6.5x284 for elk?

93trojan · May 14, 2012

Got a great New Mexico elk tag

. I have a 338 win mag for elk, but I just got my new Gunwerks 6.5x284 that runs 140 grain Bergers. I'm really itching to use it this year, but I don't have any plans for any deer size game this year. Would you guys feel comfortable bringing this setup in a trophy type area?

nickman · May 15, 2012

I would certainly use it. Plenty of horsepower to do the job.

You are gonna' take some heat on here for even broaching the question however.

"I could eat a bowl of Alphabet Soup and
sh!t a better argument than that!"

30Hart · May 15, 2012

It'll kill with the right bullet and placement.

Zeke · May 15, 2012

You asked for OUR opinions so here goes;

The 6.5x284 is certainly sufficient for elk.
BUT I DON'T LIKE FRAGILE BULLETS FOR ELK! Elk are big animals and require bullets which will reach the vitals from perhaps less than ideal angles (hunting angles).

You would be better served by using a bonded or controlled expanding, deeper penetrating bullet.

Do what ever you want but I would never sacrifice penetration for a little bit of added accuracy...... providing your rifle is shooting well with a properly constructed elk bullet.

I know, I've seen the "show" and a "fragile" bullet will kill anything at any range... if you believe everything you see on TV.

Just my 2 cents,
Zeke

sagebrush · May 15, 2012

I agree with Zeke.

If you have the chance for a long range shot, and you wait for a broadside angle, and you hit the spine, you will get the boom-plop results as seen on TV. Its not often that you can have that kind of set up on a public land hunt. If you're the only one on a ranch, it could happen. Personnally, I'd bring the .338. That's my weapon of choice when elk hunting and I own two.

pookiebar · May 15, 2012

Yes it will work for elk. I have seen guys kill them with a 25-06, and they do fine as well. But it is all about good shot placement. I am guessing that you reload and shoot more then your average hunter who goes out the week before the hunt and "makes sure his gun is zeroed"

That all being said I now carry either my 300 WinMag or my 375 H&H Mag for elk.

They can be a bit of over kill, but they knock a critter flat on its a$$.

ColoradoRam · May 15, 2012

I've killed elk with a 6.5x55 SM and a 264 WM. I always used 140 Partitions. They are very long and skinny and will penetrate better than a 284 bullet. Good luck, have fun.

llamapacker · May 15, 2012

Of course it will work, if you do your part. But the .338 you have is much better, and will allow some larger error on your part and still get the job done. The .338 is the better choice, especially for a trophy hunt.
Bill

93trojan · May 15, 2012

That's why I'm asking what you guys think. I shoot 225 ttsx out of my 338. I actually bought this gun for elk/moose. I got the 6.5 for deer etc and like the concept of the Bergers for lighter game....never used them before, but like idea. Just got a new toy and want to use it. If anything, I've always been on the bigger is better side. Shooting California blacktails with a 300 win mag, while my dad knocks the crap out of them with a 223! To tell the truth, I believe a Berger in the boiler room will make quicker work out of an elk than my 225 ttsx. Not particularly impressed with the knockdown power of that bullet yet. I'm more worried about hitting that big shoulder and not having the Berger penetrate....again, no experience with them.

Thanks for the responses

horsehunter · May 15, 2012

I personally like the Bergers. Last fall i killed my bull at 550 yards with my 300 Win. Mag. Shooting a 185 grain bullet it went through and broke both shoulders and i found most of the bullet about an inch away from coming out the other side. Its a bigger gun but i surely wont be scared to use the bergers again this year.

Don't be afraid to live for fear of dieing.

G14 · May 15, 2012

I've been researching calibers lately, and how much energy ft/lbs to kill an elk. Some say 1500 ft/lbs, others 1200 ft/lbs, and others say it doesn't matter. I read the Colorado DOW recommends 1500 ft/lbs.

