6.5 Creedmoor different round for different deer?

[PEM406]

As above I’m wondering if people use one round for all deer or if you use something different for roe / muntjac than larger deer?

I saw a good thread on red deer but didn’t want to hijack it with a slightly different question.

Why? I’ve been using .243 with 90gr sako for roe, muntjac and fallow. I know with the 243 that lighter rounds can cause a lot of meat damage. I also used to use Remington 95gr accutip which was great in my rifle but left a big hole.

I just added a 6.5CM and got some Hornady 143gr precision hunter ELD-X. Used yesterday on a young roe buck (yearling maybe 2 year old) and it ran 30m on a lung shot. I’ve had fallow run with the 243 but roe never ran that far. Range was 133m and had a fairly small and neat exit wound. It did the job but made me wonder if I’m using the right round for that sort of range and size of deer.

I’m normally shooting at 25-150m. Mainly roe, muntjac and fallow. Would look again if going for red due to the other post.

@Suera your post sounds like you find 143 ELD-X is good for all of those?

 

[Danny25790]

I've shot just over 800 deer since having my 6.5 creedmoor nearly 3 years(mainly fallow) with the hornady precision hunter 143gr eldx and have had really good result out to 500 metres. They seem to be very consistent factory bullets and I also home load the same 143gr eldx and have had good results out to 1200 meters.

 

[Stumpy2]

No. Pick a cartridge that groups well and stick to it.

 

[PEM406]

Thanks. That’s what I did with the .243 until I couldn’t get the Remington but wondered if CM was different. All good, thanks

 

[Shaun Goss]

The 143s will do all deer species at all ranges, great round

 

[murph3010]

143gr eldx for me on everything

 

[Bowland blades]

I shoot 260 rem , think of it as a slightly faster creed that you can form from 243, 7-08, 308 0r the 260 brass in one or two passes. I pretty much shoot everything with 100 grain Barnes TTSX ( its built 1-7.5 twist ) shoots the lightest to the largest 6.5 bullets . Frankly Fox and crows cannot be ruined , Muntjac & CWD ? Well its heavy on them but what isnt ? I have a 223 for them in a lighter faster rifle . I have done fine with Roe through to heavy stags out to 400yards. Honestly i dont know how many but its a lot and its the best killing bullet i have used in 20 plus years stalking . you dont need 140 grain stuff and its odds on you get a whole in and a hole out

 

[Mungo]

As above I’m wondering if people use one round for all deer or if you use something different for roe / muntjac than larger deer?

I saw a good thread on red deer but didn’t want to hijack it with a slightly different question.

Why? I’ve been using .243 with 90gr sako for roe, muntjac and fallow. I know with the 243 that lighter rounds can cause a lot of meat damage. I also used to use Remington 95gr accutip which was great in my rifle but left a big hole.

I just added a 6.5CM and got some Hornady 143gr precision hunter ELD-X. Used yesterday on a young roe buck (yearling maybe 2 year old) and it ran 30m on a lung shot. I’ve had fallow run with the 243 but roe never ran that far. Range was 133m and had a fairly small and neat exit wound. It did the job but made me wonder if I’m using the right round for that sort of range and size of deer.

I’m normally shooting at 25-150m. Mainly roe, muntjac and fallow. Would look again if going for red due to the other post.

@Suera your post sounds like you find 143 ELD-X is good for all of those?

You can get runners with any cartridge and any bullet. Heart/lung shot deer often run. If you want to be absolutely sure they won’t run, you need to change the point of aim.

143gr eldx is a very good all rounder, and I use it on roe, sika, fallow and red with no problems.

 

[Bowland blades]

You can get runners with any cartridge and any bullet. Heart/lung shot deer often run. If you want to be absolutely sure they won’t run, you need to change the point of aim.

143gr eldx is a very good all rounder, and I use it on roe, sika, fallow and red with no problems.

When you move away from hart lung shots , the issue then the factor of a brain or high neck shot can easily go wrong with a head turn , wing change or just plain making a bad shot . Even with a reallyt good dog , its got its work cut out catching up with the results ( potentially it will be able to run just as fast as it could before being shot) and many will not be found till they die of starvation. I do take high neck shots , lower neck and many other placements like most but i really dont fear a run of any real distance and the only ones i have needed the dog is when I have shot one that's run into real heavy cover and i need a good nose over good eyes.

 

[PEM406]

For me it’s about confidence and taking away one area of doubt at a time. Cartridge was one, which you guys have sorted here, thank you.

I’ve had runners before on fallow but not so much on roe. Just luck maybe.

No issue with head / neck but I’m just not there yet. On paper I can do it no problem even on the silhouette deer targets that don’t have aiming lines. Out in the field in the real world I'm not so sure. As it happens this buck could have been a candidate as it was rock still with only head showing for ages. 30+ kph side wind plus new rifle / cartridge meant I didn’t consider it for long at all.

