Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game 6.5 Creed - moose bullets

I hadn't really put much thought into what occurred -- besides my immediate frustration -- until recently. I reached a similar conclusion. I was a bow hunter for 9 or 10 years before I owned a deer rifle so all of my first several deer were shot with a bow. I have always aimed a rifle at the same spot I aim my bow - right behind the shoulder crease. I know a high shoulder shot and even a shot on the shoulder joint drops them, but I prefer to aim for the ribs. It causes less meat damage, is cleaner when skinning, and is less likely to cause lead fragments to end up in meat. I think the reduced hydrostatic shock has caused the slower death compared to my .30-06, etc. I always used 150 grain bullets on deer from the 30-06 so the velocity was significantly more than a 6.5 Creedmoor. I may try my 25-06 this year and see if I get better results from the high velocity impact.

I'd shoot a deer anywhere vital with the 150 LRAB at creed speeds. It will leave some bloodshot meat around the entrance/exit holes - but I've never worried about a pound of meat.......

The worst damage I've ever seen was early 7mm 140 AB. I shot several deer with them from a 7WSM at close range. You could see through the deer. One had the shoulder hanging on by skin, I cut it off with my pocket knife. It was gruesome. I swore off AB for a long time at magnum velocities but in hindsight think I got a batch that weren't bonded. I've since killed elk, deer with various cartridges and calibers without the mess from that first batch of AB. In fact, I like the AB alot.

I never want to track or let an animal suffer, if I can help it. Yes, I’ve ruined some shoulders. I will probably try my 6.5 Creed next season, but when I am aiming at a buck the last thing I notice is recoil. Adrenaline is a powerful thing.

I have killed just over 20 bulls, with a variety of head stamps from .338WM down, including a 12 ga. slug, and .243. Average range is about 65-70 yards, farthest one was about 160.

The last two seasons I've carried (unsuccessfully, due to lack of opportunity)) a .260 with 140 gr Corelokts, and feel it adequate for my moose hunting purposes, in which range is unlikely to exceed 75 yards - most likely 50 and under. It's thick in there.

The rifle has taken a number of caribou to 400 yards, an elk at @ 150, and a wolf at 30. I have no hesitation to using it on a moose. .

Lung shot moose give slightly better meat due to bleed-out, but I prefer CNS if I can get it, for obvious reasons. Your 6.5 Credit will do fine with good loads, either placement.

I do admit a gallon of steaming bear poop gives me pause for a few seconds, however. No matter what I'm packing.

If I have to go back after the meat, I'm carrying the .338WM. That's just my take. Do whatever you are comfortable with.

Jordan, Dwayne, and others have good advice.

Some add on - My moose are the big Yukon/Alaska ones. I've not done any great amount of load development for 260, but I know in factory it doesn't like anything other than 140 gr. The Barnes TSX (120?) had the worst groups of anything! 140 C&C go MOA or less. I wanted to shoot lighter, but ....So it goes with the rifle's preferences... . I suspect the preference to date is due to the fact that it is a Remington stainless TI barrel, with factory twist, whatever that is. Rumer has it that it wasn't exactly the best choice, but I'm good with 140's out of it.

I have had 3 experiences with "mostly dead" moose. The first two (slow learner) taught me to not approach one from the front, and to put an insurance shot into their head from a few yards out. One was with a 30-06, 180 gr., the second was with a .338WM with 210 Partition. The third, was with .338WM, (225 or 250 ). After the "insurance" shot, I parked the rifle on shore, waded out into the 16" of mud and water, grabbed the forky by the antler to get him ashore, and he blinked.

That was exciting.

Are you shooting a ELD X in your Creedmoor?

1st good for your experiences with the Creedmoor ,i do own a couple of Creedmoors too . the cartridge i use is a 257 Weatherby mag. i use 100 gr. Nosler Partition at a velocity of 3800 FPS out of a Custom Ruger #1 with a Nightforce scope and this rifle shoots 1/2 - 3 shot groups at 100 yards . but until you or anyone else uses this combo you will never understand how fast this rifle / cartridge knocks bigger bucks down stone cold dead out too 500 yards with my handloads.

I’ve seen that combo on game, and I’ve also seen and used the 25–06 with various bullets. It works well, but animals sometimes still run if the CNS/skeletal structure is not hit.

your partly right with slower cartridges , but a 257 Weatherby mag . is 400 -500 FPS faster than a 25-06 with accuracy, when i use my Ruger #1 which is a lot stronger receiver than any bolt action made. i can actually shoot 4000 FPS but the sweet spot is 3800 FPS, my handloads have been tested at a ammo factory too 56,000 PSI , factory ammo tester/ shooter was impressed .
> but the Creedmoor is a decent cartridge lower recoil and very accurate too. ,Pete53

Ultimately, it’s vital tissue destruction, not just impact speed, that highly correlates with how quickly an animal goes down on heart/lung hits, and that is a function of both bullet construction and impact speed.

100%, despite using the 6.5SE, 30-30, and .303 brit, the worst terminal performance I've personally experienced on deer was with the 30-06 and .308, using bullets that were too tough. IMO its an easy problem to have with the standard 30 Cal rounds, particularly in heavyer bullet weights, because a notable percentage of the same 180 grain pills that are getting loaded for the 30-06 are also being used in the various 300 mags, and bullet design becomes more of a compromise. A hunting partner of mine recently switched from the 25-06 to a 7-08 as his main deer rifle, and more or less made the same observation. Its not that theres anything wrong with the cartridge, just that it becomes easier to end up with a bullet that isn't performing the way you expect.

That said, when those same bullets hit something solid, like a moose, the results were typically excellent.

This^^^

No. I generally avoid Hornady unless it is my only option.

Use the 127gr LRX or go heavier with a 140gr Partition, Swift A-Frame etc. Moose will die IF you hit vitals.

I never use Berger bullets (not a hunting bullet), Hammer bullets (Quality control issues) and others that aren't proven on game animals.

I’ve shot 22 Scandinavian moose.

5 - 9.3x62 with 12 shots. Couldn’t see reaction or strike (recoil) so kept shooting.

9 - 308 suppressed with 17 shots - a couple of incidences of poor shooting. Lethality didn’t seem any different.

8 - 30-06 suppressed with 9 shots. Old worn 06 giving only 308 velocity. Rifle a bit heavier, me more experienced and taking my own sticks way more important in improving the shots per animal

I’d say your shooting ability is way more important.

You first have to place the bullet correctly. For sure. But if you place a [bleep] one there it can do almost no good...

BTW how do you wear an 06 out to where it is 308 slow? Even with 223s over 12, 000 rounds in the barrel we could keep the speeds where they were when we started. Just the accuracy started being horrible.

Isn't the ole 6.5x55mm Mauser "moose" load a 160 gr. RN?

Same/Same.




GR

1957 ZG47 - no throat, rifling starts about 12” up the barrel. Judging by the pitting it’s had corrosive ammo and a lot of use. It is however a pussycat to shoot as a result and amazingly accurate

1. What other chamberings do you have that would be suitable as well?
2. Why is the 6.5CM your strong consideration?

We cut a barrel down like that once. It was still no trouble to keep up the speed, Its why we keep readings on speed and adjust the load as the MV starts to decrease.
But ours finally just would not hold a 12 inch group at 600 yards anymore and was hard to win anything like that.