Maybe I’m overthinking these. But trying decide between the 143 eldx or the 147 eldm?

Mainly I want to pound steel out to 1000 yards and take a deer or two say from 65 to 400 yards.

Is the 147 an efficient deer slayer at these yards. I really only want to load One round. Hope the gun knows that.

Ruled out the bergers. Not sure why. Looked at the elite 140s.

I put the gun together last night. Shilen Barrel. 8 twist 24 in barrel.

Plan is to pick bullets and reload tonight. I found 2 pounds of H4350.

143 or 140.... 147 is pushing it in the creed case.

I’ve been pleased with the 143 eldx on both deer and steel. Haven’t shot the eld m

Cant immagein there being that much difference in BC between the 143 and 147. Given the 143 was designed as a hunting round I think it would serve a much better cross over role than the other way around.

I've heard 143 is the best round for hunting. The 140 and 147 are both match target rounds and will likely be more accurate than the 143, but less effective for hunting purposes.

You can "want" to only load one round, but you'll have to figure out if you want to get a target round that is just ok for hunting or a hunting round that's just ok for target shooting.

IMHO, looking at the data, the 147 is borderline too slow in a 6.5. I'd keep the discussion between the 140 and 143.

What Hornady publishes as the BC for both bullets showed to be true all the way down my range. I performed load development on the 140 ELD-M, and found "the charge". I got solid DOPE on it, and all was well. I then loaded a 143 ELD-X on the same brass, same primer, same powder lot, same powder charge, and ran it down the range. Due to a tad more weight, it started needing .1 Mil more correction (If memory serves) 600, 700, and 800 yards.

So to answer the OP's question, if you're going to play on the range with it AND hunt with it, get the 143 ELD-X. One load that will do it all.

I had a customer shoot 147 ELD-M through a 1:8 6.5 Creedmoor, and it did just fine.

I've run the 147s almost exclusively out of a couple CMs on everything from WT, some big Aoudad, few big hogs and steel practice and matches. They've done everything I've asked of them without a hiccup, even some of those critters being near the 700 mark. Contrary to what I hear and read on the internet, the Ms seen to be a little tougher to me than the 143s. A couple W Tx Mulies were shot in camp last year with the Hornady factory ammo, and at like velocities they seemed more splashy than what I've encountered with the 147Ms. Granted bullets do weird things sometimes, but I'm basing it on a sample of 12-13 animals...YMMV....

Have had a few buddies from out West get them into elk (bulls and cows) and Mule deer this winter out of the Creed/x47L/260 and I didn't hear one complaint in performance.

I was talking fps. I was figuring the 147 might be moving too slow to have any real ballistic advantage over the 140.

Good, solid advice there. Much appreciated.

143 ELDX works for me and several buddies...
long range steel, deer, hogs.. works

143 ELDX here, one stop shop IMO.

143 ELDX has dropped everything I shot in its tracks. Great bullet IMO.

THanks. Went with the 143 eldx

Anybody ever gotten ready to reload and realized you forgot to pick up dies for the caliber?

Now you're walking the razors edge.

Which bullet delivers more energy? The heavier slower one, or the lighter faster one? That's when you plug it into the ballistic calculators and find out. Bottom line is, the X means expand, designed for killing, the M means Match, designed for match accuracy. That's not to say the X won't shoot tight, or the M won't work on animals. But one has a jacket thickness and consistency designed for one thing, and one has a jacket thickness and consistency designed for another.

Yeah I wasn't sure if anyone was having luck shooting the 143 accurately. I'm planning to work up loads with the 140 once I get dies and shoot through all my factory ammo.

Did you miss the part where I ran them out to 800 yards, with only a tenth Mil more corrections past 500 yards?

No I didn't miss it - I was simply saying that the unknown (to me) accuracy of the 143 was the point of my original post questioning the 143 vs the 140, which was before your first post. You and several others said you had good luck with it accuracy-wise. That's good enough for me. I was just trying to re-phrase what I had meant originally. Sorry for the confusion. It's all good.

You guys shooting 143s, how many of you are handloading versus off the shelf?

I have a minimal amount of recent experience with the 143ELDX on two elk. Both back edge of shoulder shots at 180 yards and both ran 10-20 yards an fell. Bullets were under far hide in multiple pieces after busting off side ribs.
One was a 7X7 the other a cow. They were actually fired from a 1/8 twist 6.5 SAUM though traveling 2960.

OOPS, haven't done that but can see it happening. I have planned on loading and had to put it off waiting on dies to come in hat were delayed in shipping.

It's probably been 20 years since I bought any ammo other than rimfire or shotgun. I load for everything I shoot.

<<<< Handloads!

Question for the ELDX kills on animals.......anybody shoot stuff a closer ranges, say, within 100yds? Interested in bullet performance since this is the bullet I intend to start with.

