6.5 creedmoor for whitetails?

[Bigeclipse]

All,
My wife use to use a 243, which all though she never lost a deer with that cartridge, she did have some close calls. What I mean by this is for example, she once shot a buck who was trotting through, about 100 yards away. She did not wait for the buck to stop and She shot and swore she hit the deer. I found exactly where the deer was walking (the ground had a light covering of snow) and could not find one drop of blood in a 30 yard circle around where the deer was shot. I then asked her where it ran. We trailed about 75 yards until we hit a patch of ground where there was no more snow and could no longer see where the deer was going. Again, still no blood so now I'm thinking it was a clean miss. My nephew was walking down the hill towards us and points at a bush about 10 yards away from me and says " there is your buck". The buck literally died in the middle of this bush and all you could see was one leg sticking out. Had my nephew not seen it, we would have left thinking she missed the deer. Turns out the hit was a good hit in the lungs. A touch high but still well within the lung kill zone and was double lunged. The bullet did not exit and the entrance hole (being a 243 size) barely had a drop of blood coming out of it. I personally am a proponent of 2 holes is better than 1 and the larger the caliber (within reason) the better BUT that being said, we decided to step up to a 7mm08. She has killed a few deer since with that rifle and the performance has been amazing. Mostly drt and almost all with exits. That is where the story goes bad again. Last year, she had a deer come on her off side so she decided to try shooting at it lefty out of a treestand. Needless to say, she did not have a proper grip and she was scoped...ended up fracturing her nose. Now she has become a touch recoil shy due to this. I had her shooting all summer and she seems to be ok BUT we have transitioned her to custom handloads which are on the lower end of 7mm08 recoil using 120 grain bullets and varget powder. She is near the bottom end of the load value for varget and this leads to a very low recoil load but the bullet still performs excellent on deer, so far. She has 2 deer under her belt this year. Both exits with nice holes and the deer did not go far. So here is the deal, she has a backup savage lady hunter which I'm about to rebarrel since it shoots terrible. I am thinking instead of rebarreling to 7mm08, to instead have it barreled for 6.5creedmoor for several reasons. One, it is still a very low recoiling round and a 120 grain bullet out of that would have a bit better ballistics than a 120 out of a 7mm08 although she does not shoot extreme long range anyway so it does not really matter I guess. Two, 6.5creedmoor is a cool round and ive personally wanted to add one to the stable. Three, our child could someday start out hunting with that instead of a 243. My fear about going to 6.5cm though is that I don't want to be back to where we were with the 243 where some shots were debatable with whitetails. Is the 6.5 a really effective whitetail round OR is it just marginal like the 243? Again, this is her backup rifle. Her primary is the 7mm08 (she loves that rifle). This rifle will only be used occasionally unless she ends up loving it for some reason. Thanks.

[SageRat Shooter]

The 6.5 creed and 7mm-08 are almost identical when it comes to down range energy. I currently shoot the 143 ELD-X out of my .260 Rem (6.5 Creed predecessor) and am very happy with it's accuracy. I haven't used it on any game yet however, as it is my long range steel ringer/varmint duster, and my back up rifle for deer and Elk. I know it's not the 120 grain bullet, but it seems that Hornady only makes a "hunting" bullet in that weight. Here is an actual real world review of that 143 ELD-X, hope it helps make your decision.... Also, since you're having a custom barrel made, why not have it threaded and put a muzzle brake on it for her.... Criterion barrels will do it all for you... Just sayin...

Edit: Hornady does make a 120 GMX (Solid copper) and a 120 SST... I believe both are considered "hunting" bullets??

http://panhandleprecision.com/hornady-143-grain-eld-x-review-hunting-performance-test

[Stumpkiller]

The 6.5 Creedmoor is ideal for whitetail. I shoot a .260 Rem and it is just a hair more flexible for reloading than the 6.5 Creedmoor (debatable, I know, but Savage loved us and gave it a longer magazine, throat and proper twist than Remington started with). Truly, the 6.5 x 55 mm, .260 Rem, 6.5 Creedmoor and even the 7mm-08 are in that perfect little niche for whitetail. And the .264" bullets have had the latest and greatest design work in the last decade. Next year I plan on playing with the 130 gr Sierra Tipped Game-King for whitetail and coyote. And then there are all the Barnes monolithic bullets. So many good choices!

With a 130 gr bullet it will do the job on any whitetail. If you reload you might want to try the 125 gr Nosler Partition, or just buy Nosler cartridges, or that 130 gr STGK. I 'm shooting a 143 gr Hornady ELD-X which is more than necessary for the whitetail I hunt, but I'd rather punch on through than not.

