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Hunting with 6.5 creedmoor


FridTjov

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Hi. Im searching up for hunting rifle and cant choose caliber.. At the first moment I was sure that .308 would be great but now Im considering 6.5 creedmoor, I like this round but my question is what ammo in this caliber would you use for boar/deer hunting and does it have enough stopping power? Thank you and sorry for my english

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I hunted Sika 15 years or so with a 308 and last season except a few deer with the 6.5CM, my verdict is … the 6.5CM is not a 308. I found deer run further with same shot placement and we used the dog more than ever. Deer were all dead. Big advantage are the longer shots even with a bit of wind, the 6.5CM seems to hit much more reliable. Recon out to 300m  their is no difference. My take is, if you tend to shoot animals larger than Roe and stay under 400m there is not reason to change to 6.5CM.

edi

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The Swedes have been using 6.5x55 for all manner of larger game for very many years.  How about 270Win? 

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14 hours ago, ejg223 said:

I hunted Sika 15 years or so with a 308 and last season except a few deer with the 6.5CM, my verdict is … the 6.5CM is not a 308. I found deer run further with same shot placement and we used the dog more than ever. Deer were all dead. Big advantage are the longer shots even with a bit of wind, the 6.5CM seems to hit much more reliable. Recon out to 300m  their is no difference. My take is, if you tend to shoot animals larger than Roe and stay under 400m there is not reason to change to 6.5CM.

edi

Thats what I was searching for. So you think that .308 would be actually better for my purposses?

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I use both .308 and 6.5 CM for stalking / foxing and echo the words above From ejg 

to me between the two they cover everything very well indeed. 

either will do the job but in some circumstances one is slightly better suited than the other. 
I used to have a .270 and yes it’s good calibre I never really got on with it. Bullet choice wasn’t the best at the time however things my well be different now. 

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9 hours ago, FridTjov said:

Thats what I was searching for. So you think that .308 would be actually better for my purposses?

We have a good customer base in Germany and have quite a bit of feedback on roe-boar shooting. The 6.5CM as well as the Swede have been a fashionable item. At first all were raving about the very good performance on Roe as well as good accuracy of the 6.5's however when it came to boar they sobered up quickly. After a little while they asked themselves why not go back to the 308 which did it all. One just dose not need think about the cartridge with a 308, it is proven. If things go wrong it is down to shot placement or bullet selection. A good friend of mine in Ireland even questioned his move from 308 to 7-08 and said it can't do anything better. (he shoots deer mostly under 300yds.)

I have two 6.5CM at the moment and like to test them in the field well. The CM would suit my shooting because I have a lot of longer range smaller Sika hinds/calves after the stag season. Moslty I shoot stags at shorter or close range. …. and at the moment I have a very good dog as well as working on shot placement. As a long range back up I have just finished a 300wm just in case... 

 

So my verdict, if you don't shoot over 300m there is no reason to go from 308 to 6.5's.

edi

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19 minutes ago, ejg223 said:

We have a good customer base in Germany and have quite a bit of feedback on roe-boar shooting. The 6.5CM as well as the Swede have been a fashionable item. At first all were raving about the very good performance on Roe as well as good accuracy of the 6.5's however when it came to boar they sobered up quickly. After a little while they asked themselves why not go back to the 308 which did it all. One just dose not need think about the cartridge with a 308, it is proven. If things go wrong it is down to shot placement or bullet selection. A good friend of mine in Ireland even questioned his move from 308 to 7-08 and said it can't do anything better. (he shoots deer mostly under 300yds.)

I have two 6.5CM at the moment and like to test them in the field well. The CM would suit my shooting because I have a lot of longer range smaller Sika hinds/calves after the stag season. Moslty I shoot stags at shorter or close range. …. and at the moment I have a very good dog as well as working on shot placement. As a long range back up I have just finished a 300wm just in case... 

 

So my verdict, if you don't shoot over 300m there is no reason to go from 308 to 6.5's.

edi

What about shot placement if you have bigger animal? Does the 6.5 forgive you worse shot placement? Like is there higher chance that the animal will just run away then with .308?

