6.5 Creedmoor/260 for Deer, Elk, and whatever else.....

[lduston]

I bought the wife a Barrett Fieldcraft in 6.5 CM a few years back and she is deadly with that thing. I get kind of jealous since it is so nice to carry and I had a moment of insanity and sold the 18" version I had. I end up borrowing it on occasion which somehow must be lucky because I kill something every time I borrow it. She has taken 2 or 3 moose with it and I've lost count of the caribou and bears that have been killed with it. A lot of kills were with the Barnes 127gr LRX but more recently I've been loading the 124gr Hammer Hunters which I like way better for consistency and the terminal performance. The closest shot was under 10 yards on a bear and farthest was 450 on a sheep. One moose was 350 which I feel is pretty decent for a little cartridge on a big critter. It's a surprisingly efficient killer with the bullets I've loaded and its a lot of fun to shoot even for small framed young shooters.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

I see your rifle has evolved. No suppressor 1st few pics then a suppressor. Tell us about the suppressor, cost, recoil reduction noticeable?

 

[General RE LEE]

Anybody try the super basic 129 grain Hornady Interlocks on game? I bought a Hornady die and there is a rebate for a free box of 129 grain Interlocks.

I run 143 ELDX handloads (41.5 H4350) cause I’m kind of vanilla and they have dropped every deer I’ve shot.

Interlocks are a classic design I’ve always had great success with.

 

[SC HUNTER]

Anybody try the super basic 129 grain Hornady Interlocks on game? I bought a Hornady die and there is a rebate for a free box of 129 grain Interlocks.

I run 143 ELDX handloads (41.5 H4350) cause I’m kind of vanilla and they have dropped every deer I’ve shot.

Interlocks are a classic design I’ve always had great success with.

Not in a 6.5 cm but I've shot them in 243 and 7mm-08 and they kill deer. I didn't always get the best expansion or blood trails with them but they work. I'm also a basic white trick who shoots 143 eldx because they just work.

 

[ianpadron]

My 9 year old son shot this Michigan Elk about 3 weeks ago. I did a lot of research on mild calibers for kids that could effectively kill an Elk. 6.5 CM kept coming up as a marginal round for Elk. Yet several reputable hunters have endorsed it when under 300 yards. 7mm-08 was my 2nd choice, but went with the 6.5cm. Bullet choice was a bonded bullet from Norma "Bond Strike 143gr". A lot was at stake for this hunt with such a hard to draw tag. We spent hours at the rifle range, his shooting was exceptional. Honestly the 6.5 cm recoil rocked him pretty good, but he completely stayed in control & shot beautiful 3" groups at 100 yards. Anything bigger would have been too much I believe. So he ended up making a perfect 87 yard lung shot on this 500 lb cow Elk. Here is the lung bullet trauma pic. The elk went about 70 yards. I just wanted to post this for anyone with kids who may be recoil sensitive. This combo worked great and was manageable for my little guy.

Double that 300 yard effective range for your MI elevation.

Congrats to your kiddo, pretty cool hunt for a young fella.

 

[The Guide]

Anybody try the super basic 129 grain Hornady Interlocks on game? I bought a Hornady die and there is a rebate for a free box of 129 grain Interlocks.

I run 143 ELDX handloads (41.5 H4350) cause I’m kind of vanilla and they have dropped every deer I’ve shot.

Interlocks are a classic design I’ve always had great success with.

That is the same bullet that they use in the American Whitetail ammo. I have killed elk with the 150 and 180 using a 300WM and deer with the 100 in a 243. Very good old school type bullet similar to a Remington CoreLokt. The 129 is a flat base bullet and should be easy to find a good short range load for.

Jay

 

[Natebonebusta]

They shoot good for me with a softer felt recoil out of my 6.5 Creedmoor than the same powder charge with 130 TMK’s.