6.5X55, 260 Rem Users, I want to know what bullet weight and brand you prefer for Deer Hunting. (Mulie or Whitey)

I'm new to the 6.5 Swede and would like to NOT waste time testing bullets in this caliber for deer hunting.

? I would think 120-130 gr wt.? ?I would think Hornady Il or Nosler Bt?

I'm asking what you like and why??

Thanks Jerry

For deer I like the 120 Sierra ProHunter or the 120 gr. Nosler B.T. out of my 260. Both kill deer very well, and are very accurate out of my rifles. I have never had any trouble with either blowing up or failing in any way. I use IMR 4064 behind the Sierra and H4350 behind the Nosler B.T. Both exit the muzzle at 3000 and little change fps. The 130 gr. bullets would work equally well I am sure I just have no experience with them. Hope this helps some.

PaPa260

i shoot a 120 barnes ttsx, iv'e also used 120 nosler ballistic tip with good success.

the 130 nosler accubond is good also

129 gr Horn SP in the swede and it will hold up outta 264 Win Mag too. Deer and antelope killer extroadinaire. Magnum Man

125gr Partition or 130gr Scirocco

120 grain Ballistic Tip or 125 grain Partition

used the 129 horn. sp out of a swede worked great.

Ed

140-grain Berger VLD.

130 TSX's

I like the Sierra 120gr ProHunter, Nosler 120gr BT and the Hornady 129gr IL for deer out of my 260. I'm not shooting warp speed and they've all worked fine for WT deer....never shot a mulie.

I've used the Sierra 140 and 120 both with good results. In my mags I like the 140 partition. I'm shanging up a bit myself, I'm moving to the 120 tsx in my swede and 260 and gonna try the 130 AB in my 6.5-284 and 264 WM. I can't think of a Bad choice of any 6.5 bullet.

Joseph

129gr hornady sst performs great on deer

120 Sierra ProHunter works great on deer, both whitetail and muleys. Also knocks down antelope. Ranges have been from 80 yds to 250 or so.
125 partition works great on deer and elk as well.

My .260's love most bullets, but the above work well.
I also have shot antelope with 100 partitions, work great as well.

+1 for the 125g partition

Sounds good to me! When I had a 264 I reached for the 120BT and the 125 NPT. I liked them both a lot.

The world record mule deer was killed with a 264 Win Mag and a 125 Nosler Partition. If it worked on the world record I don't see any reason it wouldn't work on the rest of them.

Topping my list for the Swede are the Nosler 125 Partition or 120BT. Having said that, my rifle really likes the 130 grain SCII and I used it last fall to take a buck here. Like virtually all 6.5 bullets designed for deer sized animals, it worked very well, but one animal is not even close to a fair test before coming up with conclusions about it. They need to pass through more subjects in the future!

I'll second that.

I haven't found one yet that I don't like for deer and hogs in 6.5 and have used 120gr NBT, 120gr TSX, 125gr NPT, 140gr NPT, 140gr AB, 140gr SGK, and 140gr VLD. Lot's of practice on hogs around here. I took this hog with 125gr NPT yesterday which is one of my FAV's.

We used Remington 120 Accutips in our Ruger Compact before my son traded it. Instant death on deer and coyote. Was going to handload 100 grain NPTs until he decided to upgrade to Tang-77 Ultralight .270.

Don't need a .260 but wanting one badly for several years now.

The last few deer I have taken with my 6.5X57 used a Nosler 130g Accubond. Very accurate in my rifle and great expansion. No bullets recovered, just meat for the freezer..

I havent found a bad bullet for the 6.5's in the 120-130 range. I like 120 NBT, 125 NPT, 120 BTSX, 129 Horn., 130 Scirocco II's.

Kev

120 Speer Hot Core out of my 260 is what I like for deer. For me, it just plain works.

My 260 sees 129 hornady SP bullets and have never failed to kill quickly.