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Frid, what I noticed was that with the 6.5 I had less blood trail and longer runs. Also reaction to the shot is less. With the 308 the deer would drop or wobble away with mostly only 10-50m run. With the 6.5 often around 100m or more into the thick stuff.  Of course from the 25 deer I shot with 6.5CM last season a few dropped because of spinal shots but those that were not spinal shot... ran.  Discussing this on another forum I was advised to try the Hilar shot placement. I looked it up on the net and tried it on my last deer of the season a small calf at 260m. It dropped on the spot. So I will work on that in the future... or just use a 308.  A 308 makes a great bush gun and the 6.5 is more surgical tool. Best is to have both.  A 308 can/might help marginally if your shot placement is off but you can't bet on it.

edi

 

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7 hours ago, ejg223 said:

Frid, what I noticed was that with the 6.5 I had less blood trail and longer runs. Also reaction to the shot is less. With the 308 the deer would drop or wobble away with mostly only 10-50m run. With the 6.5 often around 100m or more into the thick stuff.  Of course from the 25 deer I shot with 6.5CM last season a few dropped because of spinal shots but those that were not spinal shot... ran.  Discussing this on another forum I was advised to try the Hilar shot placement. I looked it up on the net and tried it on my last deer of the season a small calf at 260m. It dropped on the spot. So I will work on that in the future... or just use a 308.  A 308 makes a great bush gun and the 6.5 is more surgical tool. Best is to have both.  A 308 can/might help marginally if your shot placement is off but you can't bet on it.

edi

 

Thank you very much

 

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A lot of generalization here. No one is talking what bullet is used. I use 140 Game Kings and 120 Pro hunters in my 6.5's (Creed, X55, Grendel) and large deer fold like camp chairs when hit in the boiler room. Hornady Interlocks work as well. ~Andrew

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2 hours ago, Andrew said:

A lot of generalization here. No one is talking what bullet is used. I use 140 Game Kings and 120 Pro hunters in my 6.5's (Creed, X55, Grendel) and large deer fold like camp chairs when hit in the boiler room. Hornady Interlocks work as well. ~Andrew

Thats true, my bad ....

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On 3/21/2020 at 12:57 AM, Andrew said:

A lot of generalization here. No one is talking what bullet is used. I use 140 Game Kings and 120 Pro hunters in my 6.5's (Creed, X55, Grendel) and large deer fold like camp chairs when hit in the boiler room. Hornady Interlocks work as well. ~Andrew

I use 143  and 178 ELD- x 

I have fantastic results with both . Below is a 143 ELD-x creedmore retrieved from a fallow buck last year , just behind shoulder , on examination it took out heart / lung area and smashed into inside of opposite shoulder and obviously all associated muscle / tissue damage  at 250 odd meters , bullet held together very well , nice well controlled expansion allowing the bullet to go deep leaving a very good wound channel  according to my ballistics for the round I still had somewhere in the 1800ft/lbs and 2370 / 2400 FPS nudging it along 

the fallow ... nailed on the spot .

without digging out my game book IIRC it was around 75-80 KG so not the biggest but still very respectable. 

 

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If boar or deer will  be hunted in driven hunts I would go with the 308 for sure.

in stalking situations,as has been said, there will not be a lot of difference in ballistics up to 300-400m depending on bullet use.

For light game like roedeer I like the 6,5 better. If you plan shooting boar and red deer I would opt for the 308. And if ranges will be past 400m or so, think about a better ballistics 30 cal or a 7 cal.

 

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The big thing with the 6.5CM is picking the right bullet.  It is considerably faster than a 308 at closer ranges, and IME will pass through an animal at shorter ranges without expanding, if using match bullets or something with a fairly thick jacket.  A soft point or expanding bullet seems to work well.  For bigger game, that thicker jacket actually helps, delaying the expansion, in exchange for good penetration.  As Andrew mentioned, when using the right bullet and decent shot placement, deer fold when hit with a 6.5CM.

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4 hours ago, MarinePMI said:

The big thing with the 6.5CM is picking the right bullet.  It is considerably faster than a 308 at closer ranges, and IME will pass through an animal at shorter ranges without expanding, if using match bullets or something with a fairly thick jacket.  A soft point or expanding bullet seems to work well.  For bigger game, that thicker jacket actually helps, delaying the expansion, in exchange for good penetration.  As Andrew mentioned, when using the right bullet and decent shot placement, deer fold when hit with a 6.5CM.

Better read some data there my brother, your totally wrong other than using  match bullet or a heavy jacket, bonded or mono metal may exit the animal. I compared 15o grn 308 and 6.5 140 grn creedmor Hogdon 2020 manual. Lighter bullet may go faster you cant compare a light weight varmint bullet to any thing intended for larger game. Based on your profile and location I assume USMC, I earned the title in 1980.

 

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On 3/20/2020 at 5:57 PM, Andrew said:

A lot of generalization here. No one is talking what bullet is used. I use 140 Game Kings and 120 Pro hunters in my 6.5's (Creed, X55, Grendel) and large deer fold like camp chairs when hit in the boiler room. Hornady Interlocks work as well. ~Andrew

Your exactly correct, Placement and the right bullet for the job is paramount, I have shot deer and speedgoats with Interlocks and Interbonds, I prefer the softer Interlock on the speedgoat, bigger game like elk Barnes, if factory and if I carry the 30.06 any 180 will do.

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7 hours ago, KABOOM said:
  • 7 hours ago, KABOOM said:

    Better read some data there my brother, your totally wrong other than using  match bullet or a heavy jacket, bonded or mono metal may exit the animal. I compared 15o grn 308 and 6.5 140 grn creedmor Hogdon 2020 manual. Lighter bullet may go faster you cant compare a light weight varmint bullet to any thing intended for larger game. Based on your profile and location I assume USMC, I earned the title in 1980.

     

  • There's a lot people that would say you're totally wrong about match bullets on game; hence the hotly debated topic.  I've been shooting the CM since about when it came out (long before you could get a factory rifle in it), and it has it's merits.  The best being it's high BC bullets that give less wind drift than a 308.  As you said yourself, shot placement are key, and wind calls affect that as the range increases.
  • The 308 is a solid, reputable cartridge, but it is not the panacea for hunting game.  Neither is the CM.  
  • I think we're saying the same thing.  Bullet selection and shot placement are the determining factors wrt killing game efficiently. 

 

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1 hour ago, MarinePMI said:

 

I will concede that some have success with match bullets on game ,on critters larger than jackrabbits I haven't done so. What is the perfect hunting cartridge? IMO its whatever handles the job ( suited for quarry). 

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On 3/21/2020 at 1:18 AM, One on top of two said:

I use 143  and 178 ELD- x 

I have fantastic results with both . Below is a 143 ELD-x creedmore retrieved from a fallow buck last year , just behind shoulder , on examination it took out heart / lung area and smashed into inside of opposite shoulder and obviously all associated muscle / tissue damage  at 250 odd meters , bullet held together very well , nice well controlled expansion allowing the bullet to go deep leaving a very good wound channel  according to my ballistics for the round I still had somewhere in the 1800ft/lbs and 2370 / 2400 FPS nudging it along 830BDFEC-58B9-44B9-BE50-4B7F92942923.jpeg.8589ef8d84645a27532a5bf5b5d679d1.jpeg718EAFAE-2BD5-4A69-B576-E47BE47B5411.jpeg.a3a93165e160dba9d886189ff910842d.jpeg

the fallow ... nailed on the spot .

without digging out my game book IIRC it was around 75-80 KG so not the biggest but still very respectable. 

 

Interesting.  I've had very erratic results with the 143ELD-X.  At 270yds I had one grenade against the sternum (went in, between left side ribs, nicking one, bouncing it down into the back of the sternum), and found the slug under the hide on the opposite shoulder.  Strangely, it somehow missed both lungs (still trying to figure that one out; literally riccochet'ed around the lungs!).  The second round went through the left side ribs (missed bone), through the heart (blew out one ventricle), then punched a nice, neat, 6.5mm hole through one rib on the left side, and left another 6.5mm hole through left humorous(sp?) bone.  She just rolled over on the second shot, but the first shot she wobbled, staggered, laid down for about 5 mins, and then got back up (that's when the second shot was taken).

 

Ironically, another friend (known to Andrew as well) went out and took several deer and elk with same type ammo and exact same rifle (I borrowed his rifle so I didn't have to fly with mine).  I think the ELD-X (particularly the 6.5mm variant) had some issues.  I've heard this from several hunters around the US, and had also heard that Hornady made some changes to the ELD-X in 6.5mm (it seemed to be the only caliber that exhibited this weird behavior), since all of this.  <Shrug>  Like I said, interesting.

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I'm no hunter so please take my question with a pinch of salt:  If you guys are shooting deer or elk at less than 300 yds why does windage matter between 6.5CM and a 308? It's peanuts except in very strong 90 deg conditions.  Surely the kill zone is pretty big (5" diameter ??)

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10 minutes ago, Popsbengo said:

I'm no hunter so please take my question with a pinch of salt:  If you guys are shooting deer or elk at less than 300 yds why does windage matter between 6.5CM and a 308? It's peanuts except in very strong 90 deg conditions.  Surely the kill zone is pretty big (5" diameter ??)

In Montana, a "gentle breeze" can be 35-40mph gusts.  Even at 300yds, that can push a bullet a fair bit (about 18+ inches).  Even at a modest 15mph (kind of normal wind in Montana in the fall/early winter where I hunt), it's an almost 8 inches of drift (143 ELD-X @ 2700fps).  With a .308 and 178 ELD-X, it's 10+ inches (@2500 fps), and at 35mph it goes to 24+ inches (vice the 18 of the CM).

 

Just depends on the terrain, weather and distances...the US can be fairly broad in it's variables, depending on where one lives.  Out west, the ranges get longer, and winds get stronger.

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