I've owned .243 and .308 Win and the .260 Rem is closer to the .243 than the .308 recoil wise. Never owned a 7mm-08.

You might also want to look into te eye-relief measurements for scopes. I' wear eyeglasses and have found Nikons to keep their distance even with Butler Creek flip-caps. I keep to 4x to 5x for deer hunting (more light gathering at dawn and dusk). 3-9x40mm is plenty for my hunting needs. I'm ready for that 350 yard shot, but last year a buck came in from behind and at 10 paces I had a scope full of brown when I shot.

https://i.imgur.com/pUWb7T7.jpg

[Bigeclipse]

The 6.5 creed and 7mm-08 are almost identical when it comes to down range energy. I currently shoot the 143 ELD-X out of my .260 Rem (6.5 Creed predecessor) and am very happy with it's accuracy. I haven't used it on any game yet however, as it is my back up rifle for deer and Elk. I know it's not the 120 grain bullet, but it seems that Hornady only makes a "hunting" bullet in that weight. Here is an actual real world review of that 143 ELD-X, hope it helps make your decision.... Also, since you're having a custom barrel made, why not have it threaded and put a muzzle brake on it for her.... Criterion barrels will do it all for you... Just sayin...

Edit: Hornady does make a 120 GMX (Solid copper) and a 120 SST... I believe both are considered "hunting" bullets??

http://panhandleprecision.com/hornady-143-grain-eld-x-review-hunting-performance-test

I was looking at the 120 GMX, the 120 Barnes TTSX, and the Nosler 120 e-tip. All are solid copper so should hopefully give good penetration with decent expansion. That being said I have seen some ~130 grain bullets which also look nice.

The thing about the muzzle brake is I do not think it is the recoil itself giving her a little flinch but more just her memory of the incident along with the blast of the rifle. We also tend to not wear hearing protection since rifle season is during very cold times where we are wearing winter hats and face masks which make it very difficult to hear anyways. Yes these are not wonderful at hearing protection but they do help more than you would think and 1 to 2 shots a year should be ok in open woods. That being said, it would hurt to have it threaded because who knows, maybe we will switch to hearing protection and if she can use a brake...great!

[SageRat Shooter]

I'm a big fan of the Barnes TTSX (I use the 168 gr. in my 30-06 for Elk). I will say that it is a dang solid bullet and cloverleaves just like it does on the box. However, I will say that you may run into a similar situation with blood trail... I shot a 5x5 Bull elk right thru the heart from 150 yards out and it barely left a few drops of blood for me to follow. It was so bad that I thought I had "missed" too. Luckily he piled up on a deadfall log about 250 yards from where I shot him. Bullet was recovered on the far side scapula just under the skin; retained weight was 160 grains and was only missing one of the 4 petals on the cloverleaf.

The Brake was just a thought to reduce recoil for her and it sounds like you tree stand hunt mostly... I can say that it is my favorite rifle to shoot now, so she may fall in love with it...

[xmanjeff]

I picked up a 6.5 last year to start target shooting , haven't hunted with it , but ive been folowling a few facebook groups , 6.5 creedmoor and creedmoor nation , and the guys are just piling up deer with that round, predominantly with the 143 eld-x , most all drt , I am totally surprised on the growth of popularity over the past year , hope this helps out a little

[98dyna]

I have 2 Savage model 10's ,1 in 6.5 Creedmoor and 1 in .260 Remington A.I. I just returned from a 9 day hunt for mule deer in north central Montana and I can tell you after 4 downed animals there is a power difference between those 2 shells. The .260 slapped a big buck hit in the chest,he went down now. The 6.5 let the doe walk away about 80 yards before falling,hit in the same spot. All deer hit with Hornady 140 SST hand loads w/ H4831sc powder and CCI primers. 6.5 using a maximum load and the .260 was using a fire forming standard .260 Remington maximum load. Seeing is believing and the damage difference inside the deer between the 2 shells was impressive. My 2 cents worth.

[fightthenoise]

There will be a lot of anecdotal evidence of folks dogging on a cartridge or bullet because those that are successful with it are too busy butchering. Loud minority type situation. Between my wife and I, we are now into double digit animals over the last two years with the creed and ELD-X’s. Wouldn’t change a thing. It’s nice for your weapon to be the last thing you are worried about.


