mhungerford
Active member
I just picked up one of these from savage in the long range hunter series. My question is does anyone else shoot this cal. and if so what weight and type of bullet are you shooting?
6.5x284 norma
- Thread starter mhungerford
- Start date
BuzzH
Well-known member
I dont, but a good bud of mine used his on our WY elk hunt. He busted a cow, with that exact rifle/cartridge...used a 140 grain Accubond.
Seemed to work just fine.
Seemed to work just fine.
Muleyfanatic
Active member
I shoot 140 grain berger hunting vld's outta mine.
elkantlers
Well-known member
I have a 6.5x284 in The Savage Weather warrior. I shoot 140gr Berger VLD-hunting bullets with 58gr of Retumbo powder at 2975fps. With minimal tinkering I was able to get .60" groups at 100yds. I wanted a good deer-antelope caliber that had long range potential. The 6.5x284 has surpassed all my expectations. I shot 2 antelope in Wyoming this year and it performed as expected: one shot, quick kills. I've had mine out on the range to 1000yds ( I would never shoot at an animal that far) and was super impressed. It is really a nice caliber and one that anyone could shoot, not a lot of recoil.
One of my sons shoots this exact same rifle. After barrel break in, load work up and testing he settled on the 140 Bergers, Retumbo, and Fed 210M primers. Accuracy is extremely good and he has tested it out beyond what you would shoot at game. We did do some minor sanding on stock when he first got it where they had a pressure point. Be sure to pay attention on torquing the action screws per Savage's instructions as it did make a difference.
He has taken elk, deer, and antelope with this combination and it has done it's job very well.
FYI: after shooting an antelope off a bipod in the prone position - he now tapes that brake shut for all hunting. His ears rang for a week.. We have found no impact difference with brake open or closed testing it at extended distances - as you know each rifle may be different.
He has taken elk, deer, and antelope with this combination and it has done it's job very well.
FYI: after shooting an antelope off a bipod in the prone position - he now tapes that brake shut for all hunting. His ears rang for a week.. We have found no impact difference with brake open or closed testing it at extended distances - as you know each rifle may be different.
Last edited:
mhungerford
Active member
Thanks guys. I will keep reading on it. just thought I would throw it out there. At this point I am really leaning toward this load I guess until I shoot something that the gun likes better.
Norma Brass, 210 primer, 54.5 gr 4831sc powder, berger 140 gr VLD. Just not to excited to hunt with the berger.
Norma Brass, 210 primer, 54.5 gr 4831sc powder, berger 140 gr VLD. Just not to excited to hunt with the berger.
upper deck
Member
Any reason you are not excited about hunting with Bergers? Everything I 've sent them at ended up dead. Close and Far, under 100 yard to bumping up against 300 yards. I've used them for 2 seasons and so far very happy with them.
These were shot with 130grain at 2960.
mhungerford
Active member
upper deck
Member
MThuntr
Well-known member
Upper Deck...any excessive meat damage with the thinner bullet jackets?
I would agree with the group that 140s is probably where you want to be...I'd probably prefer Accubonds or Interbonds over the VLC soley based on the availability of factory second bullets
I would agree with the group that 140s is probably where you want to be...I'd probably prefer Accubonds or Interbonds over the VLC soley based on the availability of factory second bullets
upper deck
Member
I can't say I had any excessive damage. I did find the bullet under the off side hide on each animal but they went down quick. I don't remember off the top of my head what they weighted but below is a pic of the recovered bullets. one was around 80 yards and the other was from 275.
I did shoot a couple animals with the accubond LR out of a 7 WSM this year and was happy with the results there too. Never recovered the bullet from the antelope but did on the mule deer (80 yards)
Starting weight 150 grains, weighted 79 gr. muzzle is around 3170, figured around 3000 when it hit the deer.
Upper deck:
Are those first 2 pictures the 130 gr. Berger hunting VLD's?
We have taken many animals with the Bergers and I have never seen any recovered Berger hunting VLD bullets that looked like that? Just curious in that they look like a bonded type or heavier jacket type of bullet from their recovered shape.
Are those first 2 pictures the 130 gr. Berger hunting VLD's?
We have taken many animals with the Bergers and I have never seen any recovered Berger hunting VLD bullets that looked like that? Just curious in that they look like a bonded type or heavier jacket type of bullet from their recovered shape.
upper deck
Member
Yeah they are the 130 hunting VLD I looked back and they weighted in at between 55-60 grains. I also recovered the bullet from my 2013 deer and if I remember correctly it is very close to the same, left it at the farm so dont have pictures.
MTGunner
Well-known member
I have the Savage 116 LRH in a 6.5x284 that I load Hornady 129 SST with Retumbo. So far I am getting .5 @ 100 yds. with this load. My brass is original Win. 284 brass that I necked down to .260 and neck turn. This load has accounted for one WT buck so far as I just got it worked up late last fall. I believe the Savage trigger is junk and will replace it. MTG
bjtc_brian
Member
This would scare me and the whole reason I shoot almost strictly barnes. I am very comfortable shooting some pretty long ranges, but most of my shots are short. It does not compute in my head why any bullet couldn't pass completely through a medium sized animal at 80 yards.
On the Berger side, experience I've had with them was on a deer at 200 yards. It took 4 shots to bring down the animal, of which all were well placed. Now, I also believe every animal in a species is different, different tolerance to pain, different speed/volume of blood pumping, so it could have been that. But, it gave me a bad taste. If barnes ever do the same, I will probably move away from them. I want the fastest most humane kill. Every animal I have shot with a barnes was a one shot quick kill.
Also bergers seem to do a LOT of damage to the meat. I enjoy the trophy as much as the next, but I love the meat!
upper deck
Member
Not sure why the recovery of a bullet would concern you when he went down like a ton of bricks. Very happy with the quick kill and would use the accubond again with confidence. I have to say I was surprised at how well the bullet stayed together with hitting the shoulder at or above 3000 fps.
I guess to your Berger experience I've never had a bad experience, just quick kills. I have also never really had any extra loss of meat as people talk about. I guess I assume you shoot them through the shoulder you will have some loss, it's been that way with every bullet I've ever shot. You put it in the rib cage you have minimal loss.
Last edited:
MKotur325
New member
First off, I do not mean any of this toward you directly. Just sharing experiences and thoughts...
I used to follow about the same notion. Below is a picture of a 200gr Nosler Acubond recovered from my 2013 Mule Deer. Shot at 135 yds. I have taken 3 elk and a Shiras Moose with this load without recovering a slug, but happened to get one off a mule deer. The slug performed as well as can be expected it just stayed inside the critter... It was a quartering shot at a slight downward angle at a bedded deer. The slug entered through the front 1/3 of the front shoulder, penetrated through 3 vertebrae and ended up in the fatty tissue just in front of the off hind quarter.
I'm fairly sure that most of us at some point have seen one or more types of bullets catastrophically fail. I certainly have, and it sounds like you have as well. Just because a bullet fails to exit doesn't mean the bullet failed.
[URL=http://s175.photobucket.com/user/Gluberhuben/media/2013Slug.jpg.html]
[/URL]Samples of one are easy not to be scared of. I've only recovered two bullets from pronghorn. First was a 165gr X fired out of a 30-06. Distance was 80yds. Second was a 165gr Partition out of the same 30-06. Distance was 247yds. Neither have me questioning the use of either bullet for that game and some much larger. Again, samples of one are easy to ignore...
