X-bolt eclipse hunter 25-06 or 6.5 Creedmoor

[MudRunner2005]

Thanks for the comments. Good to see folks passionate about their choices. Most of my hunting will be well below "long range" but do travel to South Dakota every year and would like to have something for those opportunities. Also have a 243 and 7mag. I think either caliber will work. As one stated it's a fun problem to have. Any suggestions on rifle as I said having trouble locating the eclipse hunter. Thanks

Judging by your posts, and current rifle chamberings, I think you would be best served to build you a .25-06 AI 40º or .257 Sherman (both LA cartridges) in a 700 long action, with a new 7.25" twist barrel, and shooting the new Blackjack 131 ACE bullets. They have a .330 G7 BC, and should be good on deer/lope sized game out to 1,000 yards and steel/targets beyond that (if estimates prove accurate).

.25 cal 131g .330G7 bullet from Blackjack Bullets for you to drool on ...

 

[Barrelnut]

Thanks for the comments. Good to see folks passionate about their choices. Most of my hunting will be well below "long range" but do travel to South Dakota every year and would like to have something for those opportunities. Also have a 243 and 7mag. I think either caliber will work. As one stated it's a fun problem to have. Any suggestions on rifle as I said having trouble locating the eclipse hunter. Thanks

I would look at the Browning Hells Canyon. Believe they make 2 versions of it. One is more dedicated to long range.

Think I'm the only guy who posted that actually shoots both cartridages and have for a long time. The 6.5 Creed IS the way to go. Most posters did not even consider your use of factory ammo. And the other ( always predictipal ones are even suggesting you go for a wildcat. LOL) The Blackjack bullet maynot even become reality and if it does there may/ maynot ever be a hunting version of the bullet.

Anyway... If you are gonna be hunting SD. You'll want the 6.5 Creed. It just does better in the wind and Hornady makes some very good 129 Gr. SST hunting ammo for it. I was shooting some of it last month and doing very well with it at 640 yards. You will be has pressed to find factory 25-06 ammo that can hang with that.
I have a kills at 375 and 463 yards with the 25-06 and 463 was pushing it. The Creed will do better with a heavier high BC bullet.

Why not just use the 7mm in SD and not worry about any of this? You also have the 243 for closer stuff?

 

[Highway Man]

Thanks Barrelnut....why not use the 7mag? As someone told me the other day, variety is the spice of life. Primarily just wanting a new rifle.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

Are they also going to change Reg to manbuns, big beards, flannel ACU, wolverine boots, and Starbucks lattes?

Crap I missed the memo! Guess no more crew cut ,clean shaven face, logging boots, dickies, and t shirts. I cant grow a beard, but I'll grow a goatee and a man bun. Think I should wear some skinny jeans to be on the safe side?

P.S. Dunkin Donuts is the way to go!

 

[Tex_Hunter]

Get the Creedmoor:

1) Great factory support in ammo for match grade and premium hunting ammo right off the shelf at most big box stores and at prices comparable to similar loadings in the ubiquitous 308, factory support in terms of the variety and quality of the rifles chambered in Creedmoor (you get short handy sporter rifles all the way up to out of the box PRS competition ready precision rifles, bolt actions, gas guns, and everything in between to suite your fancy).

2) You can load bullets in the 100-120gr class and get nearly identical performance to the 25-06 on deer and antelope (they are within <100fps of each other running 120gr bullets and using the fastest/hottest loading based on my Nosler manual).

3) In addition you also have the option to load up the 140gr+ class of bullets and go after much bigger game

You get all of this in a more efficient package that burns 20-30% less powder (read less throat erosion/ better barrel life, less muzzle blast, and less felt recoil).

 

[MudRunner2005]

Crap I missed the memo! Guess no more crew cut ,clean shaven face, logging boots, dickies, and t shirts. I cant grow a beard, but I'll grow a goatee and a man bun. Think I should wear some skinny jeans to be on the safe side?

P.S. Dunkin Donuts is the way to go!

At that point, wearing all the rest of that, what's it going to hurt? HAHAHA!

Also, BRCC coffee blows Dunkin Donuts away!

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

At that point, wearing all the rest of that, what's it going to hurt? HAHAHA!

Also, BRCC coffee blows Dunkin Donuts away!

I just looked them up. Cool looking stuff! D&D is pretty much the only major coffee shop up here in the north.

 

[MudRunner2005]

The Blackjack bullet maynot even become reality and if it does there may/ maynot ever be a hunting version of the bullet.

Actually, the Blackjack bullets already exist, and people already have ordered and received them... So, it's pretty much a reality.

As for the hunting bullet version... Not that you should, BUT if you wanted to, I'm sure you could probably get away with using the ACE bullets, but you would need a heart shot or double-lung to ensure a harvested animal. There's lots of guys using SMK's and Berger target bullets for game hunting. Jeff Broz swears by the Berger 215 Hybrids for big game hunting...And they're not technically a "hunting" bullet. All I'm saying is, it could work fine, nobody's tried it yet because it's so new. And also, bullets are bullets, and if shot placement is spot-on, there's a ****-good chance whatever you're shooting is going down. Millions of people have been killed in battle with musket balls, minnieballs, and FMJ rounds.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I just looked them up. Cool looking stuff! D&D is pretty much the only major coffee shop up here in the north.

Yep, BRCC is veteran owned, operated, and employed... Also, they give a portions of all their proceeds to veteran charities, and pro-2nd Amendment rights and hunting & forestry preservation groups. Not to mention the coffee is the best coffee I've ever had...And i've never really been a big coffee drinker, but I drink this stuff nearly every morning. If you are looking to try some, the SS (Silencer Smooth) is the best one to start with. It's super smooth and full of flavor. The dark roasts like JB (Just Black) and BB (Beyond Black) are very dark and very bold flavored. I like them, but they're not for everyone. The AK-47 is also a great starter coffee from them. It's even lighter than the SS blend. Amazon sells the "Mission Fuel Kit" that has like 4 different kinds of their coffee in it, so you can sample several of them.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076DH7H5R/?tag=lrhmag19-20

 

[Barrelnut]

As for the hunting bullet version... Not that you should, BUT if you wanted to, I'm sure you could probably get away with using the ACE bullets,

It's actually against the law in most states to hunt with "pointed meplat" or FMJ bullets.

 

[BUCKWORKMAN]

110 grain Nosler Accubond out of my 28" Encore is The way to go I the .25-06. I have killed All of the a for mentioned critters including Black Bear out to ethical ranges for many decades. Tried to send pics. But not enough posts.

 

[kiwi49]

I guess mentioning the 6.5 x 55 Swede in a Tikka T3 Lite won't spin your wheels? Resurrection is happening here in New Zealand for the old Swede, despite strong support for the 6.5CM. Plus 260 Rem has solid support as well.

 

[The Oregonian]

If you don't handload I think it is a pretty easy choice for the 6.5cr IMO. But go to Midway and look at the ammo offerings and make your decision based on what bullet you would like to shoot. That should be your deciding factor, not what anyone here thinks about either cartridge.

If you were going to handload it would open the discussion up to lots more factors.

 

[Mach 1]

If you don't handload I think it is a pretty easy choice for the 6.5cr IMO. But go to Midway and look at the ammo offerings and make your decision based on what bullet you would like to shoot. That should be your deciding factor, not what anyone here thinks about either cartridge.

If you were going to handload it would open the discussion up to lots more factors.

I think the whole point of his post is to find out what people think of the 2 cartridges comparatively