6.5x55 Ammo for Deer & Fox

[Yokel Matt 918]

Picking up my 6.5 next week. The idea is to use as my all rounder for Deer (Fallow, Roe Sika) and Fox. Anyone know of any factory loads that produce a quick, fragging load for fox and a bonded shrooming one for deer. So far have only found that Norma provide 120gr ballistic tip and a 140 bonded core. I'd be interested to hear what people load themselves for these quarry and if there are any other factory options that people know of?

[FJager 0]

Local, Rem Core-Lokts will do the job on Red deer, but I definitely wouldn't use them on fox or the smaller deer species, they are a good projectile, but need something solid to make them expand otherwise they go straight through.

[spudlington 3]

I have a 6.5 for deer. I use Lapua 155grain for big reds. Haven't done any foxing with it yet (apart from one that I dropped while on my stalking ground ) so haven't tried anything lighter yet. The Lapua stuff has been spot on for some big stags over the winter Just got a moderator for it and re-zeroed it on saturday.

 

Spudlington

[Yokel Matt 918]

Thats what concerns me.. i want a lot of splat power in the fox load as the bullets pretty much guaranteed to exit in this caliber.. something ballistic or polimer tipped to help it break up... the lightest i've found is the Norma 120gr which i think may still be a little too firm. Maybe home loading will be the only way forward on this one? I'll get to see all sorts of deer and want something that expand and exit in the lighter deer as well as the bigger stuff.

[Corkonian 44]

Edited June 9, 2009 by Corkonian

[Corkonian 44]

Edited June 9, 2009 by Corkonian

[dwighet 1]

What would the Lapua 108g scanar be like on fox -

http://www.lapua.com/index.php?id=905

They're a target round but are hollow point. I've used a few boxes at the range and they shoot good out of my T3.

 

There's a fairly good choice locally to me but I'm sticking to the Federal 140g 'PowerShok' - Federal - not shot much game at all with the 6.5 to be honest but these seem to be fairly devastating - have a pic of a fox that Bryan from on here shot with it that I could put up - left impressive damage.

Work fine on deer too so far!

I second that!!!!140 gn federal powershock does the job for me on fallow,sikka size deer...Never shot a fox with it though..Got a 223 for that...

 

Good luck

[sika09 6]

Using Norma 6.5x55 120gr on deer, compared to Rem. 139gr or Lapua 156gr the deer drop on the spot! It also has a much flatter trajectory.

[jamie g 17]

a good bt for fox and a softpoint for deer would be good i bet

[Jingzy 0]

I use Sierra 120gr pro-hunters. Leave nice neat holes in deer and have exploded large holes in foxes.

[flytie 1]

I use Sierra 120gr pro-hunters. Leave nice neat holes in deer and have exploded large holes in foxes.

Smart bullets? Don't see how that works jingzy. They expand no matter what they hit, the more resistance, the bigger the expansion, surely?

 

I use Federal 140gn powershoks at the moment but am in the process of kitting up for reloading, the Norma 120gn BT looks good and would probably be a good all-rounder for fox and smaller deer. I have been looking at the reloading process and asking a lot of questions of people who load for the 6.5x55. The reloaders questioned seem to favour either the Norma 120gn BT or the Hornaday SST in 129gn.

 

I think I will choose one round which does all that i want, I do not think i could be bothered with re-zeroing all the time.

 

Atb, ft

[dicehorn 38]

Have been reloading the 6.5 x 55 for more than 10 years - shoot numerous red and roe each year

 

I use the Nosler 120g BT using N160 having tried many bullet heads and powders

 

To give you some idea of exit wound on a roe, the following was at about 140 yds - exit just over an inch

 

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/wyndog/DSCF0292.jpg

 

I have a friend who uses Hornaday 129 SST and they also would get my vote

 

To be quite honest you should consider bullets around 120g onwards as this gives a starting M/V of about 2700 - if you go lighter with the 6.5 your rifle ends up with the speed near to the 243 and then you will know what tissue damage is on a broadside shot.

[Yokel Matt 918]

Have been reloading the 6.5 x 55 for more than 10 years - shoot numerous red and roe each year

 

I use the Nosler 120g BT using N160 having tried many bullet heads and powders

 

To give you some idea of exit wound on a roe, the following was at about 140 yds - exit just over an inch

 

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/wyndog/DSCF0292.jpg

 

I have a friend who uses Hornaday 129 SST and they also would get my vote

 

To be quite honest you should consider bullets around 120g onwards as this gives a starting M/V of about 2700 - if you go lighter with the 6.5 your rifle ends up with the speed near to the 243 and then you will know what tissue damage is on a broadside shot.

 

Cheers guys,

 

Quite an old thread this one but still handy - i've since abandoned the idea of having two different loads for fox & deer. Like flytie i'm using Federal 140gr with the intention of reloading SST's at some point. Cheers for the load data - i'll be picking your brains shortly.

[dicehorn 38]

Local

 

Just to give you some idea what the homeloads I use are capable of in my standard 6.5

 

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/w...hpqscan0001.jpg

 

During the course of my stalking I always make a point of taking out any foxes I see as I read somewhere that in some areas in the UK foxes are responsible for roe fawns death as high as 60%. My 120 BT will make big holes in them - this is due to the fox being very narrow in size.

 

Peter