Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting have you seen a 6.5 used on elk

I've only killed one elk. Cow. .260, Rem 725,140 gr Corelokt, @150 yards or so.

Bang, flop.

It has also worked well on a number of caribou as big or bigger than that cow elk. None got away, or went very far. Even that one I first-round peckershot, but he wasn't moving very fast afterward. I got closer then....

I hope to use it on a moose one day. I have every confidence it is enough gun within reason.

I love me some lengua tacos but might have to pass on that fellas tongue. Her was an azz lickin' SOB!

Killed a bull at 43 yards last year with 6.5-06 156 grain Berger. No drama.

I like no drama. In fact I prefer zero drama

Quite a few for me. Three with the 6.5x284, two with the .260 and one with the 6.5 Creedmoor.

The most impressive kill I’ve ever made was the largest bull elk I’ve ever seen, a massive 6x6 that easily weighed 900 lbs on the hoof. A single shot from a lasered 435 yards plowed through and broke both shoulders. The elk hit the ground so hard that dust flew up. I was using a pet custom 700 in 6.5x284 and a 125gr Nosler partition. Shot two other nice bulls with that rifle. Both of those were bang/flop, as well.

Took a decent 5x5 and a spindly 6x5 with the .260 Rem. Again, no drama and both fell where hit. About 80 yards and about 175 yards, both with 120 TTSX.

Last was a fine 6x6 bull at 290 yards. The 142 ABLR fired from the 6.5 Creedmoor clipped a tiny bit of the near shoulder and absolutely destroyed the off shoulder, leaving a quarter-size exit wound. DRT.

Just finished a cow elk hunt using a 124gr Hammer Hunter bullet in a 6.5 WSM. From my post elsewhere on the elk forum: "The 124 grain Hammer hunter bullet from the 6.5 WSM entered through some muscle on the back of the shoulder, though an onside rib, though an offside rib and scapula, and exited. Meat loss was minimal around the bullet path. One of the petals of the all copper bullet was found under the far side hide. As the gutless method of dressing was used, the internal trauma was not checked."

You can kill them with a 22 Long Rifle as well as a 6.5. There are lots of cartridges out there more suitable for elk. And yes for those who question my background, I have been in on well over 100 elk kills in my lifetime.

When I was guiding, a 100 elk to 'be in on', was about 2 years worth.....

Wow! The math on that if it was a 25 day season means 2/day, every day. That is quite a success story.

Colorado. Late August for archery to mid November. More than 25 days.....

Apparently you're not really familiar with the Ruger Compact Magnum case, or the 6.5 PRC. It basically duplicates .30-06 powder room in a shorter case. The 6.5 PRC is essentially a short-action 6.5-06, with no "magnum recoil" involved.

"Huntsman" I have been on two guided hunts, neither bought me an elk. Would you have been comfortable with all of those hunters carrying a 6.5?. Were all the shots with the elk standing broadside in a large opening away from the timber? How many did you lose to an off place shot? Do you carry a 6.5 ?

Yes. No. 2 in 11 years. Yes.

In that Mauser 18 the 6.5 PRC and 7mm Remington are standouts although they chamber for several other good choices too. The 9.3x62 is a great cartridge if shots are not that long, 400 yards is doable with a 9.3 easily. If you eliminate the 223 & 243 that leaves 10 elk worthy choices in the basic Mauser 18. In the 7RM if you load 50-150 fps short of maximum you will be in solid 280 AI territory. Recoil is not that bad with 160 grain or less bullets especially when under the maximum velocity slightly.

There are lots of cartridges out there that would be better for elk.

I shot my first elk in 1973 with a 264 win mag and my last elk about 2 weeks ago with a 6.5 STW. And probably 20 or so total with 6.5's. Good bullet and good placement works every time.