The Swede has see 120gr Nosler Solid Bases and 100gr Nosler BT for deer. I've loaded the 129 hornadys but have yet to kill a critter with them out of the Swede. The doe I shot this year with the 100gr BT surprised me. The bullet took out 3 ribs going in, wrecked the heart and lungs, and went thru the opposite shoulder upon exiting. Not bad for a "fragile" bullet doing over 3000fps.

The question should be which bullet is NOT a good bullet in 6.5 for deer.

It's hard to go wrong with about 75% of the current offerings...

X3 on the 129 SST. 1-@ 333yards,1-@553 yards 1-@ 675 yards with 6.5x47 Lapua's.

hornady 129 sp in my 6.5x55. Accurate and kill quick.

140 SST. My 6.5-284 chose that one, not me. It performs well on pronghorns, whitetails and hogs. The gun also likes the 140 Berger, but I'm shooting the SST this season.

I've read that the NBT is a stronger built bullet than the SST. In my experience, the SST, at least the 140 gr. .264 does very well. I shot a 300# boar hog thru the neck at 225 yds. with good entrance and exit wounds. It killed a pronghorn, DRT, at 200 yds. and whitetails at various distances. I can't complain. I've had NBT's blow up, but in other calibers, not .264. I never had an SST blow up.

Others may have different experiences. To me the SST is a great cup and core bullet, and very accurate.

DF

Hey Jim - IF that GOOD LOOKING blonde is your 3rd X ?

How about a phone no.

Seriously, Thanks for the pics and INFO.

Jerry

120 Speer hot core, 125 Partition, the 140 Hornady interlock all work very well

jim we don't get tired of seeing your lovely daughter

Hard to beat the 129 Horn SP on deer.

One that I have been playing with this year is the 100gr Interlock. I don't have many deer with it yet but did run it through one shoulder of a little buck this year. So far I have yet to recover a bullet and all the deer shot died and were recovered easily. I hope to shoot a pig or two with it later this season and see how it works.

ANY 100gr thru 160 'hunting bullets' will do well, lighter bullets UNDER 100gr are def meant for varmints. The Lapua 123 and Matchkings are meant for paper but used w/various success on deer, not ideal IMHO.

Peronally I like the 120-130s on deer in 6.5s for combo of bc/sd, trajectory....and nothing wrong with good 140s, though IMHO not needed, but no reason NOT to use them in a hunting bullet.

130 AB is my fav but used 129s w/success, and all other bullets in that weight range have been used w/good effect, accuracy +/- depending on rifle/load, but all suffice.

The 120 NBT from a 260 Rem worked well for me on a half-dozen muleys and WT's

My best load for my Swede in a Rem Classic is 125 grain Partitions, Fed 210 M primers, Win cases and 45.0 grains of IMR 4350 powder with COAL set at 3.14". Gets 2880 to 2895 fps with less than 0.75" five shot groups at 100 yards. More powder opens up the group size somewhat. I have tried 100 to 130 grain bullets and this works best for me in my rifle.

THANKS 6.5 ET.AL. - It sounds encouraging that nearly all the bullet weights work well for deer. From ALL of your reports I could just about take my pick of weight & style & brand.

I've not made any decision yet so KEEP EM COMING.

THANKS

folks'll probably tire of the picture...


30+ inches of penetration on at whitetail quarting hard away.

I've had good luck with the 120 TTSX in limited application. Swayed by impressive results shooting the 53 TSX out of the 223 into deer

I use mainly the 125 partition.

I've shot a couple of Whitetails and a coyote with 129gr Interlocks. No pictures, but silver dollar sized exits on all.

One whitetail and five pigs with 130gr Accubonds. Exit on the whitetail was about the size of a quarter. He ran about 30 yards and piled up. Exits on the pigs were about the same. None ran farther than 40 yards.



Caught an Accubond in this pig.



Initially shot him square in the poop chute as he was running away. That brought him down in the rear quarters and I got closer for the finishing shot, which I put low through both shoulders.

Recovered this bullet from under the far side gristle shield. This boar measured 60" from the tip of his snout to the base of his tail and 30" from the bottom of his front hoof to the top of his shoulder. A real test for any bullet...



