6.5 Creedmoor for moose

[KyCarl]

I live in Kentucky no Moose so if I wanted to hunt one it would require Time..Effort..Money. So I would take the rifle I thought would give me the best chance
of filling my tag? I personally think my 300WM or 338LM would both be better than a 6.5 CM...More power is always better! As for a Grizzly I've played with some military AP
rounds for the Lapua and I think it would shoot long ways through a big bear stem to stern. Those things will kill a truck! Lots more than a 143Gr ELDX??

 

[CVCOBRA1]

So the 6.5 CM can possibly kill any animal on planet earth. In the wrong place-wrong time situation the 6.5 CM can also get the person pulling the trigger killed.

 

[FEENIX]

When I make my trip to AK I'll be taking a .375 Ruger and either a 7mm STW or .300 Rum but I have lots of choices and enough weight of my own not to be overly bothered by recoil.

A short-barreled (18"-20") .375R is on my list to build/purchase.

 

[ducky]

Yes the 6.5 CM is, uhh what was the question again?

Look, I'm in the camp of carry what you want to hunt with. I can just tell you that if I were to draw a once in a lifetime Shiras bull tag here in CO or travel to AK for a Yukon Bullwinkle, there isn't a Creedmoor cartridge that would make my short list of options. I'd probably carry my .338-06, .375 Ruger, or build that .358 Norma I've dreamed of

To answer your second question I do believe the .30-06 would be a better option.

 

[JC in Calif]

Is the 6.5 Creedmoor an adequate round for moose hunting in Alaska ?

Take something like a 300WinMsg and you don't need to worry.

 

[ajkellerusmc]

This a long range hunting forum, As Snowboy said, Moose are where you find them so with a 6.5 anything You had better find them inside of 100 yds and stay off the shoulder. Then if the manure hits the fan and something dangerous shows up you can employ your guide to save you unless you brought a squad of US Marines!

 

[Alibiiv]

Is the 6.5 Creedmoor an adequate round for moose hunting in Alaska ?[/

I'm going to throw up!!!!! While at it, book a combination grizzly/moose hunt. The Creedmoor will drop a grizzly as well as a moose, as will as a 22 long rifle round. Doesn't make it the right round, but.....it will keeelllll!! (Forged in Fire).
As for the "well place shot" BS goes, that's exactly what it is BS!! You'll be hunting in an area where there are critters that will find you a great protein source for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or simply a snack. If you would like to take a chance "on a well placed shot", then by all means use the 6.5 Creedmoor. I don't know what you expect on this thread??? Try calling an Alaskan outfitter, try to book a trip, tell the outfitter what you plan to hunt and the plan to use a 6.5 Creedmoor and the well placed shot, ask the outfitter what his thoughts are on success with such a round, and......see what kind of a response you will get. For me I agree with a number of posts about the 30-06 as a minimum cartridge; and.....yes others "will keeelll".

 

[Travis Buntin]

Anyone know the name of the Alaskan trapper that shot most everything with a 220 swift. I read about him years ago but have since forgotten his name. Not hijacking the thread, but it relates to shooting big game with a small center-fire.

Frank Glasser, however he also proclaimed that a 220 swift was way under gunned for moose and grizzlies.

 

[Swamplord]

I've lived in Alaska the past 45 years and hunted moose since childhood, have taken moose with an assortment of cartridges and was present in hundreds of hunts with hunters using various other cartridges

While we like to remember the good times, and successful outcomes give us good memories, sometimes the worst scenarios are remembered most wether we want to or not, those disastrous hunts always involved lesser cartridges, nothing I hate more than crawling through the wilderness in the darkness searching for a wounded animal, I'd much rather be at the campfire sipping whiskey and toasting my feet near the flames

Moose aren't hard to kill but for such a large animal, "shot placement" and timing almost never seem to line up properly, regardless of how well most seem to think they have trained themselves, and this is where the smaller cartridges fail

Believe me, when a new moose hunter sees a huge body with massive antlers step out from cover, your knees and hands will shake, all thoughts of shot placement and "I'm a sniper" will vanish, and this is where the bigger cartridges are supreme, line up on the shoulder and hammer him hard

This past September I shot my 31st bull moose at 250 yards with a 338 Edge, one knee down on the ground and elbow on the other knee, I lined up the crosshairs dead on the shoulder and the 265 gr CEB MTH bullet smashed the bull to the ground, never made a single step ...

I wasn't overly concerned about "shot placement", staying off the shoulder bones, heart or lung shot, feed it between the ribs, spine or neck shot etc ....

The simplicity of point and aim center mass and send with 100% confidence of favorable results cannot be overstated or argued away with "too much gun" and other such nonsense, now "not enough gun" ... THAT will create more problems than you have time to deal with

Power... it's a wonderful thing

 

[the blur]

I confess, I killed a Cow Moose with a 6.5CM. 140 Grain Nosler Accubond. 1 shot broadside, 120 yards. Quartering away slightly. Big fat Cow. 280 lbs of meat.
She started walking away.. she walked 10 feet. not 10 yards, but 10 feet! and dropped.

The bullet nicked a rib, and went sideways. Fragmented a bit, but 80% of it landed in the off side front leg. Shot was low, but just caught both lungs.

Here's the problem. The Cow was so old, the meat is tough. Grainy & hard to eat. It's not like a Tender Cow Elk.

Oh, back to bullets. There was no blood, but Moose have very thick coats. Like 2" of fur, and guard hairs.

Would I use the 6.5 again ? Absolutely ! Because I can practice with it for hours.
I had 10 seconds to shoot, as the cow saw us. Thanks to all the practice, I just picked up the gun and shot. No deafening brake, No stupid recoil.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Preparing for my first moose hunt I took everything into consideration, not the least of which was the cartridge to use. Like most of you, I own more rifles than I "need" and my choices were numerous. My outfitter said that while most moose killed from his camp are shot at less than 200yds, its very helpful if you have the ability and the equipment to shoot long. Sometimes things just don't go your way and the only shot you may get is well beyond the typical range for moose hunting.

We eventually spotted a bull at about 1,000 yds. The bull actually heard the cow call from that distance and headed in our direction from the next mountain top. The guide predicted that the bull would appear way down the cut-over and would first appear at 500-600yds. I was completely set up and had my 338RUM all ready to go just sitting on the bi-pod as we both glassed for some time. I was confident that a 500yd shot would be doable but hoped for something closer. My optics were trained down the cut-over as I eagerly waited for a shot opportunity. I took my attention off things for just long enough to notice the largest animal I've ever seen walk out of the tree line 54yds right in front of me. It turned quickly and was headed behind a knoll. I grabbed the rifle and just swung the crosshairs onto its shoulder and fired. My guide never saw the bull until after I fired. At the shot, the 250gr Accubond hit point of aim and the big bull flipped over backwards and never moved again.

Near or far, I had the confidence that the 338RUM would get the job done and I have used that same rifle/cartridge for subsequent moose hunts. I shot my next bull at 315yds and knew he was going down quickly. Would I have enjoyed the same level of confidence if I took a .308, 6.5 Creed or similar cartridge; not hardly. They may all work under some conditions but I wanted a set-up that would work well under most conditions.

The Creedmoor seems to be so much better suited for 150lb whitetails than it does for 1,000lb moose.

 

[Chase723]

Will it work? Yes, if you shoot them through the lungs/heart or in the brain. Outside of that, it's a pretty poor choice. Where I hunt moose, shots are almost always less than 50 yards. The 6.5 Creed has 2000ft/lbs at 50 yards. That's totally sufficient. That said, I can also tell you that penetration for any shot other than broadside is a MAJOR problem. A quartering away neck shot can easily have 18" of hide and muscle to penetrate...not even close to ideal and a super bad idea. Also for the same reason, don't try and shoot one in the shoulder with a 6.5CM. Finally, there are also LOTS of bears where I hunt moose, and I am more concerned about absolutely hammering one of them from any angle if I have to than I am about my ability to kill moose. Therefore, the bears dictate my cartridge choice far more than the moose do. 7mm Rem Mag minimum. In that situation you need either something with mass and a large frontal diameter or something with a high sectional density moving fast, which will penetrate deeply and create large hydrostatic shock.

 

[matt_3479]

Like everything, with the right bullet it will do just fine. My dad hunts moose with a 270. Win every year and does just fine. 1 shot dropped his bull last year and 1 shot put his cow down this year. Normally I carry a 7 or 30 of some flavour but the one year I carried my 260. Rem. Wasn't my first choice but had the 300 at the smith, and the 7 was being used by a new hunter who hadn't invested in a rifle yet.

 

[keithcandler]

I watched an old 8mm home movie of a very, very large bull moose taking 5 hits from a 30/06 with 180g Core locks, Rem 7400. If I had not seen it, I would not have believed it. Distance was about 75 yards. He ran about 50 yards and pilled up.