Is this a good bullet

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fljp2002

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Yesterday I pulled the trigger on a small doe.

First shot was not the greatest due to angle and entry was just behind rib cage(liver) and exited through stomach.

Deer ran around and dropped 30 yards in front of me. Watched her and saw her drop her head. Now I’m thinking she has expired so I get up and start walking towards her. At about 20 yards she stand up and is straight in front of me.

Quick second shot through front chest and she drops 10 yards.

Now I was able to recover the bullet that travelled through the chest, through the internal organs and ended up lodged high on the thigh touching the skin.

I know these are not premium bullets but my question is , is 38 gr loss (about 25%) or 75% retention good considering this bullet was at max speed and dumped all its energy in the deer.

9B513FBC-894A-4998-B295-8E5F00D13733 by fljp, on Flickr

E8728F99-44DC-47EF-A205-B2F56A29E829 by fljp, on Flickr
 
It does not take much to kill a small doe. This bullet was adequate for that task.
If you were hunting a larger animal, it might be found "wanting"

The 6.5 Creedmoor is not a particularly powerful round, so bullets that would be
fragile at faster speeds, may work acceptably in the CM. 75% retention is quite
good for a C&C bullet at close range. Dave.
 
Personally, I believe the bullet did a very good job, being that it is not classified as a premium bullet. A broad-side shot is the most desired, an oblique shot which opens stomach contents is unpleasing. Congrats on your kill, skill and marksmanship, you will have a great memory and many tasty meals!
 
Sample of one, meaning it doesn't show much as far as what can be consistently expected. The Creedmoors moderate velocity and the heavy for caliber nature put things in favor of the bullet penetrating well. I'm a little surprised it retained as much as it did.
 
Fljp2002,

Your problem is not the bullet type…

What we have here is the failure to communicate…:) ;)

But no, seriously…what we have here is the failure to use a proper caliber such as 270 or 3006

Just kidding:)

75% retention from a budget ammo is pretty good.

Congrats on your hunt :)
 
As others have said 75% weight retention is pretty darn good for a cup and core bullet. When I tested the same brand of ammo in my 270win vs water jugs I only got like 78gr of 130gr retained, or 60% retention.
 
High weight retention is the most over-rated aspect of bullet construction that there is. Fact is; as long as you get enough penetration the more weight a bullet a bullet loses the better. That missing weight doesn't just disappear, it goes to work for you opening a wound channel that a 100% weight retaining bullet simply can't do and will never be able to do.

'Course, I'm open to rebutal from people with a kill count with a comma in it. ;)
 
Deer can be slow to expire if you dont hit the boiler room. Testimony to the ammo and caliber for doing what it did, given the shot placement. I dont think a premium bullet would have done any better. I've shot several deer with a 6.5 x 55, at varying distances, with cup and core bullets. All deer expired handily with correct shot placement. The one exception, where the bullet skipped off a branch, missed its mark and led to an extended tracking effort.
 
Dogleg said:
High weight retention is the most over-rated aspect of bullet construction that there is. Fact is; as long as you get enough penetration the more weight a bullet a bullet loses the better. That missing weight doesn't just disappear, it goes to work for you opening a wound channel that a 100% weight retaining bullet simply can't do and will never be able to do.

'Course, I'm open to rebutal from people with a kill count with a comma in it. ;)
Click to expand...

Not going to disagree at all - and I do not have a kill count with a comma - I never worked as a culler - just a few tags per year, as most people get - like for 50 years.

OP missed by at least a foot - using his description of his first shot's path - a hunter should kill on the first shot - or so my Dad pounded into us. So the business about bullet weight retention is pretty small potatoes for him - might be a "cute" thing to discuss on Internet - but he needs to place the bullet where it counts, on the first shot - he should work on that for next time.
 
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redbirddog said:
6.5 is fast. Some times if you miss mass..you will poke a hole straight through. Recovery weight is good for the bullet type. Enjoy the meat.
Click to expand...

