sheep - 270 vs 6.5cm

[Steve O]

When you say Creedmore I get a reflexive dry heave immediately. I’ve killed a lot of animals from antelope to Alaska Yukon moose with my .270. It goes with sheep like peanut butter and jelly. No chance if both needed to be shot out of a long action I would ever pick the 6.5CM.

 

[Kimber7man]

When you say Creedmore I get a reflexive dry heave immediately. I’ve killed a lot of animals from antelope to Alaska Yukon moose with my .270. It goes with sheep like peanut butter and jelly. No chance if both needed to be shot out of a long action I would ever pick the 6.5CM.

If I was forced to use a long action I’d go 280 Ackley or 6.5-06 over 270.

 

[brsnow]

If I was forced to use a long action I’d go 280 Ackley or 6.5-06 over 270.

.280 AI is the long action creedmoor for the most part. It guess it would require a manbun plus a beard.

 

[Steve O]

If I was forced to use a long action I’d go 280 Ackley or 6.5-06 over 270.

I was trying to stick with his two choices...I’m sure the rest of my sheep will be taken with my .264 Winchester if not the .270.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I was trying to stick with his two choices...I’m sure the rest of my sheep will be taken with my .264 Winchester if not the .270.

If that’s the case, than I’m sure Jack O’Connor would be deeply disappointed in you!


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[Indyal]

FWIW, Ron Spomer did a comparison of the ballistics of the 270 vs the 6.5 CM. Check his later articles as it looks like he did not like the 6.5 CM originally.
On my sheep hunt, I went with a 6.5 CM because there are multiple rifles that shoot well with factory ammo.
As far as effectiveness, I shot my ram at about 212 yards in the left brisket. It went over 100 yards. But that is because it rolled and tumbled down the steep slope. It was basically dead on its feet. The bullet was lodged under the hide just in front of the right hindquarter

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

Both will work just fine, I’d research the cartridges and pick the one you like best. I grew up on the 270 so it certainly has a place in my collection but I also like the 6.5creed. Both will kill sheep with no issue.

All that to say that my preferred cartridge for sheep is a 308.

How come you prefer the 308 over the 6.5? Do you limit your range to like 300 and under? I know my sheep this year at a bit over 500 had his shoulder destroyed by a 127 LRX out of my 21” 6.5.


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[thinhorn_AK]

How come you prefer the 308 over the 6.5? Do you limit your range to like 300 and under? I know my sheep this year at a bit over 500 had his shoulder destroyed by a 127 LRX out of my 21” 6.5.


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No I feel fairly comfortable shooting that gun out to a round 500 but I’ve never needed to, all mine have been under 300, I’ve just found some loss that work really well in that rifle, the hammer hunters and Barnes Ttsx 150g just shoot so well out of it. I also feel a bit more comfortable in bear country with a slightly bigger bullet. I’ve actually been wanting to move up to a 300wm for piece of mind since it looks like my mountain hunts will all be solo this next year.

 

[fatbacks]

I'd echo the bear issue... used to hunt sheep with a 6.5 CM. Just about any cartridge will kill a sheep but I want a little more stopping power for encountering a bear in the fall in the mountains. Killed two grizzly (on sheep hunts) with my 6.5 and they both died, but needless to say I will not shoot another bear with 6.5 CM. My AK mountain rifles are now a 300 WSM and 7 SAUM.

All that said, I would go with the 270 all day over the 6.5... an ornery grizzly bear in hyperphagia will make more stopping power worth it.

 

[USMC-40]

I'd echo the bear issue... used to hunt sheep with a 6.5 CM. Just about any cartridge will kill a sheep but I want a little more stopping power for encountering a bear in the fall in the mountains. Killed two grizzly (on sheep hunts) with my 6.5 and they both died, but needless to say I will not shoot another bear with 6.5 CM. My AK mountain rifles are now a 300 WSM and 7 SAUM.

All that said, I would go with the 270 all day over the 6.5... an ornery grizzly bear in hyperphagia will make more stopping power worth it.

This. Killed my dall with a 6.5 creed in AK this year and several times on that hunt I wished I would have brought my .300 WSM for piece of mind when around bears. If you hunt in big bear country, I think the minimum rifle should be a .270. Just my opinion.

