Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Any 6.5x300 Wby. Shooters?

Kill alot of deer with depredation tags. Wondering what others experience after the shot inside 250 yards. My experience is they run like hell. 300 and beyond they flop. Too much for deer maybe?

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My 26 Nosler kills the hell out of them at 100 to 200 yards. What bullet are you using? I use 140 gr ballistic tips

Maybe try a softer bullet.

Which bullet are you using?

Not my experience at all. Most of the deer we have taken with it were under 200 yds and very few went ran more than 20 yards. Deer over 200 yards basically the same experience.

Last week my son took out a management deer at 80 to 90 yards - it was standing broadside on the edge of the sendero with heavy white brush - I told him to anchor it right there or we were going to get cut up getting it out. At the shot, the deer dropped straight down. Shooting Barnes 127 LRX handloads w/ US869 handloads.

I am using the 156 elite hunter. I think a 140 interlock is gonna be loaded next. It's almost like it goes in and out. Shot a 300 pound mule deer the other day at 200 right on his shoulder with an exit right behind the off side shoulder and he still went 100 yards. I don't think that bullet is opening up. I shot. Berger 140 vlds outta my 6.5-06 for 10 years and that bullet hammered deer. But it was running about 300 fps behind this 6.5x300. I agree with the softer bullet beretzs.

I don’t think much of Hornady bullets although lots of hunters swear by them. People I personally know have had deer run a long way after being shot by them. It could be they don’t shoot worth a damn. A partition or Bear Claw would be good in that rifle.

Man, I would have never guessed the Berger wasn't more explosive. Whats the insides looking like when you dress them.

I know you'd get violent expansion from the 143 or 147 ELD's as well, but I'd keep them off legs. They were awesome at 2700 but at 3200, depending on the range could be rough, but I get you'd get more on target reaction.

They don't seem to come apart. My load is running right at 3150 or so which I feel like is moving for a 156 out of a 6.5 bore. I've prolly killed 20 or so deer with it the past few years just for something different and what I see 9 out of 10 times is a running animal. I killed one the other day that had an entrance hole, 2 quarter sized holes through the lungs, and a quarter sized exit. I know that is adequate but man that 140 berger out of a 6.5-06 was like softball sized exits with soup for lungs. Same with my 30-06 and a 150 Hornady interlock, except for the large exit. Heck my sons little. 243 win with 100s put them down quicker. Just seems as the energy isn't being dumped out of that bullet perfectly until it reaches at least 250 yards. Just my experience with elite hunters and the 6.5x300.

I think it would be the ideal cartidge for elk sized game, but it goes through whitetails and mule deer like butter. I think a lighter bullet would be better for deer but if you hit bone, like a shoulder, it would be explosive. I wanted to try the heavies to avoid this because I figure a 130 grain bullet going 3400 or so would be flat shooting but damage meat.

Give the heavy ELD's a shot. Maybe an ATip or the 147 ELD.

I think you'd see the softball sized holes.

Tag

Hank

Why would you want "softball sized holes"? I use the 127 LRX and even on shoulder shots, I am not seeing huge exit holes. Granted mucho damage inside if shoulder is hit, but my experience with the 6.5/300 a double lung shot still puts them down pronto. Did I misunderstand?

I don’t want them myself, but the OP does so that’s where I’d go if I wanted more trauma.

I'll load up some lighter bullets and see how they do. Plus those 156 bergers really don't have that great of a ballistic advantage over a regular ol 7 mag or 300 win. But I'm noticing that when you load up some 130s it becomes extremely flat shooting. I think a soft point bullet in the 130 to 140 range is what I'm gonna a try.

In my 30" bbl No 1 @7000' I get 3700 fps with Barnes 127 LRX.
Point blank on deer size to 400 yds.

Dude 3700 fps is absolutely smoking. If your barrel is an 8 twist that bullet is turning big time. I've always wanted a 257 stw but it sounds like I already got one!

That might be the ticket.

That was my first thought…

This is what my pards boy shot. Lights on on deer and hogs.