If you have a chronograph reading on your 6.5x284 you can enter the information into some online ballistics calculators and get ft/lbs and speed at certain distances. I think you will have plenty enough with a 6.5x284, but that is my opinion. Plus the 6.5mm Bergers have a great BC @ 0.612(G1).

one_dryboot · May 15, 2012

6.5 and the Berger will work great!!!!

huntfishall1 · May 16, 2012

You shouild be fine with the 6.5 and bergers.

I was concerned with the bergers originally but after taking a couple mulies and then an elk last year with 1698 grain 7mm bergers, they are an awesome bullet and to be honest the put animals down fast.

Elkhunter96 · May 16, 2012

Hell no, stick with the 338 for elk. I have shot the 338 for years and every elk I have killed with it has taken one shot. I do like the 6.5 x 284 a lot, but it is much better suited to be a deer and lope gun. I have been wanting to build one for a few years for that very reason.

BPKHunter · May 16, 2012

Three elk and three mulies with mine and they do all that you need and then some.

sigboy66 · May 17, 2012

LAST EDITED ON May-17-12 AT 10:14AM (MST)[p]338 is overkill. Yes it will kill an elk better than an .30-06 or 300 Mag, but the .30-06 and 300 mag do it just fine as well. Not everybody can handle the recoil of a .338.

dang302 · May 17, 2012

I am still on the fence about bergers, but my dad and I shot 3 whitetails 2 and 3 years ago with my 270 and 130 grain berger VLD. I would consider this equivalent to your 6.5 and these are deer not elk, but what impressed me is the one I shot up close. I shot one at point blank range and the bullet went all the way through. The other one I shot at about 75...double lung and exit. My dads was at 440 yards and he hit it right in the shoulder and that deer went 30-40 yards and flopped. There was also an exit on that one. Exit wound on all 3 deer. These were about 200 lb deer. My point is just that its not as fragile as I had originally thought, and there was not massive fragmentation.

Not sure I would want to put it into a bulls shoulder, but on a broadside lung shot, I would think it should work just fine.

2_Point · May 17, 2012

I wouldn't use a Berger on deer let alone on elk. After seeing some friends shoot deer with Bergers at different ranges there is no way I would take a chance with the fragmenting that I witnessed on multiple occasions. I do like the caliber for elk just fine, only with a well constructed bullet such as a partition or bonded.

Zeke · May 17, 2012

+1
I think the 6.5 is a wonderful caliber and the Berger bullets are super LR shooting and excellent grouping bullets and they will kill BUT I DON'T LIKE FRAGILE BULLETS WHEN USED ON LARGE ANIMALS WHICH MIGHT REQUIRE PENETRATION TO DISPATCH THE ANIMAL QUICKLY.
We've hashed and re-hashed this before and I have a few friends who use Fragile bulets so you can see that I don't intend to "convert" anyone. I'm simply voicing an opinion based on MY experiences.
Fragile bullets are nothing new. They've been around for decades! Some of the best shooting minds in the world have been trying to control the problems associated with fragile bullets ever since we started putting copper around lead. The problem IS solved, yet some hunters will continue to sacrifice penetration, along with proper expension, for the sake of a few BC points.
I guess this is why we love America! We have a choice and I hope hunters will get a bit informed before making one.

Zeke

Roy · May 17, 2012

.243.

HOOK 'EM!
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Gator · May 17, 2012

sell it or give it away and keep your 338.
Now if you are giving it away, I will swear to just hunt ground squrriels with it.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
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5575gb · May 17, 2012

Use that 338 setup.

one_dryboot · May 17, 2012

I've had more exit holes with berger then non exit. But with that said, I dont need an exit hole when it turns their insides into a blended frappuccino. Berger= DRT

Elkhunter96 · May 17, 2012

Recoil depends on the set up. My 338 win has less recoil than the my old ruger 270 win. As far as overkill, I fail to see the logic. The faster and more humanely an animal is put down, the better. 338 is simply a much better elk caliber than a 6.5 and then you dont have to worry if that "shot placement" part doesn't work out like you thought. I mean, everyone who shoots a ligher caliber hits the heart every time and never has a problem with shoulders or less than perfect shot placement. Just saying...

