I have on hand several boxes each of Hornady, Speer and Sierra 140 gr soft points. The Sierra is a boattail.
Before I run off and buy other offerings I’m going to want to run a bunch of these through my Kimber Hunter 6.5CM and wondered if any of you have any experience with them.

They will be put to use on steel to 500 and deer / elk, probably ( hopefully ) a bit closer in.
Leaning in favor of the Sierra’s for no particular reason.....

They should all shoot well. I have a load with Speer Gold Dot 140s, that I am shooting in a Creed. Great for deer. I like Hornady Interlocks in anything, if that is what they are. Sierra bullets are usually pretty accurate, but I have seen some pretty mediocre performance on game at times.

One of the great things about the CM is that it pushes 140's at a very modest speed, and thus doesn't stress the cup & core bullets with high impact velocities. I'd feel good using any of the bullets you mentioned for steel and hunting animals to 500 yds, though some of them are running out of poop for elk at 500 yards. The Sierras wouldn't be my first choice, but I'd feel fine using them. A lot of guys shy away from them, but I have seen good things from them on animals.

I’ve killed five Roosevelt’s cow elk with the Creed and 140 Federal Fusion bullets. So I’m certainly comfortable with the idea of using the combo. I doubt I will be strafing elk at 500 yards though.
Using the aforementioned bullets for practice is the plan and I was hoping to hear that others had hunted them and their results and gain from their experience.
Thanks guys👍

Hopefully, some guys with specific experience will be along eventually to relate that experience.

I got very good groups with the 140 Sierra on top of IMR4350 and would use them on deer with confidence. I've had fine results on deer and pigs with many different Sierras. No elk experience to relate.

I only have experience with my 6.5CM with deer using the 143 ELDX and have seen more and more postings about guys moving down to bullet weights for the 6.5CM in the 120's. I know that will pick up some speed but wondered about energy at extended ranges on game.

My plans are for an antelope hunt in Montana next year where the ranges in this area are 500+.

I have used the bullet weights in the 120s for my Grendel and that seems to be working out ok so far.

Your thoughts on lighter bullets

Redhill.

I'm using Hornady Whitetail factory 129gr Inner Locks for deer now.
They're inexpensive and shoot and kill really well in my Creed.
I don't think I'd change a thing actually, except that I have all these 140's on hand and I think they should perform just fine on deer, elk and steel....I also have a pile of 129 Horns to load.

I'm dialing for elevation, so I'm not really concerned with getting the highest velocities to flatten trajectory. And they should have better BC's and buck the wind better. But I only shoot to 500 yards max. That's all this range is set up for.

140's "should" be a better mouse trap for elk.... but I've killed two elk with the 129's out of my .260 without any problems. Everyone seems to be throwing cash at the wonder bullets with the high BC and ignoring the old tried and true cup n core. To 500 yards, there won't be enough difference to matter, so I want to shoot these up first and see how it goes.

I guess I'll just load up a few and see how they perform. If I find a darling in the bunch I'll run with that.
My .260 has a bit slower twist and I'll generally use the lighter bullets in it and the heavies in the Creed.

BT53

140 berger target bullets do a LOT of damage to rib shot whitetails. I don't like that but its what I have right now ready to go and zero's on out there.

129 Barnes are on the shelf now. Or is that 127.

Berger hunting bullets would be worse. And I personally feel that Berger target bullets generally do less damage than most standard cup and core bullets do.

The high BC bullets aren't cup n core?

Too-Shayy .....laffin!
Your absolutely correct.....guess I let those pointy little plastic tips skew my thinkin!

well, at least it wasn't hollow points that did it....

Shaking head here..

My go-to in my .260s, is the 129 loaded to 2950. I have killed deer to 430 yards with them and lots in the 300-yard range. Great bullet. I have shot some Hornady Interlock 140s in my Creed and got superb accuracy with them. My go-to in the Creed is the 147 ELDM, until they are gone, then I have several hundred 140 Interlocks to load. Did you catch the 129s that killed the elk? My experience has been that they hold together pretty well on deer, but no experience with elk.

sbhooper

Yes, one from a cow that I heart shot at a bit over 250. The bullet was in the hide on the off side and looked like an ad for Hornady Bullets in a magazine - perfect mushroom.

45 gr of RL 23 with 140 eld in Lapua Brass seems to be a rockstar in the 6.5 Creedmoor

The Sierra’s would be great, use 150’s in 308’s.

I use 120 Barnes in my three Creeds, but never shoot over 300.

Outstanding.

I've taken a couple of deer with the Sierra 140 SP out of a 6.5 x 55 years ago...It made a mess even tho the deer died... they were pushed hard out of a Swede at 2900 fps...

The same load but using a Speer 140 SP, did the job, didn't leave a bunch of blood shot meat

The deer I took this year was a Speer 140 at 2400 out of the Muzzle , with W 748 powdering it...

It did an excellent job also at only a 100 yds or so....

That and the 140 Ballistic Tips are my two favorite 140s...

for heavier game, I'd grab the partition....

Don't forget about the 130 NAB and the 139 Scenar.