A 140gr bullet from a 6.5. Creedmoor is not fast and no, it will not just poke a hole if it was going “too fast”.
 
Bullet worked fine, and as is was supposed to under the conditions.
The result was meat in the freezer, and it does not sound like the animal experienced a needless, long, slow death. And you made a quick, responsible follow up shot to finish the deer.
I wouldn't be too worried about the bullet weight retention or expansion of this cup and core bullet; it did good.
 
IMHO, the bullet did it's job very well, especially at such close ranges.

The ''gut shot'' likely happened in a moment of excitement or while the animal was walking?? Schit happens and thankfully you were able to recover the animal.

In such situations, they will usually run, without any sort of a blood trail and very long distances between their tracks, when mixed in with other tracks, often from the same animal, makes tracking extremely difficult.

If she laid down so quickly, the perforated liver and likely extreme pain would have a lot to do with it. If you had found her twenty minutes later, she would likely have expired. Liver shots will usually kill an animal within less than half an hour in my experience.

From the look of that bullet, it appears to be a Speer Hot Core, which is a very reliable C&C bullet. I've used them for years, when I can find them, along with Hornady and Norma offerings. I use other manufacturers products as well but those are my three mainstays.

I don't mind the 6.5 CM at all, mostly because most of my shots on game are under 100 yds. I don't personally use it because I have a 6.5x55 T3, which will give me better velocities with similar weight bullets and it shoots better than I can hold.

OP, that bullet worked very well for you under extreme circumstances. Many others would have failed, even Premium types.

I don't use factory ammo for any of my hunting endeavors. Snobbery??? Maybe but I really hate it when a well hit animal gets away.

Not only a waste of excellent meat but often an extremely painful demise for the animal.

Your second shot was the real proof in the pudding concerning the suitability of the bullet. 20 yards is basicly point blank and muzzle velocity is about as fast as it's ever going to be. It would be fantastic if all bullets stood up that well.

You don't mention whether or not you hit bone in either shot. That's when the real test of a bullet is put to the extreme at close ranges.

One thing I should mention, Federal, like most ammo manufacturers, buys the cheapest bullets available for their Blue Box loads. There is no guarantee that the next box you purchase will be using the same bullets, powder or primer.

That doesn't mean the bullets won't do the job, just not quite as well under similar circumstances.

Just keep it burned into your brain, NOTHING BEATS A WELL PLACED SHOT INTO THE BOILER ROOM, which appears to be exactly what your original intent was.

Head shots are often pipe dreams and as often as not a seriously wounded animal gets away to die a horrible death.

Eagleye has been in this game for a lot of years and has a lot of experience behind his statements. Take them literally and with trust.

He also has more than one rifle and has learned over the years which rifle/cartridge combo will be best suited for the area and particular game he's likely to encounter there and will equip himself accordingly.

The old motto, "You can't carry to much gun" rings very true to him and I as well. How dead is to dead??

I hunt with similar types of cartridges, because I am recoil shy and with replacement joints in my shoulders, I find it even more distasteful/painful.
 
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I’ve used federal blue box for hunting deer more than anything else, it shoots well in a couple rifles and the price is reasonable. I’ve never recovered a bullet but the exit hole and blood trail has been evident that it performed well with minimal meat lost. I like the Speer Hot Core as far as cup and core goes, so far zero complaints. Yours looks like it did the job fine, as always shot placement is a key factor.
 
Any time you recover a bullet to weigh is a good day! You obviously got the critter which was the whole purpose in pulling the trigger and you got the bullet to weigh and fondle. Always trim well around the wound channel to prevent injestion and chewing of copper and lead. A few years ago I did find a rather sharp piece of copper in a coarse ground burger. I believe that most copper and lead scrap will be shrouded by intestinal material until it reaches the exit port. People have swallowed a lot of weird and sharp things.

Bill
 
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