Your favored 6.5 CM bullet for black bear?

[Megastink]

I just ordered a Savage Ultralight in 6.5 Creedmoor for a long-haul-in mountain rifle. I’m planning on hunting black bear and deer with it. I was wondering which bullet everyone prefers for bear pit to 400 yards. I’m leaning towards the 143gr ELD-X, but would like to hear from successful hunters. TIA!

 

[nobody]

143 ELDX, 140 ELDM, 130 ELDM, or 130 TMK. I’d shoot any of them at anything on god’s green earth from point blank to 800 and not bat an eye. My personal favorite is the 140 ELDM.

 

[Megastink]

143 ELDX, 140 ELDM, 130 ELDM, or 130 TMK. I’d shoot any of them at anything on god’s green earth from point blank to 800 and not bat an eye. My personal favorite is the 140 ELDM.

Wasn’t expecting to see a match bullet on the list.

 

[nobody]

Wasn’t expecting to see a match bullet on the list.

There’s a HUGE group of us here on Rokslide as well as outside Rokslide that only hunt with match bullets. The most effective kills I’ve seen and the most effective terminal performance I’ve seen in the last 5-ish years since switching have all been from match bullets, and the longest time to incapacitation and lowest amount of damage I’ve ever seen in my hunting career has been from “traditional hunting bullets.” There’s lots of reasons, it can all be disseminated and understood through these. Warning, there’s lots of reading and lots of traditional wisdom being challenged:

.223 for bear, mountain goat, deer, elk, and moose.

DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ 176 PAGES? HERE'S THE CHEAT SHEET. “Bullets matter more than headstamps.” “Spent primers offer the supreme tutorial”. I’ve read it here and elsewhere online. It got my attention. I started digging and asking questions and listened. The 77gr TMK delivered by a .223...

rokslide.com

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

Bottom line: energy is irrelevant to “killing power,” it’s all about bullet performance and wound channels. Understanding minimum expansion velocity of your given projectile and how it behaves in tissue is what matters, traditional wisdom be damned.

Welcome to Rokslide, kick off your boots and have an open mind and stay awhile, hopefully you enjoy what we have to share around here.

 

[HNTR918]

Shot a 7ft bear in SE Alaska at 300 yards. Berger VLD H dropped him on the shore's edge.

 

[Megastink]

There’s a HUGE group of us here on Rokslide as well as outside Rokslide that only hunt with match bullets. The most effective kills I’ve seen and the most effective terminal performance I’ve seen in the last 5-ish years since switching have all been from match bullets, and the longest time to incapacitation and lowest amount of damage I’ve ever seen in my hunting career has been from “traditional hunting bullets.” There’s lots of reasons, it can all be disseminated and understood through these. Warning, there’s lots of reading and lots of traditional wisdom being challenged:

.223 for bear, mountain goat, deer, elk, and moose.

DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ 176 PAGES? HERE'S THE CHEAT SHEET. “Bullets matter more than headstamps.” “Spent primers offer the supreme tutorial”. I’ve read it here and elsewhere online. It got my attention. I started digging and asking questions and listened. The 77gr TMK delivered by a .223...

rokslide.com

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

Bottom line: energy is irrelevant to “killing power,” it’s all about bullet performance and wound channels. Understanding minimum expansion velocity of your given projectile and how it behaves in tissue is what matters, traditional wisdom be damned.

Welcome to Rokslide, kick off your boots and have an open mind and stay awhile, hopefully you enjoy what we have to share around here.

I know there’s a guy on LRH who swears by Lapua Scenars. I think his handle is of that likeness. I’ve added this podcast to my list. Very very good info. I can tell this single post is going to send me down a rabbit hole.

 

[PathFinder]

If you've never seen a black bear up close before, they're very lightly built. Thin skinned and light boned. On top of that, the ideal shot placement is basically mid body where there's little bone mass to initiate expansion. A fast expanding/fragmenting bullet is ideal.
The 140 ELD M is my favorite 6.5 bullet as well. Only shot one bear with one but it performed very well, the bear never took a step.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

 

[Megastink]

If you've never seen a black bear up close before, they're very lightly built. Thin skinned and light boned. On top of that, the ideal shot placement is basically mid body where there's little bone mass to initiate expansion. A fast expanding/fragmenting bullet is ideal.
The 140 ELD M is my favorite 6.5 bullet as well. Only shot one bear with one but it performed very well, the bear never took a step.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

Same results on deer?

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Any of the hornady ELDMs

 

[mtnbound]

Same results on deer?

Yes, and elk and moose and caribou.

 

[180ls1]

143 ELDX, 140 ELDM, 130 ELDM, or 130 TMK. I’d shoot any of them at anything on god’s green earth from point blank to 800 and not bat an eye. My personal favorite is the 140 ELDM.

Why is the 147 off the list?

 

[Matt5266]

Black bears are not hard to kill. 143 eldx, 140 or 147 eldm. These are my go to bullets in all my 6.5s. It's the easy button in every rifle I've owned

 

[nobody]

Why is the 147 off the list?

Honest mistake on my part, it would also be included.

 

[PathFinder]

Yes, they're excellent on everything at all practical ranges. Lots of great data in the 6.5 thread.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

 

[Maverick1]

@Megastink - 143 ELDX and 140 ELDM work well!

 

[Brontosaurus]

130 TMK is absolutely gnarly

 

[JDBAK]

I got a black bear at 440yds with a 140 ELDM from a 260 last month. Have also shot moose and deer with 143 ELDX at 500. All went down very quickly, the moose went the farthest…maybe 15 yds.

I’m sold on some of these march bullets.

 

[AZ_Hunter]

130 TMK is absolutely gnarly

I would like to hear more… I’m taking my 6.5 with 130 TMK’s to CO in a couple weeks. Will be its first outing.

 

[Brontosaurus]

I would like to hear more… I’m taking my 6.5 with 130 TMK’s to CO in a couple weeks. Will be its first outing.

Post in thread '6.5 Creedmoor/260 for Deer, Elk, and whatever else.....'
https://rokslide.com/forums/threads...eer-elk-and-whatever-else.244973/post-3820113

 

[Rugger7622]

Every gun I own loves the TMK's. My favorite and most accurate bullet for the 6.5 is the 130 TMK. Seems like to like all powders and speeds and is devastating on animals. I agree with the above poster that I would, within reason, shoot anything that walks with that bullet.