6.5 CM for a once in a lifetime Oryx hunt. Give it to me straight

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Interesting tidbit...

PLEASE NOTE: In spite of the bullet weight requirements which may dictate the use of a certain calibers, according to the Eastern Cape Act, it is NOT allowed to shoot the following plains game species with a caliber of 6.5 mm or less: Kudu, Wildebeest, Oryx, Red Hartebeest, Eland and species of a similar size.

 

[Firestone]

Not my hunt, but from the advice given from majority of the people that have actually killed them, it sounds like a perfect opportunity to buy another gun. who doesn't like gun shopping? Good luck

 

[JGRaider]

Not my hunt, but from the advice given from majority of the people that have actually killed them, it sounds like a perfect opportunity to buy another gun. who doesn't like gun shopping? Good luck

Amen brother!

 

[Unckebob]

I’ve read hundreds of post on taking Elk/Oryx with a 6.5 CM. Seems like everyone is on one side of the fence or the other. I got lucky and drew an Oryx tag in NM for April 23’.

I’ve got a Tikka CTR 6.5 shooting 142 gr Accubonds Long Range. The guns a tack driver.

I’ve got plenty of time before the hunt and I’m mulling the decision to get a .300 win mag. I used to have a .338 win mag back in the day and I hated the recoil and sold it. The Tikka is a dream to shoot. Thoughts?

There are times in life when barely adequate or even adequate is good enough. There are other times when you need to choose "more than adequate" if at all possible.

This is one of those times.

Buy a gun and sell it after the hunt. In the grand scheme of things, it wont cost you much.

 

[ElPollo]

I didn’t draw an oryx when I was an NM resident, but I have lots of friends who have. People, including my friends, who talk about how tough oryx are also seem to say you should use .30 cal+ and controlled expansion bullets. Not a one of my friends who says that has ever shot an oryx with less than a .30 or a non-controlled expansion bullet.

Truth is that oryx are about the same size as a cow elk and are made from exactly the same stuff as a cow elk. If you asked me how to make a cow elk look tough and likely end up with a longer tracking job, I’d suggest shooting it with a big controlled expansion bullet that zips right on through leaving a fairly small wound channel.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I didn’t draw an oryx when I was an NM resident, but I have lots of friends who have. People, including my friends, who talk about how tough oryx are also seem to say you should use .30 cal+ and controlled expansion bullets. Not a one of my friends who says that has ever shot an oryx with less than a .30 or a non-controlled expansion bullet.

Truth is that oryx are about the same size as a cow elk and are made from exactly the same stuff as a cow elk. If you asked me how to make a cow elk look tough and likely end up with a longer tracking job, I’d suggest shooting it with a big controlled expansion bullet that zips right on through leaving a fairly small wound channel.

So you are suggesting a cup and core/polymer tipped soft point?

 

[JGRaider]

I've killed about a dozen oryx in Namibia, each one with my Tikka 695 7mag and 160 AB's. When you put a good bullet in the right place oryx will die just as quickly as any other big game animal. When you don't, get your hush puppies on.....you're gonna be walking a while.

 

[BjornF16]

I've killed about a dozen oryx in Namibia, each one with my Tikka 695 7mag and 160 AB's. When you put a good bullet in the right place oryx will die just as quickly as any other big game animal. When you don't, get your hush puppies on.....you're gonna be walking a while.

OP, just how well can you shoot a .30 cal magnum?

What is your probability of hit in lethal radius with .300 WM versus .280 AI versus 6.5 CM at expected shot ranges?

 

[JGRaider]

Everyone shoots lower recoiling cartridges better than high recoiling ones, myself included, if that answers your question. That being said, the longest shot I've ever taken on oryx is about 150 yards, so accuracy really not an issue with so few shots IME.

I'll say it again, I wouldn't be scared to take my suppressed 7-08 140AB combo oryx hunting, and I'm betting my 6.5CM with a 130AB would kill one dead as well.

 

[BjornF16]

Everyone shoots lower recoiling cartridges better than high recoiling ones, myself included, if that answers your question. That being said, the longest shot I've ever taken on oryx is about 150 yards, so accuracy really not an issue with so few shots IME.

I'll say it again, I wouldn't be scared to take my suppressed 7-08 140AB combo oryx hunting, and I'm betting my 6.5CM with a 130AB would kill one dead as well.

Seeing how you are not the OP, no, it does not answer my question.