Warren · May 18, 2012

If something goes wrong, you'll always wonder why the .338 was at home.

93trojan · May 18, 2012

Warren,

Good point...that's why it's tough. I have a designated elk rifle, while trying to talk myself into using something else. Kinda like taking a .243 on a trophy mule deer hunt and leaving your .300 win mag at home. The .243 will do fine in ideal circumstances....the .300 will do fine in less than ideal circumstances. Wish I wasn't so excited about using my new rig!

one_dryboot · May 18, 2012

I'm a fan of the bigger the better. And so is my wife.

sigboy66 · May 19, 2012

LAST EDITED ON May-19-12 AT 01:01PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON May-19-12 AT 12:59?PM (MST)

>Recoil depends on the set up.
>My 338 win has less
>recoil than the my old
>ruger 270 win. As far
>as overkill, I fail to
>see the logic. The faster
>and more humanely an animal
>is put down, the better.
>338 is simply a much
>better elk caliber than a
>6.5 and then you dont
>have to worry if that
>"shot placement" part doesn't work
>out like you thought. I
>mean, everyone who shoots a
>ligher caliber hits the heart
>every time and never has
>a problem with shoulders or
>less than perfect shot placement.
>Just saying...

I know what you are talking about. If you can handle a 338 then go for it. Most people are less likely to handle a 338 as accurately as a lesser caliber. Yes you can muzzle break a 338 and get the recoil down, and the expense of you hearing. But a 6.5x284 through the heart will stop an elk faster than any 338 through the gut. Shot placement is the most important factor. I would not advocate anybody shooting at an elk myself with anything less than a 270 with a tougher than average bullet.

BPKHunter · May 20, 2012

You don't need pass through penetration like most expect/get from TSX's. Do not lump Bergers in with other such as Nosler BTip, which has a lot of first hand documented failures to penetrate past bone to reach the vitals. You only need to penetrate into the vitals, they don't need to come out to kill. If you prefer a blood trail, then my all means go with the all copper TSX. You will trade off the occasional pencil through where no damage is done though.

Bergers have more than enough sample size on elk with very very few reports of them not penetrating enough to turn the vitals into soup. Second hand reports about friends should be considered just that, second hand. If you are on here inferring that these bullets will not be reliable, then please provide your personal experience with them in your post.

If you just don't trust the theory of Berger bullets, don't use them. If you don't have first hand experience, then don't talk like you do. While others may argue, the close tolerances of the way they do the jacket, along with the tip of this bullet the "delayed" expansion theory here seems to work very well.

I do not say the same for other VLD "fragile" type bullets such as the Sierra Match King(SMK) or similar "target" bullets. These bullets have a long and documented track record of fairlures, Berger's don't.

Again, personally I have taken 6 animals with these from my 7mm and have not had any issues with them blowing up AT ALL and that includes 3 elk at ranges out to ~450.

What you are looking at using, 140gr, 3000fps+, 600+bc, that is surely all a 130gr 270 can deliver, even all a 270wsm can deliver, with half the recoil. So I would say it will do the job. Not saying the 338 is overkill, and would pick that first if your only criteria was foot lbs of energy, but if all your asking is will this 6.5 do the job, with Bergers, then I say YES!

257Tony · May 20, 2012

The Bull in this video was killed with a similar setup to yours, 6.5 Gunwerks. I think it fits the "Trophy" description.....

93trojan · May 20, 2012

I've made up my mind...daddy is bringing his new toy!

. Thank you for all of your opinions. The 338 is also going to get used this year...I have another elk hunt in Utah this year. I'm a lucky guy! Hopefully, I'll be able to come back and give you first hand info on the performance of both rigs

93trojan