Speer .264 120 gr Gold Dot

[wvbuckbuster]

Anybody shoot this bullet in a 6.5x55? Got some to try and was wondering if anyone has poked a deer with it. Have been using the Nosler 120 BT and Sierra both work well just looking to try something new. Thanks, Dan.

 

[Guybo]

I haven't used them personally but i saw in the post (Speer Impact Bullets) that 1Shot used them on deer from a 6.5 Grendel with excellent results. The reviews that I've seen on them thus far have been positive.

 

[Cleveland48]

I watched a video on you tube. Johnnys reloding bench is the channel i believe. He shot some into gel. 120 and 140 grain i believe. They had excellent expansion.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[1Shot]

Yep I shot only one deer with one out of a 6.5 Grendel at 2550 fps. Deer was standing facing me at 111 yards. It was a 100ish lb doe. Shot was placed in the center of it's chest and it dropped in it's tracks. Now I have shot hundreds of deer with about everything from a sharp stick to a 45-70 and I never have seen anything like what this bullet did. Just like what I have seen exhibited in jell test it looked like this bullet fully expanded on impact. Jell test shows this and expansion is 5 peddles folding back. When I processed the deer this is what I found. When I pulled the hide down over the front shoulders as the deer was hanging by the hind legs head down the heart and lung tissue came gushing out in chunks through the golf ball size hole in the chest and between the shredded and missing tissue that was between the first 2 to 3 ribs on both sides. On the right side the first two ribs were broken into and the first 3 on the left side and the left scapula was broken into causing the left leg to just flap. Lungs and heart were destroyed. There was NO EVIDENCE of bullet fragmentation. This destruction and breaking of bone had to be from hydrostatic effect. In jell test it blows a "temporary" cavity 5 inches round and 7 inches deep. The bullet being a bonded bullet held together and penetrated on through the gut and exited out the belly about 6 inches in front of the crotch with a thumb size hole. Penetration was around 20 inches. I was hopping to capture the bullet and is the reason for the shot placement but it exited and I could not find it. This bullet has been a very accurate bullet in the 2 AR 6.5 Grendel's I have shot it in. I have also killed a bunch of deer with the old 6.5x55 with 120 Sierra and Nosler BTs plus 140 Sierra and Hornady Interlocks. I have a Mauser 96 that some Bubba had already started hacking on I picked up for a song at a gun show a long time ago and made a nice sporting rifle out of it. I left the 29" barrel on it because I discovered with AA4350 powder I could get some really high velocity while staying under 46000 CUP with about bug hole accuracy. 120s at 3000 fps and 140s 2800 fps. Over the years of doing crop damage control and hunting deer I have discovered that most anything in .257 or .264 Cal. are just stone cold killers. Good luck and I think you will be pleased with the 120 Gold Dot.

 

[Cleveland48]

Yep I shot only one deer with one out of a 6.5 Grendel at 2550 fps. Deer was standing facing me at 111 yards. It was a 100ish lb doe. Shot was placed in the center of it's chest and it dropped in it's tracks. Now I have shot hundreds of deer with about everything from a sharp stick to a 45-70 and I never have seen anything like what this bullet did. Just like what I have seen exhibited in jell test it looked like this bullet fully expanded on impact. Jell test shows this and expansion is 5 peddles folding back. When I processed the deer this is what I found. When I pulled the hide down over the front shoulders as the deer was hanging by the hind legs head down the heart and lung tissue came gushing out in chunks through the golf ball size hole in the chest and between the shredded and missing tissue that was between the first 2 to 3 ribs on both sides. On the right side the first two ribs were broken into and the first 3 on the left side and the left scapula was broken into causing the left leg to just flap. Lungs and heart were destroyed. There was NO EVIDENCE of bullet fragmentation. This destruction and breaking of bone had to be from hydrostatic effect. In jell test it blows a "temporary" cavity 5 inches round and 7 inches deep. The bullet being a bonded bullet held together and penetrated on through the gut and exited out the belly about 6 inches in front of the crotch with a thumb size hole. Penetration was around 20 inches. I was hopping to capture the bullet and is the reason for the shot placement but it exited and I could not find it. This bullet has been a very accurate bullet in the 2 AR 6.5 Grendel's I have shot it in. I have also killed a bunch of deer with the old 6.5x55 with 120 Sierra and Nosler BTs plus 140 Sierra and Hornady Interlocks. I have a Mauser 96 that some Bubba had already started hacking on I picked up for a song at a gun show a long time ago and made a nice sporting rifle out of it. I left the 29" barrel on it because I discovered with AA4350 powder I could get some really high velocity while staying under 46000 CUP with about bug hole accuracy. 120s at 3000 fps and 140s 2800 fps. Over the years of doing crop damage control and hunting deer I have discovered that most anything in .257 or .264 Cal. are just stone cold killers. Good luck and I think you will be pleased with the 120 Gold Dot.

Excellent performance review! Both my brothers young sons have 6.5 Grendel AR's. Definitely going to let them know about your review. It will help me convince them to try them out.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[wvbuckbuster]

So far it sounds like a deer thumper for sure! I like the fact it is bonded and having a load for the 120 bt hope it will fall close to that. Thanks, Dan.

 

[1Shot]

Do not just substitute the 120 Gold Dot for any other bullet even of the same weight. Always back off the powder and work up. This bullet is a little different in that it does not take as much powder to get the velocity as other bullets need. When you try to up the velocity of it by adding more powder to come up to previous loads of other bullets your run into pressure quickly. For example with my Grendel's using IMR 8208 it takes a half a grain more with 120 Sierra Pro Hunters than the 120 Gold Dot to get the same velocity and accuracy.

 

[gerry]

Speer looks like they have hit a home run with the Gold Dot bullets. Would love to try either of the 120 or 140 gr in our 6.5 mm rifles. Kind of hard to find up here but hopefully they will show up soon.

 

[1Shot]

Midway USA had some the other day.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

1 Shot I agree that's why I said I hope it falls close to my other loads with the Nosler BT. Thanks for the reminder. Dan.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Got to the range today and tried out the 120 gr Gold Dots. Shooting in my Mod 70 Fwt load that shot the best was 48grs RL 19 Win LR primer in a Norma case giving 6/8 in group at 100 yds. 1/2 grain below and above not as tight. This group size is about the same as the Nosler 120 BT. Hope to try it out this fall. Dan.