6.5 Creedmoor on Elk?

[long hunter]

The 6.5 creed is a fine rifle I own two of them a bolt gun and a AR-10, with that being said if hunting elk I would want at least a 30 cal. I like my 300 win mag. with 180 gr. hornady SSTs will the 6.5 get the job done yes, but I like the extra omphf so to speak.

 

[Short Track]

I killed a Moose with my 6.5CM. Through the lungs with 1 shot, dead is dead.
However, & a big however: Moose stand around to be shot again. Elk run to the next zip code.

I own a 6.5 & a .308. Haven't decided which I'm taking to CO yet.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

The creed is fine at 250 yards or less, after that you’ll need a cartridge with more velocity and energy, something that can penetrate deep with enough energy to expand the way the bullet is designed to. Much further than 250 or 300 the smaller calibers become questionable and risky.

If the conditions were perfect every time, and the animal cooperated every time, and your shot placement was flawless every time, I still wouldn’t recommend a creed or anything less than a 280. We owe it to the game we hunt to be ethical and do everything we can to insure clean fast kill shots.

Uniformed malarkey.

 

[shootsacreed]

Super Tag, Have you seen the Wayne Van Zwoll video where he shoots a bull elk at 603 yards with a Hornaday 129 grain SST and gets complete penetration? It might change your opinion of the capability and penetration of a 6.5MM projectile. I will have to side with mxgsfmdpx on this one!

 

[280Ackley]

I see a lot of people talking about the ELD-X for elk what about 130 or 140 Berger VLD for elk?

 

[Super tag]

Super Tag, Have you seen the Wayne Van Zwoll video where he shoots a bull elk at 603 yards with a Hornaday 129 grain SST and gets complete penetration? It might change your opinion of the capability and penetration of a 6.5MM projectile. I will have to side with mxgsfmdpx on this one!

yeah they are capable, of course, but I’ll stick with my 7mm mag.
I’ve been shooting a 260 Rem for a very long time, I wouldn’t choose either caliber specifically for elk hunting.

 

[Indian Summer]

Super Tag, Have you seen the Wayne Van Zwoll video where he shoots a bull elk at 603 yards with a Hornaday 129 grain SST and gets complete penetration? It might change your opinion of the capability and penetration of a 6.5MM projectile. I will have to side with mxgsfmdpx on this one!

Yeah… he made a nice double lunger. The question is what happens when you don’t?

Did you read the article from Craig Boddington?

 

[LightFoot]

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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Take it. If you have a great experience, tell us about it and then you can join countless others that say 6.5 Creedmoor is great for elk… or you can have a less than ideal experience and join countless others that say 6.5 Creedmoor is NOT great for elk.

It says a lot that you feel the need to ask. Nobody asks if a .30 cal is enough…. Oh wait, I stand corrected… You need a .375 for elk (this is a joke).

***Find the elk, first. Then poke ‘em with whatever you got. ***

FWIW I would go with the Barnes LRX/TTSX or an Accubond or Partition for the ability to penetrate deeper than a cup and core. But what do I know? I’m just an internet warrior like the everybody else.


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[Bighorner]

Still ok on a 300 yard, hard quartering to shot? Asking for a friend.

 

[CoStick]

yeah they are capable, of course, but I’ll stick with my 7mm mag.
I’ve been shooting a 260 Rem for a very long time, I wouldn’t choose either caliber specifically for elk hunting.

My buddy, much better shot than me uses a 7mm mag. I was using a .308. My elk dropped, his went 2 miles. We did recover both

 

[CoStick]

Still ok on a 300 yard, hard quartering to shot? Asking for a friend.

Yes

 

[Super tag]

My buddy, much better shot than me uses a 7mm mag. I was using a .308. My elk dropped, his went 2 miles. We did recover both

I’ve never had an elk take more than a couple steps, ever

 

[CoStick]

I’ve never had an elk take more than a couple steps, ever

Certainly highlights caliber doesn’t really matter.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

The dozen or so elk I killed were with a 270 and 130g Winchester silver tip ammo from wal-mart.

 

[Indian Summer]

My buddy, much better shot than me uses a 7mm mag. I was using a .308. My elk dropped, his went 2 miles. We did recover both

Really man???

Don’t you think there’s something missing from that story? It’s pretty obvious he didn’t make a very good shot and you did. 2 miles…. Yeah he nearly missed.

 

[Wrongside]

do you read the article from Craig Boddington?

Yeah. More Fudd myth.

