I purchased a new Kimber the other day in 6.5 Creedmoor. I don’t know much about bullet selection on this round, so I’m looking for some experienced input. I’d like a bullet that will give me pass through shots on mid size southern whitetails. Any recommendations?

I’ve never had a man bun, but I’ve killed a bunch of deer and pigs with a 6.5x55. My bullet of choice was a 120 gr Corelokt.

Nosler partitions

For the record, I’m not fond of the false propaganda for the round. I’m more traditional and was actually looking forward a 308, this one showed up in the form of a deal I couldn’t pass up, so I’m the owner of a caliber I’ve made many snide comments about to my buddies…..lol

Now 9 cow elk using the 143 gr. ELDX. Myself and others in our hunting party. All broadside shots, and all pass throughs. From 131 yds to 467 yds. CM, PRC, & RPM.

6 using factory CM & PRC ammo, 3 using handloads.

Would work on your WTs.

From my experience with the ballistically similar 260 Rem. I can say the 125 grain Partition and 129 grain Interlock are good candidates for your stated goal.

What is the false propaganda that bothers you?

Yeah, it's funny how people's minds can change when they actually use something rather than reading about it. Done it myself. If someone can't recognize the many fine attributes of this cartridge then they may need to take up professional CornHole or something.

Velocities generated by the 6.5CM allow a wide range of bullets to work very effectively on game animals, IME.

Don't forget about the 123 Scenar. Shot pretty well in my Creed, but haven't killed a deer with one.

DF

I haven't loaded/used the Scenar.

Pat's killed a bunch of stuff with the 139 Scenar and at impressive speeds. He gets good exits.

The 123 is accurate and I assume it would be a good WT bullet.

I did once have a problem with a 90 gr. Scenar at warp speed out of my .240. That one was too much of a good thing, too expansive, once was enough. The .240 is now a 100 gr. NPT dedicated gun, does super with that one.

DF

I have shot whitetails at moderate ranges (30 to 175 yds) with 120 NBTs, 129 Hornady and 130NABs, all gave pass throughs and good performance.

The false propaganda?

Ignorance abounds with this caliber. Folks tell me all the time how it outshoots the traditional calibers (flatter than an ‘06 at hunting ranges, better than a 270, etc) like it’s a dadgum magic wand or something.

Appreciate the responses guys. I was able to purchase 7 boxes of ammo when I bought the gun. All Winchester deer season I think 125 grain? I’ll try it first to see how it shoots in the gun, after that I’ll shoot one to see performance and go from there based off you guys responses from experience.

I like a rifle that has an exit hole because I’m color blind.
Simple math: 2 holes bleed more than 1.

Looking forward to trying out the new rifle and caliber.

I think you gonna like it.

You may even end up on the Creed bandwagon....



DF

Which version, extreme point or copper extreme point?

The 129 accubond long range has worked very well for me in the 6.5 CM for deer. I'm using a mid-book load so not pushing it for velocity. I've had pass throughs on all but 1 deer, ranges from 20 feet to a touch less than 400 yards. The one non-pass through was the 20 foot shot - behind shoulder, downward angle, hit a rib going in, hit a rib on the other side, under skin on the far side - really wrecked things inside.

I've shot a few whitetails with the 125 grain Deer Season XP factory ammo. About 1/2 of the deer had 2 holes in them and 1/2 left the bullet under the hide on the off-side or imbeded in the off-side rib cage.

Not 6.5CM but a near twin inthe 260rem. Have taken four deer with 130gr Accubonds. All pass through. My rifle likes my 130gr handload and Nosler 125gr factory. I would use any factory load with a good bullet. Try some and shoot what your rifle. It may take some time in the off-season due ammo shortages. I have the advantage of being a reloader well stocked with powde, primers and bullets. I stocked up before the crazys started.

If you want regular pass-throughs, I'd likely lean toward a TTSX, Partition, or Accubond. Having said that, most of your cup/core bullets in the 130-140gr range are probably going to give you pass-throughs most times, unless you are working hard angles. That's where the tougher construction of the premium bullets shines. Like others say, the velocity window of the 6.5CM and the higher sectional density of the 130-140gr stuff is going to yield pretty decent penetration with "regular" bullets.

Any of them. Seriously.

I've had good results with Prime ammo and their 130 OTM the only factory ammo I've used in my Creedmoor .

Yep.

My Creed shoots even the worst ammo/loads MOA or near MOA, best ones, sub MOA.

Can't say I have many rifles that will do that and I have some really good ones chambered in other rounds.

And there aren't many (if any) 6.5 bullets that won't kill a WT.

DF

Have not had the opportunity to shoot a deer with my Creedmor yet, but I have shot two using Federal Fusion bullets (30-06) and both times full penetration, I would give them a try if you can find them.

