LukeSoutherner
Member
Nice work!
6.5x55 Terminal Ballistics
- Thread starter LukeSoutherner
- Start date
I ran a 6.5 Lapua on all deer species pretty exclusively for a few years. It's about 100 fps quicker than a Swede loaded with the same weight of bullet. I have used 120 NosBT at 2960 fps and Barnes 100 TTSX at 3250 fps. It works exceptionally well on everything up to Fallow, especially with the Barnes (NosBT was a bit too messy and did too much damage), but having shot 20+ each Red Stags and Sika Stags with it I concluded it wasn't quite man enough for the job, all running a bit too far for my liking unless they were necked.
I now use a 280AI for Red and Sika Stags. Problem solved. Loaded with a Barnes 145LRX at 3160 fps they rarely run more than 20 yds before expiring. I am much happier with the results.
If you want them to fall over quicker get something bigger and faster! If you use the right bullet you will not cause excessive carcass damage.
I now use a 280AI for Red and Sika Stags. Problem solved. Loaded with a Barnes 145LRX at 3160 fps they rarely run more than 20 yds before expiring. I am much happier with the results.
If you want them to fall over quicker get something bigger and faster! If you use the right bullet you will not cause excessive carcass damage.
jackfish
Well-Known Member
View attachment 75699
Another Doe taken this morning with a clean shot to the chest using 120g Sierra Pro Hunters pushed along with 50.5grain of N160! Dropped where it stood. No carcass damage using the Pro Hunters. Very happy with the results using them on the Roe.
Another Doe taken this morning with a clean shot to the chest using 120g Sierra Pro Hunters pushed along with 50.5grain of N160! Dropped where it stood. No carcass damage using the Pro Hunters. Very happy with the results using them on the Roe.
They must be doing a fair lick? What speed are you getting? I've just sorted a load with 120 gr NBTs over 44 grs of N160, they are doing 2750 fps out of a 595 mm barrel, the 3 shot group from load testing gave .4 MOA at 200 yards! Shot my first deer with them Sunday, young munty buck at 160 yards, HL shot, dropped on the spot and minimal meat damage so happy. Will be interested to see if they do much more damage on a roe once the doe season is here.
NigelM; If you want them to fall over quicker get something bigger and faster! If you use the right bullet you will not cause excessive carcass damage.[/QUOTE said:
LukeSoutherner
Member
Yeah, do let us know what speeds you're getting with that load. There can't be much room left in the case with that much powder! Going to chrono my 140gr Nosler Partition with 45.5gr H4831 at the weekend to see what speeds I'm getting. Think smaller bullet, from what people have written and from my own reading, is the way forward. Looking for a good powder for a short barrel though: only 18.5".
jackfish
Well-Known Member
Just chronographed 120g Sierra Pro Hunters with 50.5g of N160 and had 3029fps up to 3045fps, 5 hole ragged grouping at 100m ranged.
View attachment 75747
View attachment 75747
This makes my point perfectly. Hand loaded, it can be turned into something that begins to approach a .270 (many of the factory loads for 130gr .270 are about that speed). But even the hotter end of the factory loads are well below this: Norma give 2821fps for their 120gr.
Crikey, that's fast and still very accurate!
I had 2 accuracy nodes with the NBTs 44gr which gave 2750 and 46gr giving 2860, I went with the slower speed for fear of meat damage after everything you read.
Next load I'm playing with is 140 SGKs over N560, should be able to get them up to around 2800 hopefully, something a bit thumper if I get the chance on bigger deer
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Interesting observation. Would never disagree with you, just talking from my own experience. I'm very happy with the combination of calibre's I am running now.
+1 a traditional cup and core does perfectly well on UK species.
Red's don't need H frame bullets.
I run 120gr Prohunters through mine and the .260 before it, not had any complaints.
flytie
Well-Known Member
I am a big fan of the 6.5x55 but have owned many other calibres. I also (now) reload. I have had many outstanding successes and more than a few failures with all the calibres. If there is one thing I have learned it is that all bullet and ammunition manufacturers can have problems with their products.
I settled on the 6.5x55 after talking to a professional deer manager, a very nice man called Barry Holt, who took time out of his busy schedule to talk to me about why he had settled on the 6.5x55 as the estate rifle for Cowdray park after writing an article in the Shooting Times. He convinced me.
