I just picked up my son a Savage Axis II Heavy Barrel 6.5 and would like to know if the Hornady Hunter Precision is a good round for it? This is his first rifle larger then a .22! He is 13 years old and was gifted a Deer Hunt for Christmas so since I have never played with the 6.5 creedmore myself, I am unsure on best ammo for it. This is truly his first big gun and first ever Deer Hunt so I want to make it special. Anything helps and thank you for those who reply.
I use Hornady 143 ELD X as well. Shoots less than an inch with a Howa 1500. I’d be interested to see how it performs in the Savage. It’s ridiculously accurate with my gun. Two bucks with it this year.
I have a 6.5 Creedmoor Savage Axis II that loves Precision Hunter. It will do 0.5 MOA when the shooter does his/her part.
Best bet is to pick up 2-3 different types of ammo to see which one your son's rifle prefers. Assuming the "least liked" rounds will chamber, you can still use them to work the fundamentals.
If your son's rifle really likes a specific round, look at the lot number and buy several boxes.
I have two 6.5 Creeds. Ruger American Predator and a Savage Model 11. Both shoot the Hornady 143 grain ELD-X ammo well under MOA. The two rifles (both recent purchases) have accounted for two Axis does, one Blackbuck doe, two Pronghorn does, and one Pronghorn buck. All were lung shots with the animals falling within sight. Substantial internal damage on all. 10/10 would recommend this ammo.
I'm nearing the 20-animal mark with the 143gr ELD-X and have been very happy with the results. The Precision Hunter ammo shot extremely well in my Tikka, under .5".
I use Hornady 143 ELD X as well. Shoots less than an inch with a Howa 1500. I’d be interested to see how it performs in the Savage. It’s ridiculously accurate with my gun. Two bucks with it this year.
Those Howas are really accurate guns. Will def. surprise you
For it is not the quarry that we truly seek, but the adventure.
I've shot 140 grain Hornady, Remington, Winchester, and Federal loads in my Savage Model 110 and it likes them all.
For what it's worth, I tried 130 grain Federal Fusion just for grins and the results were not near as good. I suspect 130 grain bullets in other brands might yield the same results.
I haven't shot it enough to know for sure but the Creedmoor may have a more narrow sweet spot for bullet weight than other calibers. After all, it would make sense you have to pay the price somewhere for long range accuracy.
Last edited by Texas Dan; 12/19/1909:03 PM.
"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
He will definitely be playing with a few different rounds after the Hunt to see what is best and for further fundamentals of Marksmanship growth. He is a small 13 year old and this is my ditch effort to get his a** of the video games that his Mom lets him live on when not with me. My best friend who’s I grew up with and been there since my son was born, told me “Buy him the gun and I will let him come shoot a Big Buck for Christmas”. We shall see how it goes.
He will definitely be playing with a few different rounds after the Hunt to see what is best and for further fundamentals of Marksmanship growth. He is a small 13 year old and this is my ditch effort to get his a** of the video games that his Mom lets him live on when not with me. My best friend who’s I grew up with and been there since my son was born, told me “Buy him the gun and I will let him come shoot a Big Buck for Christmas”. We shall see how it goes.
Good luck for sure with that and stay safe.
"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
Well he got it done first thing this morning for his first hunt ever. 143 gr was a little bit much for him during zero so we picked up a box of 125 gr Winchester Deer Season XP. Double Lung shot and dropped on the spot. He will be ready for the 143 gr during summer when he will shoot more and be ready. Oh by the way. Big 8 comes in and he asked if he could take the spike instead so the 8 could grow bigger. For the first hunt and only being 13, this little hunter has a great mind set.
If 125 grain loads are providing good accuracy and provide a more comfortable shot, I would definitely stay with them. I've never lost one to 100 grain loads in both my .243 and 25-06.
"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."