I have been hunting with the 6.5 cm for the last two seasons. My problem so far has been no blood trails and the deer running off. I started out with 140 grain hornady flat base. Out of 5 one left a decent trail.that was also the only exit. This season I have shot three so far and still no blood trail. I’ve got exits on all three with Speer but the exit is still smaller than my pinky. I use the Speer in two calibers with silver dollar sized exits. They have always provided good blood trails though I only needed it once. It’s not a shot placement issue. Does anybody else have this problem? And what bullet do you recommend? I load my own. The only one that dropped was one I broke both shoulders. It was about 40 yards and still a pinky size exit.

143gr ELDX is what i like. Also heard the Berger hybrids are really good

Do you get good exits?

Those Speer have never let me down until now. I’m getting great penetration but small exit wounds

I shot 5 last season with a 125 gr bullet Winchester . Can’t remember the type bullet . No blood trail on any , not that I really expected much of one . 3 dropped where they were , 2 ran out of the field but were laying just inside the woods where they went in . I was on if it’s brown it’s down hunt for my farmer cousin. I wouldn’t carry my 6.5 if I was expecting a good buck showing up . Looked it up polymer tip bullet .

I just killed one at 300 yards. Hornady whitetail bullet. The cheap ones. They came with the rifle when I won the raffle.
It was a ten point weighed 130 gutted.
It went straight in and out. There was no damage what so ever. Like you would expect. It did kill the deer. Dog had to find it. But. Found it.
I have looked at the gmx and copper federal test on YouTube. They seem to be the best but the gmx is discontinued it looks in that ammo know.
Will watch this this thread for opinions.

Thanks for the input

This has not happened 100% of the time. But this is why i shoot them. We havent lost a deer yet with them. Good exit every time, NO....

I really liked the inter bonds but can’t find them anymore

That’s way better than what I have been getting

Like i said, thats not gona happen every time, but its possible. Ive also had good results with partitions and ttsx out of my 257wbymag, but the ELDX bullets are all we shoot out of our 6.5cm so far

143 Hornady ELX will get pass thru’s. Killed several with them and always had exits holes.

Nosler partition will solve that

140 grain Accubond

I have typically shot a 7mm-08 and have only had the hornadys not exit. I have shot all the big names and rarely had one not exit. I thought I would try the 6.5. Just tired of trying to find deer in the swamp. The Speer have always worked in my 7-08 , 280 and 308. Always leaving a good exit. I’ll keep looking for the right combination. I have only had to track two over the last thirty or so years with those three. And that was operator error. Thanks again for the information. I’ll try the eldx next season.

Barnes 127LRX will give you plenty of penetration and should give a good exit every time.

I’ve read about the 120 ttsx pushed fast. I’ve not used the lax. My shots vary from 40-175 yards. How are they at that short range?

is what I shoot...

Do they leave a good blood trail

Ive heard about less expansion at short distances with high speed. Idont think ive seen any proof of it though. Theres alit that can happen during a shot. Alot of different factors. You cant expect good results all the time. I shot a ptetty good buck with a 257wbymag ttsx, high shoulder shot. No exit wound. No blood. He reared up like a horse and fell over backwards dead. Front shoulder destroyed, back shoulder broke bad, the inside cavity of the deer looked like the bullet had exploded, everything turned to mush, broke ribs. That deer wasnt going anywhere.