6mm /.243 hunting success on Big Game

[Brap01]

I have posted a bunch of successful aniamls taken with the 108 ELDM this year, but I should also post a "failure" of sorts.

My youngest missed a deer a couple weeks ago, even with the low recoiling 6 ARC in an AR15 and LOTS of practice at the range we have at our house.

That is the only failure I have to report. Everything the 108 ELDM touched this year died.

 

[TNHighlands]

First kill for the 6 Arc this week. Buddy was using his 22 Arc.

108 eldm at 2550 from 18" barrel. Cull buck 175 yards, quartering to. Shot at base of neck and exited behind offside shoulder. Dropped at the shot and plowed dirt for 5 yds.

Suppressed, idk that you could ask for more in a 400yd gun. Internal damage was devastating.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Two more kills with the 115 Bergers.

A Javelina at 80ish yards shot off hand with no ranging before the shot. Went zero yards.

A cow elk at 418 prone off pack. First shot through the heart she acted like she wasn’t hit but was dead on her feet. Second shot to top of shoulder/spine and she dropped.

Now that I’m closing in on 15 big game kills with the 115 Berger VLD Hunt bullets the following is what I’d “describe” for someone asking. And keep in mind, 15 kills with just one lot of bullets doesn’t tell a very big story, but at least it’s something.

.They kill very well. Furthest death run was I believe 60 yards with multiple “bang flops”. This includes multiple “hard angle” kills and kills at low impact velocities.

.Shots into animals at both very high and quite low impact velocities worked fine.

.Bullet consistency and in flight performance are very reliable.

.Accuracy is honestly, stupid. There was never any “load dev” for the tikka 6 creed and preferred barrel that have been shooting this lot. I don’t think it’s shot a single 6 shot group over 1.25” at 100 yards with most being sub 1”.

.Wound channels and neck length seem rather inconsistent. Some impacts saw immediate opening and wide wounds similar to common ELDM wounds. Some impacts didn’t see opening until they were over half way through the animal or further. Even when they opened later, they still created a wound channel that was quite devastating maybe due to some yawing or tumbling. I didn’t see a single wound channel that was consistent with “penciling through” which I was worried about with these hard little bastards.

.Exits seem more common than ELDMs on average and slightly more than ELDX as well. They seem to exit the hide more often as well so if you want a balance of potential “penetration for full exits” that may lead to some blood to follow, while still creating a decently wide wound, these may be your choice. I did often have very good blood trails and lots of lung chunks at impact locations due to large exit wounds.

I will continue to use them and will have a couple more potential opportunities on big game before the end of Feb. I have 500 more coming from Berger next week which will be a new lot to try.

 

[Steel Rain]

My son took his doe last night with a factory Remington Corelokt broadside at 200 yards. The deer ran maybe 20 yards. I can’t count how many does I’ve shot with that gun in meat season using traditional bullets. That being said, I’m going to get him set up with a better 6CM so he can shoot out farther. No complaints with 6mm here.

 

[Donjuan]

175 yards with a 6mm creedmoor and 108 eldm. Bang flop, lungs destroyed and no meat harmed

 

[24valve]

Any folks have data on killing bison, with a smaller caliber. I have been on 6 hunts and the kills have ranged from 1 to 7 shot kills. This was long before I learned about bullet selection, most likely we were using off the shelf ammo in 30 caliber and buffalo bore loads in 45-70.

Planning to take a 6 creed with 108 eldms and a 45-70. Based off my elk kills, I feel confident in the 6 creed. Any thoughts?

Limited info and not necessarily with a small caliber, but the two I have killed were with a single shot to the neck as form mentioned. Both dropped immediately.

They’re close enough, why don’t you just put the bullets in the spine in the neck?

 

[wyosam]

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


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Federal generally doesn’t seem interested in the reloading crowd.


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[mxgsfmdpx]

 

[Anschutz]

You should be ashamed. Have you no respect for the animal?

Hunting with an under powered cartridge like that, you're lucky to have recovered the animal at all.

Be a man. Shoot a 30 caliber ultra magnum.

You don't want to know what that little 35gr V-Max did on a frontal shot. It was... um... well the tail was left. I quickly went to S&B FMJs for my small game in lieu of .22LR needs.

