130’s v 140’s for hunting

[Brinky72]

I'm wondering about field performance on game. Do the 129-130 grain bullets give anything up against the 140,143 or 147 weight bullets?  Primarily a Whitetail Hunter although beefy (200+lbs) and an occasional black bear (350-550lbs).  I have found the plain old 129 gr interlocks to be effective on deer. Thinking that a 129 ABLR would be ideal.

[USAF Vet]

Seeing that I have not shot any deer with my new 6.5... I'm following this thread. 
GREAT QUESTION Brinky!

[Denver Steve]

i cannot see any reason why any round other than specific varmint rounds ans fmj's fired out of a 6.5 creedmoor would not be adequate for deer sized game. Even lighter rounds like the 100 grain partitions are absolute deer hammers. i do stick with 140 class bullets myself but that is what shoots the best and has the down range power incase i need it. i have used both 140 grain partition and accubond on elk with great success and multiple other 140 grain bullets as well as the new 143 eld-x on whitetail deer. all have performed flawlessly. i have no doubt that any bullet you choose will do its part. especially if you are going to pick a "premium" bullet like the 129 lrab. i have heard good things on how they perform on deer sized game. pick what shoots best in your rifle and hit the deer in the boiler room and you will not be dissapointed. best of luck.

[ZenArchery]

Not weight but terminal performance.
One of the biggest hogs I killed last year was with a 120gr Barnes.

[sportacus]

The factory load that shoots the tightest groups gets the nod.  Have been hunting exclusively with 6.5 Creedmoor since 2014.  Have taken hogs, whitetails and one pronghorn with 129 SST, 143 ELD-X, 142 ABLR, or 130, 140 VLDH.   Anecdotal, but seems to me our 24" barrels prefer the 140+ and the 22" on RAP, X Bolt and Kimber shoot 129-130 just fine.   Plan to try PRIME 130 OTM on feral hogs because they shoot so consistently from several rifles.

[Brinky72]

I'm going to pick up some 129-130 grainers and see how well I can tune them.   The factory 129 gr Whitetail Hunter ammo shot really well that I bought.  I'm tweaking my 143 eLDX's right now and they shoot well but I'm just curious about if you give up any real performance. Especially when all I will be hunting is primarily deer and black bear.  Anything bigger like elk or moose and I'll break out my 280AI with 175's.

[gman47564]

I used a 130 gr. berger hunting bullet last fall for deer and it worked well and shot well..

[sangell]

My son hunted with a 6.5CM for the first time last season,  his RAP really likes the Berger 135g classic hunter over RL26.  Both of his deer were DRT, a buck a 80 yards and a doe at 230 yards.   

[bob_atl]

Didn't say what rifle, but my 6.5CM RAP loves the 143 ELD-X factory rounds, so much so, I'm discouraged to ever reload for it !!
(no experience on game, sorry)

[MuDiverDude]

I killed 3 deer last year with 6.5.  40 to 130 yard shots in Llano, TX.  Used 125 (Winchester Deer Season), 130 and 143 eld-x (Precision Hunter).  All dead within 40 yards with very small entrance and exit.  Only complaint was lack of blood trail.

[VA-XBolt]

My deer last year, with my first 6.5cm rifle was taken with the factory Hornady 143gr ELD-X. One shot, deer dropped.

[sportacus]

After running a whole lot of factory  ammo through a whole lot of factory rifles since 2014, this is my list:
1.  Hornady 143 ELD-X.  Everything eats it.
2.  The Berger 130 and 140 VLDH loads from Copper Creek.
3.  142 ABLR loaded by Winchester.  Took most of our critters last season.
Priorities shifting.  Have been a field hand and galley slave since mid May.  Garden winding down, freezers full, salsa canned and I will get serious about hunting prep after the 4th weekend.  Have three out of state hunts on the books and will worry the hides off these local whitetails when I am home.

[icebug]

@sportacus , in your opinion, which one has a better knockdown power, ELD-X 140 or ABLR 142?
Got both of them, but still haven't done any load development for hunting.

Tnx

[The Marshall]

The 129 grain SSTs are practically a match bullet. They will do the job on white tail. They are the closest thing I've used to a 130 grain Swift Scirocco, and half the price so for practice ammo / handloads those SSTs are tough to beat.

[sportacus]

icebug,
 142 ABLR did great, but when I consider the inputs from fellow members on the forum plus the numbers of feral hogs and deer taken exclusively with ELD-X by a friend and his son, ELD-X gets the nod.