Elk Rounds for 6.5 Creedmore

muledeerchaser said:
You are under gunned with that caliber…. Yes it will work, but you want a caliber and bullet that will work under the worst of conditions….. Start with a 3006 and work up from there…..
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.223 for bear, mountain goat, deer, elk, and moose.

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www.rokslide.com www.rokslide.com

Enjoy!!
 
VR17 said:
Just wondering about suggestions for 6.5 creedmore loads for elk. Thanks
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I shot my cow this year at 550 yards. 143 ELDX going 2950fps with RL26 loaded probably too hot with my stock HMR Bergara. I'm at 3900 ft alt. It was off my deck and the temp was about 20F. I was set up on bags front and rear perfect rest. She was standing between my 500 yard gong and 600 yard gong in my alfalfa field next to my house. I waited till she was broadside and hit her right through both lungs and heart. The jacket seperated from the core and neither exited. Both pieces in the far hide. She sat back on her honches then stood back up and then folded over. She was dead when I got up to her. I had forever to wait for the perfect shot.

My new 6.5 PRC gets here Friday. For me at that distance the hit felt too soft, looked too soft. The round did what it was supposed to do I guess? But even with the perfect set up left me wanting a tad more. I wanted a exit in case I needed to track her. I like the recoil and watching the hit with the Creed but at that distance I think I was pushing it. The year before I got my cow at 150 yards with a Barnes and it felt right. The bullet didn't loose a bit of mass and mushroomed perfect. It was a boom, loud thud, knock-down flop.

In my head after I get my new PRC dialed I figure I'm going to try to use a Barnes loaded up for first shot for inside of 300 yards and something heavier grained loaded in the mag for further out. If its a long range shot I can just jack out the Barnes. I"m also playing with the 124 Hammers so theres that. With a PRC I think I can use heavier grained bullets to see how that plays out with felt recoil and how hard they hit my gongs. If I can use mono's with less grains and still pound the gongs hard I'll try those. If not I'll go heavy with the bullet grains. I don't plan to ever shoot over 700 yards at game. I can be pretty sneaky so I figure 700 is my limit at this point.

I have 8 inch gongs from 100 to 1000 yards, ten steps away from me as I type this if I walk out my sliding glass door onto my deck. I reload and use a chrony. I'm saying I wanted a touch more at 550 with the 143 ELDX. This is just my opinion with the Creed. Most elk gurus will say 30 caliber or nothing. My clan were all .270 til my GF got me into 6.5's. -WW
ps. I've never shot that far in my life. I've taken pretty much a elk a year since 1995, and just as many mule deer.
 
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And smaller European moose are shot at nowhere near the ranges guys are talking about around here...

Adequate sectional density that expands and takes out the vitals is what you're after. If you must limit shot presentation to do that so be it. That's why larger cartridges have typically been talked about with respect to big game like elk. They carry a whole lot more on the receiving end as bullet weight is a constant no matter any other variables which are just that, variables. My 35 Whelen AI is not a "long range" cartridge, not pretending it to be. However the visual effect at impact on the animal compared to a smaller caliber is noticeable. Bullet weight and momentum, not kinetic energy, cannot be made up for and they allow for shots other than broadside in general hunting.
 
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At the elevations I hunt at and with my particular load and rifle, 500 yards is as far of a shot as I am willing to take on an elk. I shot this years bull at 457 yards with the Creedmoor and an 143 ELDX and I would have gotten closer if I would have had the ability. Three years ago I took a bull at 500 yards with the same set up. Both bulls went down quickly and I only take shots that far if everything is perfect.
 
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hunter1181 said:
At the elevations I hunt at and with my particular load and rifle, 500 yards is as far of a shot as I am willing to take on an elk. I shot this years bull at 457 yards with the Creedmoor and an 143 ELDX and I would have gotten closer if I would have had the ability. Three years ago I took a bull at 500 yards with the same set up. Both bulls went down quickly and I only take shots that far if everything is perfect.
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This post sums everything up so well.

Don't let the difference in elevation go unnoticed. My go-to for elk is a 200 TTSX out of a 35 Whelen AI, 25" barrel. 2925 fps mv. 2" less drop at 350 yds at 8300' vs at sea level. Not enough to worry about. However, start going "long" and it is eye opening. If I wanted to go to 650 yards (which I never would) the difference is 18 inches and 300 fps. The velocity difference puts that bullet into the "won't expand zone" at sea level, and is barely fast enough at 8300' to possibly open somewhat.
 