 

[Timjohnson11]

I’m gonna have a hard time not grabbing the 6 Creed with 115 Bergers for killing.

Got a couple more big game kills on the agenda here soon and it’s getting the call again.

Good luck… I’ve had nothing but great terminal performance with the 108 and 156 Bergers so anxiously picked up a pile of the Gunwerks 115 Berger ammo they blew out earlier this year.

I’ve now had two poor experiences with them at impact velocities > 2,800… Both close range opportunities have yielded near penciling (mule deer), or full on penciling (in the most recent example; again on a mule deer). The 115 Berger is a straight up liability for close quarter opportunities. Beware.

Back to the 108 EH for me…

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Good luck… I’ve had nothing but great terminal performance with the 108 and 156 Bergers so anxiously picked up a pile of the Gunwerks 115 Berger ammo they blew out earlier this year.

I’ve now had two poor experiences with them at impact velocities > 2,800… Both close range opportunities have yielded near penciling (mule deer), or full on penciling (in the most recent example; again on a mule deer). The 115 Berger is a straight up liability for close quarter opportunities. Beware.

Back to the 108 EH for me…

In my 14 kills with them my highest impact have been in that 2600-2700 range with no such results, but I could see penciling happening on occasion.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Good luck… I’ve had nothing but great terminal performance with the 108 and 156 Bergers so anxiously picked up a pile of the Gunwerks 115 Berger ammo they blew out earlier this year.

I’ve now had two poor experiences with them at impact velocities > 2,800… Both close range opportunities have yielded near penciling (mule deer), or full on penciling (in the most recent example; again on a mule deer). The 115 Berger is a straight up liability for close quarter opportunities. Beware.

Back to the 108 EH for me…

Also, for my curiosity, are they using the VLD hunt or the VLD target for that loaded ammo?

I only recall seeing 105 hybrid ammo loaded by them.

 

[Kimber7man]

They were advertised as VLD Hunting and would appear to be based on BC listed.

 

[peaceful_ruler]

.243 win, 350 yards, 95 grain federal fusion at around 2400? impact velocity, impacted tight behind the shoulder about 1/3 up, heart shot, DRT

 

[TexasTB]

Mature Cow Elk in SW Montana. 6XC with 20” Brux barrel, Thunderbeast Ultra 7, 103 eldx @ 3085 MV, and Maven RS1.2. One shot @ 175 yards. Big exit hole.

 

[Brandon_SPC]

Back at it again with the 6mm arc. All three deer were shot at 267, 289, 276 yards. Impact velocities for the two terminal performance pictures are; 2187 fps and 2175 fps and the bullet used was a 108 grain ELDM. First one was practically a bang flop, second doe ran 40 yards or so and left a nice blood trail. The third doe, I was just too lazy to get more pictures but was drt.

 

[Wa2tx]

Son got to go on a cull doe hunt. Shot 3 does in about 90 seconds using 6cm 103eldx. Shots were at 130, 100, and 60. Initial muzzle velocity is 3035. Wound with fur is entrance wound-almost full frontal shot slightly quartering away. Pic after the fur is exit of the 60 yard shot through the heart which is the entrance pic also. Next is the same frontal shot without fur. Almost too much damage. He hit one right in the spine where neck meets chest and it obliterated the spine and was just poking out on offside hide. Neck shot dropped. Frontal shot ran 50 yards somehow with bucket of blood pouring out. Last was heart shot and ran 15 yards and did circles and fell.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Federal generally doesn’t seem interested in the reloading crowd.


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Agree. I've requested 120grain .257 Fusions a few times with zero response.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Good luck… I’ve had nothing but great terminal performance with the 108 and 156 Bergers so anxiously picked up a pile of the Gunwerks 115 Berger ammo they blew out earlier this year.

I’ve now had two poor experiences with them at impact velocities > 2,800… Both close range opportunities have yielded near penciling (mule deer), or full on penciling (in the most recent example; again on a mule deer). The 115 Berger is a straight up liability for close quarter opportunities. Beware.

Back to the 108 EH for me…

Maybe getting a set of torch bits and opening the tips slightly?

 

[jerimeister]

Anyone have experience with how the 95 gr Berger Hybrid Hunter peforms on game? This bullet shot the best of out my rifle by far and want to see some real world results.