, quartering to, and the bullet exited through the off side shoulder. DRT. The second was shot broadside at the same distance, complete pass through and the deer buckled at the shot but got up and stumbled about 15 yards before piling in.

Based on a sample of two, I would not hesitate to use that bullet out of any 6.5 cartridge up to the Swede, at least.

Might be more of a case of what twist the 6.5 Swede has.Is it a actual 6.5 military sporterized rifle or a modern firearm chambered in the 6.5?

Here is my experience.
I have a sporterized Swede,with the Euro 1:9 twist( that may be off a little.) It did not shoot 120 gr Sierras very well, but I do have good load worked up with 140 gr Sierra Game Kings. However,that accuracy load was only going about 2600 fps and really not all that great as an antelope gun.

So I looked around for a longer lighter weight bullet and settled on the 130 gr Nosler Accubond That bullet is about 1.34" long and matches the twist rate.Plus it gets the bullet a lot close to the lands of those long throated swedes that were chambered for longer/heavier round nose bullet.

Now I have them at about 2800 fps and excellent accuracy. My load is 47 gr of H4831 and a COAL of 3.175. Standard disclaimers apply, work up to these loads. This works for me ,but may or may not suit your needs

I have loaded for the 264 Win mag. Killed well, good bullet.

i use them out of my 260. really accurate and excellent on deer both expansion and penetration.

Very similar results. A couple examples:

• Killed a thick hog with one at 100yds but we never could find entrance or exit. Damnest thing.
• The very first hog I shot using them showed a small fragment exit inches away from "the" exit. Shot was 60 yds or so.
• 130 pound buck at 70 yards exited nicely on a hard quartering shot where the bullet traveled through quite a long stretch of deer.
• Almost forgot, I used it to shoot a walking hog at 400 yds. Went right through ears- you know - just like I called it !

Really kind of hard to complain about them.

I can recommend them but might add keep loads mild. YMMV. I am fairly new to these and they may not yet have quite earned my absolute confidence that the 140 SGK give me. Those never fail to exit, seem to consistently drop things where they... stood. The boat tails may have a little advantage in holding together. -and of course they are heavier. The 140 SGK don't shoot quite the tight clover leafs that the 120 flat base PH's do in my 260.

I any case I have switched to Sierra for everything.

Hope this ramble is of some use.

I have found this to be the case as well. The 140 Gamekings shoot very well, but not as well as the Prohunters. 120 grain Ballistic Tips shoot pretty good as well.

I see Hanco has shot them from his 264.. That is the only 6.5 I have ever owned.. But on a big mulie, I had trouble keeping in down with a chest shot.. Been years ago now, I don't have any notes from that kill.. But I would say it was the only bullet failure I can remember when using the .264.. Could have been a bad batch of bullets too.

So far, it is the only bullet my 260 Montana likes at about 2900 fps pushed by rl 19. I hope it works well on deer at that speed.

My daughter uses the 120grPH in her .260 and has harvested 10 deer with it thus far. It is very accurate in front of H4350 and it's performance on game has been excellent for her. Out of the deer she's taken with it only one didn't exit. The shot was about 225yds and the bullet was lodged under the skin on the offside after going thru both shoulders and was in a nice mushroom.

I have shot this in 308, great bullet

Must really rattle going down the barrel!

When I started reloading for my first 260, I settled on this bullet for whitetails. I tried most everything then available between the 100 BT and the 140gr Partition. This and the 120 gr BT showed the best accuracy, and it was the cheaper of the two. Shot many deer with it, from 180 lbs bucks on down to yearling does. Very few went more than a few steps - most of those that did were already moving prior to the shot. I only found one; that one in a nice buck shot just moments before quitting time. Found it under the hide of the offside shoulder. Never thought to check it for weight retention. When the TTSX hit the market, the same load of Re 19 showed even better accuracy than the Prohunter, so I switched. Haven't looked back....

Kaiser Norton