6.5creedmoor vs 7mm08 for whitetails under 350 yards

[Orange Dust]

The state of arousal has a lot to do with how quickly an animal drops after being hit. A calm critter that doesn't know that you're about to dump one into his boiler room will usually drop like a rock. A CNS hit usually drops them in their tracks regardless. At least that's my experience.

You are right here. Deer out west behave entirely different when shot than the ones here. Western deer, especially mulies just seem to "give up" when shot in my experience. I have seen a .243 more seem more effective on mule deer than a 7 Mag on whitetails here. I think you may have stumbled upon much of the disagreement on effectiveness on the internet. Animals in different areas react differently to a bullet impact. This is in my experience anyway. The deer here have an unbelievable will to get away when mortally wounded. I don't think this has to do with any difference in the animals. I think it has to do with hunter density and pressure. Go to the deer factory in South Arkansas where there is a hunter in a stand nearly every 300 yards on many leases and you will never see a deer that is not on high alert. Opening day sounds more like a war than a skirmish. If you hunt with a .243 not one in 10 will drop in less than 50 yards. Most will go 100 without a CNS hit, and little or no blood trail. A .270 130gr softpoint will anchor about 1 in 5, but the run will be less. There are more effective loads for it however. With a 7-08 and SST's you will see at least half of them fall and the others will be just out of sight. 7mm also seems to be the point where blood trails get better and easier to follow. Bigger guns everything gets better with the right bullets. Bullet selection is even more important than cartridge selection every time. This is where handloaders have always had a big advantage over everyone else. You can take just about any cartridge, and with a carefully selected bullet and load, make it not only work, but work well. We all, myself included, get hung up on cartridges, the least important part of this whole ordeal. There are limits to this, but I will contend matching bullet to cartridge and game is at least as important as choosing the cartridge itself.

 

[Cold Trigger Finger]

That has everything to do with bullet choice and shot placement and has nothing to do with bigger, more powerful calibers being inferior.

I love my 6.5's but the math is pretty simple. Bigger and faster equals more energy down range and it is energy that kills.

My point is , the 6.5 Creedmoor delivers all the energy needed.
And it's easy to shoot well.

 

[Cold Trigger Finger]

Wild rose I think you should go to YouTube. There are several videos of people making 6.5creedmoor brass from 243. It would seem the dies have no problems changing a 243 shoulder into the 6.5creedmoor, so while yes...the 6.5cm is based off of 30tc, it would seem it is very easy to make it out of 243 brass as well. After resizing the brass there is a ton of neck that needs to be trimmed is the only issue I see and possibly the fact that you are working the brass so hard it won't last as long?

The easiest way I found to make 6.5 Creedmoor brass. Back when O Bummer got a 2nd term. Is to fireform 22/250 or 250 Savage brass . I got a bag of Winchester 22 /250 brass. Primed them, poured in 18 gr of Unique, 1cc of tumble media and a twist of paper towel . Bang= 6.5 Creedmoor brass that won't ever need trimming .
I don't know how that would work with a plunger ejector bolt. All mine are crf actions with fixed blade ejectors.
Nowadays there is a lot of Creed brass available. But at that time things were uncertain and only Hornady was making brass for it.
I've also used 243 , 260 ,7/08, 308, & 7.62x51
So other than factory 6.5 Creedmoor brass . I've made brass for my rifle from 7 different cartridges.
I dislike all the trimming so I prefer 22/250 brass if I need to make brass ever again.

 

[Kentucky]

I have been useing the 6.5 creedmore for a few years now. Being a retired gentleman at 70 years of age, I will not go into the brush, in a blind and freeze my butt off anymore. All I want is freezer meat for the year. IF a trophy walks out, that's fine though. I sit in my shop with a propane heater on me. My coffee pot is close by, and my radio is playing country oldies. Corn is in the pasture at 300 yrds down a slight slope. My friends ask if I'm hunting and I reply that I'm shooting, not hunting. ANYWAYS, I have killed three deer at 300 yrds with my creedmore at that distance useing 140 gr. SST. Drops them like a rock. I do t have my book I front of me so can't say what powder I'm useing. Believe it to be RL-17OR 15. Love the creedmore

 

[hunter67wa]

Kentucky, I like you hunting style smarter not harder! I can only dream having that set-up.