Thoughts on Hammers on elk (out of a 6.5 CM)

[Apex Custom Rifles]

That was based on my Strelok App with his components.

 

[laker]

I'll be packing the wife's short barrel 6.5 creedmoor with 140 grain bergers this fall for elk. Having seen this bullet used at creedmoor velocities on elk I have no problem hunting them with it. Plus it's so dang fun to shoot suppressed

 

[beretzs]

Great thread.

I've never used a 6.5 CM on elk but when my little man gets old enough to follow me into the hills I'd not hesitate him using a 6.5 CM with a decent bullet under the watchful eyes of Dad.

As Dober mentions, putting a good bullet on point is probably 95% of the hunt.

 

[Kimber7man]

Great thread.

I've never used a 6.5 CM on elk but when my little man gets old enough to follow me into the hills I'd not hesitate him using a 6.5 CM with a decent bullet under the watchful eyes of Dad.

As Dober mentions, putting a good bullet on point is probably 95% of the hunt.

Scotty, who is the Dober you speak of???? grins

 

[laker]

Scotty, who is the Dober you speak of???? grins

Can't believe he's going to shoot a 6.5 creedmoor instead of taking out the mashburn

 

[Kimber7man]

Can't believe he's going to shoot a 6.5 creedmoor instead of taking out the mashburn

ahahaha. old "Dogz" can learn new tricks... right @dogz ?

 

[bigngreen]

Just went over this with a customer the other day asking about basically the same thing. We did the math and with his combo he was good out to about 250 yards with good energy and good shot placement. At 300, would need everything to go right, Past 300, the terminal ballistics were just not enough to justify any shot IMO.

I usually suggest staying in the 280/7RM and above cartridges. I personally use 30 magnums of various flavors.

Your math is bad!!

 

[Apex Custom Rifles]

No, it's spot on with his components. Verified velocity behind a labradar. 140gr SST, 0.52 G1, 2,690 fps, has about 1,500 ft/lbs @300.

I don't have loyal customers by giving crap advice.

Granted, if his load was different, he could get a little better #'s, but that wasn't the question. On elk, I wouldn't recommend that load past 300. I recommend a minimum of 1,500 on elk at whatever range you and your rifle are capable of.

If you want to take elk at less energy, that's up to you. Doesn't mean less won't work, but I want to dump as much energy as possible into an elk in the first shot.

I personally shoot a 300 prc on elk. Backup rifle is a 308 norma.

 

[Wyo37]

Just curious but what differences have you discovered from 1,500 ft/lbs of energy vs say 1,000 ft/lb?

 

[biednick]

Elk cover a pretty wide range of sizes. I'd be a lot more willing to take a 6.5 Creedmoor on a cow hunt than a trophy bull hunt. 6.5 Creedmoor can definitely be effective on elk, but you'll need to consider the range you intended to shoot and the size of the animals you expect to encounter.

 

[beretzs]

Scotty, who is the Dober you speak of???? grins

Uh, ah, ehhh, some old goat I've heard of. Pretty heavy into stunt shooting I've heard. LOL!

Can't believe he's going to shoot a 6.5 creedmoor instead of taking out the mashburn

I hear you there Laker…. I guess he's just tired of ripping the earth out from under them and wants to give them a more sporting chance! LOL

 

[Deans]

I've read this before somewhere

" it's the bullet, not the headstamp "

 

[ManzellaPrecision]

What kind of shooter are you ? That's the question. 6.5CM is just fine for elk if you are true to your personal abilities. If you can make the shot at 500 yards and put it in the boiler room. Then by all means. An elk is just a big deer. And it's all about shot placement. I'd definitely use a game bullet with a good jacket. I have no experience with those hammer bullets. I do have customers that use then but not beyond 400 yards as they lose speed and have a tendency to drop off for accuracy. (Per my customers telling me so if you know different then let us all know). Elk get killed with all sorts of calibers out here in Montana where I live. 243 22-250 22creedmoor 22mag. You don't need "knock down power" like some guys say. That's just a crutch for poor shooting skills.
My wife who was 9months pregnant at the time killed a cow at 652 yards with 6.5prc shooting 140's at 3110fps in the castle mountains. Wind as 18mph 9 o clock
Cow went 10steps and dropped.
So how good are you with the rifle? And can you put it where it needs to be. ?

 

[Andrew Massi]

What kind of shooter are you ? That's the question. 6.5CM is just fine for elk if you are true to your personal abilities. If you can make the shot at 500 yards and put it in the boiler room. Then by all means. An elk is just a big deer. And it's all about shot placement. I'd definitely use a game bullet with a good jacket. I have no experience with those hammer bullets. I do have customers that use then but not beyond 400 yards as they lose speed and have a tendency to drop off for accuracy. (Per my customers telling me so if you know different then let us all know). Elk get killed with all sorts of calibers out here in Montana where I live. 243 22-250 22creedmoor 22mag. You don't need "knock down power" like some guys say. That's just a crutch for poor shooting skills.
My wife who was 9months pregnant at the time killed a cow at 652 yards with 6.5prc shooting 140's at 3110fps in the castle mountains. Wind as 18mph 9 o clock
Cow went 10steps and dropped.
So how good are you with the rifle? And can you put it where it needs to be. ?
View attachment 377197

Nice shooting and agree that knock down power is a myth established by gun writers to sell rifles and ammo. But that cartridge and bullet choice are magnitudes above a cm and mono bullet. Like 1/3 the wind call and 300% more disruptive to that cows organs.