On the other hand I was re-reading the post on hilar and high neck and that also made me think I may be aiming too far back.

Out again this evening so we’ll see.

 

[Mungo]

When you move away from hart lung shots , the issue then the factor of a brain or high neck shot can easily go wrong with a head turn , wing change or just plain making a bad shot . Even with a reallyt good dog , its got its work cut out catching up with the results ( potentially it will be able to run just as fast as it could before being shot) and many will not be found till they die of starvation. I do take high neck shots , lower neck and many other placements like most but i really dont fear a run of any real distance and the only ones i have needed the dog is when I have shot one that's run into real heavy cover and i need a good nose over good eyes.

Absolutely. I agree with all of that.

The point I was trying to make was that it’s unrealistic to expect no runners from chest shots, regardless of bullet type.

 

[DavyG]

You can get runners with any cartridge and any bullet. Heart/lung shot deer often run. If you want to be absolutely sure they won’t run, you need to change the point of aim.

143gr eldx is a very good all rounder, and I use it on roe, sika, fallow and red with no problems.

Absolutely.
Anyone that claims every deer they’ve shot in the engine room has dropped on the spot, either haven’t shot many or they’ve been very lucky.
DG

 

[PEM406]

Thanks both. I’ve not shot a lot (coming up on 50) but have definitely had runners. This one just surprised me and made me wonder.

 

[Bowland blades]

Absolutely. I agree with all of that.

The point I was trying to make was that it’s unrealistic to expect no runners from chest shots, regardless of bullet type.

Absolutely ! Was just pointing out the real risk issues with brain and neck shots

 

[Mungo]

Thanks both. I’ve not shot a lot (coming up on 50) but have definitely had runners. This one just surprised me and made me wonder.

It happens, especially with lung shots.

 

[PEM406]

Absolutely.
Anyone that claims every deer they’ve shot in the engine room has dropped on the spot, either haven’t shot many or they’ve been very lucky.
DG

That’s almost word for word what someone said a couple of months back but about a shot that went wrong. In that case it was someone else shooting and they dropped the shot and broke a leg. They dispatched it fine but it shook them up.

 

[Utectok]

I've shot just over 800 deer since having my 6.5 creedmoor nearly 3 years(mainly fallow) with the hornady precision hunter 143gr eldx and have had really good result out to 500 metres. They seem to be very consistent factory bullets and I also home load the same 143gr eldx and have had good results out to 1200 meters.

Don’t want to derail the thread but do you mean you’ve shot deer @ 1200m because blimey!!!! Quite a shot?!

 

[Bowland blades]

Thanks both. I’ve not shot a lot (coming up on 50) but have definitely had runners. This one just surprised me and made me wonder.

Running that stops dead after a dash of say 100 yards cannot honestly be classed as injured or badly shot . Though neither is there pain / suffering involved. If a deer is badly shot goes down and then raises its head ? Well that's another matter!
Runners has been used to describe the likes of lightly hit game such as pheasant and those are suffering unfortunately.
If the deer is alerted to danger before the shot , your more likely to have the beast run from a hart/ lung shot . That's simply the effect of fear based Adrenalin . A year or two back i shot three Red stags in a group , two hit the ground they stood on the third ran around a fair amount ( as if it was a miss) My mate ( a very experienced full time pro ) was actually busy telling me is was a miss as it was stopping and going ( so not a text book death rush ) I had however watched the strike! it got well out of range stopping and re-starting even, then just dropped . When opened up the hart was totally destroyed, literally like it had been taken out and smashed with a sledge hammer ! Rare to see and its the only time i have seen such , so we must stick with it

 

[gixer1]

You can get runners with any cartridge and any bullet. Heart/lung shot deer often run. If you want to be absolutely sure they won’t run, you need to change the point of aim.

143gr eldx is a very good all rounder, and I use it on roe, sika, fallow and red with no problems.

^^This^^ use a pinning/shoulder shot if you want them to drop on the spot.


Regards,
Gixer

 

[PEM406]

Running that stops dead after a dash of say 100 yards cannot honestly be classed as injured or badly shot .

Good to know.

Runners has been used to describe the likes of lightly hit game such as pheasant and those are suffering unfortunately.

Sorry, bad habit there. I also pick up so am mixing up terms.

If the deer is alerted to danger before the shot , your more likely to have the beast run from a hart/ lung shot . That's simply the effect of fear based Adrenalin . A year or two back i shot three Red stags in a group , two hit the ground they stood on the third ran around a fair amount ( as if it was a miss) My mate ( a very experienced full time pro ) was actually busy telling me is was a miss as it was stopping and going ( so not a text book death rush ) I had however watched the strike! it got well out of range stopping and re-starting even, then just dropped . When opened up the hart was totally destroyed, literally like it had been taken out and smashed with a sledge hammer ! Rare to see and its the only time i have seen such , so we must stick with it