6.5 CM Bullet? 140 AB or 120 TTSX or 127 LRX

[jazz3ring]

I just bought a 6.5 CM for my daughters to use on mainly whitetail (100 yard shots or less), an occasional antelope, and possibly cow elk.

I have narrowed the ammo choice down to 140 accubond, 120 Barnes TTSX, and the 127 Barnes LRX.

I am wondering if any of you have used any or all of these rounds in a 6.5 CM and how the on game terminal performance was?

Do you recommend any one of them over the others?

Thanks!

 

[Lxhuntinpa]

My wife shoots Federal Premium 140 accubonds out of her 6.5. It’s the only round we tried since it shoots .5 MOA

 

[jazz3ring]

My wife shoots Federal Premium 140 accubonds out of her 6.5. It’s the only round we tried since it shoots .5 MOA

Has your wife harvested any animals with the 140 AB’s? How was the on game performance with them?

 

[slingerHB]

I have a Tikka 6.5 that i shoot the lrx out of. My gun loves that round and is a tack driver. Ive killed a hand full of whitetails and some antelope with it and nothing has lived long after being shot

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[nimrod_gn]

You won't go wrong with any of those three, but if you handload and want to go up to the next level of accuracy and reliable terminal performance go with the 124 grain Hammer Hunter.

 

[huntsd]

I have a Tikka 6.5 that i shoot the lrx out of. My gun loves that round and is a tack driver. Ive killed a hand full of whitetails and some antelope with it and nothing has lived long after being shot

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Interesting I have a tikka 6.5 that hates the lrx but loves the 120 Barnes

 

[452b264]

I will add the 123 gr. Absolute hunter or 110 gr. Hammer Hunter if you reload. You will get 3100 to 3150 safely from the 123 and 3200 ish from the 110.

 

[msalm]

For whitetail only, and at 100 yards, ANYTHING. 100gr TTSX would be better than the 120 IMO as you’ll get better initial expansion with the higher velocity and still have all the penetration you will need. But there is a LONG list of suitable bullets for whitetail at even 2-300 yards. Now if you’re looking for any deer, any angle, any size, premium bullets are where it’s at. The Hornady 129 SP interlock is a great bullet for whitetail out of the creed sized cartridges along with the 140.

add elk to the mix, and I’ll vote for the LRX or 120 TTSX.

 

[handwerk]

Both my daughter and I have had great results with the 127 LRX.

 

[jazz3ring]

Thanks for the replies so far. I am thinking cow elk are a possiblitty 2 or 3 years out for my daughters. With that in mind I would rather start with a premium bullet now that will do well on elk down the road and also perform well on deer/antelope size game now. I’d rather not use a “deer” type bullet now and then have to switch things up for elk.

 

[jhm2023]

My wife and I have been letting the air out of everything from fox to bull moose with the 127gr LRX with great success out of her Creedmoor. That said I've recently switched to the 124gr Hammer Hunter and it's better in every way except for the price.

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[amassi]

My wife and I have been letting the air out of everything from fox to bull moose with the 127gr LRX with great success out of her Creedmoor. That said I've recently switched to the 124gr Hammer Hunter and it's better in every way except for the price.

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How is it better? Extra dead moose ??

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[Tobey]

cow elk, 140 accubond 200 yards behind the shoulder complete pass through. Oryx 127 LRX 250 yards square through both shoulders, recovered under the hide on far side. One shot each so take your pick. I like the accubond for an all rounder, works great for coues deer to elk. I prefer the monos for oryx in smaller calibers.

 

[jhm2023]

How is it better? Extra dead moose ??

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Consistency from bullet to bullet and lot to lot, less pressure and higher velocities, way faster and easier load work up, less meat damage and they seem to kill faster which I didn't think was possible.

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[B_Reynolds_AK]

LRX 127 factory ammo out of my Fieldcraft 21” barrel. Getting 2790 FPS and have killed sheep out to 518 yards with great results. Pass throughs on all, even while hitting shoulder.


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[jstraus34]

I think any of the recommendations are good ones for deer and cow elk but in my case, it came down to which round my hells canyon likes best. All Barnes, e-tips, GMX are all over the map, to the point where I'm like WTF is going on? do I suck that bad? Then I throw a Federal premium Accubond or Fusion and its like .5" 3 to 4 shot groups. Even Sellier & Bellot FMJ shoot fantastic in my gun, great target/pest round. Used to be cheap too... Point is find which rounds are accurate in your rifle, as shot placement matters above all else. If you can find a good bonded bullet, I think she will anchor anything that she hits in the boiler room with it. BTW, the 6.5 cm is a great gun and don't just think its for kids and women, I've stopped carrying my 280 rem, 270 win in the deer woods (whitetail or muley), nothing has walked after I pulled the trigger. knock on wood. Good luck and have fun, can't wait until my daughter is old enough to go with me

 

[PsRpOiGrRiAtM]

As stated, all of the ones mentioned in the title are suitable, but it really depends on which ones your particular gun likes best.

 

[Boreal]

I've had great success with 127LRX in my Montana. But after shooting the Hammer Hunters in my 280AI and seeing their terminal performance on elk, I am working up a load for the 124 Hammer Hunters for the 6.5CM. Initial tests are great on paper.

 

[A-Brakke]

I just bought a 6.5 CM for my daughters to use on mainly whitetail (100 yard shots or less), an occasional antelope, and possibly cow elk.

I have narrowed the ammo choice down to 140 accubond, 120 Barnes TTSX, and the 127 Barnes LRX.

I am wondering if any of you have used any or all of these rounds in a 6.5 CM and how the on game terminal performance was?

Do you recommend any one of them over the others?

Thanks!

 

[A-Brakke]

Hey,

I’ve been shooting 6.5cm for the last 3 years. Taken 3 muley bucks, 1 antelope, 2 whitetail does, and 1 cow elk at ranges from 100-279yds. All have been 1 shot kills with no more than 20yds of travel after impact. All taken with hornady precision hunter 143g ELDX. Every bullet passed through except 2 mushrooms in opposite side hide.

Been tempted to try those 127g Barnes LRX as iv seen friends with tremendous results.