So, you went smaller caliber, but not down to .223…

[hereinaz]

So, you followed the shift to smaller caliber bullets. For the rifle you’d grab to go hunt deer and elk, what’s the caliber, bullet, cartridge, rifle?

Why didn’t you go all the way to .223?

Bonus question: What did you shoot before?

My main rifle is now a 25 SST shooting 133 EH at about 2950 fps in a 21” barrel suppressed.

I hunt in AZ and the west, so shots can be long in many locations. The 133 is the smallest bullet that gets me into confident elevation and wind corrections without becoming a 6UM at extreme velocities.

I came from a 7SS shooting 180 VLDH at 3050 in a 26” barrel suppressed.

 

[go_deep]

300 WSM 180 grain to a .270 Win 130 grain.
Looking at building a .243, but maybe I'll end up at a .223?

 

[Brandon.miller.4]

So, you followed the shift to smaller caliber bullets. For the rifle you’d grab to go hunt deer and elk, what’s the caliber, bullet, cartridge, rifle?

Why didn’t you go all the way to .223?

Bonus question: What did you shoot before?

My main rifle is now a 25 SST shooting 133 EH at about 2950 fps in a 21” barrel suppressed.

I hunt in AZ and the west, so shots can be long in many locations. The 133 is the smallest bullet that gets me into confident elevation and wind corrections without becoming a 6UM at extreme velocities.

I came from a 7SS shooting 180 VLDH at 3050 in a 26” barrel suppressed.

Like you I'm also in a variation of a 25. 25-284 21" suppressed going 2950 with the berger 133 eh. Landed there for the same reasons you outlined.

If I'm being totally honesty the gains over a short barreled 6.5 prc and 140s is negligible. But I do like 25s cause they're different. So if a guy doesn't handload there's no reason to shoot anything other than the 6.5 prc. (In my opinion)

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Big game rifles were always .308 and .30-06 because that’s just “the way it was”.

I switched to using my lighter recoiling rifles on deer and elk, which I had been using since the late 90s as long range varmint and target shooting comp guns (.260AI, 6.5x55 and .243AI).

Once I realized how effective they were on large game I never looked back.

For me, and where/how I hunt, I’ve learned that 6.5s hit a nice sweet spot in killing ability, ballistics, wind drift, recoil control, and wide range of well designed bullets being available.

 

[Squincher]

.338 and .300 to .270 via .30-06. Winchester M70 Featherweight. Probably 140 AB for elk and 130 Fusions for deer. Probably won't go any smaller for Elk, but I've gone smaller for deer and will probably do so again.

 

[swavescatter]

Went from 300WM down to 6.5 Creedmoor because those 223 77gr TMK's are just too brutal and violent.

 

[sierracharlie338]

Ive been all over the map as far as hunting cartridges go. Everything (chronologically-ish) from 243, 257 roberts, 260, 223 AR, 308 for majority of time, 300wm, 338 lapua, 6.5 grendel, back to 260 currently...

I have never really had a rifle that was "the rifle" for me. I honestly believe that I did actually own the rifle at one point but sold it before I really got to run it through it's paces and truly enjoy it. I do have a 308 that I had built exactly how I want it and I will never sell that rifle. It's just heavy for a hunting gun. It has several kills to its credit though

Im in the process a sourcing components for what I hope to be "that rifle" but time will tell.

 

[willfrye027]

25 creedmoor and 22 creedmoor. I want/need margin for error with wind at distance. Jury is still out on the 22 creedmoor for my but loving 25 creedmoor over the past 3 years close to 20 animals with it from point blank to 670 yards.

 

[TSnave]

I mostly use a 6mm Rem for deer and antelope, it's about as small as I feel comfortable going. I take something bigger if I'm elk hunting.

 

[LIWolverine]

270 to 300wm when I was 17. Shot that 300wm for years until I developed a horrible flinch that I couldn’t get over and started the down hill roll in calibers.

300wm to 300h&h (actually LOVE my 300h&h)

300h&h to 308/270

308/270 to 6.5 creed

6.5 creed to 257 Weatherby (love this gun too)

257wby to 6.5 PRC

6.5-PRC to 6.5-284 Norma

Only reason I went from 6.5 prc to Norma was I was gifted a custom in the Norma and found the prc redundant. I would have stuck with the prc otherwise.

Went until I found the one I shoot the best (no flinch, spot hits, puts animals down quickly).