Extreme point

Careful there guys, I think I hear the Creed calling.

Sorta reminds one of the Sirens call in the movie "Oh Brother Where Are Thou"....

So keep reading at your own peril....

You been warned....

DF

Got my Tikka CM loaded to the gills with 139 Scenars, headed for mule deer country Wednesday. We need a freeze...too many mesquites with leaves.......

I've killed four so far with the 129 gr. Hornady interlock. Haven't had one stay in a deer yet.

I've got a 150 gr. .30-06 Fusion I recovered from a deer.

Same here. Good luck to y’all Johnny...

Perfect combo...123s don’t suck either, but like said there are plenty capable 6.5 bullets.

I load 120 Barnes for 3 Creeds, kills the hell out of pigs.

That's just gay....

Hey good luck to you too josh. Send me some pics when you score. Supposed to be a good cold front come through this weekend. Where you going?

right now bullets can be hard to buy ? but Hammer bullets are in stock and another very good bullet too

As offered above the plain old 129 Hornady is hard to beat. It does not know it’s a cup&core. This from experience in the .260. And from experience with the 120 gr TSX In a 7mm-08 you might want to try that weight in .264 diameter. The factory stuff you have will work fine. It might not exit as frequently as some other bullets but a deer hit in the shoulder area and heart/lungs is not going far.

For my own use on whitetails, I'll echo Mathman and add the 130 grain accubond.

I’ve used the 120 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip with good success in the 6.5 CM. Three shots, three deer and no tracking needed. My load is 39.5 gr. of Varget with Federal 210 match primers for a velocity just above 2900 fps.

The 139gr Scenars shoot real good in my Tikka 6.5 creed and my Sako 260. They work well for Whitetail.

Which brass are you loading?

If you reload, I think that it is hard to beat the 130 grain AB. I have found that the 129 grain SST will shoot to the same POA and the last time that I bought them, the SSTs were a priced at around 2/3 the asking price of the ABs for a less expensive practice option.

I've had shot around 4,000 rounds of 6.5 CM factory ammo and reloads since I got my first 6.5 CM rifle in 03/14 and have only found one brand/style that didn't shoot good groups. These were American Eagle 140 grain open tip match from lot # 3161421. They didn't shoot good groups in any rifle that I tried them in.

My most recent rifle chambered in 6.5 CM is a Kimber Hunter that I have only shot a few times, just enough to zero the scope and run a couple of magazines to insure that they were feeding smoothly. I plan to punch some antlerless whitetails River WMA tags with it next month and I will shoot them with those 125 grain Deer Season XPs. After the season ends on 01/31, I'll rezero for the 90 grain Federals and use if for calling coyotes.

I ended up with several 129 gr interlocks , been shooting them in my Howa Alphine hunting woods in a blind.
They all kill great and only one wasn't a pass through but the deer was facing me and in alert position.
I hunt with different rifle/ bullet combos depending on where I hunt. The 139 scenars or 140 BT are my field loads..
I've used 120's also, deer aren't hard to kill.

Hornady.

No love for the 130 gr Swift Scirocco? Asking for a friend.

[

Tell yo friend it’s a good bullet. May be a bit more sticky than some.

Has good terminal performance. May be a tad COAL sensitive, but generally not hard to get to shoot.

DF

I have a 260 (I also have a Creedmoor but have not killed anything with it) that has taken several deer with 100 gr NBT at around 3250 FPS and all have been bang flops.
I was shooting the 260 long before the Creedmoor came on the market, but they are about the same balletically.

If we're transferring .260 experience, any of the soft 120gr deer bullets works well for that.

Used several different bullets in my 260 Rem (a male version of the Creed) and my absolute favorite for dropping in their tracks and accuracy is the 140 Gameking. Always got pass throughs too.

My rifle loves the 140 SGK and IMR4350 and I hope to bust some pigs with it this weekend.

I doubt you or the critters will notice any difference between those two rounds.

DF

130 Accubond has killed a ton of deer for us. Kids shoot them in their rifles. Mine likes the 139 grain Scenar and I have shot several deer the last 2 years with them. Just shot another doe this evening. 0-300 yards and have had 2 holes in every one so far with good damage in between.

Partition, accubonds, ttsx, game changers. Eldx
You reload?
Honestly any bonded bullet will work.
Monos like ttsx work better going faster. So 120

I’ve shot a lot of different 6.5 CM bullets. At least for accuracy, the inexpensive Norma Whitetail 140 factory load has been a pleasant surprise. It isn’t a very aerodynamic bullet, but has proven very accurate from my rifle inside 300 yards. Has anyone here shot game with this load?

Ironic, I was reading before i posted.

