6mm /.243 hunting success on Big Game

[mxgsfmdpx]

MX, how many hunts under your belt so far this year? It appears you're living right!

A few hunts as per usual Not as much as last year though. We ain’t don’t yet for 2025!

 

[Poe]

Kill 12. Tikka 6 creed and 115 Berger. Coues buck.

Yardage: 543.

Impact Velocity: Roughly 2,050.

Shot Position:
View attachment 978065

Distance travelled After Hit: The buck jumped and spun 180 degrees. He went to his right to a mesquite tree about 15 yards and collapsed and thrashed the tree for about 6-8 more seconds.

Impact Location: I aimed for back ribs for a quartering away shot. Cross canyon shot with switching wind and updraft. Perfect wind call and shot placement. Entered back ribs and exited through the offside scapula. Massive trauma to both broad side and offside lungs. There was nothing left of his heart but small chunks.

View attachment 978081



View attachment 978079

View attachment 978080

Do you have much experience with the 108 elite hunters? Just curious if there would be a big difference terminally between the 108 & 115

 

[Mrwoodard]

90 grain Sierra tgk mv 2950. Impact velocity 2780. Buck ran 60 yards with it's heart split in half. Good blood all the way. Second deer this year for my daughter with the same results.

 

[Gettincloser]

The 80 ELDXs have been very consistent in wounds. But they aren’t inherently accurate at 22CM speeds. 88 ELDMs have been meh. Most of my big game impact velocities and distances travelled when hit have been documented on Rokslide. If I could only shoot one bullet forever out of a 22CM it would be 77TMK.

The 115 Bergers have been somewhat inconsistent in wounds but all have lead to very quick kills overall. They tend to exit more often and leave more blood at shooting locations if a guy is after that. As far as accuracy. They have been an absolute hammer in this tikka with preferred 7.5 twist barrel. Like stupidly accurate. So far I’m really liking this bullet but I think the reliable killing wound edge favors 95 TMKs and 103 ELDXs so far. More to come though.

As far as 22CM vs 6CM overall? I like both and will continue to kill with both.

Why do you favor the 103 eld over the 108 or 109?

I am curious as I am waiting my 6mm creedmoor from preferred with a 7.5 twist.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Do you have much experience with the 108 elite hunters? Just curious if there would be a big difference terminally between the 108 & 115

No but they will be shot by a few folks I shoot with and share terminal reports with. The 109s will be tested as well.

I think @hereinaz might have killed with them?

 

[hereinaz]

No but they will be shot by a few folks I shoot with and share terminal reports with. The 109s will be tested as well.

I think @hereinaz might have killed with them?

I never killed with the 6mm, this was the first year I took it hunting, and I struck out my two hunts. I won't ever go to a larger caliber again, unless it is for some specific nostalgic or other non-performance reason.

I shot a lot of 6mm Berger for targets and that got me using them for hunting. For hunting, I killed a lot with and seen a lot killed with the Bergers 180 7mm VLDh and the 133 257 hunter. (I was the first in the group around me to start shooting long range and they just used what I used) Damage was incredible and indistinguishable between the calibers. Massive exits at 100 yards (muzzle velocity 3050-30150 fps) on large deer, visually seeing lung and blood fly...

Those results, and others out to 1000 yards, I compared the Berger to the Hornady with personal observation of the 168 ELDx and other ELDx, and the wealth of pictures and video.

IMO, the performance difference is merely academic in discussion. They are both devastatingly effective. The academic difference is that the ELDm and ELDx tend to have a shorter initial neck, meaning the Berger are a little "tougher" so the neck is maybe an inch or two longer before the destruction begins.

 

[TxLite]

Do you have much experience with the 108 elite hunters? Just curious if there would be a big difference terminally between the 108 & 115

No but they will be shot by a few folks I shoot with and share terminal reports with. The 109s will be tested as well.

I think @hereinaz might have killed with them?

I’ve used the 108 EH and was very happy with them. We took them on an antelope hunt this year and posted the results to this thread. They performed excellent on 4/4 Antelope at ~2950 MV from 463 yards and in.

