6.5 Creedmoor enough gun for Elk?

I've taken two with a 6.5, one with 127gr LRX, and one with 140gr Accubond. I got exits with both, but in general I like the wound cavities of bonded bullets better. I'd also use something like the 142gr ABLR, and have talked to several people that have used other bullets like the 143gr ELDX and 140gr Gameking successfully. Compared to the elk I shot with 180gr Accubonds out of a .30-06, my perception was that I got a little more wound cavity width with the .30-06, and a little less penetration (caught both 180gr). Obviously small sample size and different ranges though, the 127gr LRX kill was 375 yds, 140gr AB was 140 yds, and 180 gr was 320 yds, so I'm sure that made a difference.

With heavy bonded bullets I think you'd be fine with either rifle on the kind of open country shots I mostly had. If I was hunting thick stuff and was likely to have to take a quick heavily quartering shot, I'd probably want the '06 with a heavier than 180gr bonded bullet.

I think it's light but probably is doable. I guess my second thought is why be on the marginal end of the spectrum in a hunting caliber? Recoil really shouldn't matter, you aren't shooting a high volume of shots plus in my experience when I'm shooting at game I'm so amped I'm not even aware of recoil. It's a different thing when you're trying to ring steel at 1000 yards. The sweet spot for elk in my opinion is in the 30-06 to 7 to 300 mag range.

I've gone down the light caliber path for deer using a 6.5 Grendel. It worked great up to around 200 yards but at some point between 200 and 300 it runs out of steam. I learned that the hard way last year hitting a nice buck at about 285 yards multiple times directly in the shoulder. The second shot actually knocked the deer over. Left some blood but never found it. Then a few weeks later one of my sons shot the same buck during muzzleloading season. During the autopsy we recovered both bullets out of a badly infected shoulder. Not a proud moment for me. I loved that little Grendel but it's deer hunting days are over. Now what cartridge and yardage would yield the same result on an elk is beyond my knowledge but the energy tables don't lie.

No personal experience so take it with a grain of salt, but...

In reading around online, alot of the responses when others have asked the same thing boil down to what many people say about .223 for whitetail; it's doable but not ideal and shot placement is critical.

With that being the case and with MY shooting ability, I probably wouldn't trust myself to be reasonably assured of an ethical kill. I would probably favor something a little more powerful, but thats me.

Dale Alan said:

ELD-X...

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Thanks, I will order some for our Son.

Roverguy said:

Jack O'Connor swore by the Win 270 for elk. With the far better bullets available today than in his prime, the 0.013" smaller diameter of the 6.5 will make zero difference (except for the even flatter trajectory. And 140 grs is 140 grs at not much difference in velocity.
Of course, I'm no Jack O'Connor, not even a pale immitation, so I hunt elk with the 30-06 and 180s. But that's just the old fashioned in me.

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Please advise what factory 6.5 creedmore 140 grain load reaches 3,100 like the hornady .270 Winchester140 BTSP light magnum interlock, in a hunting length barrel.

Jerry M said:

Please advise what factory 6.5 creedmore 140 grain load reaches 3,100 like the hornady .270 Winchester140 BTSP light magnum interlock, in a hunting length barrel.

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Right after you explain the tremendous difference 150 fps makes at under 300 yards and post a picture of the chronograph that registered an actual 3100 with that factory ammo.

I'm a 270 Win fan by the way , don't own anything in 6.5CM and don't have any interest in doing so. It's just much of a muchness. And I wouldn't use either for elk.

I have to think about thousands of elk being harvested every year with archery equipment and then reading that a “high powered rifle” is on the light side????? I will have to put more thought into that reading.

Jerry M said:

Please advise what factory 6.5 creedmore 140 grain load reaches 3,100 like the hornady .270 Winchester140 BTSP light magnum interlock, in a hunting length barrel.

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None do, but terminal effect wise I couldn't tell any difference between .277 140gr Accubond @ 2,940 fps and .264 140gr Accubond @ 2,760 fps on elk shot at about the same distance. The interlock is a basic cup and core design, and not a particularly sturdy one in my experience, there's no way I'd choose that Hornady load over a decent bonded bullet load (like my 140gr AB load) for elk.

Here are some of the different bullet sizes discussed in this thread BTW.

Good Luck to all you guys using whatever cartridge you choose.

I have no hunting experience with the 6.5 (honest disclaimer). But the bull elk I took was a lot tougher than any deer I’ve ever taken. I used a 165 .308 Winchester Sierra gameking (against the advice of many on this forum, who suggested a tougher bonded bullet). It took 2 rounds to put that elk down, the second shot while the bull was sprinting toward the dark timber after the first shot shredded the lungs and barely keyholed on the exit. Lesson learned the hard way. Elk are tougher than deer. I’ve switched to a 180 grain nosler partition, although I’d also use a accubond or corelokt if necessary.

351 WINCHESTER said:

I know. I have cleanly killed deer with a .22 lr too under ideal conditions, and the 6.5 will kill elk and even elephant, but how far are you going to have to track them? My advice is to always use enough gun. Our son is open to suguestions as to what would be a good bullet for his 6.5cm for deer.

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142 grain accubond long range
140 grain accubond
140 grain Gameking
143 grain ELDX
Barnes TTSX 120 grain solid Copper
Barnes 127 LRX
129 grain ACCUBOND long range


To name a few

Please advise what factory 6.5 creedmore 140 grain load reaches 3,100 like the hornady .270 Winchester140 BTSP light magnum interlock, in a hunting length barrel.

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Muzzle velocity doesn't mean anything, impact velocity is what matters. The 140 gr 270 bullet has a BC of .486. A 143 gr Hornady ELD-X 6.5 bullet has a BC of .625.

And 3100 fps is a pipe dream. Lets be generous and call it 3000 fps from a 270. My personal 6.5 CM will get 2700 fps with the 143's from my Tikka T3.

While the 270 has an edge at the muzzle ( where both are more than capable) the farther you go down range the closer they become. At 500 yards:

270/140 @ 3000 fps 2101 fps 1373 ft lbs
6.5CM/143 @ 2700 fps 2030 fps 1309 ft lbs.

Also the 6.5's better SD means better penetration.


There is nothing hypothetical about this. The 6.5X55 came out in 1891, the 6.5 CM shoots the same bullet weights to virtually the same speeds from a shorter cartridge. Since 1891 the 6.5X55 it has been used to take every game animal on the planet including elephant. It used to be quite popular for African game and for moose in Europe. It has already proven its self.

I found this video, it shows what a hunting and match 6.5 Creedmoor can do

Yup I’d probably use a 165 grain bullet, too. I just found a couple of boxes of 180s a couple of years ago, which is good because ammunition is hard to find and expensive if you can find it.

jmr40 said:

...There is nothing hypothetical about this. The 6.5X55 came out in 1891, the 6.5 CM shoots the same bullet weights to virtually the same speeds from a shorter cartridge. Since 1891 the 6.5X55 it has been used to take every game animal on the planet including elephant. It used to be quite popular for African game and for moose in Europe. It has already proven its self.

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I

I'm not going to comment on shooting elk at 500 yards with a 6.5 Creedmore. But I'm going to comment on elephant. I read several dozen books on African hunting and have gone there twice.

Yes D A Bell was famous for shooting elephants with all sorts of small arms: 6.5, .303, 7 mm, all using heavy for caliber FMJ surplus ball ammunition. He would sneek up a a herd a shoot the first animal. As the animal would fall he would run up the read legs of the animal onto it's back and shoot several more in the herd. He took the irory and left. He was very athletic and a tremendous shot. He also carried a 4 ga. rifle when things went bad.

Best of luck hunting whatever with whatever.

Mr. Hill said:

Yup I’d probably use a 165 grain bullet, too. I just found a couple of boxes of 180s a couple of years ago, which is good because ammunition is hard to find and expensive if you can find it.

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About a decade ago I worked up an Elk load for a friend of mine who was heading out to Colorado. We also settled on the 165's(Hornaday Interlocks IIRC). I'm sure I used 4895 as I have a ton of it from reloading my M1A with 168 Sierras for match shooting. Anyhoo....He took a decent 5x5 bull at what he estimated was 275 yards with one shot to the boiler room. It was a through and through and the animal took just a step or two before going down. I thought I had a picture he sent me when he dressed it out, he separated the heart from it's associated plumbing and it basically almost fell out! I'd take that shot!lol!

I've shot elk over the years with .270 Win 150 grain Coreloktd. And also .270 WSM 150 Partitions, 7mm Rem Mag 175 grain Coreloktds, , 30-06 180 grain , .300 Weatherby 180 grain factory , .338 Win mag 250 grain factory ,
and now .375 H&H with 270 grain range ammo. I never used my .264 Win mag, it's my antelope gun, now I use a 25-06 for antelope. >308 with 150-165 grain bullets is my favorite all around deer load. When I was going for Elk in Big bear country .375 was a no brainer. Then I found out just what an Elk dropper it was with 30-06 like trajectory ! I go on guided hunts in Colorado or hunt a friend ranch in Oregon and I don't want to fool around and the .375 doesn't ! I bought my son a 6.5 a couple years ago and it is his go to deer gun. These days when we get our elks in Oregon he uses my old .300 Weatherby with 180 bullets NOT the 6.5 Creedmore. Given a choice between 30-06 or a smaller bore cartridge the full size .30s get the nod from me and many others.

Steve S. said:

I have to think about thousands of elk being harvested every year with archery equipment and then reading that a “high powered rifle” is on the light side????? I will have to put more thought into that reading.

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But you don't hear about the ones that are lost. A rifle vs bow is comparing apples to oranges. Both will take take elk but each have limitations.

I have noticed that animals seem to be getting harder to kill as the decades go by. A hundred and twenty years ago a 30-30 was considered adequate ( and used to kill ) everything from deer to Grizzly bears. A 35 Remington was like the hammer of Thor! My grandfather was of slight build and probably didn't weigh 130 pounds. His favorite rifle was an 1894 Winchester in 25-35. He liked it because it had little recoil and I am pretty sure he killed elk with it. He lived in Montana when he was in his fifties and he hunted to feed the family. Not saying it was a proper caliber for the job, but it certainly could do the job. I do know that Gramps was an excellent marksman, and that seem to me to be the most important factor in the equation. It isn't how big or fast the bullet is, it's where you put it.

To answer your question, DEPENDS

IF you have a quality GAME bullet, accurate in rifle, with good shot placement, at reasonable distance; YES.

A good bullet, with shot placement, using a 117gr to 150gr bullet; .257 Roberts, .25-06, 6.5CM, .260 Rem, 6.5x55, 7-08, 7x57, .270, .280, .308, or .30-06; very little ballistic difference.