I have seen perfect heart lung shots on roe and muntjac turn the whole of their insides to soup, and that was with a .243 using premium ammunition, 9 deer all shot with the same batch of obviously faulty ammo. I have had a .308 pencil through a large fallow buck while using a homeload which had caused the death of the previous 10 bucks with no problem. It was my longest ever runner at something over 300yds.
I have also experimented with more frangible bullets in my 6.5 and had some success, but they also had some severe damage internally. I settled on 125gr Partitions and they were awesome.
These days I have a .243 Win and a 7x57 but I still hanker for a 6.5x55. I suppose I am one of those folks that can't be cured. But at the modest ranges I normally shoot at the 6.5x55, 6.5x57 or .260 will all get the job done, of that I have no doubt, as will all the other deer legal calibres on sale in the UK given proper bullet performance.
Simon
I settled on the 6.5x55 after talking to a professional deer manager, a very nice man called Barry Holt, who took time out of his busy schedule to talk to me about why he had settled on the 6.5x55 as the estate rifle for Cowdray park after writing an article in the Shooting Times. He convinced me.
I have seen perfect heart lung shots on roe and muntjac turn the whole of their insides to soup, and that was with a .243 using premium ammunition, 9 deer all shot with the same batch of obviously faulty ammo. I have had a .308 pencil through a large fallow buck while using a homeload which had caused the death of the previous 10 bucks with no problem. It was my longest ever runner at something over 300yds.
I have also experimented with more frangible bullets in my 6.5 and had some success, but they also had some severe damage internally. I settled on 125gr Partitions and they were awesome.
These days I have a .243 Win and a 7x57 but I still hanker for a 6.5x55. I suppose I am one of those folks that can't be cured. But at the modest ranges I normally shoot at the 6.5x55, 6.5x57 or .260 will all get the job done, of that I have no doubt, as will all the other deer legal calibres on sale in the UK given proper bullet performance.
Simon
big ears
Well-Known Member
Think the issue with the OP may be the speed, 2400 is slow and gives little margin for error which is why I believe people quote high number of runners. Sorry to repeat what I keep saying but think of a faster powder than the N160 range. IMR4350, Rl19/17, N150 all would give you more speed and a better burn efficiency. I use Rl17 and get 2700 out of a 20" inch barrel with a 140gr SGK, this equates to about a 165gr 30cal in energy. They work for me and kill quickly. Some drop some run but that is the way it is. Took a rutting stag at 280m blew the top of his heart clean off and he still ran with a broken foreleg from the exit about 100m. Adrenaline is a powerful stimulant!!
BE
This whole thread is a wealth of reloading wisdom and data - Bravo!
Why do I want to change powders when I have a load I'm happy with? I had a second accuracy node at 46 gr giving 2860 fps but speaking to other shooters I decided to keep the speed down with this bullet to limit the meat damage, its working so far!
Hales Smut
Well-Known Member
I do like the Nosler Partition a lot. Probably the bullet is a bit slow vs. his hardness at the distances you shot the deer. I must say that I like to break heavy shoulder bones when using a harder/less expanding bullet. When breaking the heavy shoulder bones, most game just drops as if hit by lightning. Meat dammage and exit holes , very accepatable. When you do the same with an SST type of bullet, you have a big mess.
At a certain range it sometimes becomes difficult to have an exact bullet placement and than it's not always easy to choose the right bullet. Earlier advise as to using the SKAN loads are the way to go and the idea of using the 100 grain Barnes TTSX is intresting. Also the TTSX 120 grain or Nosler Partition 120 grain. When pushing the 120 grain NP as fast as a 130 grain NP out of a 270, I can't see much difference in terminal performance.
At a certain range it sometimes becomes difficult to have an exact bullet placement and than it's not always easy to choose the right bullet. Earlier advise as to using the SKAN loads are the way to go and the idea of using the 100 grain Barnes TTSX is intresting. Also the TTSX 120 grain or Nosler Partition 120 grain. When pushing the 120 grain NP as fast as a 130 grain NP out of a 270, I can't see much difference in terminal performance.
Im with the 270 lot here or 308, fast and not too expansive . I agree nobody wants to see injured animals running . I have been with a mate who usually uses a 243, and regularly gets animals running, usually not very far . I have hardly ever seen the same happen with a 270 .
adriandavidb
Well-Known Member
6.5x55 exit hole in a red hind! Shot by one of our party in Scotland back in Jan
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