6.5 Creedmoor on Elk?

[Bergara]

I recently just purchased a Bergara B-14. Haven’t shot it much besides breaking the barrel in. I’m just curious as I’ve watched a lot of videos on the ol’ youtube of some guys claiming 6.5 cm is a large enough caliber to bag Elk and others claiming not. I was wondering what were your guys’ opinions? I just bought Hornadys 143 gr. ELD-X Precision Hunter. Thanks!


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[SneakyThunderCat]

Definitely suitable for elk. Good shot placement is key as with any other caliber. Just don’t shoot like an idiot, and know the bullets effective range. 6.5 gets a bad rap cause every flat biller thinks they automatically become a sniper and can kill anything they want at 1000 yards with one.

 

[Deere83]

My daughter shot her first bull at 300 yards with the exact setup you have. I had her send a follow up shot but it wasn’t needed. As was said before, shot placement is critical as always.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

6.5 for elk

6.5 creedmore big enough round for elk? Using the 143g ELDx

www.rokslide.com

 

[bozeman]

All day, every day!

 

[kipper09]

I know there’s people that are more experienced than me that say it’s perfect for elk. No way I would ever carry a creedmoor on an elk hunt. I’m sure with good bullet placement it’s fine. But my world isn’t perfect. If I make a mistake I want the odds the best I can stacked in my favor.

My experience is limited but from what I’ve saw it takes a lot to put a big bull down. 30 caliber for me. Or maybe a 28 nosler. Best advice I got was if he’s still moving keep shooting. They are very big and durable animals.


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[mncoolbeans]

As others have stated, the 6.5 CM will work just fine, need a good bullet and shot placement. Practice makes perfect. Took my first Bull Elk in 2019 with my 6.5 CM at 275-yards with Hornady 143gr ELD-X, One shot, double-lung, went 40-yards and tipped over.

 

[Dr. Zeus]

I know there’s people that are more experienced than me that say it’s perfect for elk. No way I would ever carry a creedmoor on an elk hunt. I’m sure with good bullet placement it’s fine. But my world isn’t perfect. If I make a mistake I want the odds the best I can stacked in my favor.

My experience is limited but from what I’ve saw it takes a lot to put a big bull down. 30 caliber for me. Or maybe a 28 nosler. Best advice I got was if he’s still moving keep shooting. They are very big and durable animals.


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What caliber would you compare shooting a whitetail with that associates shooting an elk with a 6.5 cm? For example, "hunting elk with a 6.5 cm is like hunting whitetail with a .223" -just curious

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[woods89]

6.5/260

Some elk in here.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

I know there’s people that are more experienced than me that say it’s perfect for elk. No way I would ever carry a creedmoor on an elk hunt. I’m sure with good bullet placement it’s fine. But my world isn’t perfect. If I make a mistake I want the odds the best I can stacked in my favor.

My experience is limited but from what I’ve saw it takes a lot to put a big bull down. 30 caliber for me. Or maybe a 28 nosler. Best advice I got was if he’s still moving keep shooting. They are very big and durable animals.


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Cant go by diameter alone. Look at actual ballistics.

Past ~250 yards the 6.5 CM pulls away from the revered 308 Win. Using the same logic, you are saying that both a 30-30 and a 300 Savage are better options for killing bull elk than a 6.5 CM. Heck, you even went from ".30 caliber for you" when it came to killing bull elk and downgraded to a .284 (tons of killing oomph with the 28 Nosler).

Folks should be saying "use the most powerful cartridge that you can shoot accurately and consistently". If that is the 6.5 CM, then so be it. If you can do that with a 378 Weatherby more power to you.

 

[Indian Summer]

Notice how all the guys who say it’s perfectly suitable also stress that placement is critical. That tells me they think that there’s little to no margin for error. That’s why it’s critical right?

I know a guy who killed a 5 point bull with a .22. True story. He was a young kid growing up in Montana. He shot it like 8 times. Right in the eye. Young and dumb. But he killed it. A .22 is suitable for elk. Placement is critical.

 

[CoStick]

Notice how all the guys who say it’s perfectly suitable also stress that placement is critical. That tells me they think that there’s little to no margin for error. That’s why it’s critical right?

I know a guy who killed a 5 point bull with a .22. True story. He was a young kid growing up in Montana. He shot it like 8 times. Right in the eye. Young and dumb. But he killed it. A .22 is suitable for elk. Placement is critical.

Placement is critical with any caliber.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Notice how all the guys who say it’s perfectly suitable also stress that placement is critical. That tells me they think that there’s little to no margin for error. That’s why it’s critical right?

