6mm /.243 hunting success on Big Game

[Gtscotty]

Might as well go from the hardest 6mm hunt to the easiest: So there I was.... In my backyard.

Was up in a stand on my property yesterday and had this buck come in at about 45 yds in front of me at the same time that a doe was creeping up behind/under me. I could only see his head but as I was getting my rifle up, the doe spooked and bound a few times in his direction, he was watching her and took one more step exposing his neck, so I popped him in the neck. He dropped immediately paralyzed, but was still moving his head so I put one in his heart from the bottom of his chest.

About 30 minutes later a couple does came in on the same trail, stopped where he was for a while then moved on. When the first one came into a clear spot between trees at about 60yds, I shot her in the heart and she went ~20yds and piled up. I went up to the house to get my youngest son and my buggy then the neighbor and his son came over, we loaded up my two deer in the buggy, went and got a doe his boy had shot and took them all to the gutting tree.

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Performance seemed good to me, the neck shot on the buck exited as well as the quartering shot on the doe, and her heart was totally fragged. I didn't see an exit from the shot that entered into the bottom of the Buck's chest and traveled up his neck, but there was lots of pulverized sternum some heart damage and lung soup.
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The rifle was a 12.5" 6mm ARC that I had to rush to put together and sight in the weekend before, and the load was a 103gr ELDx/LVR load that I developed for my 18" ARC. MV was ~2,450 fps, about 200fps less than the same load out of the 18". What really makes it a killer though, is the chinesium camo stretch tape from Amazon.

364 days later on 11/23/25, managed to whack another backyard buck with a shorty 6mm ARC. The 12.5" KAK barrel I used last year wasn't really where I wanted it accuracy wise so I sent it back and ordered a 13" mlgs X-caliber lightweight barrel, and it has been exactly what I was looking for.

I'd been seeing this buck on cameras around the place occasionally since summer, back then he was running with two other bucks, one of which was also pretty decent. Anyway, he came up next to the knob I was on about 40 yds away, one 103gr ELDx later he trotted/ stumbled a little ways and was down. The bullet exited and left a healthy blood trail, which even had a sizeable and easily recognizable piece of lung in it.







Exit side

Son #1 helping me at the gutting tree.

Entry

Exit


I was thinking about trying 108gr ELDms this year for shits and giggles since I have a good load for those as well, but was impressed with how uniform the performance was on the ELDx's at different ranges/velocities in one of Grendel hunter's recent videos and decided to stick with the 103s since they've been treating me well.

 

[ezwy]

364 days later on 11/23/25, managed to whack another backyard buck with a shorty 6mm ARC. The 12.5" KAK barrel I used last year wasn't really where I wanted it accuracy wise so I sent it back and ordered a 13" mlgs X-caliber lightweight barrel, and it has been exactly what I was looking for.

I'd been seeing this buck on cameras around the place occasionally since summer, back then he was running with two other bucks, one of which was also pretty decent. Anyway, he came up next to the knob I was on about 40 yds away, one 103gr ELDx later he trotted/ stumbled a little ways and was down. The bullet exited and left a healthy blood trail, which even had a sizeable and easily recognizable piece of lung in it.

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Exit side
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Son #1 helping me at the gutting tree.
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Entry
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Exit
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I was thinking about trying 108gr ELDms this year for shits and giggles since I have a good load for those as well, but was impressed with how uniform the performance was on the ELDx's at different ranges/velocities in one of Grendel hunter's recent videos and decided to stick with the 103s since they've been treating me well.

Very nice! What is your optic?

 

[liv3mind]

I was thinking about trying 108gr ELDms this year for shits and giggles since I have a good load for those as well, but was impressed with how uniform the performance was on the ELDx's at different ranges/velocities in one of Grendel hunter's recent videos and decided to stick with the 103s since they've been treating me well.

Awesome! I shot 2 deer back to back yesterday with 103eldx and 108eldm at almost identical distance. I only gutted the eldx, but comparing entry and exit the eldx seemed to do slightly more damage. Entry had more bruising, exit was a little bigger.

 

[Speaks]

So in theory both the 108 eldm and 103 eldx perform well most of the time but rare failures can happen with eldm and less likely with eldx?

 

[Gtscotty]

They don’t seem interested in selling tipped fusion components unfortunately


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've seen 7mm tipped fusion bullets in blem or pulled form at American Reloading a few times, but it's pretty rare. I will be keeping an eye out there for these 110gr tipped fusions though, seems like a very interesting bullet, I'd love to load some up.

Very nice! What is your optic?

It's a PA SLX 1-6x24 green fiber dot with the ACSS Mil nova reticle. It's a fairly recent addition to the stable, but I really like it for the price thus far, might pick up another one with a red dot instead of green to go with it.