Have not used the 115’s to compare but I was very impressed with the 108’s both in accuracy and terminal performance.

 

[24valve]

90 grain Sierra tgk mv 2950. Impact velocity 2780. Buck ran 60 yards with it's heart split in half. Good blood all the way. Second deer this year for my daughter with the same results.

Congrats to your daughter! Do you have any more pics of the wound channel, entrance, exit, etc?

I haven't seen many TGK kills and am curious.

 

[Mrwoodard]

I didn't take any more photos after I started processing it. Entrance was caliber size and exit was probably a one inch hole. There was a very good blood trail. We have 10-15 kills with the 90s and 6.5 130s with great results. Most of our shots are 200 yards and in though.

 

[24valve]

I didn't take any more photos after I started processing it. Entrance was caliber size and exit was probably a one inch hole. There was a very good blood trail. We have 10-15 kills with the 90s and 6.5 130s with great results. Most of our shots are 200 yards and in though.

No worries, I still appreciate the description!

Were the other 10-15 kills consistent with the caliber sized entrance and one-inch exit? Any noticeable difference between the 90's and 130's?

 

[wabash503]

My boy just shot this beast tonight! 6 ARC, 60 yards, DRT... High shoulder shot, bam flop!

 

[KyleR1985]

My boy just shot this beast tonight! 6 ARC, 60 yards, DRT... High shoulder shot, bam flop!

Gorgeous buck congrats kid!

 

[Mrwoodard]

No worries, I still appreciate the description!

Were the other 10-15 kills consistent with the caliber sized entrance and one-inch exit? Any noticeable difference between the 90's and 130's?

Some exits were bigger depending on shot placement and if it hit a rib on the way out. Both calibers killed about the same and always exited.

 

[omicron1792]

My boy just shot this beast tonight! 6 ARC, 60 yards, DRT... High shoulder shot, bam flop!

Man that’s the good stuff!

 

[Eiden]

My boy just shot this beast tonight! 6 ARC, 60 yards, DRT... High shoulder shot, bam flop!

Well done! Awesome.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[andrew_hood27]

Mv is in post it’s pretty slow with factory black hills little quicker with Hornady. Hoping to get 2750 out of it reloading heavy maybe more if I go to 95 tmk. Accuracy on the other hand is great. Right around 1” for 10 shots I’m sure if I got set up real well on a sled would be 3/4. I would go 18” if I wanted to shoot further but my density altitude is typically 3800-5500. Lethal at 1800 to 580 ish. I try to keep all shots under 500 unless follow ups.

Ah sorry, totally missed that. Yeah that MV is slower than I would’ve thought as well, especially since LSWild shows 109ELDMs at 2890 on the graphic on their website. I didn’t think hand loads would be able to make that much of a difference, but I’m pretty new to all of this. Thanks for the info though! And great buck!

 

[kswaterfowl]

Ah sorry, totally missed that. Yeah that MV is slower than I would’ve thought as well, especially since LSWild shows 109ELDMs at 2890 on the graphic on their website. I didn’t think hand loads would be able to make that much of a difference, but I’m pretty new to all of this. Thanks for the info though! And great buck!

I cant remember exactly, but I think it was around 130fps increase with 108 gr eldms in my 6 creed going from factory to handloads.

 

[andrew_hood27]

I cant remember exactly, but I think it was around 130fps increase with 108 gr eldms in my 6 creed going from factory to handloads.

What’s your handload?

 

[Brap01]

My sons second elk. Younger cow elk at 150 yards, 6 ARC, 108 ELDM, 2610 mv. Impact ribs, through the lungs, into off side shoulder, bullet trapped against the hide on the offside shoulder. Photo shows bullet on off side shoulder and the big hole it put through the lungs. Cow kicked/walked/fell 25 yards downhill and died before we could hike to it.

 

[wabash503]

My oldest son got his first buck tonight... That's 3 for 3 with the 6 ARC! None made it further than 50 yards from impact.