6.5mm bullet question?

[BsChoy]

Any one using either the Nosler 140 HPBT match or the 140 Amax at 6.5 swedish velocity for deer? I am trying to decide which one to use for my new mauser. I am not sure if the amax will destroy itself at under a certain yardage on impact or if the Nosler will even open. Any experiences?

 

[Shoney]

When I was a lot younger and a great deal more stupid, I shot a pretty fair number of deer and antelope with each of 4 different cartridges with target bullets (222, 6mmRem, 30-06, & 300WM). I was shooting Sierra HPBT in all cases. They did, and still do yield superior accuracy over hunting bullets.

The construction of the Sierra HPBT is very similar to the Nosler Custom Competition and the Hornady A-MAX (except this has carbonate tip), they all have very thin skins that are the same thickness almost to the base. The terminal effect upon impacting skin, meat, and bone, was that the bullet will expand rapidly, the term "blows up" is probably more accurate. As to the term to describe the terminal results on meat, "like throwing hand grenades', extreem disintergration of the bullet with fragments imbedded over a wide area of the wound channel. It is not like the nice wound channel in ballistic gelatin. It is fugly!

They almost always gave a very rapid kill. But these shots were always well placed. I hate to think of the agonizingly slow death that marginal flesh wounds (like just a crease across the back) will procuce with this bullet.

My advice (for what it's worth) from a performance and ethical view point is shoot hunting bullets when hunting!

 

[BsChoy]

Shoney thanks for the advice. I always use well placed shots and won't take them if it isn't a reasonably open shot. I just want the accuarcy from them.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I use Remington bulk pack 140-grainers in my 6.5 Swede. At the moderate velocities, they work like nobody's business and shoot quite well in my old Kimber-customized M94.

 

[Shoney]

Unless you, your rifle, and your ammunition are set up for 1000 yard shooting, I seriously doubt that you will be able to tell the difference between your target bullet and a quality hunting bullet out to about 350 yards.

If you are shooting beyond 350 yards, the time between the bullet leaving the barrel and when it reaches the deer, is time enough for the deer to move or turn, causing a miss or marginal wound. The sad and embarrassed voice of experience speaking here.

But if you enjoy throwing away a high percentage of your meat, or thrive on the thrilling risk of chomping down on lead and/or copper fragments, please, have at it.

 

[Ol` Joe]

None of the makers of the match bullets you are looking at recommend them for large game that I`m aware of. I would look at something like the Hornady SST or Nosler Balistic tip, or better yet the inter bond or the Nosler accubond in suitable weights. The SST is built around the A-Max VDL design and has a beefed up jacket design for deer type game. This might be your best choice as a bullet to try if you want accuracy 1st.
Target bullets may show a little more accuracy on the range but in the field where one is excited and his position might not be the best for rifle shooting I doubt you will notice the difference. Even if you can hold the same in the field as on a bench I don`t think a .5" difference in accuracy over a proper hunting bullet (I have never seen this much gain personally from a hunting rifle) would make or break a shot at game out to 5-600 yds. The half inch gain at 100 yds will only be 3" at 600 yds, well within a deers vital area of around 8-10 inchs broad side.

BTW; I`ve killed 5 deer here in Michigan with the 129 gr Hornady SP inter-Lok. They have all been total pass throughts with good expansion. One shot hit a small buck angling in the front shoulder clipping the blade, hit the lobe of one lung, penatrated the rumen, liver and part of the stomach, exiting the front of the off side ham. The exit hole was ~ the size of a quarter and the deer went 15 yd or so then dropped. The ranges have been from 15 ft to about 90 yds from both a 260 Remington and a 6.5x55 Swede at similar velocities, about 2750-2800 fps. Accuracy in everything I`ve shot them in runs under 1.25" at 100 yds for 5 rds or in some rifles much better.

 

[Lupara]

As a good compromise you should consider the Hornady 140 grs SP. It is very accurate from my Swede and terminal ballistics is very reliable.

 

[ROCKSHUND]

I personally favor the Sierra 160 grainers...-FNR.