24hourcampfire.com
24hourcampfire.com
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Hop To
Page 1 of 5 1 2 3 4 5
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,832
B
Campfire Regular
OP Offline
Campfire Regular
B
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,832
I’m taking my 16yr old hunting in WY next year for deer and antelope. I hear all the rave about the 6.5cm. What’s y’alls thought on the 6.5? He currently shoots a 30-30 for deer hunting in AL. and the shots are never more than 100 yards. Thought I’d purchase a “new” caliber for his hunt. I use a 25-06 for distance hunting and love it.
Thanks for your advice.


"If I couldn't laugh I would go insane." JB
BP-B2

Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,621
C
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
C
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,621
It will do great... get him out practicing with it and you'll have nothing to worry about...


Public landowner...
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 17,719
W
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
W
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 17,719
It is not magic, but it will work.. So does about 30 other similar calibers!!!


Molon Labe
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 6,371
H
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
H
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 6,371
Sounds like a good fit.

Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 150,187
Campfire Savant
Offline
Campfire Savant
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 150,187
Granddaughter shoots mine(now hers) really well. She barely weighs a hundred pounds. I bet he likes shooting it!

IC B2

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 30,211
Campfire 'Bwana
Offline
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 30,211
My thoughts on the 6.5 Creedmoor?

Good elk cartridge, as well as lesser game.


“Perfection is Achieved Not When There Is Nothing More to Add, But When There Is Nothing Left to Take Away” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 20,791
R
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
R
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 20,791
260 Remington


Throttle fixes everything. If it doesn't fix the problem, it’ll end the suspense.
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 518
J
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
J
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 518
I would say the 270 Winchester if I had to recommend one.

Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 12,651
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 12,651
My .257 Roberts is my favorite rifle and has taken a lot of antelope with Barnes 100g TTSX and Nosler 110g AB. Daughters and nephews love it as well and have used it to take antelope. The .257 Roberts was gently used when I acquired it in 2004 and has served very well.

These days I would purchase a 6.5CM instead and without a second thought as it has similar recoil to my +P Roberts loads with better downrange ballistics. It is an excellent choice for your son and antelope. As has been pointed out above, it is also good for deer and elk at typical ranges.


Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!

No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.

A good .30-06 is a 99% solution.
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 9,189
H
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
H
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 9,189
NO! No, no, no, no, no. There is no way in Hell that I am going to recommend a 6.5 CM for antelope! NO!!!


I belong on eroding granite, among the pines.
IC B3

Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 2,556
S
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
S
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 2,556
That is about as good as you can get. The rifle will recoil very little, shoots great with factory ammo and kills way beyond what its ballistics say that it should. Buy Hornady factory ammo and go hunt. Get him shooting out to 300 yards, just to be sure that he can score. That cartridge in whatever rifle you choose, will serve him well for as long as he wants.

Put a decent scope on it. Optics are more important than the rifle, usually.


You did not "seen" anything, you "saw" it.
A "creek" has water in it, a "crick" is what you get in your neck.
Liberals with guns are nothing but hypocrites.
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 12,651
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 12,651
Originally Posted by sbhooper
That is about as good as you can get. The rifle will recoil very little, shoots great with factory ammo and kills way beyond what its ballistics say that it should. Buy Hornady factory ammo and go hunt. Get him shooting out to 300 yards, just to be sure that he can score. That cartridge in whatever rifle you choose, will serve him well for as long as he wants.

Put a decent scope on it. Optics are more important than the rifle, usually.


I agree with your first paragraph and with getting a 'decent' scope. Not so much with "Optics are more important than the rifle, usually."

A great scope won't make an inaccurate rifle more accurate and I've found cheap scopes to be adequate for every shot I've taken at game (487 yards max). Had a $39 (I overpaid at a gunsmith) Bushnell Sportview 3-9x with crappy light transmission on my 7mm RM for 20 years. Never liked it but it took a beating and never failed me, either.

Lots of decent scopes for under $200. Most of my rifles have Burris 3-9x Fullfield II scopes with Ballistic Plex reticle. You can get them for about $180 online.


Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!

No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.

A good .30-06 is a 99% solution.
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 15,795
O
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
O
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 15,795
Originally Posted by HuntnShoot
NO! No, no, no, no, no. There is no way in Hell that I am going to recommend a 6.5 CM for antelope! NO!!!

This ought to be interesting...
Popcorn anyone?