Shot this bobcat, buck, coyote and pig with 130gr VLDs. Got exits on the bobcat and coyote, but none on the buck or pig. The buck made it about 30 yards and the bobcat and coyote were DRT. Exit on the bobcat was the size of a baseball. Exit on the coyote was about 2" but there was a chunk of lung the size of a card deck laying on the ground behind him. The pig was very poorly hit, just in front of his pelvis, as that was the only shot he presented me in the mesquites. He ran about 10 yards where I was able to put two more in him. I have shot several pigs with VLDs now and it is my impression they make fewer tracks after the shot with VLDs than with any other bullet I have tried. For me, barring a CNS shot, pigs are harder to kill than any other animal I have shot







[img]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n159/Hondo64d/35f1d3e2.jpg[/img]

All these were shot from a .260 and and bullets pushed to a little over 2850fps. I don't really have a favorite at this point. Doesn't really seem to matter what i shoot them with as long as I put it in the right place...

John

Hondo that 260 you put together is one sweet looking rifle.

Thanks! It's working out very well.

John

129 grain Hornady.

Great pics and report John. I've had similar experiences with the 140gr VLD from my 6.5x55......very effective bullet in 6.5 with a very high BC/SD (.612/.287)

Anybody tried pushing the [b][color:#3333FF]100 gr. TTSX[/color][/b] as fast as they can...?

Hondo - THANKS A BUNCH for the pics AND the reports on the bullets' performances. Great Buck. Brute Pig.

I like your reports. It helps to get an idea of penetration & expansion FROM the diff. game.

Jerry

Late to the party but what the heck.... I still favor the Hornady 140 and the Sierra GK 140 second. I have killed a bunch of deer with these two bullets in a 6.5x55 and their performance has been excellent.

Late to the party but what the heck.... I still favor the Hornady 140 and the Sierra GK 140 second. I have killed a bunch of deer with these two bullets in a 6.5x55 and their performance has been excellent.

Have used the 140 gr Speer Grand Slam on quite a few deer in my 260 Rem and been quite pleased. When these run out I plan on trying the new Deep Curl and see how it performs. Have some 100 gr Partitions to try out soon too. In my 264 WM the 130 gr TSX worked great but my favorite bullet is the 130 gr Scirocco.

Barnes 100GR TSSX's. I've Yet to Keep One inside Anything That's Been Hit with one...

I like the Barnes 140gr TSX in both my 6.5x55 Winchester Mdl 70 and 6.5x54 MS:

In the 6.5x55, the 125 grain Nosler Partition has worked very well for me.

129 grain Hornady, or the 125 grain Partition.

Fine MS

444- I'd rather run a 100 in a 1/4 bore personally...

JW - as you can see, ALL save varmint specific and target/match bullets have been proven....

The 129 and 125 - BOTH fine performers, well, if handloading I'd choose the less expensive bullet - 129. WHY? It's proven accurate/effective and bullet test show near/equal performance.

If one needs the ultimate 6.5 bullet for the deepest penetration, a Barnes is what I would use and recommend.

Yet, on deer, at these speeds it's not necessary, and std. cup/core work great which is why a 140 like a SGK or IL has an enviable record.

The nice thing for those wanting 140 or heavier w/Swede as most/all here know, you can seat out well, feed thru magazine and chase lands w/o issue.

JW- have a feeling you are going to have a case of ADD after this so flip a coin, perhaps 2 or 3 coins -

TRUST me - they will ALL drop deer as dead as the next when they hit home

6.5 - First I want to try 120 gr Rem core 'loss' & see how well made the newer line is & how strong they are. I will test them BEFORE I use them on deer. ALL Rems I have used in the past have been very dependable & more controlled expansion than even the Hornady Ils.

If I'm not satisfied w/them I have Horn. 129s and we know they will work.

As y'all know WE have several bullets to choose from.
Jerry

Jerry, for deer to Caribou, 129g Hornady Sp...all you need!

139 Scenars are great or 130, 140 Bergers.

I didn't see 123gr Scenar's mentioned, are there reports on this bullet at 260 speeds?

keith - it certainly is/could be.

