6.5 Creed replace the .308 for hunting?
- Thread starter Litehiker
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SavageHunter11
Well-Known Member
In my experience deer don't notice the difference between 6.5 Creedmoor and 308 Winchester. I've shot 4 deer with my 308 and 3 with my Creedmoor and all of them died where they stood. My brother has shot a few Muleys with his Creedmoor and reported the same results. Personally I wouldn't use either cartridge for anything bigger than a Mule Deer but that's just me.
Web1350
Well-Known Member
You can never have too many guns. I happen to have a 7mm Rem mag, .257 Weatherby mag, and a .308 among others so the 6.5CM is really not necessary for me. I can use that money for something else.
Litehiker
Well-Known Member
I have a 90 year old buddy who says that if I'm determined to change cartridges I should go to 7mm - 08. That's an interesting thought.
As I said earlier I guess I'll stay with .308 since I already have a very nice 6.5 CM X-Bolt Pro.
The nice thing about the Savage 99 is that even though it is long out of production it is still a great rifle with a very strong action.
With all the new manufacturing techniques such a CAD/CAM machines and Ruger style temperature-controlled investment casting of actions the expensive manual machining of actions can be avoided if Savage wanted to re-introduce it. Even the stock can be CAD/CAM designed and machined and checkered as Boyd's Stocks have done.
Eric B.
As I said earlier I guess I'll stay with .308 since I already have a very nice 6.5 CM X-Bolt Pro.
The nice thing about the Savage 99 is that even though it is long out of production it is still a great rifle with a very strong action.
With all the new manufacturing techniques such a CAD/CAM machines and Ruger style temperature-controlled investment casting of actions the expensive manual machining of actions can be avoided if Savage wanted to re-introduce it. Even the stock can be CAD/CAM designed and machined and checkered as Boyd's Stocks have done.
Eric B.
Skidoo
Well-Known Member
One of my local stores has over 14 different factory brands of ammo in stock and on the shelf, you can't possible tell me none of those rounds are made for killing critters?
Pacecount
Well-Known Member
Can of worms... since you asked, I guess it depends on what you are hunting.
You can hunt most game animals with a 6.5 and they fly really well. I have a 6.5 CM that is devastating with the ELDX 143 gr.
You could take an elk with 6.5 but if I were on elk or bigger I would re-think that comment.
I do love my 308 and have taken Kuhl deer and cows with my lrp07 16" barrel... it's all shot placement.
You can hunt most game animals with a 6.5 and they fly really well. I have a 6.5 CM that is devastating with the ELDX 143 gr.
You could take an elk with 6.5 but if I were on elk or bigger I would re-think that comment.
I do love my 308 and have taken Kuhl deer and cows with my lrp07 16" barrel... it's all shot placement.
Alan Reigle
New Member
Dependant upon game you hunting for. Open country deer, antelope or varmit might be in the reign of the 6.5, but when you're talking heavier bodied game, like elk, with a tenacity for life, it only bodes a respect for the animal you hunt to take it with a weapon that can consistently make a clean kill, not hoping your expert markmanship will make up for low cartridge horsepower
From the movie, A Cartridge Runs Through it.
greenejc
Well-Known Member
There's a website you might want to check out before going to the 6.5 as a hunting cartridge. It is www.ballisticstudies.com. The outfitter in New Zealand who publishes this site has done extensive research on both the ballistics and terminal performance of various caliber bullets in quite a few cartridges ranging from .223 cal. through .458 caliber, studying wound effects, Hydrolic and Hydrostatic shock, penetration, and the effects of velocity and distance on the ability of various caliber/cartridge combinations to give clean, quick kills on medium to large game. Since he has observed several hundred kills on wild boar, deer and red stag at distances ranging from up close and personal out to several hundred yards, measured the penetration and wound channels and wounding effects on medium to very large bodied game, tough to kill game such as boars and water buffalo and easy to kill game like small deer, you might want to review his website, especially the part dealing with wound research and bullet diameter/density. It is very enlightening and explains why my primary rifle for mule deer and up is a .35 Whelen using either Sierra Gameking 225 grain bullets or Speer Hotcor 250 grain bullets. It gets there slower than a 300 WinMag, but both bullets create large exit wounds at over 500 yards, and the Speer will go through both shoulders on an elk at around 400 or more. Both bullets simply flatten deer, but the Sierra is a DRT bullet for either whitetail or mule deer out to at least 450 yards due to a fist sized exit wound through the hide. This results in collapsed lungs and a blood trail of about 3 feet. Check out the website and read about both the calibers and bullets. He reviews the majority of modern cartridges and bullet combinations. And most of his research (maybe 90 to 95%) is done on live animals under hunting conditions.
Canhunter35
Well-Known Member
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I use mine as a bush gun and feed it 180gr round nose core-lokts. It whollops deer.
Dropping from a 308 to 7mm-08 to a 6.5 is whatever because depending on which bullet you're gonna use, changes the ballistic profile of all 3 cartridges drastically.
A 6.5 slinging 120s at deer is vastly different than once thumping a 160gr into a moose
ptsdvet
Well-Known Member
If had a 99C Savage and was looking to Improve accuracy my first and only choice would be 284 Win 140 bullet with great accuracy!
Possum Cop
Well-Known Member
.308 enough said! 
Either the 6.5 with 139 Scenar or 308 with 155 Scenar would get my vote.
scottpt
Member
Gentlemen ... I am up in Alberta Canada and have 3 6.5's (260 Rem, 6.5x284, and 264 Win Mag). I also have 7mm Rem mag, .308, 30.06, and 300 Wby Mag. I've shot quite a few animals with these various rifles. Some great points have been made already. I think safety considerations are prime. If you are hunting in bear country and will be by yourself ... you need minimum .30 cal and the bigger the better. Black bear are bad enough but the griz needs some real respect. I do not go hunting anywhere in griz country without my 30 cal and heavy bullets. The internet is full of stories of dead hunters taken out by grizzlies. Second issue is what are you shooting. I would not shoot at elk with a 6.5 much more than 300 yds.. I was helping a local farmer get his elk tags filled last fall and took a poke at a female elk at 600 yds with my 284. I initially wanted to shoot it in the neck to drop it but at 600 I opted for behind the shoulder. I pulled the trigger and heard the "whaaap" of the bullet broadside. The elk just stood there ... and after a few seconds turned and started walking away as I clearly was an annoyance. FYI these were the 143 ELD-x and I had just shot a WT buck a couple hours before is at 614 yds and he went nowhere. Dropped in his tracks. Shot a 6x5 mule buck the day befor with the same bullet at 485 yards and same result. By the way the locals were shooting 30.06 and we did take that cow and another bull so there was an ethical end to the day. In summary I really do love shooting the 6.5's BUT ... I would not shoot at any large game at any extended distance with a 6.5 (bear, moose, elk) 350yds max despite the videos you may watch on You Tube. I would however shoot deer at pretty much any distance I felt comfortably shooting.
