Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Old School Creedmoor load?

OK I'll bite....just "what" about my Post is so far out? Seems it is viewed from 180deg out, all the way to 420deg!?? It was "designed" as a Target round, so, to me, it begs to be experimented with "as a hunting round". I don't see the problem??? Help me then???

It certainly has room for an old school heavy for caliber bullet. The design was for long pointy bullets, no reason you can’t go with heavier not as pointy bullets.

Bingo Pard, that's exactly where I am coming from, ha. I guess few people ever play around with the old heavy round nose anymore, but I like to. I shot my last hog (a Eurasian up on the U.P.) with a 35 Whelen AI and a 310gr Woodleigh, at 30yds no less, ha. It worked perfectly. I also like to use the other end of the spectrum...I like the light monos in any rifle caliber too. I've had people ask me why I used the 185 XLC/338WM (dating myself) on elk, why not just use a 300WM? Because...:)

Well if I decide to go old school with 160 gr RN 6.5's I'll load them in my M70 push feed Featherweight 6.5x55 "Swedee" MB

420 is a reference to marijuana (I don't know why, it's an urban slang thing).

I don't think your idea is all that strange, and the Creedmoor should handle long heavy bullets as well as anything else. I would point out though that with most barrels you probably won't come close to utilizing full magazine length capacity before running into the lands with heavy round nose bullets, so just back off the loads appropriately.

Using heavy round nose bullets in the Creedmoor doesn't appeal to me personally, since it seems to give up a lot of advantage for not much gain, but if a guy wants to, go for it. It'll go bang, and kill just as well as the same bullet in a Swede or whatever. I wouldn't try to claim that it's better for hunting though.

Magnum Bob,

A PUSH-FEED Model 70 for a 6.5x55? Are you some kind of Philistine?

Most hunters "know" the 6.5x55 requires a classic controlled-feed bolt action, just they "know" you're not supposed to use heavy round-nosed bullets in the 6.5 Creedmoor....

It would be like using a VLD in a vintage Rigby made 275. Some things just aren't done.

"Egad Lovey, he must be a Yale man."

Thurston Howell III

A 6.5mm/140 of equal build to .308/180 will out-penetrate the latter. I just can't see any reason to go beyond a 140 in the Creedmoor, just like I really wouldn't shoot anything more than a 180 in the 308 Win.

The 140 out of the 6.5 CM hull gets all that can be reasonably gotten IMO.

Nooo….JB not a Philistine but a Gackconite collector. Only ever seen 2 of them. One of them is mine, got it back in 1988 or so but just so you know, its normal diet is 129 gr Hornady SP's. MB

The 140 out of the 6.5 CM hull gets all that can be reasonably gotten IMO.[/quote]

I'm sure I will not go beyond this myself, I was just curious if someone had tried it. I know the "Swede" is used on moose with the 160, so most think "Old School 6.5" think of it. I also understand ( MM) about not using a VLD in a .275 Rigby, ha. So far, the only "limb" I'm willing to climb out on for the Creedmoor is using the 139 Scenar. Too many good reports not to at least try it myself. My hesitation with using Match bullets is a doe I saw my uncle kill at 30 steps. Hit her in the neck, made saucer sized (and saucer deep) wound. Pure shock killed her. I asked him what he was shooting in his beloved Mod 742 30-06? He showed me a "handful of rounds so & so gave him". They were Match loads! ha But, I'm willing to see at least how they shoot. If I did end up playing with the 160RN in the Creed, I'd want to try it on a big hog. Hogs are great bullet Tests!

Jim, I know you asked if anyone has tried RNs, and I have not. Not from the 6.5 CM at least. I would suggest that you buy a box of RN bullets and give them a whirl. If not Hornadys, then Normas, Lapuas or Prvis. Who knows, you may just teach a few people here a lesson. Despite what others advise, nothing beats doing it yourself. Don't follow the herd!

Take some hog hunting and let the folks know how you made out.

Better yet, has anybody tried a 160-ish RN cast bullet? I have a mold for same coming and will give it a whirl out of my Ruger No.1 6.5x55.

Slapped a couple deer silly 40 years ago with 160's (Hornady I think) out of a Swedish cavalry carbine. I don't know what velocity was but it was undoubtedly slow. Nor do I remember much about where they were hit but I don't remember having to trail them.

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If you really want to try that sort of bullet I would suggest the 156-grain Norma Oryx,

Is the Alaskan similar tot he Oryx John? (or anyone? I haven't located a source of the Oryx yet)

Both are 156 gr. The Alaska is soft point jacketed bullet. The Oryx is a soft point, bonded bullet. I don't know where you would get them in the US.

Thanks Steve, supposedly the Alaskan is also bonded. You know, for almost 50yrs I have read about the effectiveness of the7x57/160gr/2600fps combo. Eleanor O'Conner used it on elk, etc just fine. I would think that the 155-160/6.5 around the same speed would work fine too. Sure, I know the lighter weight Monos will work as well, but under 200yds, the 155-160 going 2550-2600 can't be that bad of a choice, even for elk, at least in my 420 "mind", ha. ( Hey it was the 60's!)

The Alaska isn't bonded. It is a traditional bullet designed for low and medium velocity cartridges like the Swede. A good MV for this bullet is 2300 to 2600 fps. Really, it's a 150 yd moose bullet. I've never tried them on deer, but I wouldn't bother with them beyond 150 yd for whitetails either. There are better choices. Because of its nose, it begins to shed velocity quickly.

For a time, Sierra made a semi-pointed 160 with a very long shank which shot very well in my 6.5x55. I throated a 260 to allow the use of this bullet as well. It shot very well and performed beautifully on deer. Sadly, they quit making it. I have been going to try some 155 Lapuas but have not gotten around to it. GD

Continuing with my year of shooting only factory ammo in the Mesa 6.5 CM I tested a box of Norma 156 gr. Oryx. The nominal MV printed on the box was 2560 fps. I don't know if that's based on a 22, 24, or 26 inch barrel. Given where the groups landed on target I suspect a 24" test barrel.

I sorted the ammo by B-t-O seating depth and shot 5-round groups @ 100 yards. The deeper seated groups shot better than the longest seated groups. B-t-O seating depth variance for the box was 0.006"

Groups were 0.73", 0.86", 0.97" and 1.17".

Given those numbers I bought 1 more box from the same lot # to squirrel away for if and when I ever draw a lower-48 moose tag.

Pud