 

[Comerade]

Our sheep country is Elk and Grizzly bear also. Bull Elk season runs concurrently.
Not a Creedmoor fan...I like to send the 150 Partitions at around 3000 fps these days. Good medicine, the .270 wcf.

 

[docmay]

I shot my stone sheep with a 270. Plain old blue box federal ammo. 260 yards and took the legs out from under him. Was trying to bowhunt but ran out of time. Either round will kill a sheep.

 

[LivinGood]

.270 for sure. I've used my Rem 700 on sheep, goats, caribou, and black bears. 130 grain Hornady GMX or 130 barns TSX is mostly what I use. If I was carrying a 6.5 and saw a nice grizzly I'd have a little hesitation before I started slinging lead. No hesitation with the 270. Just let er rip!

 

[wind gypsy]

.270 for sure. I've used my Rem 700 on sheep, goats, caribou, and black bears. 130 grain Hornady GMX or 130 barns TSX is mostly what I use. If I was carrying a 6.5 and saw a nice grizzly I'd have a little hesitation before I started slinging lead. No hesitation with the 270. Just let er rip!

Interesting. I would expect a wound channel from a 143eldx from a creedmoor to have significantly more tissue damage than one from a 130 TSX or GMX out of a 270.

 

[LivinGood]

Interesting. I would expect a wound channel from a 143eldx from a creedmoor to have significantly more tissue damage than one from a 130 TSX or GMX out of a 270.

My gun just shoots the copper bullets better. I shot a caribou with 145 grain eldx out of the 270 and didn't notice much difference in bullet damage. If you want massive trauma and a heck of mess, use Berger Hybrids. Shot a caribou with those this last year and it looked like a grenade went off in that thing.

 

[Molon Labe]

"Assuming a cartridge can make its way on merit alone, that cartridge is the .270. In its early years it sat in the corner, dressed in sackcloth and covered with ashes, while few riflemen suspected that underneith it had a figger like Miss America, a disposition like an angel, and it could bake pies like Mother used to make"

No beautiful prose written about the creedmoor by the greatest outdoor writer of all time....seems like an easy decision for someone that wants to chase sheep?

 

[Fadetoblack188]

I was pretty set in 6.5 before this thread. But it leans heavy 270

 

[Montana Craig]

My gun just shoots the copper bullets better. I shot a caribou with 145 grain eldx out of the 270 and didn't notice much difference in bullet damage. If you want massive trauma and a heck of mess, use Berger Hybrids. Shot a caribou with those this last year and it looked like a grenade went off in that thing.

I used the Berger Hybrids out of my 270 on my sheep this year.... I shot it 3 times it was dead on it's feet after the 1st but didn't want it running down into the canyon. 2 behind the front shoulder and 1 in front when it was quartered towards me. The lungs and heart were soup.

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[STevenQ178]

if you had to pick between the two for a sheep rifle. 6.5 creedmoor or .270 win. which would you go with?

looking to prepare for down the line in life, looking to get a tikka t3x superlite in one of the two. Cant decide.

Hi! I just saw your post lol... If you actually check the balistics data, 270 win beats the 6.5 creedmoor by a large margin. Factory 270 win eldx has a 37 inch drop at 500 yards and retains 1490 foot pounds of energy. However, 6.5 creedmoor at that distance has a 44 inch drop and only retains 1200 foot pounds of energy. So the difference is quite noticable. If I were you, I would definitely go for 270 win.

 

[ColeyG]

Either cartridge and bullet combo will make a sheep dead just fine at a range of distances.

On sheep hunts I find myself carrying my rifle a lot more than shooting it. In fact I think it's been about 300 miles of walking in sheep country since I fired my last round at an animal. As such, I chose my sheep gun based on size and weight with consideration to accuracy and durability. I've been quite happy with the Mountain Ascent in 6.5CM.

The point re: brown bears in AK is a good one. More often than not I want one of us on the sheep hunt to have something chambered in .30 cal. That is usually a Tikka T3X in either .300wm or .308 depending on whose turn it is to carry the "heavy" rifle.