Called Sierra when I bought the Swede.
Ask about loads, and what thery thought about the 140 for deer.
I already had some and wanted to use that bullet.
"We strongly recommend the 120"

I ask about expansion.
"The 140 will expand, but you will get much better results from the 120 at those velocities"

Of course I didn't listen to the expert I ask for advice.

Had a rodeo on a doe.
Hit a buck and a doe I never found. (Not something that often happens)
A few other less than impressive kills.

Switched to the 140 BT.
One doe, not impressed. (Sample of one, by now not very patient)

Got a brilliant idea to try the 120 Sierra.


Quick kills. Pass through. Good trails if needed.


PS. I shoot ribs. Big bone hits, nerve centers, might yield different results.

Very interesting Dillon. I don't think it was bad advice and get what he is saying but do think the 140 GK is still a good option for
a) heavier boned animals b) closer shots or c) f it shoots better.
I found consistently perfect pass throughs with the 140's and repeated drops. Even on larger pigs. Not believing my lying eyes over usual crowd here telling me the twist in my rifle was too slow for them I went with120 Pro Hunter's and been using them. Of course now it is mostly because I can't find the 140's or the powder I used for them. I run them slow because they are not bonded and my shots are normally inside 100- although I did put one through the brain pan of a big hog at about 400 ( not that I could pul lthat off every time). From what I have seen if you want to push them at all- go with the 140's. Isn't that rather the point of the Creedmoor? The ability to load a 140 w/o worrying about magazine length- which can be an issue for mine. I found if I pick a powder charge I can find accuracy by simply changing seating depths. Much prefer this method to multiple powder charges. You can always tweak the charge slightly up or down depending on the test group results.
The 120's usually exit, but one or two didn't . Those were close- say inside 70 yards.. The one time I used a 120 NBT it didn't exit either so- also a fairly close shot. .I had one Pro Hunter fragment on a mid sized hog- but did exit. Also close. Dropped him very fast.

This year I got an exit on a very large buck for these parts. (perfect heart shot). The off side had a fair amount of broken bone -so not just pencilling through. Jumped at the shot but that is about where I recovered him.

I do think there has to be something about energy dump. The Hornady's I used to use always had smallish exits and always had the deer running- usually about 70 yds.

Just goes to show ya huh?

had a Creedmoor for 3 years now. Only bullets we started with were Berger target 140s. The hunting ones expand more than we like. Worked fine. Never failed to penetrate totally. Even out past 600. And actually goes through pigs/javelina and coyotes out past 800.

Tried 127 ttsx because I think they are the best bullet going for most short range like 300 or less uses.

Even less meat damage. Deer don't run as far for some reason. Even with a shot I placed too far back on purpose due to angle of deer, deer didn't even go far enough to put Tiger on the trail, IE came 25 steps towards us and fell. From about a 180 yard shot.

its not a magic round. Its an accurate round. Fun to play with. Dang sure works great. Can't count the number of pigs shot with it already.

Of course I've said before. Bullet selection. Shot placement.

And while we are playing scenar in the Grendel on pigs, and jury looks good so far, have not in the creed.

Will never ever use the wildly varying results have received from game kings over the years. Maybe a tipped game king would be ok. We have had much more consistent results from match kings.

That said bergers work pretty good so far, ,all we have needed for out to 1100 yards. Barnes have not stretched much yet . But will continue to play with as we confirm the mid range firm zeros.

The loads we have shoot the 140 Berger and 127 barnes within an inch at 100 and I can't tell any difference out to 200 on animals.

There are just so many variables that unless every review is a book
of facts, it's hard to judge based on someone's report.

The huge variables are how one hunts, where the place the bullets,
And their expectation of results.

So many speak smugly about bullet placement.
As if to infer they are Super Snipers and others can't shoot.
But shooting ribs is different than shoulders.
Some are able to head, spine shoot. I usually can't, or don't try.
Sometimes have to.

And results....
I expect to see at least half die. With rib shots.
Over 125 yards? Too far.
Under 75 is way preferable.


Those expectations alone can completely change everything.

There’s a long list of good bullets for the 6.5 calibers. But, since I’ve used Nosler BTs since the old Solid Base Boattail was phased out by Nosler, when I bought a 260 I stayed with BTs. I started with 120’s, switched to 100’s for a year or three and then went back to the 120’s. Killed a dozen or two deer with both bullets, and I really could not tell much difference in the end result. Using the 120’s this year on 3 deer. Longest shot was 260 yards. It’s a messy bullet, but really effective at most any range. I avoid quartering shots, and always get an exit on deer if I hit the heart lung area or high shoulder. No exits on hogs though.

The 143 grain ELD-X is very effective on deer from my experience .Have heard its good for elk as well but have no personal experience on that.

Maybe I should have put in my initial post….

Most hunting situations I’ll be 150 yards and in. I’m in Alabama, and most shots are on food plots or in the woods, so unless I’m on a clear cut, I really have no where to stretch it out.

