Is the construction of 6.5mm bullets stout enough for Elk.... I've use my 270 to take a number of elk, I've never had one walk more than 20-30 yards after taking one of them.... usually without heart and or lungs... I have recovered a few Barnes bullets from elk I've taken, shooting them head on at 1-200 yards, at the end of the diaphragm or in the hide on the far side of the hit....
Which bullets and what kind of velocity are we talking about? I'm trying to decide what to build next.... 300UMag? 300win mag?, I'm a big person, but always have been a little recoil shy and I've always loved a flat shooting long range bullet....
IMHO I believe that 165-180 grain bullets in the 300 Win Mag and 140 grain bullets in a 264 Win Mag will take anything on the North American Continent.
I would, however, prefer an A-10 mounted Vulcan for large brown bears.
uj
P.S. The Swedes have been killing moose with the 6.5 x 55 for 100 years and they have never thought to ask if it was enough gun.
Here's a more portable version for ya ;D ! http://www.anzioironworks.com/20MM-TAKE-DOWN-RIFLE.htmOriginally Posted by Uncle Jack
Wayne
You didn't say which particular 6.5 cartridge that you're looking at? So a bit hard to say on the velocity. I built a 260 AI...but haven't chrono'd it yet...but info. from others...looks like 140-142 gr. bullets going @ 2950-3000 fps...but I have a long tube. I think my velocities are very close to the 6.5-284 and maybe the same or slightly higher than the 6.5 x 55 Swede.
I've got a friend that lives out west....shoots his elk with a .25-06...another with a .30-06. As you described...it has a lot to do with shot placement. If you're going to flinch with a .30 or .338 magnum....you're better off with something smaller. I think a high quality hunting bullet in 6.5 mm, with proper shot placement, would work. But this is just MHO. The big magnums, with heavy bullets....will obviously go through more bone etc....but I think shot placement tends to be king.
Wayne
Yes.Is the construction of 6.5mm bullets stout enough for Elk.
Good Gravy, Can you say, sore shoulder.... 20mm lol..... Dino's?, King Kong?, Godzilla..... Bullwinkle?
As far as velocity of say the 140gr class of bullets, about 2750-2800fps..... That's about max for the cartridge I'm thinking of... 28" tube shooting very small groups....
I used 142 SMKs and shot at a wheel rotor at 600yds and it penetrated cleanly thru on every hit with authority. The rotor is 3/8" thick on the outside and 1/4" thick on the inner. So I think it won't have any problems penetrating bones and hides.
btw, I also shot at the rotor with a 243 using 87grns vmax and it only dented the rotor. So I don't recommend using a 243. ;D
130 grain 270 has taken a lot of moose and Elk sized game. A longer 130 gr 6.5 Accubond is going to do the same and penetrate further I believe. I would not hesitate.
As a young man in none competition hunting areas I took a lot of elk with the 6mm Remington and 100 grain bullets. The 87 grain Hornady V max I believe is a varmint bullet? I would not fault the .243 for poor bullet performance. Still a bunch of people shooting elk with .243. I have a couple friends still doing it after 30&40 years.
Something to think about.
Neal
+1
12 FLV 204 Ruger
with good shoot placement no worries
A friend of mine killed more then 40 elk with a 256 Newton and claimed he never lost one. He was a very good shot and shot that rifle until it wouldn't hold a group anymore and had it bored to 30-06 and shot it for many more years.
Use the TSX. They're the same construction from .22 caliber up to .583 caliber.
Frank
One rifle, one planet, Holland's 375
I would agree with above, but add use the tipped TSX bullet.
They open faster and at lower FPS.
Great bullets, but a little expensive.
I have used them from .224 up to 50 caliber.
The 50 caliber pistol bullets open up to about an inch in diameter.
While I have never shot an Elk yet in the 2 or 3 years I hunted them, a few years back a bought a 243 chambered in a Win 760 pump gun.
The guy I got this 243 from said his nephew had used it to shoot 5 or 6 Elk over about a 10 year period and none had got away, but they were all shot at under 150 yards or so.
If I had to use a 243 I think I would just use the best bullets and best shot placement possible, I would rather use my 30-06 or 300 Win Mag with 165-180 Gr bullets.
So yes, I think a 6.5 with good bullets and shot placement should work fine.
Michael Grace
The Scandahovians have been hunting Moose and Raindeer with the 6.5 X55 for a hundred years and don't seem to have many problems.
uj
I guess i didn't quite make myself clear on the original question.... I assumed that bullets would have been placed in the appropriate spot to have a clean kill. I simply wanted to know about the 6.5mm bullet selection, ie., BC, SD, "who" made a good long range "hunting" bullet.