DF

Seafire,

I have both Partitions and Speer 140's.... a box of each. Plus a few Hornady 140's as well.
I have several of the Sierra 140 spbt's... I have limited experience with Sierra on game, but think they're on the soft side (270, 284, 358). Which is to say, maybe not so good up close, but great at longer range. Horns and Speer, I have great faith in.

I just wanna load them up and see what shoots good and ring steel with them.
If I warm to one in particular, I'll adopt it for a while and go shoot stuff.

I have an abundance of IMR 4350, a couple cans of W748 and a bit of W380 on hand.
There was some W760 at SW the other day, but when I decided to go buy some they were gone. Dang!

Where I hunt it could be a 50' shot or a 400 yard attempt...on either deer or a cow elk.
Having a load that will run from steel to game at whatever range pops up is the plan.....

Have the Nosler Partitions changes much in their design and construction over the past 10-15 years???

About that long ago I found them to pencil through deer out of a 270 that was moving along at 3050fps. Accuracy with them was so so but then again that rifle produced accuracy that was so so also.

How was this determined? With Partitions the size of the holes in the hide don't always tell the tale.

And that is where the Partition excels........

I haven't seen much change in the 6mm,, 270, 7mm, or 308 in recent years. Of course, I haven't tried all the weights the Partitions come in with those calibers.

This year I had a .270 size exit hole with a Partition on a 500+ lb bull at ~50 yds. But it first broke the onside shoulder and obliterated the offside leg bone before it exited. Probably the back half of the 160 gr was the culprit..........

100 grain Ballistic Tip, or Partition, will do the job...

along with 100 grain Hornady SP ( out of production), 100 Sierra HP, Hornady 100 grain A Max, or ELD-M....

I'd even consider the 90 gr Speer TNT or the 95 V Max.... Antelope aren't hard to kill...

I kind’a lean the other way - if your really considering shooting antelope at the longer ranges, that 143 eldx is probably about as good as it gets. Wind, and lots of it too, it most antelope country. The heavier, higher BC bullets will have less drift and aid it hitting.

I’ll assume your using a good laser range finder to acquire yardage and dialing your drops. If not, and your going to be holding over, things get complicated quickly.... hold over and windage....
Most antelope are killed at more modest distances where bullet weight is less a concern.
My last antelope was in Wyoming in 2017. 275 yards with my creed and a 129 Hornady. I simply held high lungs and hit.

Allen,

I have faith in the 100 grainers.... that being said....there are no wrong choices going heavier either...

129 and 140 grain Hornadys have never failed me either....

I lean toward the 140 Ballistic Tip vs the 143 Hornady...for no logical reason except it a Nosler made here in Oregon
vs Hornady being out of state.... If I lived in Nebraska, it would probably be the opposite....

I have an issue with Hornady, canning the A Max and its lower price, with the excuse the tip would melt at higher velocity..
so they come out with different weights of say 3 grains in the bullet, it having a different polymer tip, and that justifies
the price going up quite a bit..... kinda sounds like the democRATS trying to get us to believe, that the 2020 election had
NO Voter Fraud going on....

A man who practices shooting 500 yds, is going to be able to hit something at 500 yds...or less...

a 260 or a Creedmoor, either shooter is going to do well if they have practiced shooting that kind of distance.. the rounds are up to it..

The 139 Scenar is my 140 grain bullet of choice.

Haven't shot anything with it yet except paper, but impressive on paper...

the bullets you mention do all shoot well, but i have went to Berger bullets > 140 VLD shoot great on paper and deer too.good luck with your choice. Pete53

I've found that 129 Interbonds sort of split the difference. A little faster than the 140 and holds onto more weight than the Interlock. Haven't had any issues with them on deer. All pass throughs. Not loaded factory anymore, but still available as a component.

I also have a gajillion 130 AR Hybrids that shoot very well in the 6.5 Creedmoor.

@JohnBurns is a big fan.

I load only 140:in the creedmoor, NAB. Bone penetration and lots of body parts on the far side.

Killed an antelope at 250yds this year with a 108 Scenar out of the Creed. Bang-Flop. I'm still convinced speed kills on deer sized game.

What works for me is 140g in the Creedmor and 123g in the Grendel

The IMR4350 works great with the 129 interlocks. I have a load that pushes them at about 2950-about the same as with Re 17. If you have any Re26, try it with the 140s. It is amazing with heavy bullets. Re 19 works well, along with all of the standard selection of powders.

Is it just me or does 2950 sound just a little bit warm with 129's?

Awe 300 or 400 FPS is close enough on the fire

Not at all. Not even max using Nosler data. I had them over 3000, but one rifle did not like the Re17 load in the summer during depredation work. Look up the data. These velocities are over my Pro Chrono and are proven out on the range. 24-inch Criterion barrel. All of my Criterion barrels are cleaned and lubed with Amsoil Metal Protector and have proven to be fast barrels.

My tikka does well with 130 game changers at almost 2900.
IMO, best bang for the buck

Using 140 fusions in my Tikka. Several deer now without issue.

I've used the Fusion 140's on several cow elk with excellent results.

I just left the shooting range after testing some 140gr Sierra SPBT bullets and W760.
They shot great. Same place as the 129 Hornady Whitetail loads @ 100 yards - so, excellent!
Since I have several boxes of the Sierra's, that's going to get the bulk of my attention for now.