Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Need Rifle Buying Ideas Low recoil...Flat shooting

Let’s not be so 6.5 creedcentric. Singling out this chambering unfairly, ignoring the others who came before ...
This would also apply to, in no particular order, a few others mentioned so far in this thread:
25/06, 257wby, 260, 6 creed, 26 nosler, and nearly 10 variants starting with 6.5 ...
Those Kentucky elk are TOUGH.

In the realm of low recoil killers I highly doubt there is anything out there that does it as well as the notoriously loved and hated 6.5 creedmoor. Logic and reality are not as important as feelings and sentiments though the other way around would far better serve a man


Trystan

6.5 - 120 ttsx or 270–130 ttsx and limb saver recoil pad.
Todays bdc scopes are effective and easy to use or the CDS.
Honestly If he doesn’t want to make necessary adjustments for 400 yards. Maybe he should stick to 200 yards max

Re: legality of caliber. if .25 and 6.5 are off the table, best bet would be a .270 , 7mm-08, or 308 to my thinking, All have moderate recoil and are 400 yard capable. .270 with 130's would likely be the flattest shooting. At that age (and mine is same). carry weight unless hunting off a machine is important- so I'd think a 7.5 lb .270 ought to be about right for ease of carry and low recoil compromise - about what his .25-06 has if similar weight and loads.

Unless he is toting a 10 lb or greater rifle a 300 Mag does NOT have "low recoil".

My 10.5# '06 with 150 gr Superperformance @ 3100fps (advertised), or anything else, is a sweety to shoot. Not so much to carry.....

Fortunately he is in Utah. They aren’t off the table.

Easy..... 270win with 150gr Partitions at 2850 FPS. Leupold 6x36 with the LR. Bullet proof.. Taken several bulls with this combo. At 500yds you’ll be hitting a grapefruit. I can send you load info if you want! I wish you the best on this hunt! Be safe and enjoy the bounty

How about a .280 Rem and see which premium load works well in that individual rifle? Not much more recoil than the .25-06 but more effective and flatter shooting than a 7-08.

I've still got four boxes of Federal's sadly discontinued .270 Win BARNES 110 TTSX load at 3,400 fps. It kicks like a .243 in my old Rem Mountain Rifle.

A good SIL could throw together a very nice copy cat rifle and handloads with a 6x42 Leupold LRD zeroed for 300 yards.

Ran the numbers: it's 2 inches high at 100, +3 @ 200, and only -7.7 at 400 where's it's still running 2,500+ and 1558 ft lbs.

Let him shoot steel at 400 with the second crosshair to see where it hits.

Although you could get nearly that performance with a 100 grain TTSX in the .25/06...

Go with the Jack O Connor special, Win Model 70 Featherweight in .270 WIN. Kills bulls all day long to 400. Zero at 200, hold where the fur meets the backdrop and send it for a 400 yard shot.

308win with 130 TTSX

And walk 100 yards closer

Well it looks like he’s gonna use my Win M70 faux Extreme weather 300 WSM, it’s got a SWFA 3-9 on it and I’m gonna show him how the turrets work. It shoots my 180 Partition load into tiny little groups so it should work out pretty good. Will update after the season.

Is 300wsm a low recoil round?
I’m Asking for a friend

I think he should stick with his 25-06 for many of the reasons already stated, not the least of which is his familiarity, comfort and proficiency with it. Those 25s in different flavors are underrated. Everybody now seems to look at them in the internet context of not having the BCs of other bullets and other BS. For the criteria stated in the OP, it fits.

Having said that, if a similarly situated friend asked me the same question because he wanted a new gun I would tell him 7-08, 270, 280 or 280 A.I. If he pressed me further, I would say 7-08 or 270. If he pressed further and said to pick one, I would say, being as honest with myself as I could, get a 7-08.

I over looked a 25-06 earlier but it’s a great low kick round —- I have a Sako A7 that has shoot about a dozen single hole 5 shot groups.

100Gr TTSX - In the old days a 25 wouldn’t be something I would recommend for elk, but now with super solids ... all Good.

25-06 is a great round. But, for a once-in-a-lifetime trophy bull elk hunt, I'd consider a .264 Win Mag shooting 120gn monolithic bullets, and mitigate the recoil with a heavier rifle.

Another option to consider given the particular constraints of the shooter is to get lighter recoiling but perfectly adequate round like a 7mm-08, 7x57, etc., and work up a dope sheet to simply holdover if a longer shot is presented. That is certainly old school, and works very well out to 400yds.

No it is not.

How bout just get a scope that works and dial for the distance.

416 weatherby

Lol.
I know this but OP wanting low recoil... ends up with 300 WSM. Feels a magnum is necessary for elk a that range or closer.
Can’t make this stuff up