Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Deer bullet for 6.5 creedmoor

If it will work in a 260, it'll work out of a Creedmoor...

100 grain Ballistic Tip....

run them out of a 260, 43.5 grains of 4064, 22 inch barrel, 3350 fps

same load out of a Rem VLS with a 26 inch barrel is running at 3450 fps...

Nosler also makes a 100 grain partition people forget about existing.

and I can attest to deer out to about 330 yds

and one unlucky bear that charged without any sign of stopping...

I think that you will like the 147. It shoots real well in my cm and it smucks deer and antelope just fine.

I've been shooting 140g due to the supply of 6.5 "Swed" bullets I already had. 140g Nosler Partition Spitzer, 140g Barnes XBT, 140g Sierra SPBT. I've only taken deer with the Barnes XBT so far, but I have no doubt the others would work well too. The 140g pattern great out of my Savage.

You can't go wrong with the Hornady 143 gr ELD-X bullet in the Creed.

I'll second this.

I haven't started loading for my CM yet (and may not) but I've used the Whitetail 129 Hornaday load on two Blacktails and a pronghorn with perfect results.

The two elk I shot with it died from a single Federal Fusion 140 apiece. That's a damned good bullet and I'll use it again.
The Fusion is a great choice too, if your deer hunting involves having to take deer on the move and you want good penetration......

I shot my new Kimber Hunter in 6.5 CM this weekend and used 140gr Federal Fusions. It shot .75" at 100 while shooting off the hood of a truck, so I think they'll do better. As far as I'm concerned, I don't need to look for another bullet to shoot deer with. It's worked great for me with about 3 different calibers and about a 1/2 dozen different weights.

Big "problem" with the CM, it shoots so many combos very well...

That could confuse a Loony...

DF

Having heard a lot of experience with the A-MAXs, I tried my hand with the 130 grain ELD-M in the wife's 6.5x55. Out of a 21" barrel velocity was 2850 and accuracy was <1" at 100 yds. It performed as expected on antelope and I would have no hesitation in using it for mule deer at extended ranges...with broadside shots of course. Using match bullets for hunting goes against the grain of many, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to the novice, but it can be done with great success.

I get the same velocity from my 6.5 CM with the 130 ELD-M bullet and it is very accurate. If shot placement is the most important aspect, there is no reason to doubt its' reliability to do the job.

I would personally opt for the 140 - 147 offering. The lower impact velocity is a benefit with those. The higher BC negates pretty much any loss, esp since the 147 can be pushed very close to the 140.

From studying comparative photos of the A-Max and ELD-M, the new tip may be the only change.

The X bullet seems to have a new jacket design with the thicker shank.

DF

130 gr AB

Hard to go wrong with any 6.5 bullet minus ones that are purely target or varmint bullets. Don't do what I did and get one of everything thinking the magic pill will reveal itself. The first loads with my 6.5x55 were so good I didn't even open some of the other boxes. The Creedmoor has a reputation for shooting just about any reasonable combo well.

The Hornaday 129 and 130 BT are what I settled with for the same reasons you are listing. Quick expansion but usually exiting. Also used the 129 ABLR and it worked well too but no better than the less expensive bullets.

I found the Berger 130 OTM quite capable on deer size game.

One bullet that works exceptionally well in my 6.5x55 is the RWS 127gn Cone point. It's a funny shaped bullet shaped like a pencil. But everything I have shot with it (about 25 pigs) have gone down with the one shot. The bullet is designed to lose the front part with the rear drilling on through like a Partition. I guess it works, as in the majority of cases there has been a small exit hole in the far side of the animal but they have gone down quickly on the spot. So I guess the front part has fragmented through the chest killing quickly.

I have 129,143 and 147 gr hornady bullets to load .

Of course,I still have the remainder of the box of 129 gr factory ammo from last year.

Only used 5 rounds to get the new Ruger predator sighted in, and 1 to fill my buck tag on opening morning.

I did also get 200 new hornady brass.
What ever i choose to go with work just fine.

You are covered , for both accuracy and terminal effects. Good choices.

Being a long time 260 shooter....and hunter...

take your pick...

100 and 120 grain Ballistic Tips, 125 and 140 grain partitions...

129 and 140 grain Hornady SPs...and the sadly discontinued 100 gr SP...

I've used others with success... but those are what I keep a stock of...
as they are my favorites and work....

low speed, add the 85 and 100 grain HP from Sierra...

a 260 or CreedSomeMoor... will kill a deer, any deer.. as well as an 06 or 270 any day of the week...

if they don't, it ain't the rifle, the bullet or the rounds fault...its the fault of the nimrod pulling the trigger...

The 6.5 CM is the first new modern cartridge to capture my attention. None of the Winchester, Remington or Ruger short and ultra magnums, Nosler's magnums, Weatherby's 6.5/300 magnum or others I've forgotten have got me excited. However the little Creedmore cartridge has certainly got me interested. I have an unused Ruger .243 sitting in my safe that I haven't fired for well over 10 years due to having five .25 cals that I like better. I've never sold it as it was the first rifle I ever bought. However, later this year I'm going to rebarrel it to 6.5 Creedmore. I bought a 6.5x55 a few years ago and really like that cartridge so I have a heap of .264 bullets here. I've already bought Redding dies and Hornady cases for the 6.5CM but have to sort out a Ruger Ultralight .257 Roberts first. Then it's off to the gunsmith again. I intend to use it as a hunting rifle similar to my 6.5x55 so I will stick to a 22 or 23 inch barrel.

So I've been following all the 6.5 Creedmore posts on here for the past 12 months or so. It will also be good to get my old Ruger back out in the field again.

The Hornady Factory Precision Hunter Ammo with that bullet has been so accurate in my Ruger American Predator rifle in 6.5 CM has worked well for me, and is so fricken accurate that I’ve yet to try any handloads in it.
But I’m definitely thinking a 120 Nosler Btip or their 125 Nosler Partition that I’ve used in my .264 Win Mag for years & yeas just might be the perfect handload along with some Varget or IMR 4064