I know a guy who killed a 5 point bull with a .22. True story. He was a young kid growing up in Montana. He shot it like 8 times. Right in the eye. Young and dumb. But he killed it. A .22 is suitable for elk. Placement is critical.

And that is worse than a hunter using a monster magnum rifle he/she is scared to death of and hits the elk in the rump? Old deaf and dumb. Nice slow death for an elk due to a hunter overcompensating for a "shortcoming".

Both the hunter and the elk would be better served if the hunter used the most powerful cartridge that he/she can shoot accurately and consistently.

It is very sad to see so many folks, especially on Rokslide, that are ardent proponents of taking an unethical shot for themselves but lecture others to only take ethical shots. If the shot sucks, the shot sucks and the shooter should pass.

Go to the range and look at the bulk of the shooters of monster magnums. Most look like they are having a seizure and that is before they take the shot. Far too many hunters are not willing to admit that they are not nearly as recoil tolerant as they believe.

 

[SpringM1A]

My grandson shot a big-bodied bull with his 6.5 Creedmoor last year. He was using 143 gr something or other bullets....uh...4 CAPITAL letters....ELDX maybe. Anyway, that's the key; make sure your bullets have 4 CAPITAL letters if you're using the little 6.5 Creedmoor on elk.

 

[SwiftShot]

It is all about that bullet. The bigger the diameter the more error you have with bullets ect. It will get the job done if you use the right bullets and hit where you want. Bigger guns will give you more room for Oh Crap, but if you play it right you should be fine with GOOD BULLETS.

 

[Megalodon]

The bigger the diameter the more error you have with bullets ect.

I’m onboard with most of your post, bullet choice is critical. But this part is either just poorly worded, or a flat out ridiculous take. .308 vs .264 is such a minor difference lol. Caliber has such a small factor on the performance. A .05” bigger hole means nothing.

 

[SwiftShot]

I’m onboard with most of your post, bullet choice is critical. But this part is either just poorly worded, or a flat out ridiculous take. .308 vs .264 is such a minor difference lol. Caliber has such a small factor on the performance. A .05” bigger hole means nothing.

I was making a generalization about bullet diameter. I was not being specific between the 6.5 and the .308. To say that there is not really a difference between the two that matters is to error. There is a huge difference in the size. Both with the same bullets when expanded the size difference will show a lot. That is not as important as how much they penetrate. You want good expansion and complete penetration. Trailing an animal is easy if you have a complete pass-through.

 

[WI in the west]

Heres my one experience woth a 6.5 on elk. I shot a small bull laying down at 290. I hit behind the shoulder like an archery shot, i watched him slumped over in his bed for 10 minites and he never moved. I gathered my stuff and walked over there. I got to where he was about 40 minutes later maybe and he got up and ran 50 yards. I ended up having to sneak up and shoot him again. He was definatly really hurt and not going far but him getting up made me decide i should just get a bigger caliber and now i swotched to a 300 wsm. I dont know whether to chalk that up as a bullet choice problem (143 eldx) or a 6.5 problem. Or maybe there was some other factor i didnt notice. It certainly can be done well if you make a good shot but i personally decided i want a little more gun for elk.

 

[Super tag]

6.5 Creed is not the greatest caliber for Elk, if you have the choice to use a larger caliber that’s a better option

 

[Indian Summer]

And that is worse than a hunter using a monster magnum rifle he/she is scared to death of and hits the elk in the rump? Old deaf and dumb. Nice slow death for an elk due to a hunter overcompensating for a "shortcoming".

Both the hunter and the elk would be better served if the hunter used the most powerful cartridge that he/she can shoot accurately and consistently.

It is very sad to see so many folks, especially on Rokslide, that are ardent proponents of taking an unethical shot for themselves but lecture others to only take ethical shots. If the shot sucks, the shot sucks and the shooter should pass.

Go to the range and look at the bulk of the shooters of monster magnums. Most look like they are having a seizure and that is before they take the shot. Far too many hunters are not willing to admit that they are not nearly as recoil tolerant as they believe.

Here we go.

Nobody ever suggested shooting more gun than a person can handle. But anyone can handle more than a 6.5 especially with a muzzle brake.

The point was that you can kill animals with smaller guns than you should be using but you should really get an elk gun instead of using the deer gun.

It’s time to go read the “Elk Are Tough” thread. More stores like the one above me about elk getting shot and living to tell about it. A deer is pretty darn tough. Elk are tougher. Way more. But the other thing to really consider is where they live. Things disappear there very easily. If you’re hunting desert or sage flats or private property that’s wide open you’ll be ok. But in the mountains it’s wise to anchor an elk right where he’s standing.