Primary Arms SLx 1-6x24 SFP Rifle Scope Gen IV - Illuminated ACSS Nova Fiber Wire Reticle - Flat Dark Earth

The Primary Arms SLx® 1-6x24mm SFP Gen IV Rifle Scope in FDE is the latest iteration of their best-selling carbine optic, incorporating a fully upgraded optical system, an integrated dovetail throw lever, and all-new ACSS® reticles.

www.primaryarms.com

 

[liv3mind]

So in theory both the 108 eldm and 103 eldx perform well most of the time but rare failures can happen with eldm and less likely with eldx?

From reading it sounds like the eldx is more reliable yes, but not by much. That being said, my family shot 8 WTs last year and 4 so far this year with 73gr eldms and every one performed good. This is my first year trying eldx and 6mm.

 

[Speaks]

From reading it sounds like the eldx is more reliable yes, but not by much. That being said, my family shot 8 WTs last year and 4 so far this year with 73gr eldms and every one performed good. This is my first year trying eldx and 6mm.

Yea it sounds like the percentage with failure to disrupt is very low and most common at low end of the velocity range.

Just spun on my first 6cm barrel this weekend and trying to decide what to shoot.

I figure if I get 2800 mv with my 18 inch it carries 2k fps to 500. While in theory I could shoot that far 3/4 of my shots would be within 300 where you are still in the mid 2300s. So low percentage failure on low percentage of my shots = very low probability I would ever see one.

I guess if all else was equal the eldx reducing failure though already super low may make sense. I guess I can buy a box of each and see what groups.

 

[liv3mind]

Yea it sounds like the percentage with failure to disrupt is very low and most common at low end of the velocity range.

Just spun on my first 6cm barrel this weekend and trying to decide what to shoot.

I figure if I get 2800 mv with my 18 inch it carries 2k fps to 500. While in theory I could shoot that far 3/4 of my shots would be within 300 where you are still in the mid 2300s. So low percentage failure on low percentage of my shots = very low probability I would ever see one.

I guess if all else was equal the eldx reducing failure though already super low may make sense. I guess I can buy a box of each and see what groups.

I have read the same about the higher end as well, just that they very rarely come apart too quickly. I will say the eldms I have shot seem to penetrate best at lower impact velocity (ie under 2600 is the level I use now). I try to be above 1900 impact, based on reading others experiences across lots of sizes seems like that is 1900-2600 is the sweet spot, with failure above and below being very rare. The failures up high seem to be impacts pushing 2900+. Since I tend to be in thick woods I personally always hunt with barrels on the shorter side to account for this unless I'm over a big field where I know I can stretch out. I think buy a box of each and see which your gun likes best, either will serve you quite well I'm sure.

 

[Gtscotty]

Yea it sounds like the percentage with failure to disrupt is very low and most common at low end of the velocity range.

Just spun on my first 6cm barrel this weekend and trying to decide what to shoot.

I figure if I get 2800 mv with my 18 inch it carries 2k fps to 500. While in theory I could shoot that far 3/4 of my shots would be within 300 where you are still in the mid 2300s. So low percentage failure on low percentage of my shots = very low probability I would ever see one.

I guess if all else was equal the eldx reducing failure though already super low may make sense. I guess I can buy a box of each and see what groups.

Definitely worth trying both, in handloads the 103gr are actually a bit more accurate than the 108gr in my 18" ARC, although they are both plenty accurate.

 

[Wrench]

106tap on elk @ 2300fps was good for about 16" of chaos. Bang flopped on a heart shot.

 

[sierracharlie338]

106tap on elk @ 2300fps was good for about 16" of chaos. Bang flopped on a heart shot. View attachment 985911

Nice! I need to tinker with these after a whack something with the 95 TMK

 

[00ninja00]

So read through most of these, but admittedly not every page. So my question is:
Are these smaller calibers success (drop at poi) all mostly short range, ie under 300 yards? Has anyone taken one at say like 700y and animal just dropped like bigger calibers?

 

[Gstew1930]

So read through most of these, but admittedly not every page. So my question is:
Are these smaller calibers success (drop at poi) all mostly short range, ie under 300 yards? Has anyone taken one at say like 700y and animal just dropped like bigger calibers?

Theres a ton of examples in here of kills at distance

 

[Speaks]

So read through most of these, but admittedly not every page. So my question is:
Are these smaller calibers success (drop at poi) all mostly short range, ie under 300 yards? Has anyone taken one at say like 700y and animal just dropped like bigger calibers?

If you use the search function and input "yards" and select "search this thread" you will quickly see a bunch of long examples. In the first 2 pages of 10 pages of results I saw multiple in the mid 5s and a 658 DRT on an Elk.

Generally speaking from reading these, listening to podcasts on this etc the consensus seems to be that what matters is keeping velocity over 1800fps - maybe slightly higher for a bit more margin of error. So the range would depend on your loading and barrel length.

To be clear I am just summarizing some things I read in this thread not providing personal experience.

I am expecting the 18ich barrel I have and factory eldx would not be a 700 yard gun at my elevation but will be a 600 yard gun. Loading hotter, longer barrel, higher elevation etc would all stretch that number out.