6.5-284 Norma matches PRC in ballistics. I’ve sourced some pretty cheap ammo that is 100% on dead animals within 60 yards. 140 Nosler Match BTHP

Wounds are absolutely devastating on whitetails, coyote and black bear without much meat loss unless I hit directly on the shoulder. Even then rounds make it past the blade before major expansion (explosion).

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[atmat]

I came from 30-06 shooting 150g and above.

I switched to a suppressed 6creed shooting 108g due to this website. I wanted something legal in more states than the .223.

But I also own a .223 because of this website. So I do use it if I’m in a legal state.

 

[JohnJohnson]

I made the switch from a Savage 300WM to a 6.5CM when I had my first custom R700 built. I was basically hopping on the beginning of the creedmoor bandwagon in 2015 and just saw it as a good option for a long range shooting cartridge. Being from the east coast we kind of just hunt with whatever we shoot with since most hunting shots are under 200 yards anyway. I wasn't thinking about terminal ballistics or anything when I switched, just low cost long range shooting with a cartridge that had surprisingly close external ballistics to the 300WM with way less recoil/cost. I have two 6.5CM rifles now for big game hunting and I just grab one of them depending on the situation.

 

[BjornF16]

Started with 7mm RM listening to conventional “wisdom”, then picked up 300 WSM for big game while shooting 6.5 Grendel for Texas whitetail.

Then found Rokslide, dropped initially to 280 AI before picking up 6.5 CM.

Settled on 6XC in Blaser (because that is the only .243 barrel they offer compatible with heavy bullets; and they don’t offer fast twist .223). NM and CO require .243 for elk

 

[TN2shot07]

I stopped at 243, which does a fine job if you do your part. I’ve owned up to a 300 wby and wsm, didn’t notice anything except dead animals and extra recoil.

I prefer the 25-06, 270, 7mm-08, 308, 30-06 class of cartridges just to buy a little extra forgiveness and no real punishment for it.

The best drt results I’ve had were with a 257 wby with 100 grain partitions or ttsx’s. That or a 25-06 would probably be my pick if I was limited to only one option.

A 280AI has eluded me so far but I’d really like to give that a shot, too.

 

[5MilesBack]

First off, I'm a bowhunter but will occasionally do some rifle meat hunts. Second, CO minimum caliber for big game is .243/6mm. I shot .300's and 7mags for years, but in the last decade I started shooting .270's with 85gr up to 140gr. I still am not a fan of grenading bullets for the most part. Maybe some day.

 

[6.5x284]

I went from a 28” 300 Win Mag running 215’s at 3k to a suppressed 22” 6.5 SAUM running 156’s at 3k many years ago and haven’t looked back. About 8.5 lb loaded and suppressed and it just makes spotting impacts so easy in the field. I’ve gone through a few barrels but won’t change the cartridge anytime soon!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[roosiebull]

I started in a practical at the time choice (mix of 7/08’s and 270’s) and then went to a 7 rem mag for several years, and at some point I decided I had no reason to own it, it wasn’t bad to shoot, but not enjoyable either

I ended up going to a 6.5 creed, and after a bit deciding to put it in an xlr… once that happened I decided to give that rifle to my wife, perfect setup for her

I then got a 308, and also like it, it rides in a krg bravo, and have decided to turn that into a suppressed 6 creed for my daughter

Now I have a 223, and will probably just stick with that for my rifle hunting, which will consist of bear, lions and blacktail… no reason for me to hunt with anything bigger

Edit… had a 243 for awhile between 270’s but at the time felt it was a little small for bear… how’s that for fudded up… perhaps the softest and easiest animal to kill, and I thought a 243 wasn’t up to the task. I also had zero understanding about bullets at that time and thought the best bullet was the toughest bullet (swift a frame, etc) had very little understanding of the killing mechanism of a bullet

 

[Hondo64d]

So, you followed the shift to smaller caliber bullets. For the rifle you’d grab to go hunt deer and elk, what’s the caliber, bullet, cartridge, rifle?

Why didn’t you go all the way to .223?

Bonus question: What did you shoot before?

My main rifle is now a 25 SST shooting 133 EH at about 2950 fps in a 21” barrel suppressed.

I hunt in AZ and the west, so shots can be long in many locations. The 133 is the smallest bullet that gets me into confident elevation and wind corrections without becoming a 6UM at extreme velocities.

I came from a 7SS shooting 180 VLDH at 3050 in a 26” barrel suppressed.

