6.5cm light for caliber choices and opinions?

S-3 ranch

WKR
Joined
Jan 18, 2022
Messages
1,414
Location
Texas / desert side
Sorry if this is a redundant question.
I was given a savage 11 predator 22 inch 6.5 cm by a friend’s father for helping him move his wife who has Alzheimer’s, in to a home in a different state
I know zero about a 6.5cm , but he said try to stick with 130-120gr ammunition in mono or something bonded and I would be happy using it as a truck gun over beating up my m70 pre64
We primarily hunt Wt deer & mule deer, aoudad, pronghorn .
Before I order some ammo I guess I am fishing around for some advice on if light for cal is the best option
 
It might be. The only way to find out is to try a few different loads and see what the gun likes. I'd include some 140-143gr options along with the 120-130gr class stuff.
 
I would make sure you get a box of hornady precision hunter ammo with the 143 ELD-X. The CM was designed to shoot heavy for caliber bullets, and that’s been a really accurate and consistent factory ammo for many.

IMHO, the CM doesn’t have enough velocity to require bonded or mono bullets, so I don’t think this is a necessity. We have taken deer with 120 nosler ballistic tips, 125 nosler partitions, 127 Barnes LRX and 143 ELD-X. All worked just fine, though the 120 BT is my favorite.

Long story short, pick a couple that sound good and see what the rifle likes.
 
Sorry if this is a redundant question.
I was given a savage 11 predator 22 inch 6.5 cm by a friend’s father for helping him move his wife who has Alzheimer’s, in to a home in a different state
I know zero about a 6.5cm , but he said try to stick with 130-120gr ammunition in mono or something bonded and I would be happy using it as a truck gun over beating up my m70 pre64
We primarily hunt Wt deer & mule deer, aoudad, pronghorn .
Before I order some ammo I guess I am fishing around for some advice on if light for cal is the best option

What is the twist rate on your barrel? That would be the determining factor for me in deciding between short/light bullets or long/heavy bullets.

If you go with monos, I tend to find a cheap bullet length that the rifle shoots well and then pick a copper bullet the same length.

Sample size of one 1:8” Tikka, but I got more consistent results from the 120-grain ELDM than the 129-grain Interlock. And I got the best overall results from the 140-grain ELDM, followed by the 143-grain ELDX.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”
 
If your rifle will accurately shoot the Federal 130 Terminal Ascent it have been and excellent bullet for me in several calibers. The shank is solid copper and the frontal area is bonded lead with a polymer tip. The best of both worlds in bullet construction.
 
I just looked it’s 1:9 twist rate so I assume that 130-120 is why original owner was shooting them ?
I am not a ballistics expert, but I would expect best results from bullets 1" to 1.25". I find the JBM ballistics length page invaluable in finding potential bullets.


This is also useful:
 
Many times someone shoots a small group, maybe just three shots, and declares it accurate, or inaccurate. If it indeed does like lighter bullets you’ll quickly figure it out, but I’d not put too much into what the old guy said. We’re all human with quirks and biases.
 
Many times someone shoots a small group, maybe just three shots, and declares it accurate, or inaccurate. If it indeed does like lighter bullets you’ll quickly figure it out, but I’d not put too much into what the old guy said. We’re all human with quirks and biases.
Yeah I have known him for 40 years and have hunted with him,
This rifle he was shooting eldx 140? And it was minute of deer accurate @ 100-125 yards , terrible!
Went and took it to the gun shop and guy says try 120-130gr as it has a slow twist ,
I’m trying out some 129gr El cheapo ammo 1st then wft go more better to fedral terminal accent or ttsx
 
Yeah I have known him for 40 years and have hunted with him,
This rifle he was shooting eldx 140? And it was minute of deer accurate @ 100-125 yards , terrible!
Went and took it to the gun shop and guy says try 120-130gr as it has a slow twist ,
I’m trying out some 129gr El cheapo ammo 1st then wft go more better to fedral terminal accent or ttsx
You’re right - a 1:9” twist is a little slow for those bullets. We get so used to “all” Creedmoors having a fast twist it’s easy to forget older rifles are out there with slower barrels.
 
You’re right - a 1:9” twist is a little slow for those bullets. We get so used to “all” Creedmoors having a fast twist it’s easy to forget older rifles are out there with slower barrels.
It’s made as a predator rifle, so I assume designed for lighter weight projectiles
For a 6.5cm

My .223 is very old and has a 1:12 twist and forget about anything heavier than 60gr
 
Shoot it yourself and find out what it likes. No way would I take the word from someone else.
Me and his son both shot it and thought the ammo was junk ( Hornady eldx ) blindly thinking 140+ gr was the best CaCa 💩 for a 6.5cm
Borrowed some cheap hornday whitetail and got him decent enough for a 150 yards and he killed his deer
Doc then went and created some good hand loads, but lost the recipe when he moved unfortunately, so here I am asking help before I throw some money away chasing the right one
 
Hornady lists the 143 ELD-X with a minimum twist of 1:8. A 130 Berger VLD is also 1:8, so sounds like shorter bullets is the right track given your twist.
 
Back
Top