6.5 TCU

[spinafish]

Anyone hunted with a Contender in 6.5 TCU, if so what bullet did you use and were you happy with it performance?

[sweetwyominghome]

I've hunted with it in everything from 10" barrels to rifle-length setups. And there's one bullet that truly shines: the Nosler 120 grain Ballistic Tip. It is surgically accurate, destroys ample tissue and on deer generally affords complete penetration given virtually any  broadside presentation.

With the additional attendant velocity of longer barrels, the 120 grain Speer becomes a viable option as well.

[Sweetwater]

It's a great round! I bought a both the 10" and the 14" contender barrels when I was shooting IHMSA back in the late '80's. The 100gr Hornady with a bunch of IMR4198 was deadly on Wyoming Antelope. I never tried it on anything larger. But it did flat out drop those antelope. Just my two cents -

Regards,
Sweetwater

[spinafish]

thanks guys, my barrel is 14"  it shoots just about all the bullet weights very well!  fours shots that can be covered with a dime at 100 yards!  I don't have a rifle that shoots that well!

[sweetwyominghome]

That barrel definitely sounds like a keeper. There is one other bullet that may prove its worth in the hunting fields for the 10-14" 6.5 TCUs, but I haven't tested it sufficiently to warrant comment. That bullet: the recently-introduced 120 grain A-Max.

My very early work with it, though, does not immediately put it in the same league as the 120 grain Nosler, but like I said, my experience with it so far is relatively limited, so I will refrain from any further comment.

[EdK]

I don't know if this bullet would interest you or not but I noticed the 130gr Accubond on sale at nosler's shooters' pro shop. Accubonds have been very well received but I have not shot them in this caliber. Their velocity window for proper performance pretty much overlaps the ballistic tip but maybe the 130gr is just too much in the TCU - something to look into anyhow...

http://www.shootersproshop.com/index.php?p=11&b=8&s=320&t=AccuBond

[sweetwyominghome]

Actually, the expansion windows for the Accubond and Ballistic Tip are not the same and differ on the low end by around 200 fps. Hence, the AB is not the best choice for lower-velocity rounds like the 6.5 TCU. The BT will expand down to around 1625-1650 fps (Nosler claims 1600) while the AB will expand to around 1850 fps (Nosler lists 1800)

Their accuracy, however, is fantastic. I just recently bought 350 of them from the Shooter's Pro Shop 2nds sale.

[spinafish]

good info..thanks again guys.