I knew that the 6.5's had a reputation for being great "paper punchers". I just needed to know if the bullet selection was "good enough" to pass through the tough skin and mess up the vital areas on an animal like the elk...
No ethical hunter should go into the field without being able to kill his prey quickly and humanely as possible.
More later....
Thanks guys
Go with the Berger hunting bullets.
The fifty year old Remington 140grn soft point Corelocks have always worked and things have only gotten better since then: Spear GSs, Nosler Patition, Nosler AccuBond, Hornady SST, Bergers....they all work work.
Elk do not require any special "Silver Bullet" to kill. As majestic as they appear, they're just a big cow with horns. Many of my friends here in Montana fill their tags each year with rifle and cartridge combinations as mundain as Savage 99s and 150grn Savage .300.
uj
+1
Go to the Berger web site and read. They have a very different philosophy relative to how a hunting bullet should behave when it hits it's target. Having observed the performance of their bullets on large game I am a believer.
I've killed two (2) elk with Berger .277 140gr.. loaded hot..., This was several years ago when they were coated with the "blue" film. The only problem I saw with them was a small hole in and nearly the same size hole on the other side. Don't get me wrong the heart and at least one lung was damaged or gone with each bullet. However, both elk walked about 20 yards then died..... In the Cedar trees that's along way and it takes a while to find them.... (Hunting in Utah's Bookcliffs, between 7500' and 8500'). They only have to take one step to disappear. Over more than 50 years of hunting deer and elk, I would much rather have an entrance hole, all of the energy expended deep in the chest cavity with no exit hole....... They seem to take 1/2 a step and die on the spot.... Besides, I don't want to worry about were the bullet goes after leaving the animal....... I know I'm going to get a lot of comment on this, it's just the way I like to take an animal......
Sorry, (NOTE)
I miss typed, the bullets I killed these elk with were not Berger but Barnes..... hole in hole out..... This was in 98' -99' I think.. I use Berger VLD's for my 6.5 and love them....
Berger bullets have changed since the "blue film days."
The Hunting bullet line is proving to be the most lethal big game hunting bullets available. All of our Hunting bullets are made in the VLD design. The VLD design incorporates a sharp nose that allows the bullet to penetrate 2 to 3 before it starts to expand. After the bullet starts to expand it will shed 40% to 85% of its weight as shrapnel into the surrounding tissue (internal organ). The combination between the shrapnel and the hydrostatic shock produces a massive wound cavity within the vital area (internal organs) that will be 13 to 15 long. This massive wound cavity results in the animal dropping fast since most go into shock after such a tremendous blow. Those animals that dont go down immediately will soon succumb to blood pressure loss and/or organ failure producing a quick ethical kill. Our bullets don't poke through like an arrow (high weight retention, deep penetration bullets) but instead dump their energy where it is most effective, inside the animal. Using the Berger VLD will result in an animal that goes down fast so you can enjoy the results of your hunt without having to track the wounded animal after the shot.
A little sidebar to this conversation.
In the refridgerator I am currently marinating some little medallions of elk loin in Pinot Grigio, garlic, rosemary and black pepper. Later I'll roll them in bread crumbs, saute them in butter and EVOO and finish the sauce with more garlic, mushrooms, capers and some sour cream. That will make a nice supper with some egg noodles and a little salad.
This particular elk was shot in the neck by my buddy with a 100 grain .243 Hornady. I can assure you that it is very dead.
uj
How long dost thou marinate them?I am currently marinating
If you do it a room temperature about an hour...in the fridge about 3 or 4 hours. Doing it in the fridge gives you more time to finish the bottle of Pino Grigio
uj
wbm, I'm sorry, I miss typed before when I typed "Berger"..... I've never used Berger bullets for hunting. The Blue film bullets were from "Barnes"..... I don't know if it was because of the distance and high velocity (about 100yrds and 3100fps), but. There were .277" holes in and less then .5" out..... I found the second bullet (spent, near the animal, weight retension was better than 99%)
I do shoot Berger in both my AR-15 1-8 twist 75 Berger VLD (.224") and in my 6.5x47Lapua..... I love them, just never hunted with Bergers before..... Walt Berger was kind enough to furnish me with reloading data on the 6.5x47Lapua some time ago, I appeciated it a lot.....
Uncle Jack, Pardon my lack of knowledge, but with is EVOO?
Thanks,
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