Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 6.5 CM for white tails. What load?

I see a lot of love for the 6.5 CM here n campfire. I always thought of it as a long range target and hunting round.
Do any of you have experience with it on timber or close range whitetails? If so what are your preferred factory loads.
I want an exit and a nice blood trail. I was thinking Federal Fusion, Federal Premium with Accubond or Barnes TSX.

Barnes 127 lrx ammo is worth looking at

125 grain Winchester/Olin Deer Season XP

129 grain Winchester/Olin Power Point

129 grain Hornady American Whitetail

I like my deer to fall over dead or, at worse, die with 20 yards of the point of impact.

Most of the 6.5 Creedmoor deer that I've shot have died on the spot or within 20' of the point of impact.

The 125 grain Deer Season XP is the least expensive factory load that I've found, about $19 at Walmart.

Thanks for heads up!

I’ve used the above listed 125 Deer Season XP load by Winchester with good results in close range shots here this season out of my Kimber. $19 at Walmart locally.

I load 120 Barnes TTSX for mine.

+1


Had good luck with that.

That’s a good price. Might need to get some of that. How is your kimber trigger holding up in the rain? Mine wouldn’t cock until I worked it a bunch.

Calvin- Did you lower the trigger pull any? Can’t say I’ve ever had issues with Kimber triggers unless I adjusted them too low.
Only maintenance I do is squirt the whole works down with Corrosion-X at the end of season.

Been a heck of a run of rain lately. Punched my final tag a few days ago...still feeling like I should hunt with a snorkel on.

I've used it ballistic twin in the 6.5x47 Lapua with 130 gr Nos AB successfully from 20-300 yards on WT and Muledeer. All have been one-shot kills with good blood and organ trauma.

I killed two with 129 Hornady whitetail ammo last season. One at 120 yards the other at 10 yards. Exits on both. The one at 120 yards ran about 30 yards and left a heavy blood trail. Don't know if the one shot at 10 yards would've left a good blood trail cuz it dropped in a heap.

I've used 140gr Federal Fusion and 143gr Hornady Precision Hunter with success.

I’ve used 100 gr Nosler BTs and 120 gr BTs. They work great. I’ve had exits on all deer, but not on all hogs. Great bullets.

Didn’t adjust the trigger.

Haven’t pulled the trigger yet. It’s been tough over here where I hunt. Deer are still very nocturnal. Tons in the headlights, not very responsive in the daytime. Had my best rut ever last year, sucking hard this year.

we use the 143 eldx, no exit holes, but massive internal damage. Want to switch but they just keep dropping. my sons 8 pt from last year and his youth weekend 6pt buck from saturday. He shoots a christensen ridgeline w/ a vx-3

Creedmoor’s are fun to shoot, not near the recoil as my cannons, kills just as well!

Thanks everyone for your input! I have plenty of experimentation ahead!

I’ve used the ELD-x. Like you say massive damage. I shoot behing the shoulder. Jellies the inside. But the still run. Farther than i like.
Had better results with the 127lrx.

Do you have long range shot opportunities where you hunt?

I loaded 34 gr’s IMR 4320 in my 6.5 JDJ. With its 14” barrel a 120 Partition would run 2400 fps. My feeder was set at 185 yards & that load never failed to lay them down beyond 20 yards. That single shot Contender was a Whitetail killing machine.

we don't usually shoot more than 150, sometimes we have opportunities out to 300 but rarely. I shoot the 6.5x55 with the nosler accubonds

Used a Creedmoor for the first time this season. Gave it to my son to draw first blood. ELD X, 143 gr factory Hornaday load. Shots were about 100 yards and 50 yards. Pass through at 50 and found the jacket at the last rib at 100.

I need a bunch more kills, especially at long range to get used to the ELD X since we primarily use Barnes bullets.

Cool thanks for the reply.... the Swede and Accubonds sounds like a solid combo....hard to improve on that

No hunter orange requirement in VT?

120 ballistic tip,125 partition or 130 accubond........done!
good luck,
Big Ed

140 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip!

Pick a load, flip a coin, it just doesn’t matter.

Two of the best photos on this forum...

