6.5G vs .243win for Deer?

[JASmith]

Thanks about the info -- I'm trying to get a read on how low a velocity some of the deer bullets will actually perform as intended. Nosler indicates 1800 ft/sec as the lowest recommended impact velocity and it would be interesting to see if that is consistent with folks' experience in the Grendel and the .243 Winchester.

What was the longest range you used? Were you able to recover the bullet?

[Smoke]

437 yds (laser range finder confirmed) 120 grn BT performed beautifully ..30.0 grns of 748 so its not a hot load at all
several at 200 to 250 yds again all performed well
197 yds up the tail pipe .. bullet stopped in skin under the neck 74% retained weight

Thanks
Smoke

[JASmith]

Good info, thanks!

Was the 437 shot a through and through?

[Smoke]

yes All the way thru.. deer did not go 10 feet .. actually went down got up ..loped about 2 to 3 steps and hit the ground again

Thanks

Smoke

[JASmith]

Darn! No bullet to look at. I was hoping to see how much it might have expanded.

How large was the exit wound? Was it regular or elongated?

[Smoke]

I would say close to dime size round hole..

[Smoke]

Putting it another way .. After seeing the damage I would try that shot again with a good front rest..My only concern would be do i have enough energy to break a front shoulder if I was off a little in shot placement

Thanks
Smoke

[JASmith]

I used the Alexander Arms load of 30.0 gr Win 748 and the 120 gr Berger Match Tactical (V=2525 ft/sec) to estimate your muzzle velocity with the 120 gr Nosler Partition and 30.8 gr of W748 and an 18" barrel to be right at 2470 ft/sec. JBM calculations indicate that we get just above 1700 ft/sec at 437 yards.

That is very close to Nosler's recommended 1800 ft/sec for reliable expansion. Your observation of a round dime-size exit wound indicates that there was still some expansion and that Nosler (probably wisely) may a bit conservative in their guidles. Hard to tell with just one shot, however.

The Hornady HITS score is just a bit above 501 at this velocity, indicating that it just meets their suggested criterion for standard construction bullets in non-dangerous game weighing up to 300 lbs. This would indicate that the penetration potential is still pretty good.

The effects on the deer speak for the effectiveness in this event.