I've seen elk soak up multiple rounds from 300WM and 338WM. Alternatively, collapse from one round of 7/08 or 6.5CM. A bad shot is a bad shot. Period. A bigger boom doesn't make up for a miss (a poor hit is a miss) and, IME, there is surprisingly little difference between wound paths of magnums and 'moderates' of like shot placement and projectile.

Still ok on a 300 yard, hard quartering to shot? Asking for a friend.

Every. Single. Time. With a good bullet and shot placement.

 

[specneeds]

I’ve killed 20 elk in the last 20 years all on public land. I’ve seen several more killed. Most were near private land borders where ranchers dislike public land hunters & will impede a recovery or use a tag to claim the elk. The territory is steep & rough an extra 200 yard run might add 1/2 a day to the pack out.

I started with a 7mm RM mixed Dads old 30-06 in for sentimental reasons & now shoot a 300 Weatherby with 180 grain Barnes TTSX. This works well for me in less than ideal conditions at bad angles & shooting through bone. I practice to 800 yards every year & have a 225 yard range at home.

Shots in our group have averaged just under 300 yards with a long of 550. I’ve had a lung shot elk cover over 500 yards before it died when a Nosler ballistic tip exploded on the ribs so I now use monos for elk. I’ve watched fatally wounded elk walk steadily toward a ranch where recovery is difficult or impossible & Seen lung shot cows lost because the hunter didn’t take a follow up shot.

The idea of losing an elk because I am afraid of recoil or want to use a lesser cartridge or don’t want to waste meat with a follow up seems silly to me. If I’m ever disabled to the point that I can’t handle much recoil I’d still use a more powerful cartridge than a 6.5 Creedmoor & add a brake & reducer in the stock of a 30-06 with 150’s.

My heavy Bergara 6.5 Creedmoor is braked, has hit targets at 1100 yards & is a pleasure to shoot even for small framed women & young boys. It’s a great target & deer rifle. When I set out to kill an 800 lb animal it isn’t a considered option for me. Rangefinders & precision rifle scopes make lesser cartridges viable for longer ranges now & flat shooting magnums aren’t the huge advantage they used to be - But they are still an advantage in the real world in a hurry without needing to dial.

If you can’t handle recoil or only own one rifle there are worse choices than the Creed. If you are an expert marksman who shoots necks at 500 yards great choice. For healthy male hunters of average mental toughness there are better choices for elk.

 

[specneeds]

I don’t want to impugn women hunters. I trained a small framed woman for a TV hunting show & she handled the recoil of my light 375H&H without difficulty on the mocked up charging Cape buffalo. A local restaurant owner used her 300 Weatherby to take a nice grizzly- it’s not unusual for women to handle hard kickers if needed.

 

[id_jon]

Reducing recoil is not just a matter of comfort. You are objectively going to be able to shoot a gun with less recoil better than one with more, and you will be more likely to actually spot your own shot. How many times do we see on video or with our buddies, "it felt like a good shot", and then you actually look at it and the bullet did not go where it was intended. Or on long tracking jobs, "i know i made a perfect shot", and yet the animal does not die quickly. If we're talking about giving ourselves every advantage possible, I know for myself at least, being able to gather as much data as possible after the shot is a huge advantage. If all I have to trade away is now I have to be a little more selective with shot angles, I am more than happy with that.

 

[specneeds]

Reducing recoil is not just a matter of comfort. You are objectively going to be able to shoot a gun with less recoil better than one with more, and you will be more likely to actually spot your own shot. How many times do we see on video or with our buddies, "it felt like a good shot", and then you actually look at it and the bullet did not go where it was intended. Or on long tracking jobs, "i know i made a perfect shot", and yet the animal does not die quickly. If we're talking about giving ourselves every advantage possible, I know for myself at least, being able to gather as much data as possible after the shot is a huge advantage. If all I have to trade away is now I have to be a little more selective with shot angles, I am more than happy with that.

There is no doubt an amount of recoil that degrades accuracy & it varies by shooter. If that line for you is 6.5 Creed in an 8 lb rifle - go with what works & use a good bullet.

I’m an old guy & understand at some point I’ll likely have that kind of limit too. My 300 Weatherby is a full 10 lbs loaded so it isn’t like shooting a 6 lb rifle. My accuracy at this point hasn’t fallen off I’m still 100% on smaller than elk vitals Targets out to 600 yards with moderate wind or less shooting off my pack sitting. I’m using a Z800 reticle that is proven & much faster than dialing.