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

[Snowhunter11]

Elk/deer meat hunt. X2 6.5 creed in use.

1st elk-Tikka 19” 143 eldx factory ammo ~200 yards. Less than 10 yards after impact. Slightly rear of lungs. Not ideal shot placement.

2nd elk- Tikka 18” 147 eldm factory at 387 yards. Roughly 40 yards after impact. Back of lungs hit. No exit. Shot was from 18” tikka suppressed with AB-A10. Impact was 2140fps. “Herd” was 4 bull, 4 cow, and 2 calf. Fired three times while animals casually grazed towards us none the wiser. First animal killed suppressed and blown away at the lack of response to suppressed fire.

X1 whitetail bonus doe with 147 eldm at 60 yards. Good hit as vitals were jello bullet exited. ~40 yard death run. Blood gushing the whole way.

6.5 why would you need more!?!

 

[TJudeB]

I shot my first bull during CO's 2nd rifle season and couldn't be more impressed with the 6.5 Creedmoor 140 ELDM performance.
We spotted a trio of legal bulls at about 1100 yards across a very steep canyon and watched them for several morning and evening sits hoping for an opportunity to close the distance. At the very end of the last day of our hunt I was able to get to 800 yards on flat spot that let me go fully prone with the tripod and rear bag for a very stable position.
My first shot was a clean hit through the vitals but the bull trotted about 10 yards across the hillside and stood broadside so I sent a 2nd shot and he dropped right there. Looking through the scope, it appeared that his head was still up and with legal shooting light rapidly fading I decided to send a 3rd one for insurance just in case he decided to walk off into the nasty scrub brush on that hill side. As it turns out his antlers had gotten hung up on a tree when he dropped so the 3rd shot was totally unnecessary but I wasn't taking any chances.

This hunt solidified some of the lessons I learned shooting NRL hunter earlier in the year. Notably the value of a true shooting tripod for longer shots in uneven terrain. I will always pay the weight penalty to get that advantage going forward.

Thanks @TJudeB for the adventure.

Shoutout to @hereinaz for the excellent Triple S pillow, it made glassing so much more comfortable and helped seal the deal on my shot.

SS Tikka 6.5 Creedmoor, 16.5" barrel
Hornady 140gr ELDM
Gunwerks 6IX
RokStok
UM Tikka Rings
Sightmark Presidio
Two Vets Recon V2 Inverted

As an eyewitness... the 6.5 NEEDMOOR was more than enough at 800 yards for a mature bull elk. If only I had hair, I'd grow a man bun to celebrate.