6.5 Creedmor- the Holy Grail?

I believe it was a double lung, it might have hit a rib, I will find out, I do know it was lodged against the hide on far side of elk. Here is the ballistics for his round at impact
View attachment 115143

Looks like "needmoor" didn't need more here. Pretty impressive penetration. All the haters and magnum lovers are going to claim it was luck...people will always believe what they want to believe.
 
That **** elk just forgot to put on his kevlar vest when he woke up that morning...and he definitely didn't get the memo that a creedmoor wasn't enough to kill him at 900 yards.
 
Looks like "needmoor" didn't need more here. Pretty impressive penetration. All the haters and magnum lovers are going to claim it was luck...people will always believe what they want to believe.

Its no surprise at the penetration, a bullet hitting that slow with opening because of tumbling penetrate well and kills well but it a sure sight your nearly gasses out!
 
The wright bullet and good shot placement along with enough umph to get the job done will put meat in the freezer,problem comes when game decides to take a step or two,when you are 500 or more yds. away and it moves as you shoot........well a gut shot or a ham shot,best rifle in the world can't bring the bullet back and I hate to see wounded game. Pete
 
I'd say ammo/bullet used wasnt up for the task, nothing to do with the cartridge. The hardest part is figuring out the correct bullet for the task at hand.
 
I know I am going to get a bunch of flack for posting this, but....

In a recent conversation with a friend of mine, who has a grand slam of sheep on his bedroom wall, and a super slam of the rest of the game animals in North America less a barren ground caribou, I was told during a conversation about accurate smaller caliber rounds that he has four friends, who this year each lost mature elk bulls each with a 140 grain bullet reasonable well placed from a 6.5 Creedmor.
This cartridge, to me, seems to have the ability in many of its proponents minds to be the holy grail of all cartridge designs. It is sad when common sense is put back in the gun locker when any of us take to the woods with a weapon that doesn't really fill the bill for the game we hunt, when we know we have the horsepower in the locker to do the job properly.
Elmer Keith who we all know loved the .270 Winchester. But his favorite for hunting and guiding for elk is reported to be the .375 H&H. He also loved the .338 Win Mag.
Dead is Dead, but wounded is usually also dead but with a heavy dose of suffering to go with it.
I own a .338 Win Mag and have made it a point to be able to shoot it comfortably. I also own 2 25-06's and 3 .243's. I use the latter to plink, for my grandchildren to shoot deer, and for just a fun day on the range. When the hunt is on for me and as a back up it is 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm Exact or .338 Win Mag. Common sense to see that Dead is Dead when I pull the trigger on something worth shooting.
I have taken approximately 28 bull elk and a few cows over the past 40 years. most were taken with the 7mm rem mag. and about a third with a 270 win. 130 gr nosler partition. none ever got away wounded. Merry Christmas from Canada to you all.
 
Here is the recovered 143 gr eld x from the 6x6 bull elk taken at 934 yards.
143 ELDX bullets blow up and make a huge mess out of a Pronghorn if any bone is hit on the entrance side. A perfect broadside heart / lung shot and the stomach exploded. I saw it twice this year 300 and 400 yrd shots.
 
I know I am going to get a bunch of flack for posting this, but....

In a recent conversation with a friend of mine, who has a grand slam of sheep on his bedroom wall, and a super slam of the rest of the game animals in North America less a barren ground caribou, I was told during a conversation about accurate smaller caliber rounds that he has four friends, who this year each lost mature elk bulls each with a 140 grain bullet reasonable well placed from a 6.5 Creedmor.
This cartridge, to me, seems to have the ability in many of its proponents minds to be the holy grail of all cartridge designs. It is sad when common sense is put back in the gun locker when any of us take to the woods with a weapon that doesn't really fill the bill for the game we hunt, when we know we have the horsepower in the locker to do the job properly.
Elmer Keith who we all know loved the .270 Winchester. But his favorite for hunting and guiding for elk is reported to be the .375 H&H. He also loved the .338 Win Mag.
Dead is Dead, but wounded is usually also dead but with a heavy dose of suffering to go with it.
I own a .338 Win Mag and have made it a point to be able to shoot it comfortably. I also own 2 25-06's and 3 .243's. I use the latter to plink, for my grandchildren to shoot deer, and for just a fun day on the range. When the hunt is on for me and as a back up it is 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm Exact or .338 Win Mag. Common sense to see that Dead is Dead when I pull the trigger on something worth shooting.
Its all about the energy, shot placement and expansion in every kill unless it straight through the heart or head. 6.5 creed is a good rifle if you understand its limits.
Recently we took my wife on a cow elk hunt in high Desert outside Winslow Az. We knew due to no cover the shots were going to be 600 to 1300 yards. There is in no way we would take a creed on that hunt. She killed at 660 with 338 lapua 225 sst behind the shoulder. Knocked it down, game over.
In the 6.5 caliber we tend to stick more to 6.5 x284 and 264 win mag with 140 grn bullets for deer "big mules" over the 6.5 creedmore. 6.5 creedmore when we're going to be in the thick up close and personal.

Even hand loading it is hard to get a bullet fast enough for enough energy for proper expansion out 600-800 yards unless using an amax or accu lrh. But both them bullets splatter on in pact at close range.
We like bullets soft in the front and solid in the back for the best of both worlds and the right gun for the hunt.
 
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The 6.5CM does NOT hold magical killing properties for all game, conditions and ranges. It is a great deer and sheep round and I wouldn't hesitate to use it out to 500 yds for that purpose. For elk and moose, it is a bit tenuous. Scandinavians have been killing moose with a 6.5 for decades. I've taken an elk DRT with a 130 TSX from a 260 at 125 paces (broadside through the heart/lungs). But, I wouldn't employ the CM past 200 with big bodied game and only with a well made bullet (130 gr+ controlled expansion) and great shot presentation (broadside) with good shot placement. As with all hunting, one needs to keep in mind a cartridge's limitations along with the shooter's capabilities.
 

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