utm fk

72 G&A february 2020 | the 6.5 PRC mAGnum
hornady’s 143-grain
eLD-X (right) bullet in
the 6.5 PRC is superb
for deer-size game.
Barnes’ new 127-grain
LRX (left) features a
monometal bullet with
controlled-expansion
for deep penetration.
the LRX is outstanding
for use on game up to
and including elk.
penetrating LRX bullet. After giving thanks for the winter’s meat
and taking pictures with friend and fellow writer Wayne van
Zwoll, we took the bull apart for the pack out.
Informal forensics told an impressive story: The 127-grain
LRX had impacted a couple of inches above the massive shoulder
knuckle. It took out a 2-inch
section of the wrist-size bone
of the lower shoulder blade.
Angling on toward the vitals, it
passed through a measured 8
inches of dense, tough shoulder
muscle, blew out a 21/-
inch section of rib, pulverized
the lungs and compromised
the plumbing atop the heart.
Finally, it broke the last rib on the other side of the
thoracic cavity where it came to rest. We estimated the
bullet produced 30 to 32 inches of penetration. Few
indeed are the bullets able to penetrate that deeply
and maintain straight-line penetration after impacting
that much bone.
Although I’ve come to
expect such results from the
larger-diameter, heavier versions
of the Barnes LRX, and
certainly hoped to see similar
stellar performance from the
6.5mm 127-grainer, I must
confess that I was impressed.
That specific scenario was the
PERFORMANCE
LOAD: 6.5 PRC
perfect storm of challenges that a big-bodied mature bull elk can
test a bullet with, and it performed splendidly.
In addition to Ruger, several rifle companies are on board with
the 6.5 PRC including Begara, Browning, Christensen Arms, Masterpiece
Arms, Montana Rifle Company, Mauser, Mossberg, Sauer
and Savage. I expect other
VELOCITY
(FPS) ES SD
BEST
GROUP
(IN.)
AVG.
GROUP
(IN.)
Barnes 127-gr. LRX 2,995 29 9 .39 .67
Hornady 147-gr. ELD Match 2,948 28 10 .86 .98
Hornady 143-gr. ELD-X 2,945 20 8 1.17 1.34
notes: Accuracy is the average of three, three- shot groups at 100 yards. Velocity is
the average of nine shots recorded with a LabRadar.
Test Barrel Length: 22 in.; Ambient Temperature: 50° F
this bull came to a
cow call and presented
a narrow shot
opportunity, quartering
steeply to, at
less than 70 yards.
Without a deeppenetrating
bullet,
the author could not
have ethically taken
the shot.
ammunition companies will
follow. For now, with Hornady’s
ideal-for-deer 143-grain ELD-X
and Barnes’ 127-grain LRX for
elk, hunters that want to field
the 6.5 PRC have everything
they need to hunt most hooved
game in the lower 48.
PHOTOS: WAYNE VAN ZWOLL