My generally conservative rule of thumb I am using for now is 223-400 6cm-600 6.5prc-900. There are plenty of examples of people pushing all of these farther. For me personally 600 is likely already to far without near perfect conditions and position so I dont spend to much time trying to figure out a more precise max range.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

So read through most of these, but admittedly not every page. So my question is:
Are these smaller calibers success (drop at poi) all mostly short range, ie under 300 yards? Has anyone taken one at say like 700y and animal just dropped like bigger calibers?

Yes. Not me personally, but there are plenty of examples in these threads. A good bullet is lethal out to the point where impact velocity falls below 1800 FPS. Once most bullets fall below 1800 FPS impact velocity, they are more likely to fail to upset.

At 4000 feet, which is the height of the mountain on my farm, a proper .243 bullet is good to 700 yards. That’s much further than I would personally shoot at a deer. My limitations come from my own comfort level with wind calls and time of flight, not with my concern for lack of bullet performance. That and I have never been in a situation where I had to shoot at a game animal at that range. Where I hunt, a good hunter can almost always get closer than that. In fact, I think that if I wanted to shoot at a deer at 700 yards, I’d almost certainly have to walk at least 350 yards away from it to do so…

Last week, I was guiding my friend’s son to his first buck. While walking up a hill in the middle of the farm, I spotted the buck at 350-375 yards in the middle of our largest hayfield. We used a fold in the terrain, a blackberry-infested fence line, and a large cherry tree to get to 220 yards before he made an excellent one-shot DRT kill.

 

[Wrench]

My 150yard deer ran farther than my 450yd elk with the same bullet.

The only thing lacking was blood trails. The elk never took a step, the deer made it 50ish yards.

 

[00ninja00]

If you use the search function and input "yards" and select "search this thread" you will quickly see a bunch of long examples. In the first 2 pages of 10 pages of results I saw multiple in the mid 5s and a 658 DRT on an Elk.

Generally speaking from reading these, listening to podcasts on this etc the consensus seems to be that what matters is keeping velocity over 1800fps - maybe slightly higher for a bit more margin of error. So the range would depend on your loading and barrel length.

To be clear I am just summarizing some things I read in this thread not providing personal experience.

I am expecting the 18ich barrel I have and factory eldx would not be a 700 yard gun at my elevation but will be a 600 yard gun. Loading hotter, longer barrel, higher elevation etc would all stretch that number out.

My generally conservative rule of thumb I am using for now is 223-400 6cm-600 6.5prc-900. There are plenty of examples of people pushing all of these farther. For me personally 600 is likely already to far without near perfect conditions and position so I dont spend to much time trying to figure out a more precise max range.

Thanks! I just figured most wouldn’t take animas long range with a 6mm as per what u said above. I’m curious because, where I live up north north NorCal, unless on private property and line sitting, we mostly do 600+, and I’ve seen so many 260 shots, my personal 260 as well, all placed well but a few blacktails and mostly all the bears kept going 50-100y before they dropped. So I was curious if smaller 6mm had the same issues in the longer range as well.

 

[Unclecroc]

So read through most of these, but admittedly not every page. So my question is:
Are these smaller calibers success (drop at poi) all mostly short range, ie under 300 yards? Has anyone taken one at say like 700y and animal just dropped like bigger calibers?

I have three kills with a 6mm over 450 yards. None have been drt but all animals were found within 50 yards of impact.
Only one lacked a good blood trail. Because of where the impact was, facing me neck down no exit. Missed spine by 2”, I was amazed she didn’t drop.
6mms are good to go on longer shots using proper projectiles.

 

[ReddingArcher]

Thanks! I just figured most wouldn’t take animas long range with a 6mm as per what u said above. I’m curious because, where I live up north north NorCal, unless on private property and line sitting, we mostly do 600+, and I’ve seen so many 260 shots, my personal 260 as well, all placed well but a few blacktails and mostly all the bears kept going 50-100y before they dropped. So I was curious if smaller 6mm had the same issues in the longer range as well.

I think the issue you are seeing with animals running 50-100 yards after impact is more of a bullet construction issue. Being from California I am assuming you are using copper, and copper monos just dont upset like the bullets most guys in here are using.

As a side note, I had a great conversation with a game warden here in California this year about monos. We talked for 15 or 20 minutes and he said that since California forced us to use copper that he has seen a dramatic increase in the wound/loss rate and wasnt a fan of us having to use it.

 

[Unclecroc]

I think the issue you are seeing with animals running 50-100 yards after impact is more of a bullet construction issue. Being from California I am assuming you are using copper, and copper monos just dont upset like the bullets most guys in here are using.

As a side note, I had a great conversation with a game warden here in California this year about monos. We talked for 15 or 20 minutes and he said that since California forced us to use copper that he has seen a dramatic increase in the wound/loss rate and wasnt a fan of us having to use it.

Shot placement is the highest factor in a drt. Any bullet in ribs that doesn’t disrupt the nervous system will likely not produce a Drt.
Certain monos do not upset like a cup n core but they’re designed that way. New style monos ( hammer and McGuire) are a totally different beast.