Monolithic in 6.5

[Graham Hunter]

ID like to load some TSX or the new Hornady in my 6.5 PRC but I want a heavier bullet for both accuracy and hunting. I want to go heavier than the 143g ELDX in the current Hornady loads. In time with the popularity of the 6.5 there will be more bullet choices.
What am I missing here?

Try the new Hornady CX. Remember when you use monolitic you drop down a weight from your regular cup and core.

 

[112Savage]

If you have the case capacity hornady makes a 140 ECX it was available in the USA for a short time as the GMX now only in the international line. It was designed for short range 6.5x55 use. If I just had to have a heavy solid copper expanding bullet then this would be it. The BC is terrible but that is because it has a flat tip and long ogive.

 

[C.W. Richter]

Who has experience in using monos in the 6.5? I have heard many good things regarding the TTSX and GMX bullets, and locally we have a manufacturer called Peregrine Bullets which makes Monos with a slightly higher BC as the two mentioned above. As i bought my first rifle this week (6.5cm) i was hoping to do research on possibly bullets while i wait.

I really want to use the monos as they are tough and made to be shot through the shoulder (At least the Peregrine ones are) and you all know that the tracking should be short because they can't run if they don't have shoulders.

But when i bought the rifle and enquired about the monos, there was mixed feelings about them in the small caliber. All agreed that the bigger calibers are where they shine.

Any thoughts on this from the experienced members?

I've tried many different bullet combos in my .264 WSM, including the heavier Barnes options 130 gr+. Killed a fair amount of game in NA and Africa with 'em but traded up in favor of more accurate bullets for longer range shooting. 140 gr anything in 6.5 is 0.287 SD and 160 >.300 (excellent penetration in any form!) I do NOT favor the lighter 6.5 bullets for hunting "big game" (deer or larger/tougher.) The SD is not ideal in the 120s and down, and i practice on varmints with the same loads I use for larger game, so 'have no need for lightweight bullets in any caliber. 'Even shoot 60+ gr bullets in 22-250 as the BC is so much better for longer shots. The end result is not the dramatic, explosive shot of the lower SD bullets (which are perfect for varmints), but I get hits (woodchucks, occasionally coyote) out to 750 yd on calm days with the proper setup. There's another company that sells solids for 6.5. Those would be excellent for taking certain DG in countries that don't have caliber restrictions. As Jamison, Bell, et. al. proved, the 6.5 with heavy solids is a deadly combo.

 

[meigsbucks]

A friend of mine took a cow elk in CO. a couple of weeks ago with a 6.5CM loaded with 127gr Barnes LRX. It was a 150 yd shot the took out the lungs and broke to far leg before exiting. He told me the lungs were mush and the cow just dropped and never moved.

 

[Inline6]

That solid in a .338 Win Mag or .338-06 would be a useful one.

If you zoom in, you will notice it in not a solid.

 

[ChrisG]

Tipped monolithics are the creme de la creme of bullets in my opinion. I accidentally downloaded a whole box of 120TTSXs for my 6.5x55 Ruger M77 to 2,550fps. (I chronoed them about 2 years later expecting them to be about 2,700). First shot through the deer liquified the lungs and heart. However, he didn't go down and I could still shoot, so I took another shot, aiming to break the spine and bring him down. The second round expanded beautifully which hit him at the base of the tail, then proceeded to punch straight up the top of the spine, pulverizing every single vertebrae on its way up to rest between the shoulders... some 22-24" of mostly bone and sinew. The scary thing is... that didn't even knock the deer down. and he continued another 30-40 feet before collapsing from the chest wound. this all occurred between 75 and 125 yards. I was sold on monolithics at that point. It is just a bonus that they are pretty inexpensive compared to other premium bullets.