Ideal 6.5x55 bullets for muledeer or whitetails

[mpstan]

I am planning my first hunt this Fall. It's in Eastern Washington in an area where whitetail and Muleys are together. I'll probably take my .270 and my son will take his 6.5x55 Swede. I'm set for bullets for my .270; I have lots of 130 grain Gamekings, Pro-Hunters, and Hornady Interbonds to find an accurate load.

My boy's Swede prefers 140 grain bullets and all we've shot with it since Christmas has been Matchkings and Corelokts (140g). My question is, do I go with 140gr due to its inherent accuracy or do I drop down to 120 or 130gr to avoid "overkill"? My shortlist of bullets are the premium ones: Barnes TSX, Hornady Interbonds, Nosler Accubonds. Never hunted before and I have no affinity for any particular bullet company.

Thoughts on size and type?

Thanks

 

[thetoad45]

I killed the biggest buck of my life with a 140 gr Core Lokt in a 6.5x55mm Carl Gustav mauser. He came out from behind a 12 ft thick old growth cedar stump surrounded by eight does. I took an offhand shot at a little over 100 yards and popped the bottom half of his heart into three pieces. He humped his back, took two real slow steps and fell on his face. Never got up. That Core Lokt bullet did a number on him. I told myself right then and there that if needed I would use it on the local Roosevelt elk in the timber. Stick with the 140's!!! Save yourself the headache and stress some people get themselves into over bullet choices. Premium bullets are nice for large game but are NOT required for anything in the deer size family. But, the choice is yours.. By the way, I've eaten a few of your Eastern Washington Mule deer and a better deer I have never tasted. They sure taste better than the Blacktails in Grays Harbor, WA area.. I also have a couple of .270's and use 130gr Core Lokts as they shoot well and perform great for me. That they are cheap$$$ is an added bonus.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/standard_bullets.htm

 

[natman]

There is no such thing as "overkill". If you find the recoil with 140s acceptable and the gun likes them, go ahead. Corelokts should be just fine on deer.

 

[Runningman]

I would stick with 140 grain bullets since that is what your rifle prefers. Good accuracy helps shot placement, and shot placement is everything.

My 6.5 x 55s seem to do best with 140s also.

 

[NCsmitty]

140gr Core-Lokts are a great match in a 6.5x55 and provide the needed expansion at the non-magnum velocities. Premium bullets are not needed.


NCsmitty

 

[jerkface11]

Overkill?

 

[thetoad45]

My brother took his .260 to Eastern WA and got a nice deer a couple of years ago. Used 140gr Core Lokt bullets. One shot at 80 yards. Deer took a step and went down. No fuss. I sent my 6.5x55mm to my brother in Florida and it was used to take a nice buck with one shot. 140gr Core Lokts. Shot from behind, bullet entered the base of the neck. Deer went right to the ground. No fuss...... Some have reported having problems using standard type soft points at magnum velocities. I shoot a .270 winchester which is a standard caliber and find the common soft points work great. If I used a .270 wsm or a .270 Weatherby and hunted animals larger than deer I may think twice and go with a premium style bullet. Common soft points were designed many years ago for the standard calibers of the day. For the purposes and calibers for which they were designed they work as well today as they ever did. I find they are just fine for all Arizona deer and the small elk species we have here.

Translation: No Fuss= Means bullet worked great.....

 

[Float Pilot]

Two of my Swede 6.5s like the 160 grain Hornady round nose. (0.70 inch groups) It does not make a huge exit hole, but mushrooms just enough to get the job done. I use WW brass & 46.0 grains of RL-22 and a standard Federal or CCI primer for a hunting load. While the round nose may not look sexy, it will get the job done and not drop very much within reasonable hunting ranges, ie 300 yards.

One of my other Swedes does not like the 160s, it prefers the 140 grain Noslers. The Nosler 140 grain partition works well in that rifle for thincker skinned critters (moose) and the 140 grain Accubond is super accurate for lighter stuff like deer and smaller caribou.
I use 47 grains of RL-22 for the 140 grain hunting loads.

 

[Ol` Joe]

Finn Aaguaard wrote on the 6.5x55 in the American Rifleman once. He claimed the perfect bullet in the 6.5x55 in his opinion was the Sierra 140 gr BTSP. He claimed it would do anything the Swede would sanely be called on to do.
That said I`ve had very good luck on whitetail out to ~100 yd with the Hornady 129gr SP in both the Swede and 260 Rem. I can`t tell any difference in performance between them and the 140 gr Hornady on game, except they fly a little faster and are more accurate in my rifles.

 

[Arkel23]

I don't think the 140 gr is overkill for the mule deer, I always thought mule deer were bigger than regular whitetail deer.

 

[rangerruck]

I was just about to say, have you tried any 160's yet? norma makes a factory load, that you can try, just to give you an idea, before you start cranking out the handloads, but it is one fantastically great hunting ammo, and is used proly more than any other grainweight in europe, that is not a milsurp round.
the norma stuff won't be cheap though...