The reasons I'm thinking 120 gr are, weight/velocity from the Swede. It is limited in powder capacity for higher vel for the heavier bullets.

I've been a little surprised how many recommend the 140s on a case as small as the 6.5X55 and the lower velocity. That also adversely effects the trajectory.

Also in proportion, the 120, 6.5 is almost identical in SD & BC to the 130, 277 (among NORMAL hunting bullets - shhh I'm not a fan of 'bergers' w/o cheese) Add to that the slower velocity of the 139-160 gr, the 120 will be faster AND flatter shooting. Given good bullet construction a 120 should work well, being faster & flatter.
Jerry

edited to spell my name correctly. (watching the Cotton Bowl)

Keith - agreed - for money and results, it's hard to beat, always been a standard for 6.5mm IMHO...and I'd do Elk/Moose/Black Bear w/o hesitation btw.

JW, was shooting both 120 and 140 CLs at the range one day in my 260, the 120s do fine at 200, but stretching out to 415 yds, you can see the 140s overtaking the 120s due to BC, hit harder, slice wind better, and lose speed at a lesser rate so the trajectory diff grows smaller as you get further out.

That said a High BC 123 will fly flat, yet not designed for game, on LR paper they do better than a not so svelte 120 CL - again they are deadly on closer shots, but a 120 BT will be flatter.

FWIW I'd look at these if not a 130AB:

120BT
125PT
129SP (not SST)
140 Sierra/Hornady, Noz PT, (and RP CL) - IF accuracy to par

If not shooting over 200-250 and your rifle likes them - the 120 will do fine, further if you place your shot, ALL My 6.5 rifles in the past shot the 140 CL better than the 120 CL, but I use some of both for plinking gongs and water filled milk jugs, etc.


Re: 123 Scenars- read a post from another site...

Here is that post - granted from a higher vel round:

mudvayne
Manbearpig

Registered: 02/23/11
Posts: 173
Loc: Washington TX Better late than never...

I have killed no less than 500 deer with my x47. I am running a 130 Berger at 2940 fps in mine. My brother clones deer so we kill a crap load of doe every year for their overies.

I have shot a few pigs in my day as well with this round. I have used several bullets trying to figure out the best killing combo and here is MY opinion on what I have experienced. It is not holy nor sacred, just what happened and I observed. So take anything you read with a grain of salt as it may not turn out the same for you.

My rifles specs:
Rem 700 left hand
Lawton 1-8" twist finished at 29.5"
Fat bastard break
McMillan A3 with 3 way butt plate and adj cheek piece
Hubor concepts 2 stage trigger
Premier Ret 5-25x56
130 Berger VLD @2940 fps

123 Scenar- this bullet shoots great on paper with my rifle. consistant .3" groups. Even at 500 and 1000 it would print an occasional half min group. That is with three shots mind you. On game I was less than impressed. They have a bit thicker jacket and didnt expand too well. I actually never dropped a deer once with a shoulder shot. Head shots didnt show to do too much damage either. IMO this is not a great projectile for hunting.

123 SMK- This bullet shot absolutely lights out in my rifle. I had to shoot this round for the first thousand rounds or so because 130 bergers were rare as hens teeth. This round shot in the .1's-.2s all day long for 5 shots. At 600 yards this round printed a 3.4" 10 shot group shot prone. I had some interesting results with its terminal effects. The very first deer I shot was a cull 6 pt and he was 606 yards. I put a high shoulder shot on him and he folded up. The next few doe I shot I put shoulder shots just to see bullet performance. One was DRT and 4 ran off a good 100 yards before dying. Not what I like for the amount of deer I shoot. On the head shots again I didnt see consistant enough trama to use this as my go to bullet.

