Looking for recommendations on factory 6.5CM ammo. Just picked up a 6.5 on a whim from a buddy of mine and need ammo. Primary purpose will be whitetail hunting out to about 350yds.
I'd go with "whatever you can actually find in 2021". I've not seen one box of 6.5CM on a shelf in months.
But seriously, most of the 120-143gr big game ammo should be fine for your intended purposes.
Hornady Precision Hunter all day long.
Good luck!
The 125 grain Winchester/Olin Deer Season XP is my current favorite 6.5 CM factory load for shooting medium game.
My current favorite 6.5mm medium game component bullet is the 130 grain Noslber AB and my favorite practice bullet is the 129 grain Hornady SST.
I found 2 boxes on the shelf at wallyworld yesterday............. bought them.
Winchester $35/box
Hornady American Whitetail works good for a (used to be) less expensive option. Just paid $50 a box for ELDX at Bass Pro.
Painful…I am sure the Wins will be good.
For a while a guy could buy Berger 135 Hunter ammunition for around $29 a box. That included Lapua brass. It shot great for us out to 500 yards. This year, whatever you can find on shelf probably.
federal non typical 140 grain soft point
HSM 6.5CM 130gr Berger Hunting VLD.
Barnes 127gr lrx.
Back before the China flu crazy you could find em~$40 box.
Whatever you can find under 130gr to keep the impact velocity higher. Lower impact velocity is the cause of user disillusionment.
The right bullet works at the right velocity, weight is sort of irrelevant. 140 ELD-Ms perform far better for me on deer, at all ranges, than any of the cup and core, <130s I’ve tried.
I’d say they might be too soft at faster than CM speeds, but they are very effective at lower velocities….from my take, anyway.
Hornady superformance 120 GMX.
Hornady Precision Hunter 143 gr ELDX
Wow, lots of options offered.
I’ve had really good luck with the Hornady Whitetail 129gr loads on deer - 5 to date.
On elk, I’ve used and been very pleased with the Federal Fusion 140’s - also 5 to date.
Whatever you can get your hands on will most likely work just fine on deer..... good luck.
I was actually not impressed with the Hornady 129 whitetail loads….at least with nothing but ribs and lungs hit. They were accurate, but didn’t seem to expand as much or as fast as other loads I used…..ELD-M and ELD-X, and ABLR. Sample was small, and all smaller deer at 200-300. The ELD-Ms have given two holes and good expansion from 30 yards to over 300. Still all anecdotal. In 12-15 with the creedmoor, I only lost one deer. That was the 129 Hornady, at over 300, and it just ran the wrong way after the shot: straight into a river about 50 yards behind it. I hadn’t anticipated that, and pretty sure it was running blind by then, after taking that bullet right in the pocket. Stuff happens. Anecdotal.
How many were hit with the 129 Interlock?
Years ago my father popped one perfect broadside with a stoutly loaded 270 Win., 26" barrel and a case full of H4831 under an early generation (hundred count box) 130 grain Ballistic Tip, an easy expanding bullet for sure. The contents of the rib cage were totally wrecked, and a good portion had exited the far side of the deer through a large exit hole. Nevertheless that deer ran over 100 yards. Sometimes there's no telling what they'll do until they do it.
Hornady 129g American Whitetail worked fine on the 1 deer I shot with it.
Deer are not exactly hard to kill.