6mm Creedmoor first elk hunt

IMO you are making a mistake taking a 6mm on an elk hunt. Of course it will kill an elk but that's not the point. It is marginal at best and limits the range considerably. Elk are big critters and can absorb a lot of lead. Elk hunting is hard work and you don't want to be caught under gunned when the opportunity arises. I would suggest the 7 mag as you mentioned or even a 30 caliber of some sort. It does not necessarily have to be a magnum, tons of elk have been killed with the trusty 30-06. Going in under gunned just puts you at a distinct disadvantage. Again, I am not saying you can't kill and elk with the 6 Creedmoor but I think it would be a mistake.

d.downey24 said:

You need to look at the gel test on YouTube them smaller bullets are hitting harder. .
Kinetic energy no longer exists.

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Sure, if he's going "elk hunting" to shoot ballistic gell.
In how many of those videos were they shooting through 3/8" of bull elk hide and a 3" knuckle bone before entering the gell?

Why decrease your chance of success and increase your chance of wounding an animal. Can and should aren't the same.

17remhunter said:

Ive hunted all my life with a 243 my Dad bought me when i was 16. Shot a lot of Black Tail, Black bears and Antelope but never an Elk. My Rem 700 is gone but now i have a 6mm Creedmoor. TS Customs. 1x7.5. I've mostly loaded 90 gr Scirocco ll and dont see a reason to change. I will be going on my first Elk hunt this year. I guess i could borrow my brother in laws 7mm Rem Mag but im so use to and confident in the 6 mm. Your thoughts

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My friends two daughters both killed elk, one with a 243 win. the other with a 6mm remington. Shot placement is the whole story. Good luck.

I have never hunted elk. I agree with what everyone here has said about bring enough gun! I certainly would. But if you hold any stock in energy being an indicator of killing power please explain how my current load in my 6 mmCM holds 2200FPS and 1500ft pounds to 550 yards at my elevation while my 338 win mag drops below 1500ft pounds at 450 yards?
I would limit my range to the distance I drop below 1500FTLBS. According to this method I have an extra 100 yards of range with the 6mm then the 338!

I don't think anyone on here would argue that a 338 win mag isn't an elk rifle.

2BrownDogs said:

Energy is not an indicator of killing capability. If energy mattered, people couldn't kill animals with arrows, that have less than 5% the energy of bullets fired from centerfire rifles. 1. Does the bullet go where it needs to go to create enough blood loss via vital tissue damage to induce incapacitation? 2. Does the bullet have enough impact velocity to upset based on its design?

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Unbelievable that's what arrows are based off of kinetic energy, the weight/speed of the arrow and broadhead. Doh
What do you think pushes the arrow through the rib cage the wind. That's why you see half of the animals shot on tv with the arrow hanging out, light arrows and broadheads everyone after that speed. I don't know how Fred Bear killed everything on the plant with a slow bow and heavy arrow and broadhead guess he was just lucky or did he just shoot within his means 20-30 yards not 60-80?

Funny how some folks label the 6.5 Creedmoor as a woefully inadequate chambering even with the best bullet, yet know that the .270 has piled up a mountain of elk too high to climb - same bullet, same velocity, 0.013" larger diameter... mountains of dead elk.
For the record, the .243 has piled up a mountain of dead elk too, although a fella in good shape could probably climb that one.
If you mention Creedmoor, there is a reserve squad of posters that leap into action, typing the same tired quips, proving that they know little and talk a lot.

MT-JONAS said:

Sure, if he's going "elk hunting" to shoot ballistic gell.
In how many of those videos were they shooting through 3/8" of bull elk hide and a 3" knuckle bone before entering the gell?

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I said that sarcastically, I'm not even considering taken anything smaller than a 7mm Elk hunting. I'm not sold on these bench rest calibers, like I said at ethical hunting distance there no better than the old calibers.

I live in elk country, hunt and kill elk every year, often times multiple elk a year. My elk hunt cost me a tank of gas one $53 and one $47 tag this year. If I was traveling and spending money on non resident tags I for sure wouldn't be considering some of the rifles I have used here at home.

While 6 creed would work, and I would use it personally especially on a cow meat hunt. I would have an accurate quality bullet and a lot of discipline on shop placement...... possibly coming home empty handed on opportunity I would take with a big gun.

Borrow that 7mm.

Or possibly have another barrel made for your 6mm in something like 7mm-08, 308, or 338 federal.

This may be off topic a little but it's relevant to the original post…..,
At age 54, I'm a lifelong hunter of whitetails….mostly with a bow, but I rifle and muzzleloader hunt too. My knowledge of long range shooting/hunting is getting better but is marginal. I am an addict of nice rifles and optics and have managed to own a few.
Am I wrong in thinking that a projectile, just name one, traveling at the same velocity, will produce the same result regardless of caliber???
Obviously U can't shoot 200gr pills from a 6mm…..but something like a 130-140 gr Hammer Hunter can be loaded for a wide range of calibers. Does it really matter the specific caliber, if the ballistics are very similar??
As for the original issue of hunting Elk with a 6CM, the Hunter has to know that his range will shrink considerably. If he/she is disciplined enough to stay within the bullet's effective range and more importantly, their own effective range, I see no problem.
If it were me, I would not want to risk it. Choose something a bit more suitable, but make sure u practice with it and don't take a shot that u haven't practiced.
Good luck though.

2BrownDogs said:

Energy is not an indicator of killing capability. If energy mattered, people couldn't kill animals with arrows, that have less than 5% the energy of bullets fired from centerfire rifles. 1. Does the bullet go where it needs to go to create enough blood loss via vital tissue damage to induce incapacitation? 2. Does the bullet have enough impact velocity to upset based on its design?

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This of course is if all things work out perfect. When they don't and a uncontrollable variable presents itself why risk it?
1) Energy is an indicator of Killing Capability when they don't.
2) A 180 Grain solid or cup/core going 2950 is going to do more damage than 100 Grain solid going 2950.

Why add another risk variable with going in undergunned? He should borrow the 7mag, go practice with it and "get comfortable" , that's the common sense practical answer to the OPs question or ask for opinions.

I believe that even though the 6CM will kill an elk I'd want something bigger. I don't want a cartridge that will kill an animal when everything is right. I want one that will kill it when everything isn't right.

Doghunter23 said:

I have never hunted elk. I agree with what everyone here has said about bring enough gun! I certainly would. But if you hold any stock in energy being an indicator of killing power please explain how my current load in my 6 mmCM holds 2200FPS and 1500ft pounds to 550 yards at my elevation while my 338 win mag drops below 1500ft pounds at 450 yards?
I would limit my range to the distance I drop below 1500FTLBS. According to this method I have an extra 100 yards of range with the 6mm then the 338!

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Pretty obvious you're not very good with math. Your numbers are way off.