Besides, it wasn’t a generic question; it was specifically framed to ask how he personally handles recoil. His answer would serve to help guide his choice.

 

[JGRaider]

Sorry, guess I misread your post.

 

[ndhuntermanND]

Once in a lifetime.. no way. Even if it was a yearly hunt, why F around.

 

[Stikbrandon]

This thread got crazy.

6.5 CM for the win!!! Nothing ever not one time has ever looked back at the shooter and said wtf was that….. smash it in the lungs and it will go down fast. People kill elk all the time with a 6.5cm handle it brother and good luck ! Stoked for you.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

curious to know if @chamois has any first-hand experience on oryx, and what his recommendation would be.

 

[Stinky Coyote]

Up to 450 lb with apparently just different placement of organs than our traditional means you're gonna study anatomy differences before you go and the rig you shoot most accurately will be the winner, quick looks show the heart lungs more over top the front legs (further forward than our critters), that tikka ctr in 6.5cm sounds perfect. It has more than enough impact velocity and sd to handle that critter to beyond reasonable ranges.

 

[chamois]

curious to know if @chamois has any first-hand experience on oryx, and what his recommendation would be.

I have shot a number of Oryx in Namibia with several cartridges going from a 5,6x57 loaded with 62gr TSX to a 300 Wby Mag loaded with 160gr GS Custom HV bullets and the former 180gr Barnes MRX.
The ones with which I have killed the most have been a 6,5x65R with which I made a side by side comparison between the 140gr VLD and a 93gr LM KJG bullet. The latter is a copper monolithic bullet whose front part fragments @ la Hammer or Cutting Edge styles; a 6XC loaded with 105gr VLDs and a 7x57R with 150gr Partitions. In that order. In all these cull hunts my hunting buddy always used a 270WCF loaded with 140gr NBTs so I also have a good feel about their performance.
Oryx have a very particular anatomy with the heart placed lower and further to the front that you would think. Also, the spinal apophysis of the vertebrae in the neck shoulder area are quite long, meaning that, roughly, that a shot in that upper third of the Oryx silhouette will not touch the spine, even less get into the rib cage.
In my opinion, if you place your first shot well you have a dead Oryx but, if your first shot is not well placed you will not believe the amount of punishment your wounded Oryx will take before folding up. If he runs out of sight after a first lousy shot my bet is that you will never find it.
I attach a photo of my favourite shot on Oryx, the one I consider more lethal (excluding spine or headshots) which is two-three inches above the edge of their black stocking. This one maybe is a tad low but you get the idea. I will try to attach a short 12 seconds video of an Oryx killed with that very same shot from the 93gr KJG and the 6,5x65R.
Sorry for the long text.
PS: I have not been able to load the video. It does not seem to be possible, but let me know if you can and we will find the way to send it to you.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Thanks for sharing your experience, that ideal shot placement is very different than anything i've ever hunted. It seems like you have biased towards higher velocity cartridges for oryx, would you have any concerns bout using something milder?

I think the videos here mostly get loaded onto youtube and then linked in that way, but I honestly don't know.

 

[chamois]

Thanks for sharing your experience, that ideal shot placement is very different than anything i've ever hunted. It seems like you have biased towards higher velocity cartridges for oryx, would you have any concerns bout using something milder?

I think the videos here mostly get loaded onto youtube and then linked in that way, but I honestly don't know.

No, I would’nt have any concern. In fact, without checking my notes, I shot twenty three or twenty five Oryx with the 150gr NP bullet in the 7x57R, a very accurate load I worked out with Norma URP and BR2 primers and a muzzle speed of 2,680 fps.
Speed kills, sure, but it has been my experience that shot placement is far more important.
High speed means more recoil and muzzle blast, and I am a better shooter with mild cartridges than with high intensity ones.
Trajectory is not an issue for me as I am not a long range shooter by norm, I mean at living animals (I enjoy a lot shooting long distance at paper, though), and you can always correct your aim or dial a couple clicks more if you are using a turreted scope.
Regarding wind deflection, I rather fight against it using a high BC bullet better than high speed.
Regards from Spain

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Let me get this straight….a 223 will kill elk with no issues but a 6.5 creed isn’t a good choice for an oryx?

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

Let me get this straight….a 223 will kill elk with no issues but a 6.5 creed isn’t a good choice for an oryx?

Keep up


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