6.5 creedmore

[robu92]

hey guys , i am new to this hope you can help me out? what do you guys think is the max safe kill distance for the 6.5 creedmore 140gr.on deer sized game

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

hey guys , i am new to this hope you can help me out? what do you guys think is the max safe kill distance for the 6.5 creedmore 140gr.on deer sized game

I wouldn't shoot more than 800-900. That being said, with a smaller round shot placement is very critical at those kind of ranges. Always stay within your capabilities.

 

[wyowinchester]

What he said^^^^ My longest was 698yds. But it was elk sized game. One bullet did the job. 140 gr Amax.

 

[wjarrell]

My buddy just killed a 250 pound mule deer in Montana at 808 yards with a 140 grain VLD. Ran about 40 yards and fell over. Now, he is a very good shot and his rifle and scope are very accurate.

 

[toddc]

No real set answer to this.
However far you can hold a 8" group EVERY TIME is one way to look at it
Or 800 yds M/L which is the 1k FPE distance.
Or 400 in a 40 MPH wind with heavy cover nearby.
I will shoot a deer as far away as I KNOW I can kill it. That distance varies continuously.
If a deer is 1200 yds away in the middle of a 2000 yd wide wheatfield and surrounded by 20 sections of short grass is a completely different question than a deer 1200 yds away in a small clearing surrounded by dense thickets in an area with a high coyote population.
LRH is a game that depends a whole lot on EXPERIENCE and CIRCUMSTANCE.
400 can be TOO FAR in some circumstances and 1200 a chip shot in others. Your EXPERIENCE level will allow you to understand what these CIRCUMSTANCES are and what effect they will have on your MAX RANGE.

 

[Chopperguy]

No real set answer to this.
However far you can hold a 8" group EVERY TIME is one way to look at it
...

LRH is a game that depends a whole lot on EXPERIENCE and CIRCUMSTANCE.
400 can be TOO FAR in some circumstances and 1200 a chip shot in others. Your EXPERIENCE level will allow you to understand what these CIRCUMSTANCES are and what effect they will have on your MAX RANGE.

This is a great example of responsible long range hunting and shooting. I would add REALISTIC TRAINING to the experience and circumstances which allow you to hit that 8" target every time. Bench and static prone shooting won't cut it long range.

Take some training like that offered by NTO & this forum to experience long shots in realistic circumstances under real field conditions with the equipment what use on your hunts. (Usually more difficult for long range shooting and hunting with rifles you take afield to hunt and only the gear you carry in your pack!)

I thought I'd limit my shots wth the Creed and 130 grain bullets to that 700 yard range where it generally starts running close or below what I like to maintain for velocity for most effective bullet performance.

Again, shot placement can extend that.

YMMV

 

[RockyMtnMT]

These are great answers to a typically difficult question. The only thing that I will add to the discussion is impact velocity. This is also a personal thing but IMHO 1800fps is a good number to use regardless of the bullet used. I think that below this vel tissue damage drops off significantly. So when I set up a rifle to hunt this is the 1st thing I look at for my max effective distance. Then all the other factors come in and influence my effective range shorter than the 1800fps max distance.

While I am giving my opinion I will add this. I personally really love the 6.5 cal, but it seems like it is being sold as a replacement for 30's and bigger. I have even made comments like "magical" about the 6.5. These smaller calibers are not, in general terms, as good as or a better than the bigger ones. Particularly at extended ranges. Bullet choice is a big factor in this, but the fact is bigger displacement does it better.

That said the 6.5 Creed is a great round.

Steve

 

[toddc]

The 6.5 has an advantage over other calibers in some ways. The SD of a 140gr bullet is phenomenal. The BC versus recoil generated is phenomenal.
However, I feel that compared to 10 yrs ago, too many people new to the sport are solely concentrating on HITTING a target and not KILLING it.
10 yrs ago nobody on here was talking about Creed class rigs. It was all Edges and Allens.
I'm running a Creed AR-10 for mid range stuff. Out to 800 or so.
I can track a crow across concrete.
Last week me and my family killed 4 large does from 500 to 1200yds. They are all in my freezer BUT I am used to a 338 Edge and a 6.5 Creed is NOT a 338 Edge.
2 of them moved while the bullet was in flight. Would have been real easy with an Edge. Required a follow up shot on both.
These smaller rigs are fun to shoot, accurate, weigh less, kick less and cost less. Lots of guys are moving towards them for LRH but the margin for error is 0.
Look at TOF past 400 yds when considering what is an ethical shot. A bedded deer is one thing. Any standing animal is a totally different deal.
A 6.5 ANYTHING provides very little insurance for accidents. I think the PRS love affair with the 6 and 6.5 stuff has infected the LRH community a bit too much. Steel just has to go PING and doesn't suddenly move OR bleed.
Long range HUNTING and long range SHOOTING are two different critters and I think we are blending the two way too much lately.

