Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 6.5 Creedmoor on Elk

I certainly won't disagree with any one who has taken six Elk with the CM. That's a choice you made and it's obviously working out for you. That is commendable.
My intent was not to diss the Creedmoor. It is a fine cartridge in it's own right. I have shot one and I loved it and will likely end up with one myself.

As an ideal cartridge for larger game such as Elk, I still believe the CM and the Swede have their share of limitations, but as you have shown, in the right hands, they can be very effective.
All things being equal, my choice still remains a much larger caliber with heavier bullets.. a choice that is obviously not too popular on this thread... but it is a choice based solely on my personal experiences. Not worth starting a feud over.

I wish you every success in the upcoming season. I'm sure you and your CM will get the job done .. and thanks for your much kinder response.

Sorry if I gave the impression that the elk were taken with a Creedmoor. Four were with a 6.5x284 and two with a .260 Rem, which is for all intents and purposes the same performance-wise to the Creedmoor with bullets under 140 grains. The Creedmoor will get its chance later this year in Colorado and Montana.

I’ve shot elk with a lot of different bullets from 115s in .25-06 to 180s in .300 Roy to 250s in .338 Win Mag. I’ve never seen any out-penetrate the 6.5 120 TTSX. At all angles and through the heaviest bone, it just blows right on out the other side.

6.5x55 Sweede.

I flew up here and left the 6.5x284 in Wyoming. In all honesty, I'd be packing my Kimber MT .223 if I had brought it with me...

Ah, ha... Interesting.. Best of luck...

Maybe I didn't read your post correctly, but thanks for the clarification. The 6.5x284 was a cartridge I had in mind as being superior to both the CM and the Swede as a real good Elk cartridge. Either way, you did well with both it and the .260. That's what counts.

If the 127s shoot well in my new Fieldcraft, there is a very good chance they are going to CO for elk this Fall.

Shots on elk don't always end up perfect no matter how badly you want them to. Enough gun can help you out. This elk went 12 yards on her chin as she was in get the [bleep] outta here mode when shot. Was stone cold dead when hit.

Model 700 Mountain Rifle in .260 rem. 140gr Partition. Took 4 elk with that rifle and two with a 6.5 Creedmoor with a 140gr Partition. Really bad chit happens to elk when hit by a sixfive and that bullet. Folks that think it's not enough gun are sadly mistaken. Hell thats just one mean bullet. 140 NP in a 7mm-08 and .270win [bleep] them up as well.

Shag,

Have heard claims that Partitions aren't nearly as effective as more recent "premium" bullets, but that has not been my experience--or that they're not accurate. That's not been my experience with the 6.5mm 140. In fact it's been one of the most accurate bullets in several 6.5 rifles I've owned.

I must have missed that part, did someone criticize your choice of elk cartridges?

The 140's have become my favorite in the 6.5, 7-08 and .270. That pic I posted was from a mature Roosevelt cow. That bullet destroyed the toughest bone elk have to offer took out the heart and exited. Honestly John I've never owned a rifle that wouldn't shoot a Partition MOA or better. All the 140 NP kills have been as impressive as I've seen from any bullet from any cartridge. I buy Seconds from Nosler and shoot the heck outta them. Big fan. I usually just start a load in a new rifle with a Partition and really don't need to look any further. Unless I got an itch to scratch.

Yeah, that's been my experience as well. A few years ago I went through my handloading notes, and ALL the groups from Partitions, in calibers from .22 to .416, averaged just about exactly an inch. Obviously some were larger, but many were also smaller!

2,800 fps with 140s out of a 24" Creedmoor is no great feat, why wouldn't the bullet be just as viable from the stumpy case as from the Swede?


Sierra 6.5 Creedmoor load data

The accuracy load I shot my cow with this year puts a 140gr Accubonds out of my 22" barrel at 2,760 fps. Complete penetration, destroyed a few inches of rib on the way in and clipped the back of the scapula on the way out.

My rifle also likes the 127gr LRX at 2,910 fps, I would have been very comfortable with that too, but the 140s matched my B&C reticle almost perfectly so I went that direction. Modern 6.5x55, 6.5 Creed and the .260 all give good ( and for all purposes identical) velocities with high SD, deep penetrating reliably expanding bullets. I honestly don't care what rifle/cartridge anyone else uses to kill animals, but the 6.5 is great deer killer and, with good bullets and at reasonable ranges, seems to put elk to sleep without much fuss.

..and yet another. Will this be the new LR Elk cartridge ?

https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/rifle/6.5-prc-143-gr-eld-x-precision-hunter#!/

Successful use of a 6.5 Creedmoor on elk?.... The subject of this thread? I'm certainly not the only one that's had good luck with it in my area.



Don't know about LR hunting, I keep my LR shooting on steel for the most part. I'd say the 6.5 PRC would probably be a strong choice at reasonable ranges with good bullets. It should be pretty similar on game to the, at one time popular, .264 WM, and the ever popular 7mm RM. I don't see how those two would be bad company to be in.

Have a creed, recently picked it up here on the fire and bought some bulk Hornady 140 HPBT from Sportsmans, since I didn't have brass or dies. Tossed the factory stock, and bedded it in a mcmillan I had collecting dust, but have only played with it, pretty short range stuff. Killed two coyotes at 650 two weeks ago. If you're a coyote, and your buddy gets smoked, don't go back to check on him.

I've however seen more than a few (15 +) elk killed with a 260... one of the 260s used to be SHAG's. I seem to remember his offspring killing an elk with it.

140 NPTs, 140 NABs, 140 SGKs, 140 SST, 140 HIL, 140 AMAX. Most recently, a spike and a cow with 120 Accutip midway blems, that are SSTs with a gold tip, from a 16.5" barrel. Neither one took more than two steps, both were killed by my daughter. The last was a cow, and our last hunt together before she leaves for college. She spotted, stalked, and killed on her own. I was just along for the ride... she knew what to do, doesn't miss cause she's not afraid of it, and likes her gun.

Killing elk ain't magic. Elk wounded with schitty shooting certainly are, no matter how expensive, big, or fast the bullet.

What powder(s) have your tried? I plan to start with RL16 in my Fieldcraft.

With perfectly placed bullets and broadside shots even poor hunting bullet will kill them. But an "elk bullet" is one that will break heavy bone and still penetrate about 24" or more.

There are some 6.5MM bullets that will do it too, but not many of the "long range" ones will. They are made to fly well, not penetrate heavy bones and bodies.

The Creedmoor is basically a 6.5 Swede ballisticly. Use the same hunting bullets for game over 400 pounds that the Swedish do and you will be just fine. The Swede is a shell with a long history of killing moose, which are larger then elk.

Don't fall for the bait of buying bullets because "they are more accurate" for elk hunting. Elk are big! You don't need 1/3 MOA and you can't use it in the field without artificial rests anyway. 1.5 MOA is just fine for elk. They are bigger then horse flys. If your good elk bullet will shoot 1/2 MOA that great, but really not necessary.

Here are the ones I'd consider.

Norma Oryx 156 Grain Bonded Protected Point
Norma Alaskan 156 grain
Woodleigh 160 Grain Weldcore
Hornady 160 Grain RN
Nosler AccuBond Bullets 140 Grain Bonded
Nosler Partition 140 Grain
Swift A-Frame 140 Grain Bonded Semi-Spitzer


Performance inside the elk is FAR more important than performance from the gun to the elk.

I'm impressed.... You know a lot of stuff.

the elk 'are bigger than horse flys' is keen knowledge