Secondly, I’m a rib shooter. I teach the kids to put it in the crease. Shoulder shots are accidental, but do happen. 270 and ‘06 usually anchors them on a shoulder shot, and I expect the 6.5 will also. I’m colorblind though, so 2 holes bleeding is always better than 1 hole bleeding just a bit.

The 129ABLR has worked for well for me in the same conditions you mention (and some a lot further). Some ribs, some shoulders. A GA and AL example:

Don't have a CM but rather a Swede. I've had excellent results with 130 NAB from 20 to 400 yards.

Hey, its a Creedmore! Load it with popcorn and it'll kill grizzly.

I've been shooting the 260 at deer since it was introduced by Remington. In that time, I've loaded just about every major bullet in the 120-140gr range, testing for accuracy. In my first 260 (Ruger 77) the best options were the 120gr Sierra Prohunter (good accuracy, quick kills) and the 120gr Nosler BT (good accuracy, wicked terminal performance). Then Barnes introduced the 120gr TTSX. Better accuracy out of my Ruger, and excellent terminal performance - with all being complete pass-throughs (I'm sure there are a couple still out there somewhere, in a low earth orbit). This bullet shoots accurately in both of my hunting rifles, and I'm sure it'd do just fine in my target gun if I took the time to load it. It just f*cking works! Try it - you'll thank me later.....

Kaiser Norton

This has been a good read for me. Just got an email from Cabelas that my Savage Tactical in 6.5 is in today. I will have a year to find some ammo for next year but looks like you guys get great results with this round.

I’ve had great results with 129gr Hornady Interlocks and 130gr Nosler Accubonds. Have also enjoyed fine results from 130gr Berger HVLDs, 140gr Berger Elite Hunters, 140gr Hornady Amaxes, and 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. From the conditions you listed, I think you’d like both the 129gr Interlock and the 130gr Accubond. The most for the least in a short to mid-range Bullet is easily the 129gr Interlock.

John

I was looking for a .308 or, preferably, a 7mm-08 for a 725 SA. David Walter made me a deal I couldn't refuse on a 700 take-0ff .260 TI stainless barrel, tho.

You are gonna like that 6.5!

So far, I haven't found any factory ammo this barrel likes except 140 gr. It's killed over a half-dozen caribou, an elk, and a wolf. With Corelokts, no bullets recovered. Several caribou shots were in excess of 300 yards.

Can't argue with that. I would not hesitate to use it on a moose. You don't need premiums for deer, but use whatever shoots best. Within reason. I'd be looking at the 129 and up real hard tho.

Interestingly, the worst groups of anything were Barnes 120 TSX.

140 NP gets that assignment. If you want good expansion and upset, plus a probable exit, it’s tops.
If you wish to trade good expansion for sure penetration, go X bullet. But I wouldn’t make that trade for southern whitetails. Better to favor rapid upset. Killing deer is one thing, finding them is another.

Ask DennisinAZ about this.

Lol, that's a good one. I have had good luck on Whitetail with 139 Lapua Scenar's in both my Sako 260 and Tikka 6.5 Creed. For some reason either gun does not like Barne's bullets. They always group Sierra, Hornady, and Lapua's better than the Barne's.

Loaded up some 100 gr. Barnes TTSX with an average fps of 3,039 for my son. He’s 9 so I wanted a lower recoiling load. He’s killed 3 whitetails with them so far. Very pleased with the results. I’ll step it up to a 127 gr. LRX hotter load after next season.

I used to shoot that 100TTSX at 3,200 with Big Game in a 260Rem. If I still had that rifle, I’d likely still be shooting that load. Was a good killer on deer and hogs.

I had my second non-exit with the 129 ABLR this morning. 225 yards, almost straight ahead, very slightly angled. Bullet entered the near shoulder/neck cress. I didn't dig through the guts to find it. Buck dropped in place. Forward chest cavity was soup.

I don't own a 6.5 creedmore, I use a .260 rem. I have shot about 14 head of game with it. All save one was with 130 gr berger Hunting vlds. distances where from 200-700 yds. on deer and antelope. One was a pig at665 yds. All dropped at the shot. The actual terminal damage ranged from no obvious exterior damage with pulverized lungs to 12" exit holes and goop running out. Actual impact velocity makes some difference to this effect, but be sure the tips are open and clear of debris to ensure initial expansion. Hitting shoulders will send bone fragments all over and ruin more meat , but through ribs makes them just as dead just as fast. The various Berger hunting bullets and JLK's I have seen used all performed like this in .260s and creedmores with out exception.

Had same results on a buck and a big hog with that bullet. Wrecked vitals up front and pushed deep to the back. Very solid choice if a rifle likes that bullet.