Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Is the 6.5 Creedmoor a 600 yard Elk cartridge?

The answer to the original question is no. Just because it can be done (sometimes) doesn't make it the proper tool for the job. I've seen guys trick shoot clay pigeons with a .22 but that doesn't make them a sporting clay gun. Same deal with the Creedmore pea shooter. Elk aren't armor plated but they aren't just big whitetail either. Do them some justice and use enough gun. Why some people are minimalists I just can't fathom when the right tools for the job cost about the same as less than proper ones. If you can't handle recoil then take up fishing.

I don't think the problem is a guy like Van Zwoll filming a shot like that. Personally, I enjoy seeing what the best are capable of.

The problem comes when "Joe-box-of-factory-ammo-a-year" thinks he's Wayne Van Zwoll. And that ain't Wayne's fault.

The problem comes when "Joe-box-of-factory-ammo-a-year" thinks he's Wayne Van Zwoll. And that ain't Wayne's fault.

Very well put.......

I couldn't agree more.

WVZ shot his elk (bigger animal), at 600 yards (greater distance) and got a through and through with a 129gr SST (greater sectional density?). I'm loading this same bullet for a 260 Rem. I'm not confident with the 30 cal 165 SST's any longer and based on EHG's experiences with three semi trailers full of animals, and a partridge in a pear tree, am considering switching to Scirocco's for the 30's. Should I be considering similar for the 6.5's?

..... If you can't handle recoil then take up fishing.

Utter nonsense....

Anyone who shoots more rifle than he can manage(within reason),just to satisfy some inane theory about "killing power"....is stupid.

Those mesmerized by the toughness of elk should try shooting straighter;heavy recoil does not help with that for some folks.

And advise that they use a 300 Weatherby (for example)that they can't shoot for beans,in lieu of a 6.5 that they can,is unreasonable....and bad advise.

Badly hit with a 300 magnum, elk will go a long ways;maybe never recovered......properly hit with the 6.5 (270,7mm, etc), he will die pronto and anyone who has done much elk hunting knows this.

Hitting well can't be overemphasized when it comes to killing BG animals.

Bob,

A few years ago, after not drawing a moose tag in Montana after 30 years of applying, I booked a "cancellation" hunt in Alberta with an outfitter I've known for a long time.

He's one of those guys who firmly recommends a .300 magnum for elk and moose--mostly because that's what he shoots. I took a 7x57, and simply didn't mention it to him. When the guide asked what my rifle was chambered for, I said "7mm." He nodded, not really caring one way or the other.

Got a 41" bull on the second day. The first went through both lungs, just over the heart. The moose was standing there waiting to tip over, but then took a tentative step toward some thick brush and the guide asked me to shoot again, so we didn't have to pack him out of the brush. So I shot again, and then once again to make sure.

The moose didn't react to any of the three shots, though they were all within 4-5 inches of each other, and tipped over 19 yards from where he'd first been hit.

When we got back to the lodge that evening, the guide told the story, bragging about my shooting--which really wasn't extraordinary, since the moose was only 225 yards away. The outfitter nodded and said, "That's exactly what my bull did when I shot it with my .300!"

Hitting well with enough energy to do the job EVERY TIME with the vagaries of field conditions can't be overemphasized. Learning to manage recoil is part of shooting a hunting rifle well. My .300 mag wild cat is a tack driver and both I and my 140 lb. wife can shoot it, recoil and all, plenty well enough to put an elk in the dirt with certainty.

I like to make sure I use the right tool for the job and do the job well. I will not use a marginal, at best tool, and hope that my skill can always make up for my less than adequate choice in weapon. When I muzzleload for elk I shoot a .54 cal., when I bow hunt I shoot a 75 lb. bow and best broadhead I can find that is surgically sharp. I don't think you need a magnum to kill elk. A 30-06 or even a .308 would be a fine choice if used within it's limitations in range and energy. If you want to reach far than at least have the concern for the beast you're killing to do it right and choose a weapon with enough energy to do the job well, every time.

I guess I kind of fall in line with Mark Twain when speaking about drinking. He said, "Too much of anything can be bad but too much bourbon is just enough". I feel the same about building things, shooting things, and life in general. Nothing I make will win awards for it's sweeping lines and lithe looks but it sure as hell will not fall down while I'm alive and nothing I shoot will limp away to die slowly if there is choice I can make to ensure that doesn't happen. Using enough gun is part of that choice as is learning to deliver the round where it needs to go. Seeing a video of one very accomplished marksman do it once isn't enough to convince me to trade in my rifle for something more dimunitive any time soon.