Only thing I have killed with my previous Creedmoor (I say previous because I sold it and just finished building my new one), was a pronghorn doe in Utah at 485 yards. ELD-X provided a complete pass through both shoulders with good expansion, running around 2750-2800. Just in the beginning stages of load development on the new rifle. Will mainly be running ELD-X's but also have some Barnes LRX and 142grain Nosler ABLRs that I'll be feeding it to see how it runs.

Are these special Creedmoor bullets for can you use them in other 6.5s?

I have heard and read on the internet that it’s possible to use the 6.5 bullets mentioned above in other 6.5’s besides the Creedmoor...... pretty sure it’s fake news though and don’t recommend it.

I'll let you know Monday how the Berger 140 Elite Hunter does.

143 ELD-X is what I am shooting in my Creedmoor now. It shoots plenty accurate for me and dopes have been on using the Hornady BC out to 1065. That is the furthest I have shot it so far. Haven't shot it on deer yet but plan to this fall. The load I am shooting is 42.3 of H-4350 in Hornady cases with a CCI BR-2.

Have any of you guys tried the lighter bullets like the 108 Lapua or Sierra for long range target?

I have two 6.5x55 and I've always gone 140-155. I've never tried the lighter bullets so wondering about them.

How far are you wanting to go?

Eventually 800 yards. I heard there is a good instructor on this site with an 800 yard range.

Seems I've heard that.

Going that far, I would not try it with a 108 gr bullet. The BC is too low, the wind will chew it up. I dont even use 130's, but they work. 140 gr, 143 gr, and 147 gr work too well to try and reinvent the wheel as far as I'm concerned.

The 147 is where it's at.............

I've carried my CM on 4 hunts now. I've shot 2 coyotes and a probably 250 pound boar. Everything died right there.

First coyote was coming straight at me. Maybe 75 yards. I misjudged how fast he was coming and nearly shot over the top of him. Hit him right in the spine about halfway of his thorax. bullet exited one side of the belly.

Second coyote (within seconds of the first) stopped at about 50 yards looking straight at me. I rushed it and hit him on the point of the shoulder. I couldn't find an exit but I didn't look to hard. He felt pretty mushy inside. Wish I had done a post mortem.

Hog today at 160 yards. Hit him in the left neck. I didn't find an exit on him either but I opened the hole a bit. Stuck my hand about 8 or 9 inches into the would cavity. Spine was totaly destroyed. I didn't find the bullet but again I didn't do a thorough search for it either.

I'm shooting off the shelf ELDx rounds.

143 eld x over 36.1 grains of varget running 2670 MV out of my 6.5x47 has pounded steel out to 1100 yards . Furthest coyote 340 yards and furthest deer 172 yards. Plus many more deer coyotes and pigs 50-150 yards and they've all dropped where shot. They are not fur friendly but very deadly.

How consistent does that load shoot in various weather conditions? Just curious.

I've shot in temps ranging from the 40's to 100 plus and the dope has held true. I would like to push it a little faster but I will have to have some work done . The guys I shoot with are running 140s with 36.8-37 grains of varget running 2750+ but they are set up for small primers. I don't think I've ever had a rifle that was more fun to shoot even though it weighs 15lbs I'll carry it next month Mule deer hunting. I will get to try it out in the mountains around Ft. Davis.

I currently shoot the Berger 130 AR-Hybrid in my 6.5 Creed and does fine out to 800. Not sure these are actually target bullets though. 140 A-Max and ELD-M may have been a bit more accurate in my loads/rifle. I will likely go back to 140 ELD-M after I try the Berger 140 Hybrid.

BTW, I know a guy with a 800 yard range.

the Lapua 108 has a pretty high BC for that light of a 6. bullet and there are guys using them to 600 yards and beyond in the Grendel. No doubt is you want you can run them to 1K at least with the Creedmoor.

Crunch the numbers and let that tell you. With the extra speed it might surprise you how far out it takes the heavier bullets to overtake it on drop and wind drift and if you are shooting inside that you might like the 108 better. But all things come with a cost in this case a little shorter barrel life might occur.

My oldest son is shooting a CM, last year he killed a mature 8 point at 170 yards with 143 eldx, hit mid shoulder the bullet lodged in the skin on the opposite side, it dropped right there. He shot another 6 with no brows at 90yds with berger 140vld in the shoulder and both shoulders were ruined, it ran about 20yds.......He also killed several hogs with both bullets, I just load the eldx's for him now only because he likes the red tip.....whatever

I never tested the eldx past 500 but it did ok out his gun out to 500, not as good as the berger but pretty close.

My new Creed likes the 143 ELD-Xs. I'll let you know how well it does on deer in a week or two.

Definitely Sub MOA at 100 yards.