There are 2 rules to success:

1. Never tell everything that you know.
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 15,795
O
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
O
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 15,795
Originally Posted by Coyote_Hunter
Originally Posted by sbhooper
That is about as good as you can get. The rifle will recoil very little, shoots great with factory ammo and kills way beyond what its ballistics say that it should. Buy Hornady factory ammo and go hunt. Get him shooting out to 300 yards, just to be sure that he can score. That cartridge in whatever rifle you choose, will serve him well for as long as he wants.

Put a decent scope on it. Optics are more important than the rifle, usually.


I agree with your first paragraph and with getting a 'decent' scope. Not so much with "Optics are more important than the rifle, usually."

A great scope won't make an inaccurate rifle more accurate and I've found cheap scopes to be adequate for every shot I've taken at game (487 yards max). Had a $39 (I overpaid at a gunsmith) Bushnell Sportview 3-9x with crappy light transmission on my 7mm RM for 20 years. Never liked it but it took a beating and never failed me, either.

Lots of decent scopes for under $200. Most of my rifles have Burris 3-9x Fullfield II scopes with Ballistic Plex reticle. You can get them for about $180 online.

I would counsel against buying a good rifle and then handicapping your son by putting inferior optics on it. As an experienced hunter and shooter, you have an advantage over a young man who is just getting into hunting. I will agree with your Burris Fullfield II with. the BP reticle however. It's good glass and very reasonably priced.


There are 2 rules to success:

1. Never tell everything that you know.
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,342
R
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
R
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,342
Why not let him practice and use your 25-06. A 100 grain bullet at 3,300 fps having about 12 ft-lbs of recoil is a great mule deer pronghorn rig.

Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,545
J
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
J
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,545
I agree with the other posters saying the 6.5 Creedmoor would be a good choice. So would other rounds, like the 243 Winchester. Can you borrow some rifles from friends for your son to shoot before you buy? Do you handload? If you do, you can load ammo for a number of chamberings to suit a young shooter. If you don't handload, the 6.5 Creedmoor is even more attractive as there are lots of accurate ammo choices.


NRA Endowment Life Member, G.O.A supporter
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 36,824
D
Campfire 'Bwana
Offline
Campfire 'Bwana
D
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 36,824
Originally Posted by Jerseyboy
If you don't handload, the 6.5 Creedmoor is even more attractive as there are lots of accurate ammo choices.

IMO, 6.5 Creed is a no brainer for the non-handloader...

DF

Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 95,303
E
Campfire Oracle
Offline
Campfire Oracle
E
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 95,303
A .25/06 with a 100 grain bullet is antelope medicine that cannot be beat,IMO.


Life Member SCI
Life Member DSC
Member New Mexico Shooting Sports Association

Take your responsibilities seriously, never yourself-Ken Howell

Proper bullet placement + sufficient penetration = quick, clean kill. Finn Aagard

Ken
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 36,824
D
Campfire 'Bwana
Offline
Campfire 'Bwana
D
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 36,824
Originally Posted by elkhunternm
A .25/06 with a 100 grain bullet is antelope medicine that cannot be beat,IMO.


For sure, hard to beat for the reloader. I'd still go CM, limited to off the shelf rifle and ammo.

BUT, you do need a LOT more power for those huge NM Jackwabbits... shocked

DF

Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 12,651
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 12,651
Originally Posted by OSU_Sig

I would counsel against buying a good rifle and then handicapping your son by putting inferior optics on it. As an experienced hunter and shooter, you have an advantage over a young man who is just getting into hunting. I will agree with your Burris Fullfield II with. the BP reticle however. It's good glass and very reasonably priced.


Agreed in the 'inferior' scopes. Have purchased a few with good rifle attached. Replaced them immediately.

Put one of them (a Bushnell Sportview) on my pellet gun. It works OK there. Have sold or trashed the others.

That said, I'll pass on the high-end scopes. Diminishing returns and all that, at least for my needs.


Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!

No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.

A good .30-06 is a 99% solution.
Page 1 of 5 1 2 3 4 5

Moderated by  RickBin 

Link Copied to Clipboard
YB23

Who's Online Now
107 members (160user, 35, 6mmbrfan, 10Glocks, 308ld, 338reddog, 15 invisible), 1,723 guests, and 767 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums81
Topics1,187,728
Posts18,400,776
Members73,822
Most Online11,491
Jul 7th, 2023


 







Fish & Game Departments | Solunar Tables | Mission Statement | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA
Hunting | Fishing | Camping | Backpacking | Reloading | Campfire Forums | Gear Shop
Copyright © 2000-2024 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5
(Release build 20201027)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.3.33 Page Time: 0.115s Queries: 14 (0.002s) Memory: 0.8986 MB (Peak: 1.0339 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-29 09:29:38 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS