6.5 Creedmoor for moose
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Is that what we are supposed to be doing? LOL
Orange Dust
Well-Known Member
Dont think so.
Troutslayer2
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Have you ever shoot a moose, and if so in what state or province, guided or diy?
djm670
Well-Known Member
An exercise in futility. Never argue with idiots.... People listening may not know who the idiot is
Why do we have to resort to name calling or maybe we are just trying to be funny - one of the issues with the printed word - one can never be sure of one's intentions - just because someone has different beliefs, thoughts, training and experiences than you do.
Some of us grew up with elk and deer in the hay meadows next to the house and may have shot a lot of big game with smaller calibers such as .25-06, 6 mm Remingtons or .243's let alone the infamous 6.5 Creedmoor. It doesn't make it right or wrong, it is just different. Shot placement, range, the correct bullet for the job and the ability to place the bullet where it needs to go are the most important criteria in my experience.
By the same token, I can repect a person with a different opinion that needs a .338 Lapua or a .300 RUM for his once in a life time trip as long as they shoot it well and i assume they do if they frequent this site.
Neither opinion is right or wrong, they are just different. I for one enjoy hearing different thoughts. Have been up close and personal (closer than I would like) with Moose although it is usually when snowmobiling. I know they are large animals and can be as dangerous as a humped back bear.
Troutslayer2, I would have thought you knew bigandgreen's background as much as you are on here. He lives in the middle of big game country in SW Montana, his whole family hunts big game and he a machinist that builds a large quantity and variety of rifles (multiple calibers) for many people. I suspect his background is more than adequate for his thoughts on taking a variety of big game, moose included.
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WildRose
Well-Known Member
There's probably been more deer killed with .22LR, L, and S than all other cartridges combined.
That being said even the center fire .22's are not ideal as bigger, heavier, faster rounds just give you a much greater margin of error.
If I haven't learned anything, first and foremost it's a tie between bullet selection and shot placement. Everything else comes second, third, fourth... .
Put the right bullet in the right spot and you have a dead animal. When you fail to do either of those your odds of success go down dramatically and rapidly.
Varmint Hunter
Well-Known Member
I guess the real question should be: is the 6.5 Creed adequate for moose under most situations or under ideal situations?
I typically choose a gun/cartridge that will be adequate under most situations because wild animals rarely appear where, when, and how you expect them to. My moose hunting trips easily cost over $6,000 a pop. I'd rather be prepared for nearly any situation. That includes practicing for months prior to the hunt with my chosen rifle/cartridge. It's also why barrels don't last as long as I'd like.
I typically choose a gun/cartridge that will be adequate under most situations because wild animals rarely appear where, when, and how you expect them to. My moose hunting trips easily cost over $6,000 a pop. I'd rather be prepared for nearly any situation. That includes practicing for months prior to the hunt with my chosen rifle/cartridge. It's also why barrels don't last as long as I'd like.
Troutslayer2
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It was a serious question. I too live in SW MT. It's not like they give out moose tags like candy around here, especially now that the wolves have decimated the population. The attitude that a hunter will be able to wait for the archery shot opportunity to fill a what is basically a once in a lifetime tag strikes me as odd. I had all the time in the world when I had a tag, I hunted 3 weeks straight until I had encountered nearly every one of the 30 moose that the biologist told me were in the district at that time (I don't think they even give a tag there anymore due to declining numbers). I shot the biggest one. I was afforded a nice broadside opportunity but if I had to take a high shoulder because of obstacles or whatever I'm glad I had the right tool for the job. So yeah, I seriously want to know about the real world experiences of anyone suggesting 6.5CM for moose, not interested in theoretical armchair advice from people who have never killed a moose with a 6.5.
LongBomber
Well-Known Member
I have to agree with you, I live just north of the 49th not that far from Kalispell, so similar area moose wise. I put in for my moose draws in the flathead valley just into Canada near Glacier / Waterton park one of our best areas, which still has a very low moose population.
There is also one other difference, a northern moose is also a much different animal than what we have down south. I have shot a few of each and seen many taken, a decent northern bull is 1200-1400 pounds. A decent bull around here is maybe 900-1000 pounds. This year the bull I got yielded about 420 pounds of meat (including the bone in quarters), a guess would put a live weight in the 900 pound range. I would have to go dig through old picture boxes but iirc the heaviest bull dad and I ever scaled was just under 1500 pounds, and all 1500 was tough like old leather.. say they average 350-400 pounds more, that is a big difference.
I haven't shot a moose with my 6.5, but I have seen a couple shot with a 264 and 140 partitions. Say 300fps faster than a cm. Seeing moose hit with that vs a 300 mag or a 338 mag there is a difference. Butchering them and seeing the difference in the internal damage makes you question the smaller caliber.
Will a 6.5cm kill a moose sure it will, but conditions need to be perfect. There are good chances that would need to be turned down, where larger calibers make the shot viable and carry the damage deep enough into the animal to make a good clean kill.
There is also one other difference, a northern moose is also a much different animal than what we have down south. I have shot a few of each and seen many taken, a decent northern bull is 1200-1400 pounds. A decent bull around here is maybe 900-1000 pounds. This year the bull I got yielded about 420 pounds of meat (including the bone in quarters), a guess would put a live weight in the 900 pound range. I would have to go dig through old picture boxes but iirc the heaviest bull dad and I ever scaled was just under 1500 pounds, and all 1500 was tough like old leather.. say they average 350-400 pounds more, that is a big difference.
I haven't shot a moose with my 6.5, but I have seen a couple shot with a 264 and 140 partitions. Say 300fps faster than a cm. Seeing moose hit with that vs a 300 mag or a 338 mag there is a difference. Butchering them and seeing the difference in the internal damage makes you question the smaller caliber.
Will a 6.5cm kill a moose sure it will, but conditions need to be perfect. There are good chances that would need to be turned down, where larger calibers make the shot viable and carry the damage deep enough into the animal to make a good clean kill.
This is the OP's question that started this 15 page thread. For all of you that chimed in and didn't read it, here it is.......
So if any of you had a real close friend come up to you and say "I just booked an $8000 Alaskan moose hunt and want to take my 6.5 CM" you would seriously look him in the eye and say that is "adequate"?
Full disclosure. I have never even seen a moose in the wild but I wouldn't lie to a friend about something like that.
Full disclosure. I have never even seen a moose in the wild but I wouldn't lie to a friend about something like that.
Jacko3006
Member
I personally wouldn't be hunting for moose with a 6.5 CM where I'm from moose hunting is a religion and yes we have shot many moose with a 308 300 Savage but it never hurts to have a some horse power behind the bullet you don't absolutely need to use a magnum cartridge but a good old 270 or 30-06 will do the trick . And the use good bullet like an Accubond or Partition is more important than the caliber itself .
