6.5 Creedmor- the Holy Grail?

[The Oregonian]

These were experienced hunters. One elk ran away, maybe two elk ran away-- field craft. Four elk--one friend-- bad choice of equipment.

IMO, choosing a cartridge, bullet, and shot selection (or willingness to pass a shot) all falls on the hunter, along with lots of other things. Don't know how folks are defining field craft but this is on the hunters more than anything else.

 

[Deleted member 103481]

Lol be nice if we had literally any information here.

Bullet? Velocity? Shot placement other than "good"

As was already apparent it's hating the CM that makes you a cool kid these days.

Probably were all shooting Bergers that either popped on impact or sent a pencil through it's guts...

 

[FIGJAM]

These were experienced hunters. One elk ran away, maybe two elk ran away-- field craft. Four elk--one friend-- bad choice of equipment.

I still think it is crazy to blame a cartridge for their failure to harvest the animal. The 6.5 creedmoor with 140gr pills is plenty of cartridge to kill elk. If elk are running away it is due to marksmanship, or the lack thereof.

 

[Sykes]

Another creedmoor bashing thread??

 

[Benny338]

Elk are tough, they can soak up some fury. 75% of the lost elk stories I hear are poor field craft. Guys aren't used to and can't handle the country they live in and don't know how to hunt it.

Easier to blame cartridge or bullet for failures than the real issue.

I wasn't there and don't know what happened but I would be willing to bet if they were all shooting something similar to a 300 win mag with 180 plus grain bullets (or bigger) that at least some of the elk would have been recovered. It is hunting and it's very rare for the perfect weather- perfect shooting position and you are not shooting paper. I think the point the OP is making is they messed up by choosing to light of caliber. I have shot lots of elk and yes a creed will get the job done but with all the factors involved in hunting it is more ideal to have gun that will get the job done if the shot ends up drawing a lot of bone or off the x a little bit. It is not the cartridges fault completely but a larger gun might not have lost the elk. Who knows it's all speculation.

 

[26Reload]

Another creedmoor bashing thread??

Nah...this thread I dont believe is about the Creedmore bashing others have been....i think this is coming down to choice....
They guys all took their choice rifles out there and didn't get the job accomplished by not finding the critter after the shot....
If shots are marginal or not..its up to the SPORTSMAN to recognize the truth of the tale.........

 

[Peregrine82]

6.5 Creedmoor is a good cartridge. People just need to realize it's limitations. A lot of people have tried to pose it as something other than what it really is. Essentially fills the same role as the .308 Winchester but has less wind drift and drop. There are those that compare it to a .300 Win Mag, and trajectory wise, they are very similar, energy-wise, it's different altogether. A 300 Win Mag will have the same energy at 450 yards as a 6.5 Creedmoor does at 100 yards.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

140g 6.5 cal bullets with a muzzle vel of 2700 fps shooting elk past 300y is bad juju.

 

[26Reload]

Everyone talks about how accurate they are.....shouldnt they be shooting every critter in the head so as to not waste meat..................ha

 

[cjl2010]

4 elk were lost... I've never even heard of this.

Saw a bull take 6 nosler ballistic tips from a 300 rum this year. He started feeding after falling over from the first shot.

Saw a perfect shot from a 28 nosler and 195 Berger turn into a 2 mile rodeo this year.

Saw an elk take two 180s from a 7 mag.

Cartridge is important but it's not an excuse. Elk are tough and can take a lot but losing that many elk just doesn't make sense.

I'm not buying 4 elk were lost because they were shot with a 6.5 creedmoor.

I don't mean to bash your friends but there has to be some other issue. Was it the same rifle? Bad lot of bullets?

 

[Barrelnut]

These were experienced hunters. One elk ran away, maybe two elk ran away-- field craft. Four elk--one friend-- bad choice of equipment.

They may have been experienced squirrel hunters or something. But I seriously doubt they were experienced elk hunters.

 

[26Reload]

There are a lot of people on this sight without serious elk hunting time...
I myself have taken over a dozen if I remember correctly....archery and rifle...
Have passed really close shots because I didn't feel like packing one out...
Have passed longer shots because of the terrain....not into extra punishment to myself......i also care to watch critters at close range....damned entertaining sometimes........i watched a family of does this last deer season fight with another family of does coming into a water hole......never seen the likes before.....and a guy killed a nice bull elk just down hill from there a few hours later....those two scenes made my hike well worth it....

 

[Mallardhammer]

My grandfather always told me to be calm, walk slow, and be the perfect predator. The last part of that phrase is why I dont hunt elk with my 6.5cm

 

[Barrelnut]

There are a lot of people on this sight without serious elk hunting time...

I hunt elk in Oregon, So, our experiences are about the same. All I am saying is I have two 6.5 Creedmoors and there is no way I would take one elk hunting.