 

[Waynzee]

The 6.5 Creedmoor is an excellent cartridge for deer hunting as for the effective range that would be something that you personally would have to figure out. Also as to the bullet of choice that too would be up to you as there is so many good bullets in different weights and bullet manufactures for the 6.5 caliber. I personally use a Sierra 120gr. Pro Hunter bullet in my 6.5 CM but most of my shots are under 300 yards. There has been a lot of good advice given here, take the meat and leave the bones.

 

[Catahoula]

A gentleman that I know hit a mulie buck 4 times with his creedmore at about 750 yards. The deer kept getting up & he had to use a 7mm to finally plant him. Really disgusting to watch.
The critters do not deserve that treatment. Just be honest with yourself. Every shooter has his/her limits.
Thanks, Kirk

 

[toddc]

A gentleman that I know hit a mulie buck 4 times with his creedmore at about 750 yards. The deer kept getting up & he had to use a 7mm to finally plant him. Really disgusting to watch.
The critters do not deserve that treatment. Just be honest with yourself. Every shooter has his/her limits.
Thanks, Kirk

That's just it. I have hit 3 different deer 4 times apiece with a 300 Ultra running 210 Bergers at over 3k. All were under 400 yds. All 4 shots were in the chest cavity on each deer. All expanded and did a massive amount of damage. The 12 shots were all kill shots.......but they didn't go down. Wild animals can do some crazy stuff. All 3 of these deer were rutting heavily and with does and were large, 2 whiteys and 1 muley. I got them all but if it had been heavy cover or near dark who knows?
I have probably killed 300+ with that load and never lost one. However those 3 caused me to go to the Edge almost exclusively for BUCKS. Rutting bucks are different critters.
I have NEVER had to shoot anything more than once with the Edge. If a 300 Ultra can have trouble quickly killing a deer a Creed certainly can. I have a Creed and love it but push comes to shove I would ALWAYS pick up the largest rig possible.
Seeing those bucks take those Ultra rounds surprised me more than anything I have ever seen. The gun did its job but the critters just didn't agree they were dead yet. One of the whiteys lived long enough for me to walk 400 yds to finish him with a neck hit, he was still trying to breed the doe.
A Creed in the heart or lungs is deadly at just about any range, however the manner that an animal reacts and dies is NEVER a certainty.

 

[Waynzee]

That's just it. I have hit 3 different deer 4 times apiece with a 300 Ultra running 210 Bergers at over 3k. All were under 400 yds. All 4 shots were in the chest cavity on each deer. All expanded and did a massive amount of damage. The 12 shots were all kill shots.......but they didn't go down. Wild animals can do some crazy stuff. All 3 of these deer were rutting heavily and with does and were large, 2 whiteys and 1 muley. I got them all but if it had been heavy cover or near dark who knows?
I have probably killed 300+ with that load and never lost one. However those 3 caused me to go to the Edge almost exclusively for BUCKS. ("Rutting bucks are different critters.")
I have NEVER had to shoot anything more than once with the Edge. If a 300 Ultra can have trouble quickly killing a deer a Creed certainly can. I have a Creed and love it but push comes to shove I would ALWAYS pick up the largest rig possible.
Seeing those bucks take those Ultra rounds surprised me more than anything I have ever seen. The gun did its job but the critters just didn't agree they were dead yet. One of the whiteys lived long enough for me to walk 400 yds to finish him with a neck hit, he was still trying to breed the doe.
A Creed in the heart or lungs is deadly at just about any range, however the manner that an animal reacts and dies is NEVER a certainty.

toddc, something we agree on Rutting Bucks can be a tough animal to kill, I've seen rutting bucks shot with 300 Weatherby and 300 Win. mags and go a ways before dropping. In fact one buck that comes to memory was shot with a 300 Weatherby behind the shoulder, the bullet angled rearward and low, blew his guts out on the ground, literally split his belly just about from brisket to balls and that buck ran about 100 yards before it folded up. And on the other hand I've seen non rutting bucks dropped with a 22 LR rimfire.