25-06 vs 6.5 creedmoor which one for antelope?

[Barrelnut]

Here are clips for Hornady Superformance ammo in 6.5 Creedmoor 129gr SST and the 25-06 117gr SST. Kinda speaks for itself.

6.5 Creedmoor 129gr. SST

25-06 117gr. SST

 

[Crockett12]

A lot of these guys are talking about the advantages of 25-06 vs 6.5 Creedmore in long range shooting and I can agree with their conclusions! However, I'd advise against thinking about shooting an antelope further than 200 -- 300 yards unless you have a lot of experience at shooting those distances. Even at that, I'll only shoot at any game animal from a solid rest when the range is 200 yards or greater -- otherwise I won't shoot! If you plan on shooting at any game animal, you owe it to the animal to make an instant kill and not wound it -- therefore plenty of practice at the ranges you might shoot!

 

[Crockett12]

I should have also said -- not all factory rifles are capable of the accuracy necessary to place a bullet in the fatal area of an antelope further than 200 or 300 yards -- so you need to practice at those ranges before you hunt -- to see if the rifle/caliber you choose is capable of the necessary accuracy! Best case scenario is about a 6 inch circle at those ranges. Anything bigger is going to possibly wound the animal!
By the way -- you can't go wrong with either caliber but I'd lean towards the 25-06!

 

[foul bore]

Either will work fine. a group of us went to Wyo. 2 yrs ago. we all scored with different calibers. all dropped quick. Mine was at 250 yds with 6.5 cm 140 grain Sierra

 

[bigngreen]

Either one will work but for availability of high quality reasonably priced ammo you can't touch the Creedmore, it's literally everywhere in multiple flavors and it shoots good. The Vanguards I've shot in the Creedmore shot excellent, so good I can't really justify reloading them!!

 

[th82457]

I concur with Crockett12. Unless you have practiced at extreme distance and know for certain the rifle & your capabilities it really does not matter which caliber you choose. Most important is how accurate the rifle is at the distance you will limit your shots to. Antelope are fun to hunt, enjoy your hunt. If it is your 1st antelope hunt, then when you get your buck I suggest you skin, debone & cool the meat asap. It is edible if processed quickly without cutting into bone marrow, but can be very strong & gamey if not handled this way.

 

[emp1953]

I have a couple of antelope tags this year and am considering a new rifle.
My toss up is either going to be the 6.5 creedmoor or the 25-06 what are my pros and con to these firearms never shot or owned either?

Everyone I know that has a 6.5 creedmoor extolls the virtues of it, Some hunt, some long range bench shoot (1000M steel chickens). NONE OF THEM shoot factory ammo. They all claim that the rifle shoots a whole lot better with handloads. 25-06 has lots of off the shelf ammo that performs adequately for antelope sized critters out to 700-800 yards. If you go with the 6.5 you are kind of up against the schedule to learn alot about reloading. Not that factory 6.5C ammo isn't up to the task..... but when every shooter that I know that shoots the 6.5C (that's like 45 shooters) NONE use factory ammo, that is quite a testimonial.

 

[stx]

Everyone I know that has a 6.5 creedmoor extolls the virtues of it, Some hunt, some long range bench shoot (1000M steel chickens). NONE OF THEM shoot factory ammo. They all claim that the rifle shoots a whole lot better with handloads. 25-06 has lots of off the shelf ammo that performs adequately for antelope sized critters out to 700-800 yards. If you go with the 6.5 you are kind of up against the schedule to learn alot about reloading. Not that factory 6.5C ammo isn't up to the task..... but when every shooter that I know that shoots the 6.5C (that's like 45 shooters) NONE use factory ammo, that is quite a testimonial.

Hornady ELD Match ammo shoots in both of my Creedmoors as well as my best handloads......shot with it out to 1300 yards at NRA Whittington Center! Excellent Factory Ammo and I know quite a few hunters that swear by it! I've shot 25-06s for over 45 years and never found any factory ammo as good as my handloads!

 

[Crockett12]

Yep -- th82457 is right! A lot of antelope hunting is during hot weather. It's imperative that you cool the meat immediately. The one I shot in my picture was during 100 degree weather and by the time I finished with pictures and got it open to begin cooling, the meat was already staring to turn -- however he was an old buck. I was able to eat the meat but it wasn't very good. My previous antelope was cooled and put on ice within about 30 minutes of shooting him and the meat was delicious! So -- open the body cavity right away before your pictures!

 

[Barrelnut]

I agree with stx. Here's the last group of the day, a while back, shooting Hornady factory 120 AMax ammo in my 6.5 CM. I shot this ammo out to 700 yards with excellent results. I mostly hand load my 6.5 CM ammo but no doubt Hornady 6.5 CM is excellent. IMO it would be hard to find 25-06 ammo as accurate. Since no one, I know, makes factory target grade ammo for the 25-06.

 

[lancetkenyon]

Pfft. 25 Creedmoor.

 

[stx]

I agree with stx. Here's the last group of the day, a while back, shooting Hornady factory 120 AMax ammo in my 6.5 CM. I shot this ammo out to 700 yards with excellent results. I mostly hand load my 6.5 CM ammo but no doubt Hornady 6.5 CM is excellent. IMO it would be hard to find 25-06 ammo as accurate. Since no one, I know, makes factory target grade ammo for the 25-06.
View attachment 148824

Here are groups shot with ELD Match in one of my Creedmoors....notice the velocity, as well.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I have a couple of antelope tags this year and am considering a new rifle.
My toss up is either going to be the 6.5 creedmoor or the 25-06 what are my pros and con to these firearms never shot or owned either?

The classic vs the new kid on the block...I have owned both, I love the 25-06 round, fast and flat and the 115gr bergers hit like the hammer of Thor. If you are hunting in wind, I would opt for the 6.5 with a heavy high bc bullet to cheat the wind a little bit. If you aren't worried about wind, 25-06 all the way. Also, I would forget the creedmoor and go with a 260 if you decide to go with a 6.5 of some sort

 

[littlewhaler]

A lot of these guys are talking about the advantages of 25-06 vs 6.5 Creedmore in long range shooting and I can agree with their conclusions! However, I'd advise against thinking about shooting an antelope further than 200 -- 300 yards unless you have a lot of experience at shooting those distances. Even at that, I'll only shoot at any game animal from a solid rest when the range is 200 yards or greater -- otherwise I won't shoot! If you plan on shooting at any game animal, you owe it to the animal to make an instant kill and not wound it -- therefore plenty of practice at the ranges you might shoot!

Good advice..vertical distance on antelope behind shoulder is 17" and about half of that is kill zone..these are not big animals and if you shoot past 300 yds you better practice putting 2-3" groups on target with cross wind!!! That's what you will see a lot in Wyoming..terrible to miss hit any animal, period.