6.5 Creedmoor/260 for Deer, Elk, and whatever else.....

260 Rem 129 gr Hornady Spire point 70 yards behind the ear. Shot 3 others that trip with similar results with the 129's. Switched to the 100 gr PT for one deer just to try them out.

IMG_20210919_203240.jpg
260 Rem 100 gr Partition at about 50 yards. Behind the shoulder and exited with a smallish wound. Went about 30 yards.

IMG_20210902_225603.jpg
 
This past season I hunted with a 6.5CM tikka chopped to 20", handloads.

6.5cm / 135 Berger
Kodiak sitka blacktail, 329 yards, 2262fps impact. Cross-canyon shot, wind ripping, wind call was .2 soft and hit shoulder/neck junction. Buck went down stunned, immediate 2nd shot broadside shoulder/vitals. Buck rolled 20 yards down slope and piled up. Both bullets exited.


sitka 2.jpg


6.5cm / 135 Berger
Kodiak sitka blacktail, 442 yards, 2105fps impact. Slight quartering away uphill, impact mid ribs, exit high double lung. Buck traveled 20 yards and piled up.


sitka 3v2.jpg


6.5cm / Sierra 130 TMK
Roosevelt elk, 571 yards, 1905fps impact. Broadside impact in the crease, broke ribs, through vitals, broke offside ribs and lodged in offside shoulder (recovered this bullet while processing). Elk traveled 15 yards and stood, wobbling. 2nd shot frontal in the chest cavity, elk dropped DRT.


elk1.jpg


Recovered bullet weighs 101g.


130tmk recovered.jpg
 
woods89 said:
I have 50 or so 130 TMK in my reloading cabinet. At this point, other than verifying zero, they are ONLY for shooting into tissue......
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I found exactly 1 box of 100 bullets locally a few months ago. Once I decide which rifle I want to use them in, I will work up a load/zero rifle and the remaining 80 + bullets will be reserved for shooting game until I can find more.
 
MidGAHunter said:
I found exactly 1 box of 100 bullets locally a few months ago. Once I decide which rifle I want to use them in, I will work up a load/zero rifle and the remaining 80 + bullets will be reserved for shooting game until I can find more.
Click to expand...
Why not eldm eldx? The are readily available and cheaper so you can actually shoot and be familiar with your rifle.
 
eoperator said:
Why not eldm eldx? The are readily available and cheaper so you can actually shoot and be familiar with your rifle.
Click to expand...

I have a few thousand of the 140 grain ELD-M and they're great. I use them for practice and hunting. Will probably pick up some of the 130 ELD-M for practice out of whatever rifle I choose to use the 130 TMKs out of. The TMKs on hand will be used for killing until I can get more.

Also, I shoot over 1000 rounds per year out of my rifles, mostly from field positions. Between that and dryfire practice I'm plenty familiar with them.
 
Seems to be beating a dead horse at this point but I’m gonna throw more support behind those 143 eldx and the eldx in general. I’ve killed 3 pigs 3 antelope and a blacktail with the 143 out of my CM and I’ve killed 2 mulies and seen two black tail and 2 more mulies killed with 162 eldx out of my 28 nosler.

In the 6.5; 7 one shot kills.

two lung shots inside 100 yards. DRT. Two lung shots at about 380 yards both ran 75 yards full tilt appeared unhit and fell dead while sprinting (goats do weird shit sometimes) Massive damage and pass throughs on all.

Heart shot a pig at like 100 on the run and thought I missed. Walked up and it was dead 25 yards away. Gut shot a pig on the run at 100 or so and it went 200 and died. Don’t know how long, I didn’t look for it until cleaning his friend. Which brings me to the only one that wasn’t quite dead… the friend. 100lb sow I shot at 85 yards through its nostril. Blew its nose off, jaw was barley hanging on and the pig went down like I hit it with a truck and wasn’t getting up but the bullet didn’t make it through the skull and I had to cut its throat. Eyes wide open kicking.

Not sure what I should have expected but I did assume it would have made it to the brain.
 
so is the consensus on 6.5 match bullets:

130 tmk (tier above all others)
then 140 or 147 ELD match ?
143 ELDX?

others?
 
bojangles808 said:
so is the consensus on 6.5 match bullets:

130 tmk (tier above all others)
then 140 or 147 ELD match ?
143 ELDX?

others?
Click to expand...

Not really. The differences between those four bullets are minor. I prefer the 130gr TMK because it gives slightly deeper penetration, slightly better minimum velocity upset, and a bit less recoil. However, I have and do use them all extensively.
 
Formidilosus said:
Not really. The differences between those four bullets are minor. I prefer the 130gr TMK because it gives slightly deeper penetration, slightly better minimum velocity upset, and a bit less recoil. However, I have and do use them all extensively.
Click to expand...
Do you have experience with the 130 ELD M?
 
mt100gr. said:
View attachment 358449View attachment 358452View attachment 358453
Here's some 147gr ELDM action from a pretty stout mule deer buck in 2019. First pic is the off-side shoulder, bullet was against the hide. 2nd pic is with that scapula/shoulder removed. 3rd is the bullet itself. Shot was approx 180 yards.

I used the same combo for my mule deer buck at 250 yards in 2020 and my mule deer buck last month at about 18 yards. No pics from those but I wouldn't be able to see any difference. Deadly combination.

This particular Creedmoor shoots the 147gr at a muzzle velocity of 2785fps. (Handloads)
Click to expand...
what powder if you dont mind me asking?
 
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