By memory, in chronological order, cartridges I have killed deer or larger sized game with:

30/06, .243, .270, 7mm-08, .260 Rem, .250 Savage AI, 25-284, .308, .257 Wby, 6.5x47 Lapua, 22-250, .223, 6.5 Creedmoor, .22GT. Might have left some out but that’s the best I can recall at the moment.

Some general observations. I seem to have had more DRT kills with the .270 than anything else. At the time I was shooting the .270, I was shooting 130gr GKs, 130 and 140gr Interlocks, the first gen 130 and 150gr Ballistic Tips. All were launched from just below or slightly over 3000fps, and the wound cavities were universally huge.

I have learned I enjoy shooting more and hit better with less recoil and muzzle blast. The easiest rifle to hit with was the 8” twist 22-250 launching 75gr Amaxes in the mid 3100s. The numbers said my various 6.5s should beat it in the wind, but I never could see it on the steel on my own range. Additionally, it was very effective on the Whitetails, pigs and coyotes I shot with it, with all of them being DRT. Who knows? If I kept shooting it, it might have surpassed my beloved .270s in DRT kills.

I like and still have a .260 and a couple of 6.5 Creedmoor barrels. They are not currently on rifles because I am currently playing with the .22GT in both my match rifle and my hunting rifle. It was memories of the 8” twist 22-250 that brought me to trying the .22GT, and so far, it does not disappoint. If the .22 Creedmoor had been a SAAMI cartridge at the time, I almost certainly would have gone that route. The .22GTs are an absolute blast to shoot. Almost no recoil, shoots flatter than my .270s did and does as well in the wind as my Creedmoors do. They seem as easy to hit with as the 22-250 was, as well it should be because the case capacities are identical. I’ve killed a few pigs with them, and one small whitetail, all with 88gr ELDs from 175 to 430 yards and it is proving very effective. Only one pig and the whitetail have moved out of their tracks after the shot. I have a couple hundred 77gr TMKs on the shelf to try and 500 more on order. I‘m really just getting started with the .22 GTs but am enjoying them so much that I don’t anticipate putting the Creedmoor barrels back on unless I hunt in a location that has minimum cartridge restrictions. The precision of this cartridge, light recoil, the ability to see the bullet impact, and it’s effectiveness on critters all rolled into one package just makes it too satisfying to try anything else.

Edited to add that I didn’t settle on the .223 because past about 400 yards, I find the faster GT noticeably more easy to hit with than the .223 with only a minuscule increase in recoil.

John

 

[ljalberta]

I use a .223 for practice and coyotes. Unfortunately Alberta limits big game hunting go .243 and up. If things ever changes, I’d love to use a 22 Creed.

Currently I use a 6.5 Creed for the bulk of my hunting. I’d like to move to 6 Creed as I’ve loved shooting .243s and can notice the difference between ability to spot shots compared to the 6.5.

Deciding between building a 6 Creed, or rebarrelling the 6.5 I have and building a 6UM for fun.

 

[Tmac]

In OR we have to use a 24 caliber centerfire for elk, sheep and goat by rule. When OR went to age 9 for big game hunting with their mentor program, I dropped down to a 223 for my youngest son for deer and pronghorn. Was around 20 years ago.

Had an older Howa, probably a 1 in 12 twist. Tried to get it to shoot 64 gr PP’s and some mono’s, no joy. Then Federal loaded a 62 gr in its fusion line, it shot it well. That thing was instant death on a pile of deer and antelope. We kept it under 300 with the kids. When we were asked what he shot and said a 223, we about got run out of town, too small, weak, not ethical, won’t work... I’m like it’s too late, it actually works well and is fun to shoot. Once he grew we went to a 260 Rem then a 270 Win.

Now I have started my grands with a RSS. Those 77 TMK’s are almost too much. Just got a 6mm ARC that will be for elk starting next season to stay legal. Should be as effective as my 243 was on cow elk, but with more reach. I shoot a 25-06, 270, 7mm-08 or a 280 for most of my hunts, I’ll probably continue to use those much of the time. But for my practice and for the grands, the RSS and 6ARC will get a bunch of use and both will get some use hunting by me.

That’s where we are at as of now. Have always liked moderate cartridges. I’ve never used a magnum hunting, I don’t even own a magnum hunting rifle. Actually won a 338 Win Mag at the RMEF auction about 20 ish years ago, never shot it, half scared of it I guess, I gave it away. I think it was an early T3.