6.5 Creedmoor ammo for deer

You will hear a hundred different things. Everyone has a favorite. Basically do you prefer exits, then shoot bonded. Do you prefer explosion on impact, ballistic. Im a ballistic shooter.. i normally do not get exits, but i also normally dont need them as the deer is right there. Obv shot placement is all that matters no matter what you shoot. Personally i have just grown fond of ballistic tips over my years of experimenting.

Edit- also you def want a bullet designed for hunting deer with the 6.5. There is a ton of non hunting ammo out there. And in before the 6.5 pissing match "cripplemore" comments. I own one myself, killed deer with it and lost deer with it. Not a huge fan as i have other caliber rifles i just prefer over it. But it will kill deer fine.

What are you using now?
A ballistic tip is not the answer if you want exit holes.

Thanks for the advice guys. I’ve been shooting a 130 grain PRIME ammo bullet. I used it because that’s what I was shooting when I got the rifle and practicing with. I was thinking shot placement and it wouldn’t matter. I’m worried now I may have been a little off and just wounded the deer. Makes me sick to think that I just wounded it.

Just get some soft points

I shoot Hornady ELDX 147 grain

No runners so far

I used Hornady ELD 129 Gr. Never lost a deer with it in 5 years of hinting. I sold it to a buddy and he killed a big doe with it yesterday using same ammo. The ELD ammo has good expansion and deep penetration. You can get 143 gr if you prefer a little more energy.

I went back to a .308 just because ammo is a little easier to find. My son shot a 2 yr old spike yesterday evening with a 168 Gr Hornady black. Neck shot right at the shoulder at 100 yards. Dropped in its tracks.

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been shooting a 130 grain PRIME ammo bullet

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Yea, dump that shite and get a normal proven hunting load as has been mentioned. Assuming you're shooting them in the right spot, this is your problem

You fell victim to what I stated in my first post. That load uses a Sierra match king bullet. Totally unsuitable for hunting. That comment is going to bring in some idiot who loves using match target bullets for hunting. Ignore them, and get some regular ol off the shelf soft point 140gr hunting bullets.

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was thinking shot placement and it wouldn’t matter.

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Shot placement matters the most all the time, but having a good hunting bullet matters as well.

8 of 22 deer on my lease have been killed/shot at by a 6.5 creedmore this season alone by 5 different hunters . 2 have run, one about 40-50 yards, the other about 100 yards. The one that ran 100, i didn’t have any blood the first 50 yards other than at shot site, but that was attributed to shot placement (high lung) took a little while for cavity to fill before it could spew blood.

I also have a tracking dog, and 100% of the time a dog is needed for either a miss or poor shot placement. I have never seen a perfect shot need a dog. The reason i bought a dog and trained it…. Poor shot with a .30-06 , 180 grain bullet that lost a buck for me.

The reason the 6.5 gets such a bad rap is because 1) a lot of new comers (kids and women especially) are shooting this round because of low recoil. A new hunter may not be as prolific with their rifle as an experienced hunter. 2) Hunters that automatically think they can shoot 300+ yards because they have a 6.5 , but yet they never practiced a shot that far.

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Be aware that, justifiable or not, the caliber has been labeled "6.5 Cripplemore" by many.

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It's fun to make fun of the 6.5 but if you're shooting the deer in the right spot it is more than enough rifle to kill any whitetail alive. I think the issue is a lot of flatbills think that once they buy it they're a sniper. They take long pokes that they have no business taking then blame the rifle when they wound deer.

My teenage son has killed every deer shot at with the Remington core lokt with good blood and exit. TC 6.5. Most accurate gun I ever shot.