Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Thoughts on a 6.5 creedmoor for African plains game including eland

Would like your thoughts on using a 6.5 Creedmoor for African plains game to include possibly zebra and eland and kudu with premium bullets like 140 grain Nosler partition’s or 140 grain Swift a frame

You'll shoot yer eye out, kid.

Bell was stacking elephants with the 6.5mm.

Elk die readily to the 6.5mm CM.

Do you shoot well?

I've read a few articles (having never been to Africa myself) from guys like Wayne Van Zwoll who took a 6.5 Creedmoor to Africa for plains game. It worked fine up to Eland, where it ended up being a bit of a rodeo. I've heard that same story a few times, that it worked fine until the hunter shot an Eland, where the bullet placement was fine, but the animal didn't die like it was supposed to. I found one of those articles:

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/the-6-5-creedmoor.36072/

In theory, picking a tough, heavy bullet in the 6.5 CM and placing your shots well should work fine, and I would do it, were I you. But I like stunt-shooting.

I’ve read somewhere many many times that headstamps don’t matter, just boolits. The 6.5 should be over kill. Take a .22 creedmire and connect the dots. It’ll fly flatter than .294 laserjet at 1000 yards where most game is shot...Right??

Could it work? Probably. Would I gamble that kind of time and money on a bare minimum cartridge? Nope.

LOL.

Wayne has a pretty bad memory based on that article.



There was nobody named Don any where about when that 600 yd elk was killed.



Funny how memories change over time.

Thanks for showing up and giving your input, Don, particularly on the Bergers thread.

Would not be my first choice.

LOL.

It is a great example of how faulty human recollection can be after the fact when the adrenaline is flowing.

At least you made a good wind call for Wayne. THAT is the hard part about hitting at 600yds.

I went to a local zoo two weeks ago and was looking at some eland. They are pretty big. I know the 6.5 Creedmoor is pretty popular and I have one myself but it's not magic. In all my years of reading hunting stuff and getting on forums I can't remember much being discussed about shooting zebra and eland with 260s and 6.5x55s, so why the Creedmoor? As someone said above why take a marginal cartridge where something a bit bigger would be better. I'd say it would be brilliant on the smaller gazelles and antelopes but I'd prefer something bigger for the larger game. Not necessarily a magnum but a .30-06, especially with the cost and fees of losing a wounded animal.

I know people always bring up Bell and his 6.5 and 7x57 but I bet back in those days they (the old time Afica hunters) never bothered to write about the animals that they wounded and lost.

Here's a little sample of how big eland can get. This South African was taken with two shots from a .300 Winchester Magnum, since the first bullet (a highly regarded "premium" hit the leg bone just above the big shoulder joint and failed to penetrate the chest. Luckily, the bull trotted a few yards and then paused, and the second bullet went behind the shoulder.

The next problem was loading the eland into a Land Cruiser, to be cut up at the ranch's butcher shop. The first attempt involved a steel cable attached to another Land Cruiser, and an empty fuel drum used as a roller. After a few failed attempts, another old African solution was tried, digging holes for the rear tires to lower the bed of the Land Cruiser, and lots of manpower. That finally worked.

Yeah eland are the size of a clydesdale. If you want to use the 6.5 go ahead, as long as you are in a reasonably controlled (open) area and your PH can back you up. I used a 375H&H on mine and it was no bang flop.And they certainly do fill up a Landcruiser!

Eland are big with thick bones and very heavily muscled wrapped up in thick hide. The small 6.5s will work but are far from optimum. Don’t limit the shot angles available to you. Bring or borrow a rifle from your PH more suitable to size of the Eland.

To me cartridges starting with .3 is a good to start.

Good gracious..........I've never got close enough to a live one to understand how huge they are. Great pics. I was astounded though to see a big mature eland bull jump an 8ft fence like it wasn't even trying very hard. They are amazing animals for sure.

Yep, they can sure JUMP!

I think about any thing can be killed with an appropriate 6.5 bullet at a reasonable impact velocity. I don't ever see Africa in my future, but have been in on the making of many moose, caribou and a few bear kills. My grandson will be shooting a Tikka 6.5 Creedmoor this fall for caribou and moose using 127 grain Barnes LRX bullets. We won't be shooting past 200 yards, the exception could be a broadside shot at a stationary caribou. Might stretch out to 300 yards if wind is fairly calm.

I will be backing them up as we don't loose wounded critters. I will be carrying a 30-06 for the caribou hunt, loaded with 168 grain TTSX bullets. That would also be my choice for a plains game hunt in Africa. I still remember watching a African hunting show and this Eland that was bigger and more muscular looking then any moose I have shot, walks up to a high fence and jumps over it like an Olympic athlete.

Later in the show I also remember watching a guy shoot another big monster looking Eland with a .338 Winny and the 250 grain Partition, a cartridge and bullet I have had wonderful success with here in Alaska. It looked like a broadside shoulder shot and the Eland ran about 30 yards and the guy put what I thought was a lung shot into him and he disappeared into the brush. They found the Eland dead and hour or so later about 200 yards away in the thick stuff.

I think the 6.5 Creed would be ok for me on some plains game, but for the Eland I would prefer the .375 H&H and 270 grain Barnes X bullets, that and a broad side 40 yard shot.

Of course it will work, game cullers use it on Eland and even the 243 but as others have said not my first choice. A premium or Mono 160 probably would not make it through the shoulder joint, but I haven't and wouldn't try it. Trophy fees for Eland are high. A wounded Eland can go miles at a walk that you would have to be jogging to keep up with. To me Eland are an excellent reason to use a medium bore on a plains game hunt. The 7mm mag with a premium 175 is where I start and the 375 is where I end but bigger would not hurt either. The various British 33 & 35s were designed with Eland in mind.