Bumping this up, as I tested out a couple of 140gr eldm on some cull deer today, and second set we moved into thick woods, instead of the fields we started out in. #1 was 75 yds, and #2 was maybe 25yds. I intentionally shot for double shoulders, as they were smaller deer (100#), and I new they’d die....but I wanted to see if I got exits or not, and what expansion was......both exited, and how. Both began expanding in the first shoulder, and had baseball exits on the off shoulders. Damage was massive. Both deer DRT....neither took a step. Inclinations are it’s good for anything, and likely better at longer ranges, as far as ‘textbook’ performance.....but up close, they act like the old 30cal, 125NBTs we used to run at over 3k, for no tracking. Sorry....no pics, got busy cleaning up and forgot. Anyhoo, if you find a deal on these and your gun likes them, don’t overlook them for woods goat hunting. Just don’t shoot the shoulders if you want to eat them. LOL

Winner Winner!

Drew first blood with my CM yesterday running the ELDM. Shot was about 150yds. Deer never would give me a good look at both shoulders or the base of the neck. I had a decent rest...not what I wanted but felt it was serviceable. Someone took the tall seat out the box stand I was in and left a way short folding stool. I adapted as best I could. Anyway I guess I must not have been as solid as I wanted to be when the shot broke. Bullet entered rib cage just ahead of paunch and then exited again just behind the same side shoulder. There was blood everywhere and the 60yd blood trail was unreal. Like someone just went through the woods pouring it out of a bucket. Upon skinning/gutting we found both lungs destroyed although there was no indication that the bullet even got anywhere near the offside lung. I'll be anxious to find another test subject for the ELDM. However after season I'll start handloading. The 130accubond and the 120ttsx are high on my list

So, which ELD-M were you using?

I shot a buck with the 120 grains BT and recovered the bullet. Muzzle velocity 2950 and deer was 100 yds.


69 grains recovered

What seems odd, is the folks using ELD-X and other stuff that ‘should’ be stouter than the ELD-M, and NOT getting exits, while I double-shouldered those two and got baseball exits with the ELD-M? By all accounts it’s bass-ackwards, and not what I expected when I looked at the fine print before playing with the 140 eldm. Now, maybe a different story if they were quartering, and I went through double the tissue?

absolutely perfect looking bullet bud. could you tell us the particulars as i'd have figured a broadside shot it woulda exited....
Big Ed

The buck was at a quartering angle facing away when I shot him. Bullet entered left ribs , broke 3 ribs through heart and lodged into right shoulder. I'm not sure if it hit bone but I think it went through the softer part of the upper part of the shoulder maybe hitting some of the wide blade. I was surprised to find it also as I have never recovered one.

That's not the first time I've heard accounts of the M doing better than the X, which is counter intuitive...

DF

I was looking for a good exit and better blood trail than my 243 was giving me. Bought a tikka 6.5. It took 4 whitetail this year with factory Hornaday precision hunter with the Eldx. Trying to shoot behind shoulder as we butcher our own and they sometimes turn into a nasty pile of snot!

#1. 248 yards, hole through both lungs the size of a quarter. Ran 30-40 yards and flopped
#2. 35 yards, same damage. Left good tracking material (blood, etc.) 5 food up a tree behind her. Went 10 yards
#3. 170 yards, same damage. Ran 40 yards with great blood.
#4. 75 yards, wife made a back lung/liver hit. Went 60-70 yards and piled up fast. Blood on this one was decent but exit hole didn’t seem to be as defined as others.

I’m happy I went with the new setup

Factory 143 eldx did not exit a 100lb doe, shot broad side at 60 yards. DRT but no exit wound is a bit concerning.

Any bullet on the market, 100 grains or more will work just fine in a Creedmoor, or any other 6.5 mm round... on about any deer that ever walked...anywhere...

translation, if ya are buying factory ammo, there is really no bad choice...

I'm a 260 Rem shooter for the record... and 6.5 x 55 and 6.5 x 57...

I bought a box of Hornady Whitetail ammo loaded with the 129gn Hornady SP. I shot two fallow does with it and both bullets exited. Not a very fancy bullet but the good old Hornady Interlocks are still a very good cup and core bullet. The damn factory ammo has still shot the smallest group in my Creedmoor rifle. The closest handload was with the same 129gn IL. The 130gn Sierra Gamechanger shot under 1/2 an inch as well at 100m.

When I got my Fieldcraft 6.5 CM, I proceeded to test for accuracy with as many hunting bullets as I could find locally. The most accurate, listed in order, were the 120 gr. Ballistic Tip, the 129 gr. Interlock, the 130 gr. Gamechanger and the 143 gr. ELDX. All gave me groups measuring less than an inch at 100 yds. The 120 gr. Ballistic Tip killed a nice doe with complete passthrough, but blood trail was not needed. Distance was about 75 yds. My load is 39.5 gr. of Varget, F210M primer in of course Hornady brass for a velocity of 2905 fps. Work up!

