6.5 Creedmoor for elk

[Hespco]

Just took a very large mature cow elk on my place a couple days ago with 264 mag & the 121 gr Hammer. Same difference as the 120gr Barnes. One shot went nowhere . Worked out exactly as with my 6.5x55 , 6.5x08, 6.5x06. TTSX,TSX,Hammer etc they all work.

 

[RevJim]

Good to hear that Hesp! I was curious about the Hammer bullets. Never shot any, are they as easy to work up a load for as most say they are?

 

[Longshotjames]

If I'm using a smaller caliber rifle, for big game, I have always used monos or bonded, i.e Trophy Bonded Bear claws. I also try to shoot them in the high shoulder or high lungs. I think I would use the 6.5 Creedmoor the same way on elk, "muscle memory or anal retentive", who knows? I also can't keep myself from "holding up" when the shot looks long ( again, I am not a LRH, so no dials for me) I see where some folks use the 139 Scenar in the Creed for elk? Any experiences with it, anyone? I would feel better using a bullet such as this one for high lung shot, preferably, but high shoulder wouldn't scare me...I'm just wondering?

I've seen 139 Scenars on game and I would not hunt with them. They were very inconsistent in their manner of expansion. The ones that did open kind of turn inside out opening from the side, leaving a jacket that still has a hollow point intact with a neat round hole(point).

edit: these were whitetail and shots were 350 & 450yds, both deer went several hundred yards before going down. I wouldn't use them on any game much less Elk, there are much better choices for 6.5

James

 

[bigngreen]

I wonder why it needed a second shot?

Hole the size of your pinky through the lungs.

 

[nmbarta]

This is long range hunting. I did not that you could take a deer at 700 yards with a bow and arrow. Learn some thing new every day. Where can i get one of those long range bows?

Hole the size of your pinky through the lungs.

That's why I like to start with a bullet the size of my pinky! It's not a problem to kill an elk with a 22lr, you just have to be close and you have a 2" kill zone. Some guys call it crappy shooting, but we all like a margin of error, just depends on how much you want.
I personally, like as much as I can get, doesn't matter if I need it or not. Nobody is perfect, and there are things that you simply can't control....doesn't matter how good you think you are or how good you actually are.

 

[RevJim]

Thanks James. My biggest problem in the flats and or High Desert is the wind! I was thinking that "just maybe" the Scenar would give me both, ha. Actually, that 139gr Hammer Hunter is similar is shape, but Hesp won't kill any game with it now that he has proven ( again I might add) that 120ish is all that's needed, ha. I too would just use the Creedmoor as a spare (save my hunt) rifle. I like my 300WM (and have used even bigger) on elk size critters. Admittedly, at the place I got my CA Mesa, if they would have had it in .264WM or 6.5 PRC, I would have one of those! So, to scratch my 6.5 itch, I just got another Mesa, the Creedmoor. Whoopee!

 

[Longshotjames]

RevJim

Either EldM or Berger
due to past experience I can't use Berger for hunting with a 6.5 but Berger is a great company and they assure me the issues are fixed. (They have been flawless in the .338 300gr bullet)

I would look at the 147eldM as a long range bullet for the 6.5. They may expand quick up close but at range they preform perfect with superior wind capabilities!

I also use eldM In 300wm & 338edge, they have been pummeling deer and elk from 300-1790yds

James

 

[RevJim]

The Match and not the ELD-X you say? I am surprised, but hey, it doesn't take much to surprise "me", ha. I will have to play around with some. Thanks.

 

[Longshotjames]

The Match and not the ELD-X you say? I am surprised, but hey, it doesn't take much to surprise "me", ha. I will have to play around with some. Thanks.

I actually can't tell much about the difference in them expanding in my testing and hunting experience on deer, pigs & Elk

they both expand rapidly at high velocity. The X does have a tapered jacket being thicker at the rear.

the M has a higher BC and expands well at low velocity impact(Long Range) making it the clear winner when long range shots are in play

 

[Hespco]

Expressly when it comes to elk I prefer the copper mono's. They are a homogeneous solid with an expanding nose. Which means no explosion upon impact. & a high near 100% retention of weight. More weight means more momentum, therefore deeper penetration thru heavy bone & dense muscle. Over my years of hunting the overwhelming amount of big game has been taken under 200yds & many under 100yds like the elk I just took. The mono bullet worked flawlessly. You could eat right up to the bullet hole. If I had been using a basic C&C bullet like the ELDX tissue damage would have been extensive with massive amounts of meat loss. My deer taken back in Oct. ( 6.5x06 under 100 yds ) ) proved this point. Lost almost an entire shoulder when the bullet struck the very back thin edge of the shoulder bade then a rib. Blood shot meat for 10 to 12" in every direction. Fragments even punctured the guts. First & last time I will use that Hornady bullet.. They ( ELDX ) may be great for long range shots but for closer shots has not displayed the reliability I require for my hunting. My experience is that considerably more game is taken under 300yds than over. I hunt for meat not horns as I have all my life.

 

[RevJim]

I'm thinking I also want to try the 117 Sledge Hammer in my 22" Creedmoor. I am starting out with a deer/antelope/coyote load, plan on working up with the 120 ELDM then work with the 120 TTSX. After that, try the 117 SH. I also have some 139 Scenars so I'm set. Just need "time and opportunity" now. The range I use is always open, though "kinda cold" this time of year, ha. I get everything ready, then when I get there, get set up, I will take my time and get in the car in between loads while my rifles cool. I try for accuracy first, looking for the Max load "in the specific rifle" I'm using. So far, my other Mesa (300WM) shows best around 2gr under any listed (even QL) load. Then I chronograph after I have "settled" on a round. I then like to go out to the desert and shoot it out to 500. Tons of fun, "almost" as important to me as hunting itself, ha.

 

[RevJim]

Steve at Hammer Bullets suggested the 110 HH for the Creedmoor. I ordered a trial pack. Will see how they shoot. I like how the 120TTSX is as long as a Hornady 130 .270! Seems to me the 6.5 Creedmoor is "closer" to a .270 than most want to admit, especially with equal barrel lengths and 270 factory speeds. Can anyone tell me how, say, a 30-06/150TTSX would be "better" for deer and the occasional cow elk than a 22" Creedmoor? Curious is all...

 

[Flare]

Steve at Hammer Bullets suggested the 110 HH for the Creedmoor. I ordered a trial pack. Will see how they shoot. I like how the 120TTSX is as long as a Hornady 130 .270! Seems to me the 6.5 Creedmoor is "closer" to a .270 than most want to admit, especially with equal barrel lengths and 270 factory speeds. Can anyone tell me how, say, a 30-06/150TTSX would be "better" for deer and the occasional cow elk than a 22" Creedmoor? Curious is all...

I remember back when the 260 rem came out it's claim to fame was it out performed a 270 past 400 yards I think


Corey

 

[JMW67]

Looking for a good 65 Creedmoor load. Stopped using less than 30 caliber years ago for elk. My daughter and I have a bull elk tag in Colorado this year. She has a 65 Creedmoor that she shoots fairly well. I have some burger 140s and 130G accubonds. Would like to get maximum velocity out of this round. Thanks

You might take a look at the 124 hammer hunter Very good penetration will be achieved with this bullet and you will be able to keep velocity fairly high, all around great bullet in the 6.5