Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Scenars, minimum impact velocity?

What is the minimum impact velocity you are comfortable with shooting on small or large game?
Or where you have experienced where it stops expanding.. or the bullet its not performing as it should.
6,5-123 & 139s and 308-155s are known performers..

But could be OK to find out what other shooters have experienced?


224:
69 :
77 :
90 :

6mm:
90 :
105 :

6,5:
108 :
123 :
139 :

308:
155 :
167 :
187 :

338:
250 :
300 :

+1

Very interested in hearing reports on the various scenars. The 123 is what I'm most interested in.

Just reports in general or at long ranges where they might not expand all that well?

Yesterday 200# Whitetail, 139 Scenar, 2900 fps 6.5 PRC, About 200 yards, Hit left elbow shattered it and went into chest, DRT. made a hell of a mess. Rio7

Up close shoot them like arrows,when stretching...gun 'em like X's.

Hint..............

Yes longer ranges and performance at slower impact velocities. I've read a bunch on the 155 and am curious if the 123 is similar in performance on game.

I have no data points for long range, just a couple between 200-300 with a 123 started at a modest velocity (2875). Here's a thread from this year with photos of the entrance/exit, about 3/4 of the way through the thread. The other was a dall sheep at 280 yards, I had one shot at the ram on the last hunting day of a 12 day trip, the bullet broke the hip and continued into the paunch, put the ram right down:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/13140683/4

I have used both the 123gr and 139gr Scenars in 6.5 Creedmoor and taken more than a dozen deer with both bullets.
They were one-shot kills on 100%, and exits on 90% of shots, at all ranges; shooting Roe, Red and Mule deer, plus one Asiatic Elk (Maral).
Ranges were from 60 yards (Roe) up to 590 yards (Elk). Most were in the 100-275 yard range.

Minimum velocity I have seen the bullets work at, and exit:
123gr: ~2550 fps
139gr: ~2150 fps

They seem to expand enough to kill cleanly, while penetrating very well.
Hope this helps.

Anyone have any experience with the 90gr 6mm on deer or antelope. I am hampered by a ten twist barrel.

Best pitch going................

I have shot a grand total of one dink with the 90 Scenar.(243 MT)


200 yards, no exit, it bombed the innards. Cannot remember the exact angle/impact but it was a quartering shot.



Fairly large bodied mule deer.

I have not shot any of the other calibers enough to give a good opinion, but a lot of people swear by them.
As for the .338 cal bullets I have never seen where they expand at all at any velocity. I have several gongs made from 3/8" and 1/2" Hardox500. These gongs have had literally thousands of rounds fired at them without barely a scratch. One gong has several holes in it all from 338cal Scenars at 100 yards 3050fps muzzle velocity. none of the holes are larger than .338". I moved the gong back to 300 yards and the Scenars no longer penetrated, but I found several of the bullets laying under the gong. they had slightly flattened meplat's but you could easily load them again

I fling the 139's at 2850 out of the creedmoor and every animal we have shot (from 40-458 yards) the bullet has been a complete pass through with good violent expansion.

I bought a box of 136 gr L and cut one open, and the jacket in the nose looks so thick that I have not tried them yet on game, scared that they will not expand at 6,5x57R speeds...

on paper they are quite accurate, though, and I will eventually try them.

your comments on their performance are encouraging.

Sam, dead is dead, but a little surprised it blew up like that. Looks like a big bodied deer however.

Agree, very nice deer.

I once used a 90 gr. Scenar out of my .240 to chest shoot a WT doe. Turned the chest cavity into soup, even blasted the diaphragm, had grains of corn floating in the soup.

Once was enough. Great bullet, very accurate, but at .240 speeds on WT's, not the best choice. 100 NPT's replaced that bullet in the .240.


chamois, I loaded 136L Scenars in my 6.5 CM for deer season, didn't get a chance to kill one with that load. I chose the slightly lighter bullet, thinking it would be moving a bit faster than the 139 Scenar. I haven't sectioned one. The 139 has a rather thin jacket, about like a VLD, but Scenars tend to hold up a bit better. I was thinking they may have a harder alloy.

Does the 136L have a thicker jacket than the 139?

The buck I killed this season was with a 120 NBT out of my 7-08. Worked great. But, a Loony has to move on, can't get stuck with just one good load...

DF

I've heard enough good reports on the .30 caliber 155 and the 139 to believe they're solid, and seen a few animals taken with the 123 and think they're good too. Haven't seen the same track record with others.

My 700/Shilen Creed likes the 123 Scenar. I probably should run with it and quit looking.

DF

I don´t know, I am sorry.

I have never loaded them nor had any in my hand. I would post a photo of the one I sectioned but it got severely distorted in the process and I threw it away.

123's may be a bit expansive at higher speeds, my reason for moving to the 136L.

The 139 Scenar over MRP in my Swede is an optimal load. It's more finicky than the CM, so when I find an optimal load for that one, I stay with it.

The Creed shoots so many combos well, it's harder to decide. It was an easy choice with the Swede.

DF