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The Creedmoor puts a bigger hole through the vitals than a bow. It works just fine. I only have a sample of 1 bull with the 6.5, but the wound channel was rather indistinguishable from other caliber bullets. Mine was with a 140 Berger VLD, bull went zero feet.
 
prm said:
The Creedmoor puts a bigger hole through the vitals than a bow. It works just fine. I only have a sample of 1 bull with the 6.5, but the wound channel was rather indistinguishable from other caliber bullets. Mine was with a 140 Berger VLD, bull went zero feet.
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prm, what range was that shot on the bull? Good work!

It's not the size of hole, it's disrupting the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain that causes the animal faint, then die there shortly after. Whether the animal stands broadside like it hasn't been hit bleeding out from a well placed arrow or drops from the trauma of a bullet, it's the lack of oxygen to brain that causes death. Or a poorly placed shot with an arrow or bullet that gets the liver for example, the animal more slowly bleeds out. In that case, there's not enough blood (eventually) for the still functioning circulatory system to provide adequate oxygen to the brain, and the animal succumbs.

Perfect example of kinetic energy not meaning a thing, but having enough momentum for the arrow or bullet to penetrate, and disrupt the flow of blood to the brain.
 
35WhelenAI said:
prm, what range was that shot on the bull? Good work!

…
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135 yds. Broadside. First shot was centered in lungs. He stood there so got a second shot. Eventually blood pressure went to zero and he went lights out. It did not have the same visible response as what I’ve seen with the 338 Fed, but the time to lights out was within what seems reasonable for non CNS hit on a bull. Looking at the wound channels, I would be hard pressed to identify whether it was a 6.5, .30, or even 338. I would give a slight edge to my 338 Fed for elk, but I’d use my 6.5 in the future with no reservation.
 
Vern400 said:
I've shot a good bit of 6.5 CM. I can't help but think there are a whole bunch of better calibers for elk. Sure it will work but if energy is too low bullets may just slip through like a pencil. I also doubt a lot of guys will be selective enough with shots they take. Folks will get all torqued up over it, but the 6.5 CM wasn't designed for large game. I've found a lot of animals hunters "missed". You ain't got much punch to work with, boys and girls.
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This has to be one of the dumbest comments I have read in several weeks. Energy has nothing to do with bullet performance. Velocity does. 6.5 caliber bullets have been used on big game for a really long time with a lot of success.
 
Wetwork said:
I shot my cow this year at 550 yards. 143 ELDX going 2950fps with RL26 loaded probably too hot with my stock HMR Bergara. I'm at 3900 ft alt. It was off my deck and the temp was about 20F. I was set up on bags front and rear perfect rest. She was standing between my 500 yard gong and 600 yard gong in my alfalfa field next to my house. I waited till she was broadside and hit her right through both lungs and heart. The jacket seperated from the core and neither exited. Both pieces in the far hide. She sat back on her honches then stood back up and then folded over. She was dead when I got up to her. I had forever to wait for the perfect shot.

My new 6.5 PRC gets here Friday. For me at that distance the hit felt too soft, looked too soft. The round did what it was supposed to do I guess? But even with the perfect set up left me wanting a tad more. I wanted a exit in case I needed to track her. I like the recoil and watching the hit with the Creed but at that distance I think I was pushing it. The year before I got my cow at 150 yards with a Barnes and it felt right. The bullet didn't loose a bit of mass and mushroomed perfect. It was a boom, loud thud, knock-down flop.

In my head after I get my new PRC dialed I figure I'm going to try to use a Barnes loaded up for first shot for inside of 300 yards and something heavier grained loaded in the mag for further out. If its a long range shot I can just jack out the Barnes. I"m also playing with the 124 Hammers so theres that. With a PRC I think I can use heavier grained bullets to see how that plays out with felt recoil and how hard they hit my gongs. If I can use mono's with less grains and still pound the gongs hard I'll try those. If not I'll go heavy with the bullet grains. I don't plan to ever shoot over 700 yards at game. I can be pretty sneaky so I figure 700 is my limit at this point.

I have 8 inch gongs from 100 to 1000 yards, ten steps away from me as I type this if I walk out my sliding glass door onto my deck. I reload and use a chrony. I'm saying I wanted a touch more at 550 with the 143 ELDX. This is just my opinion with the Creed. Most elk gurus will say 30 caliber or nothing. My clan were all .270 til my GF got me into 6.5's. -WW
ps. I've never shot that far in my life. I've taken pretty much a elk a year since 1995, and just as many mule deer.
Click to expand...
Sneaky, what opening the door without it squeeking.
 
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