Thanks folks,
I plan to do about the same thing as last round and do a field test to see what my Kimber shoots best.
I have the following and will report back when I get some range time:
Hornady: American Gunner, American Whitetail, Outfitter GMX.
Federal: Non-Typical, Buckmasters (Academy Outdoors)
Barnes Vortex: TTSX
Sig: Elite Hunter Tipped

I hope to be able to try FP Nosler Accubond and Fusion as well.

Out of the above I am sure I will find two or three that make me happy.

Thanks!s

I’ve used the 129 grain hornady out of the Swede, outstanding bullet.

Anyone use the 100gr NBT or Barnes on deer from a Creed?

Gents:
Tell me why my Tikka T3X 6.5 Creedmoor will not shoot Horn match 120 gr worth a flip ( 3 " ) groups and shoots Horn ELD -X Hunter 143 gr into a 1/2" or better? Just doesn't make sense to me. This is all factory ammo. I know " just shoot the 143's and be done " but I would think it would shoot the lighter 120's quite a bit better than 3 or so inches. Educate me please.

Thanks

There's a ton of stuff that goes into why bullets don't shoot out of one particular gun, but presuming your bedding is solid, it could be the interaction with the shape of the chamber and the bullet, the length of the throat being more (or more rarely but possibly less) than what that bullet likes, and also sometimes bullets with longer bearing surfaces just shoot better. Possibly those 143 gr bullets are a tad longer and are maybe sitting further into the throat and have less jump to the rifling. Or they just make sweeter love to however that chamber was cut (reamers wear and also chambers sometimes get cut slightly off center). Or the 120s just exit the barrel at a strange time for that barrel's harmonics.

If you hand loaded the 120's, prob the first thing I'd mess with is seating depth/ the jump to the rifling. Might be as simple as that.

It's all about what your rifle likes. All my Tikka rifles are very accurate but......they don't like Hornady factory 147's at all. My brother has a Savage and a Bergara that'll shoot the 147's into an 1" at 300 yds....

We shoot a couple 6.5x47's for deer and use the 130 AB in them. They have performed very well and we have no reason to change.

120 bt and 125 portion from nosler will be just the thing.

No, sir. Just a strong recommendation from VT F&G.

Hugh W2,
Did you find a load that worked?

Doug,

I hope to get to the range over Christmas time off. I will definitely follow up.
Thanks.
Everyone have a great Christmas!

Some of the NP loads interest me. I'm hoping to work on a few loads for my M70 EW here over the Christmas break.

Conversely, I never find any DRT concerning. Those are all 100% successes.

Different strokes.

I've used those two in a 6.5/284 with "awesome" results on deer and exotics! I am just getting started on the Creedmoor, so will have to report back on it, but right now I pland to start with the 120 ELDM and the 139 Scenar. Later on I'll work up a good load with the Barnes 120TTSX. for "me"...when I want to "know for sure" my bullet will work, I go with a Barnes. If too tough to open right, I drop down in weight. Speed is you friend with monos ! Its all so much fun, all we need is "more time and more money" (plus opportunity) Merry Christmas guys!

Logic and physics up to a point, snake oil after that...

Sometimes there is no answer, just go with what the gun likes.

That's what I do.

DF

It was crazy accurate in the Mesa I used to own as well.

Same here. Bought a cheap backup gun (Winchester XPR) and used this Winchester Deer Season XP 125 essentially to foul the barrel and break it in. First three shots out of the rifle went 0.74” off of sandbags! I’ve since done better than that with a proper rest.

It shot so well I used it for the first two deer and both were bang/flop. Great factory ammo, as far as I’m concerned.

People wonder about the Creed success. The combo of cheap, accurate rifles and cheap accurate ammo is hard to beat.

What's not to like.

And it is a great round, one of the easiest to reload. Mine seems to shoot about any combo pretty good, some, like this load, really great.

DF

Shown this before.

My 6.5 prefers the 120 Barnes TTSX over 4350. I like they way they anchor bucks without making a mess.

Do not overthink this deer bullet thing. Deer are not that difficult to kill. Any factory ammo that your rifle likes will kill just fine. I am a real fan of the 129 Interlock and have killed a lot of deer with it, in my .260s, and a few in the Creed. Most rifles-in any caliber-shoot the American Whitetail ammo real well. Unless you are just fond of spending money, you do not need the copper bullets on deer. That ammo is expensive and does not kill the deer any deader than the cup and core, etc. Cheaper ammo also allows you to do more shooting, which leads to accurate shooting, which leads to dead deer.

