6.5 Creedmoor for Cow Elk

[hunter67wa]

Ya and folks not used to the country that say it was around 300. The terrain in WY can be very hard to judge distance in if you dont have a range finder and are not used to it.

 

[codyadams]

Ya and folks not used to the country that say it was around 300. The terrain in WY can be very hard to judge distance in if you dont have a range finder and are not used to it.

This is very true. Living here my entire life, anything past 300-400 yards is still very hard to judge.

 

[Coyote_Hunter]

If a standard .30-30 load is good for elk out to 100 yards, a 6.5 CM is good to 400. This based on best loads for each, retained velocity and energy.

While I have a .338WM, .300WM and a 7mm RM, and have taken multiple elk with each, I'm not to concerned using my 257 Roberts with a 120g A-Frame, either.

Over the years I've seen more elk wounded and lost by people using a .243 Win than probably all other cartridges combined. While many people think the .243 is a good choice for youngsters and other noobies, I think it is best used in the hands of an experience elk hunter. The 6.5 CM is a much better choice IMHO.

 

[Hoss50]

I have put down a cow with my 257 weatherby shooting 115gr HVLD bullets. It wasn't my preferred caliber, but when I was drawn for the hunt it was the rifle I knew I could shoot well, and had the best load for. So I took it, and it worked just fine with a broadside double lung hit.

That said this years cow elk hunt will be with a 6.5x55 or 300 weatherby mag.

 

[longrangehunter]

Arise.

Who has a shot a large Bull 500+ yards with less than ideal shot placement and what were the results?

 

[cantfixstupid]

This post is 6 years old, SMDH!

 

[longrangehunter]

This post is 6 years old, SMDH!

2022-2019=6? You did notice that I said "Arise" didn't you? Not sure why there is the need to be outraged and disagreeable but ok I guess that's the world we live in these days. Anyway it's not like I was trying to answer a question that was asked years ago, but instead asking for additional information from the guys that posted before if still around as well as new folks.

 

[Tidus56]

2022-2019=6? You did notice that I said "Arise" didn't you? Not sure why there is the need to be outraged and disagreeable but ok I guess that's the world we live in these days. Anyway it's not like I was trying to answer a question that was asked years ago, but instead asking for additional information from the guys that posted before if still around as well as new folks.

Some people are just angry don't stress it.

 

[codyadams]

Arise.

Who has a shot a large Bull 500+ yards with less than ideal shot placement and what were the results?

I have, a little over 800 with a .260 AI. 147 ELD-M @3040 muzzle velocity. I'll just link the video so you can see what happened. First shot I was off on my wind call by a little bit, about .75 MOA. I reaquired and pulled my second shot low getting excited on the trigger then took a third and plugged his shoulder and put him down fast.

 

[codyadams]

That same load killed another elk that year and lots of pronghorn and a couple deer. I have since switched bullets in that gun, and switched my elk rifle as well. I try to keep my elk rifles to 7mm and bigger. The 6.5's work, as noted above, but the bigger ones do it better from what I have seen.

 

[Raudy707]

I probably should have said its funny to watch us easterners with Ultra magnums...kind of came out backwards I guess. They guy whos ranch land we were hunting on in Wyoming killed his cow that year with a 6mm Remington. That was his truck gun.

I've seen a dozen locals kill elk with 25-06's and 270's. They shoot the same rifle they hunt deer with back in highschool for sure. Don't even give it a second thought. They also tell me we have all season to hunt and don't shoot unless they can hold their crosshairs on fur. So basically nothing over 400 yds.

 

[longrangehunter]

I have, a little over 800 with a .260 AI. 147 ELD-M @3040 muzzle velocity. I'll just link the video so you can see what happened. First shot I was off on my wind call by a little bit, about .75 MOA. I reaquired and pulled my second shot low getting excited on the trigger then took a third and plugged his shoulder and put him down fast.

Nice Elk! I don't know if 6.5CM loads can be loaded that hot? The Hornadys ELD-M load is only 2,700. 143 gn. So the first shot was in the lungs and he didn't go down. Went 50 yards(?) and stopped so you were able to take shots 2 and 3?

 

[codyadams]

Nice Elk! I don't know if 6.5CM loads can be loaded that hot? The Hornadys ELD-M load is only 2,700. 143 gn. So the first shot was in the lungs and he didn't go down. Went 50 yards(?) and stopped so you were able to take shots 2 and 3?

First shot was in the liver, didn't really hit any lung. He went about 15-20 yards, just out of sight, stopped and hunched up. If I would have waited, there is a fair chance he would have eventually bled out and gone down, but if I have a shot I don't wait for elk. My second shot was low due to a screw up on my part with my trigger pull, I knew as soon as I sent it, but clipped the back of the front leg as I spotted my first shot and corrected for windage, that was enough to startle him and he ran another 10-15 yards, but he stopped and hunched up again, he was hurting pretty bad from the first shot.

Then my third shot I held for wind correction and did a proper trigger press and it went through the rear side of both shoulders mid body, right where I wanted it. The bullet was recovered under the hide on the off side. Within a few seconds of the second solid hit, he began to stumble and went down. As soon as I saw the impact, I knew he was hit good felt comfortable enough to get on the camera and document how the 147 performed, as it was new for that year. I went into more detail on it in my review of the 147 eld-m, but that is another thread. This was one of the animals it worked well on. The other elk, not so much.

As a caveat however, the closest elk that myself, my wife, my cousin or my close hunting buddies have killed since 2015 was still over 500 yards, the farthest at 1036. That is why I feel 7mm is a minimum for MY uses, with preference going to bigger 30's or .338's. If your killing your elk sub 500-600ish yards, the proper bullet in an accurate 6.5 your confident in is adequate. My .260 AI is a 29" barreled braked 14.5 lb semi custom that will consistently lay down sub half MOA groups, and is super easy to shoot due to the weight, non-existent recoil, and fantastic trigger. A gun like that gives the shooter crazy confidence in shot placement, and is the only reason I have used it to take 5 elk from 703 to 910 yards.

 

[Tidus56]

I have, a little over 800 with a .260 AI. 147 ELD-M @3040 muzzle velocity. I'll just link the video so you can see what happened. First shot I was off on my wind call by a little bit, about .75 MOA. I reaquired and pulled my second shot low getting excited on the trigger then took a third and plugged his shoulder and put him down fast.

Huge props for posting a video where you made a mistake. Way to many ppl are never willing to admit that everything didn't go just perfect. I have made 4 bad shots while hunting, all on the same animal it was the most embarrassed I had every been hunting. I had 5 ppl watching me make a fool of myself. I did however get the animal down. It was just very ugly to see.