6.5 elk bullet poll!

[OG-danimal]

Taking the 6.5 prc elk hunting this year and I’m between these two bullets… help me decide. Max range for me is 500 yards. They both shoot about .3” groups at 100 and both fit in my mag. Thanks!

 

[woods89]

I poked a hole in a bull with a 156 a couple years ago, out of a Creedmoor at about 2650. That bullet would definitely be my choice.

 

[mrolen]

Not on your list but 127 lrx out of a 264 killed my bull last year 150 yard shot. The hammer would be the closest to that. I would shrink your max effective range too.

 

[Rifleman86]

Hammer hunter’s for sure. Although I’d check out Badlands Bulldozer II’s. I used to use hammers but the bulldozers offer similar terminal performance with much improved BC.

I’m really not a fan of Berger style bullets on larger thick skinned game like elk. When they work, they work great, but due to the design they often lack an exit wound, especially with smaller calibers like the 6.5.

Solids take a hit on bc but tend to punch above their weight class.

 

[OG-danimal]

Thanks for the comments and votes. Has anyone posting on here had inconsistent results with the 156 bergers? Seems like a lot of other posts people are saying that results may vary with that bullet. I’ve had good luck with the 124 hammer hunter so far, but never used it on elk. Has anyone had a bad experience with the hammers on elk and the 124?

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Berger, because monos suck, but you're skipping over a lot of proven elk killing bullets.

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

Seeing that the 223 thread is such a success, I thought maybe I would start one for the Creedmoor/260. Seems like people are asking a lot about using them and various bullets, especially for elk. I've used mine for the last few years almost exclusively. I have some pics of bullet damage, albeit...

rokslide.com

 

[Pacific_Fork]

Give the Hammer a try, seems like a great bullet that I'll soon switch out to from the LRX 127's out of my 6.5x284

The "monos suck" playbook is fake news, or old at least. Back in the day they did suck. With the LRX from my rifle I have DRT'd many bulls, deer, Moose, and hogs. Love the way they expand and hold their weight. I like the bergers for their ease of tuning hand loads but not so much on their preformance on game. They usually explode for me and I dont like to waste meat.

 

[Rifleman86]

Another consideration, at least for me, is lead free.

Now before you start calling me a commie, it’s not because of predatory birds or environmental reasons (though that is a fringe benefit.)

When bullets like Bergers “grenade” like they do they throw hundreds if not thousands of pieces of microscopic lead throughout the animal. Some of that lead does invariably end up in the meat you consume.

It’s not so much a concern for me as an adult, but my family lives off elk meat. I don’t want to increase my toddlers lead exposure because of my bullet choice.

https://www.outdoorlife.com/is-game-meat-shot-with-lead-safe-to-eat/?amp

Interesting article on the risks of lead in game meat.

Bottom line, for me, the risk isn’t worth it. The performance of mono’s like the bulldozer II’s both at the range and terminally are more than I could ever ask for, and the lack of lead makes it a clear winner.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

"monos suck" is a life lesson learned after too many years reading and believing David Petzal and the other paid off gun slob writers.

Compare the wound channels from any mono to the wound channel from the 77 gr tmk and it becomes very clear that mono's suck at disrupting tissue in comparison.

 

[OG-danimal]

"monos suck" is a life lesson learned after too many years reading and believing David Petzal and the other paid off gun slob writers.

Compare the wound channels from any mono to the wound channel from the 77 gr tmk and it becomes very clear that mono's suck at disrupting tissue in comparison.

What would be your go to .264 elk bullet be?

 

[Rifleman86]

"monos suck" is a life lesson learned after too many years reading and believing David Petzal and the other paid off gun slob writers.

Compare the wound channels from any mono to the wound channel from the 77 gr tmk and it becomes very clear that mono's suck at disrupting tissue in comparison.

Blazer safety slugs disrupt a lot of tissue. So does birdshot up close. Tissue disruption is great for marketing but doesn’t always translate to prompt incapacitation.

I place great value on an exit wound. Exit wounds usually mean a decent blood trail. Poke decent sized holes in both lungs of an animal and it will die. Monos are great at that, and will do so even when shots are at odd angles, through shoulders, etc.

Yes Berger style bullets are devastating when everything goes perfect, and often knock animals down on the spot. But this is hunting, and unfortunately things don’t always go perfect. Between personal experiences with thin walled, non bonded bullets and anecdotal evidence from others I much prefer the performance of monos.

Add in the lead ingestion concerns, monos are the clear winner for me in the elk woods. YMMV.

There is a trade off of BC and long range expansion, but that trade off is negligible until you are talking about extreme long range (600-700+ yards.)

 

[ResearchinStuff]

What would be your go to .264 elk bullet be?

130 TMK, 140/143/147 eld, 130/140 berger

 

[woods89]

What would be your go to .264 elk bullet be?

I'm not the guy you quoted but the 130 gr Sierra TMK is going to be my solution going forward for all hunting with my 6.5 Creedmoor. They are nasty..........

 

[S-3 ranch]

Barns 129 lrx , 130 term ascent, 143 eldx
im not a hammer fan for various reasons

 

[OG-danimal]

Barns 129 lrx , 130 term ascent, 143 eldx
im not a hammer fan for various reasons

Mind elaborating on the variety of reasons?

 

[S.Clancy]

I'm had great luck with the Hammer Hunter, albeit in .270 Win, from 300 to >500 yds. My preference, if you shoot under 500, would be to go with the faster bullet as you can set up your rifle to have a maximum point blank of ~350 yards. This makes quick shots more doable.

The performance I have had with the Hammers have been great, but I am coming no where close to the minimum velocity threshold either. Hammers are also really easy to get great, consistent grouping with.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Mind elaborating on the variety of reasons?

The .264wm didn’t like them
&
didnt do well on nilgai, pedals came off and then it ver off 70* and lodged under skin behind the vitals, still killed with the peddles wit a 200yard death run

 

[Fishhunt223]

If you are anticipating longer shots, I would recommend the Berger. The higher bc is going to buck wind better and carry more energy downrange. If you anticipate a high chance of shots 100 yards or less, I would give the nod to a mono. In my experience, close shots are the one weak point of the Berger bullet construction. If velocity is too high, they have a tendency to explode without a lot of penetration. I have been using the eol for the last few seasons and have been nothing but impressed with their terminal performance outside of one VERY close (sub 20 yard) shot.

 

[sndmn11]

Eol for the last few seasons and have been nothing but impressed with their terminal performance outside of one VERY close (sub 20 yard) shot.

What happened?

 

[Sykes]

The .264wm didn’t like them
&
didnt do well on nilgai, pedals came off and then it ver off 70* and lodged under skin behind the vitals, still killed with the peddles wit a 200yard death run

The pedals are designed to come off on a Hammer bullet. They are not like a Barnes or GMX/CX