To the OP. I've shot whitetail,blacktail,elk and black bear with the 6.5CM, .260rem, 7mm-08rem. A 140gr. Nosler Partition is your Huckleberry. Personally never met a rifle that didn't love Partition hand-loads either. just in case you were wondering.

I used a 139 Scenar on a Muley buck at maybe 60 yds. High lung, bullet penetrated the first couple inches then expanded nicely leaving a silver dollar sized exit. Very good blood trail, went perhaps 50 yds in a sprint.

I just got some of those 139 "Skeenaars" to try out in my new Mesa...it is one fine looking bullet!

projectiles over headstamps.

Great feedback above......been using and reading about 6.5s for decades, everything I could get my hands on.

140 Partition was always a solid killer from Swedes to Win Mags.....that said, read an article in a 70's or so era Gun Digest or Handloaders Digest, title was "One Good Load" and the guy used a Swede and a 6.5-06 for about everything thru Mule Deer and Elk. He used ONE Bullet for complete success on all game. The 125 Partition.

Now on that note - extensive bullet test were done long ago, and the 129 Hornady SP, which has been around a LONG time ran neck and neck for penetration, expansion, and weight retention as I recall. For a cup core, it is a stout bullet.......a softer bullet might open sooner.

SO, all that to say, in a Small to mid sized case IMHO and IME, a basic Hunting bullet, of 120-130 gr is IDEAL for 95% of what folks will hunt and at the ranges much game is taken. IF you Intend to shoot Long Range, OVER 400 yds........the 140-147s can have merit. Not to say they won't work up close. Personally I have always used the 130 Accubond for my ALL AROUND 6.5 bullet. Others choose the 140, or a partition, a Barnes whatever like many have said, hard to find a bad one. I would avoid Match bullets/Target bullets that do not have a solid record on game.

If me, I would look at 130 Accubond for shots near and far, a 120 BT or TTSX do well, some folks like the mono's, stay on the lighter side for expansion...they like speed as many here know. The 129 is cheaper than Partitions or Mono's and will kill just fine....lastly the 125 WW XP might be a tad on the soft side, not a bad thing on deer, but if I were shooting bone / ie shoulders up close or say Hogs..I would instead go for lung shots until you get out to say 200 yds and further when terminal speeds are lower.

See links for further info:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/4769172/1

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...ge-264-bullet-test-part-deux#Post4783400

FWIW: Shot another at 100, head on timber hole shot, with head down, from above. Broke spine forward of shoulders, and exited just past sternum, dead center.....CNS shot, but still busted spine and exited after 20+” of penetration. Baseball exit, again. 140 ELDM.



I’ve shot deer with 129 whitetail loads, 125 Winchester’s, 143 eldx, and 140 eldm. I didn’t use the 147, as it wasn’t shooting as well at the time. The 140 has killed much faster than the others, thus far, anecdotally. Exits were 3x the size of the others, as well.

We hunt in a jungle, if deer run 100 yards it is never in a straight line.

6.5 creed and 6.5x47 lapua, 129g Hornady sp is the first bullet we try to make accurate, because it penetrates and causes massive internal damage. Next on the list is 140g Sierra btsp, and you will get complete penetration, old school bullet that is very easy to make accurate. 127g Barnes long range has been easy to make accurate, kills well, no better than 129g Hornady Sp. 130g Nosler accubond and 140g Nosler partition penetrate from all angles breaking bones.

Last two years, we tried 129 and 142g Nosler long range bullets, holy cow. The 129g is particularly easy to tune and deer flop in a hurry due to the fact that the bullet is made to expand to 1200 fps, and complete penetration on most but the worst of quartering shots. The 142g Nosler long range puts some massive exits on deer and always completely penetrate.

I bought ten boxes of the 129g Nosler long range and 5 of the 142g Nosler long range.

For old school bullets, the 129g Hornady Sp and the 140g Sierra btsp are just money on the bank when it comes to killing bullets. If you can't get the Sierra 140g btsp to shoot accurately, you will probably be trading off the gun or putting on a new barrel. This Sierra 140g btsp is perhaps the easiest bullet to get to shoot small groups.

We need some massive damage on deer because of where we hunt, quite a bit different then when I was hunting out West. We also have some large hogs, and hogs can be a true test of a bullet. Those big bastards can take a lot of killing. That 129g Hornady sp thinks it is a partition when it comes to penetration, and I like to test a bullet shooting a big boar though the shoulders on a broadside shot.


