Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 6.5 hunting bullets?

First off, has anyone found and used the Hornady ELD-X? Haven't found any available yet, but I'm looking forward to trying them.

I read a fair bit about the 130 AB, but didn't know there was a 140 AB til I bought my .260 and started shopping on-line for bullets. Is it new or is it just ignored by most?

Also curious about the hybrid profile hunting bullets from Berger, if anyone has experience with them. Doesn't seem a big deal to seat the s.o. bullets correctly but my experience is limited and maybe I'm missing something.

Anybody know why the Partition 140 has a better b.c. than the Accubond 140?

It doesn't.
6.5mm 140g Partition: 0.490 B.C.
6.5mm 140g Accubond: 0.509 B.C.

That 140 AB has a loooooong shank compared to other more aero 139/140 offerings.

My bad on the Accubond b.c. numbers. I think I musta been looking at the 130's .488 b.c. instead.

And yeah... I can see the difference in profile vs the sleeker s.o. bullets.

Anybody use the amax for hunting? My best group so far is a bit under .5 inches with the 123 gr. That's 3 at 100. also did 3 in 1.2 at 200, same load...

Couple years ago I turfed a blacktail buck at 40yds with a 123 Amax outta a .260.... muzzle velocity was about 2950. That bullet destroyed the lungs and exited.... the deer went down poste haste.

My girlfriend shot a Mule Deer buck last season with a 130 Accubond at 90yds.... also out of a .260, muzzle velocity was 2800fps. That bullet went through about 2 feet of deer before exiting.... The deer bounced it went down so fast.

Anymore.... we shoot the 123 Amax at steel/vermin.... and the 130 Accubond for punching tags. We now have two teenagers who passed hunter's safety this winter.... so we'll have a half-dozen elk tags and a bunch of doe tags to fill this fall..... it'll be 130 Accubonds at them all, either out of the suppressed .260 at 2800.... or the 6.5 Swede at 2950.

Hey Dogshooter have you tried the 130 gr Sierra TMK yet? Not sure how it would be on game but I bet it shoots great.

Johnw, I have only shot the 140 gr Accubond on paper but not on game, it is accurate though. In my wife's Tikka 6.5x55 the 140 gr partition shoots ok but I may give the 140 gr Accubond a whirl as a heavy game bullet. For deer we like the 120 gr Ballistic Tip.

Since I have other guns for big animals I have started to use bullets around 130 gr more in my 260 Rem since they can be moved a fair bit faster on average (in my gun 2700 fps tops with 140's and 2850-2900 with 130's). Last fall I shot 2 deer with the 140 gr Ballistic Tip and 3 with the 130 gr Accubond and couldn't tell the difference in wound channels between them. This year the 130 gr Sierra HPBT will get the nod for deer and I'm seriously considering going back to the 129 gr Nosler ABLR for longer range shots. Had some good success a few years ago with the ABLR bullet on deer. I thought hard about the 143 gr ELD-X but think I'll pass for now. There are so many great 6.5mm bullets these days it's hard to pick one good thing so many of them will work well.

The Hybrids aren't the hunting bullets, they are target bullets. Essentially they have a thicker jacket, so if you want expansion, pay close attention to impact velocity; they do need more than the VLD Hunting bullets.
They do open violently still, just gotta keep them moving.

This is a new rifle and new cartridge for me, and I'm just playing with options. Best accuracy so far was with the 123 amax and H4831 which is the powder I have the most of on the shelf.

I'll get around to some of the heavier bullets. Likely start with the 140 BT. I'm a believer in the ballistic tip in other set-ups, from the .222 to the fast .30s.

Really wanna run the ELD-X and see what it does. Offers a lot on paper for it's cost, but simply can't find them.

Cannot find anymore h4350 anywhere, and I'm into my last pound of that.

Did find some AA4350. Any experiences/opinions?

The mag box on my rifle runs to ~3.125" so I have all kinds of room to load all kinds of bullets.

The 120 bt makes the lands at 2.825.

The 123 amax makes up at 2.855.

Been running both at .015 off.

H 4350 is a great powder and have had success with IMR 4350 so I would imagine AA 4550 should work well. IMR 7828 ssc is another good one especially with medium to heavy weight bullets. Initial work with IMR 4451 has been positive. Got to run but will check in later.

Gerry..... I've not shot any of the new 130 TMKs..... and probably won't unless someone gives me a box. The 123 Amax absolutely nukes furry stuff under about 25lbs... shoots lights out.... and can be had for less than $25 a box.

Coyote vs. 123 Amax....... now that's violent!

Here is some choices and I have add a couple since this was taken. The Sierra 85 gr HP and the Woodleigh 160gr PPSN.
[img]https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...ee64613086f6ffc41795e46a&oe=5779D812[/img]

I really like the 260 have owned 5 of them at one time or another. The 140 NAB and H4831SC has shot really well from all. For deer hunting the 140's IMO are a bit slow depending on firearm. I would anticipate the velocity and accuracy of the ELDX to be great as well. The 140 and 123 AMAX are really good deer hunting bullets along with the 120 NBT.

Is your rifle a 1in 8 twist? I would try the 120TSX or TTSX. Try this web site no info on ELDX but I would anticipate performance similar to NAB it may expand a little better as its length/ogive is different. IMO the 140 NAB is a tough bullet better suited for a faster cartridge.

http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/.260+Remington.html

Good luck and shoot straight

Bob

Fine results here with the 130AB and the 129LRAB at 2,800-2,900fps.

No love for the Berger 130 VLD Hunting here? At .260 and 6.5 Creed velocities, it does quite well.

Never used it. What kind of performance can one expect from it?

I've killed quite a bit of stuff with the 130gr Berger Hunting VLD. It is my favorite 6.5 hunting bullet.

John

Does it shoot well through your Low Wall?

Killed pronghorn doe with a 130 VLD outta the 6.5x47 couple years back.... range was a bit over 500, and she never knew what hit her. Bullet exited, and did horrible things to the lungs....

ALL of my 6.5s have shot the 123 Scenar better than the 130 VLD.... and I'd trust them about the same on big game.

139 Scenar also has a pretty good reputation for hammering big game.... but I've yet to shoot a critter with one.