130 JLK- This is the best long range target bullet I have ever used. I have shot some groups that yall would flat out call BS on so I wont even say what it can do on paper. On critters...TERRIBLE! I never once dropped a deer with this bullet. Last month I was wanting to test it on a coyote. While waiting 800 yards from a gut pile, a BIG boar walked into the field at 660 yards. Dead calm wind. I fire up the video camera and zoom in on him. dial up and send the shot. I hear the bullet smack him and actually see it through my scope. Well he just absorbs the bullet and runs off without a limp. I maybe thought I missed..rewind the camera and you can see trace go down range and his upper shoulder ripple. He just absorbed it and trotted off. I even shot a crap load of prarie dogs this summer with the JLK and it just penciled through all of them. Only popped em if they were within 200 yards and thats off kinetic energy alone.

130 Berger- this is THE bullet for hunting for what I have found. I literally have not had a deer take a step yet from the hunting VLD. This bullet shoots very well on paper and shoots very well on critters. Wound cavities are unreal. It looks like a grenade goes off inside the deer. I almost took a does head off this last weekend! A few months back I shot a yote at 1230 yards and he folded up.

Hope this helps - as ALWAYS - it NOT the round you use - it's the bullet - and where it goes.....

6.5 - Thanks for your personal experiences with 6.5 & diff bullets. Also Thanks for the post from Manbearpig. I certainly have NO reason to doubt him or his experience & will give due consideration.

I plan to move in the Spring about 42 mi from where I am now but TOO FAR to hunt here frequently. I have relatives w/property very close there and the TERRAIN is very different. Typical old family farms, creeks, fields, & the woods vary.

IF I decide to hunt there, 200 yds would prolly be max distance.
Basically I don't know where I'll be hunting next yr or what the terrain will be like. (We have a long deer season and I get to hunt FREQUENTLY, but if I drive a long way then I get to hunt less.)

Regardless, I sight in & prepare for up to 400 yds with ANY/ALL of my rifles. IF I find a place with long range opportunities, I can adjust for the occasion. I would LOVE to be able to spot & stalk but I'd doubt that type of terrain will be close enough.

I haven't even looked close at the price on the 'bergers', and the N Pts are NOT too expensive to HUNT. For example, this year I ONLY shot 2 Xs during the season and the last 3 yrs no more than 5 or so Xs in any 1 yr, again during season. More shots are fired with HUNTING bullets verifying or adjusting sight in than are shot during season. Sooo the price of hunting bullets is not really that critical.

Thanks Again,
Jerry

The only deer we have shot with a 6.5 have been with the 129 gr. Hornady and have seen no reason to change.

P D - I certainly DO NOT doubt that. I've used the H 130 Il in the 270s for yrs UNTIL I got a large stock of Rem 130 Cls. IF I ran out of the Rems, I would have NO trouble using the Horn. again.

I was/am considering the 120 Rem for the reasons I already mentioned BUT it sounds like the 129 H Il is not too heavy for reasonably long range (200-400 yd) shots.

SINCE I already have the Horn., I'll prolly just go with them. I also have several 140s but they're not my first choice for deer.

I may try the 125 N Ps and/or 130 bergers IN THE FUTURE.
THANKS
Jerry

6.5

Thanks for sharing, great post.

I had a Rem 700 Classic in 6.5x55 at one time and that rifle loved Nosler 125 Partitions over a load of RL22. Sub-MOA out to 300 yds which was as far as I ever tested.

My Rem 7 in .260Rem loves the Nosler 120 Ballistic Tip over a load of H4350. Also sub-MOA.

Both bullets have been impressive on deer.

I have hunted quite a bit with my 6,5x57R including some cull hunts in South Africa and Namibia, which has given me the opportunity to test different bullets, from 93 grainers like RWS's T-Mantle and Lutz Moeller's KJG, to 140gr A-Maxes.

Except for one 107gr SMK and two 130gr TSXs that failed to open, pencilling through, and the 120gr Speers and the 120gr older Balistic Tips that I found both to be too soft, all have performed well.

For Deer-sized critters, if I had to choose one, it would be the 100gr Partition. Very little recoil, shoots flat, and penetrates very well with the front core always producing a lot of damage.

BBerg

We use the 130 nosler accubond in our .260. impressive performance so far.

130 accubond out of 260 rem worked well on a deer for me