Since we have liberal deer limits, we can do a lot of bullet testing here in the family, and we butcher our own deer. We see first hand what bullets do to deer.
'We did not see complete penetration with Berger 130g vld hunting on close shots...predictable, but they never traveled far...predictable. Bucks chasing does during the rut take a lot of killing and you need a blood trail. A 180+lb buck jacked up chasing a doe, is going to have to have MASSIVE internal damage, and hopefully enough to break the diaphragm to get him to stop in his tracks. Something to think about...rear lung shots with heart, lungs, diaphragm all turned to mush along with main artery that goes to the rear.

Great feedback Keith.

I've yet to stop a 129 ABLR in a number of deer. I didn't work up a load for it, just went with a middle of the road book load...didn't adjust seating depth from what I'd loaded 143 ELDx's with....put a couple together and it stacked bullets in multiple rifles. Generic load all the way around, kills and penetrates wonderfully at mainly shorter ranges.....it was just to easy....and I like it like that!

A grand total experience of one animal taken with the 142 ABLR and my Winchester 6.5 Creedmoor, a bang/flop adult cow elk at just over 200 yards. One of the most impressive kills I’ve seen in 45 years of hunting, with a healthy exit and broken off-side shoulder. Flipped her in her tracks.

I’ve yet to try the 129 ABLR but I certainly want to. If they print 1/2” groups like the 142s do, I’ll probably just use the 129s for deer and Pronghorn and the 142s for elk and call it good. Although those 125 Winchester Deer Season XPs kill deer like lightning and they cost about $18 a box. I can’t beat that on the loading bench.

I have killed a deer, however mine never run that far because I shoot the shoulders. I bet the interlock into a deers shoulders might be rapidly lethal. I hunt in the southeast its fairly dense.

On that comment, Breaking Bones, by Keith. Yes, using the 130 Accubond in a 260, I have drilled both shoulders of a mature WT Buck at 100 yds broadside, so further out it will only penetrate deeper as expansions drops. Also dumped one at 275 yds with a Ruger K1-A Swede...lung shot, dropped on the spot. As I said, near or far, the 130 is my 'Go to' in 6.5 for deer. Many other bullets get the job done, only a few match bullets and some light varmint bullets are iffy in 6.5, depending on shot placement and impact speed.

I despise lots of damage. Just the way I am.

Been shooting Berger match not hunting, 140vlds. Chrono just back from Oehler repair so no clue. 41.5 of H4350.

Caliber in, small exit, and does enough damage. They run. A bit. 50-100 yards. No big thing to follow up, even in a thicket.

Have taken one frontal shot on a 75 pound doe and the bullet almost made it.. actually exited flank and entered hind but a small bit of it, found lots of fragments.

I like the way it shoots though and just know to stay away from hard shots. Couple of quick groups at 500 to verify zero's had it around 3 inches or so. Can't complain about that.

Will be ordering 127 barnes though.... may have dual zeros and get hunting bergers if we stretch its legs but I've great faith in the barnes rounds period. Not sure how they will group or drop compared to the .640 bc of the bergers.

Have not tried anything else yet. It will probably live between these two bullets. Have talked to folks using ELDX and thats too much damage for my tastes... sounds just like an AMAX. Of course if it was started slow and a long shot taken the amax works just fine for me.

Hornady whitetail 129 Grain interlock .....First buck at 10 feet.....Flop....Second buck 253 yrds...... shot thru both lungs, He took one step.....

Rost - yes, I popped a deer at 200 yds, 105 Amax, 6BR 2850 mv, bullet vaporized on spine, dumping the deer DRT. Another deer, 400 yds, double lunged, golf ball sized exit, sent maybe 20-25 yds at most. So yes, once speed falls, an Amax and other 'soft' bullets will often hold together.

It’s pretty much jungle many places I hunt, as well....swamps, creeks, rivers, and stuff you’d have to crawl through with a riot shield and body armor, just to track them....how some fit through rabbit holes sometimes, I have no clue.....but they get lost crossing water, or even just jumping in a creek or smaller river sometimes. Tracking dogs have fits sometimes. Sometimes, they trot off 30 yards and die in sight or easy to track. It all depends on the deer and those other million variables that come with a non CNS hit or leaving any front tires on it. Massive damage and big exits are sometimes the only saving grace. There are probably several others that do that well in a 6.5, but that 140 ELDM is impressive thus far.