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[redleg1013]

Long story short, the Creed is legit for whitetails. Id feel confident taking mine with a 127 LRX up against elk. Gotta remember the 6.5 Sweede has taken a LOT of reindeer in the past 100 or so years, and well, the Creed is essentially a modernized, pseudo-Ackley'ed Sweede. That said, I've never had a deer care if they were shot with a 6.5 Creedmoor, 30-30, 308, or 30-06.
On the availability side, 6.5 CM passes the "Walmart test" in that ammo is diverse and plentiful and about 60% the cost of 7-08 or 260 Rem... if you can find what you want on the shelf.

[psharon97]

If she is recoil shy, have you considered a few ways to reduce the felt recoil? One way that I've used is to install a Grac BreakO in the stock. It is a tube of Mercury that goes in the stock. Works pretty well. The next thing to do is to either get the barrel threaded if it is thick enough, or to get a threaded barrel and put a muzzle break. You'll need to hunt with hearing protection for sure, but you're wife shouldn't have to worry about recoil anymore. The best thing IMO is to purchase a suppressor, but you'll have to check your start laws to see if you can hunt with one.

[Bigeclipse]

If she is recoil shy, have you considered a few ways to reduce the felt recoil? One way that I've used is to install a Grac BreakO in the stock. It is a tube of Mercury that goes in the stock. Works pretty well. The next thing to do is to either get the barrel threaded if it is thick enough, or to get a threaded barrel and put a muzzle break. You'll need to hunt with hearing protection for sure, but you're wife shouldn't have to worry about recoil anymore. The best thing IMO is to purchase a suppressor, but you'll have to check your start laws to see if you can hunt with one.

Long story short, she is getting over being recoil shy. I rarely see her flinch and when she does we stop shooting for the day. I should have stated, I wanted to keep recoil as low as possible with still allowing effective kills on deer out to 350 yards. I loaded her some 7mm08 120 nosler ballistics tips and some varget powder on the lower charge weight side. This yielded a bullet going about 2700-2800fps. She shot those a lot and loves them. She they shot a few factory loads of 140grain 7mm08 rounds and she could not believe how much harder they kicked. She still shot those very accurately but I could see it in her eyes she definitely had more confidence in the lighter loads I had made which are very much in line with a 120grain 6.5 creedmoor near/at max loading offerings. If recoil remains similar then we should not have a problem at all. I just didn't want to be back in the situation as the 243 which occasionally yielded sub optimal deer harvests even with decent broadside shots (higher in the lungs but still double lungs).

[BB68]

A slightly larger caliber is still not going to make up for bad shot placement. Your lack of confidence of a 243 being a deer cartridge is laughable.

[NicfromAlabama]

The best thing IMO is to purchase a suppressor, but you'll have to check your start laws to see if you can hunt with one.

I agree wholeheartedly. Suppressor on a 6.5 would be pleasant to shoot and most certainly help cure a flinch. I don't deer hunt, and have not in many years. However, the few deer that I did shoot was all with a .243 Browning BLR. I have shot some deer, with excellent shot placement I might add, run a bit. A couple I thought I had made a bad shot, but found not far away....no blood, just had to zig zag and look to find the deer. So, yeah, I can understand wanting something a bit more. I have a 6.5 Creedmoor I added a Shilen bull barrel to a 12FV and only target shot with it. I like it, and would not hesitate to try that cartridge on deer if I still hunted. I see no reason why it would not be excellent on deer and at least hit a bit harder than the .243.

[want2ride]

I have only shot one deer with my 6.5 creedmoor and it seemed to do just fine. My little brother just got his boy a 6.5 creedmoor this year and his boy got one, and he got 3. only one ran more than 20 feet and there was plenty of blood trail the 25 yards that it went. All of them were shot with the 143 ELD-X and the recoil is pretty light.

Personally, if she is shooting out of a stand most of the time, then I would go with a heavy sporter barrel in a 6.5 creedmoor and live with the extra pound of weight. The extra weight will reduce the felt recoil and increase the number of consecutive rounds before the heat starts throwing shots. IMO, it is a win-win.

The 6.5 Creedmoor is a very nice deer round.

[Stumpkiller]

.260 Rem did the job this evening. 160 yards Hornady 143 gr ELD-X on top if 39.6 gr IMR 4451. Pass through rib-to-rib (might have caught a little scapula as well) double lung and I watched him pile up 60 yards down the hill. Love that. Can't see the entrance wound and the exit is 1-1/2". Image is exit side. Lots of blood spray waist high on trees.

https://i.imgur.com/C6OjcUd.jpg

[NicfromAlabama]

Pretty deer. Good job.

[Bigeclipse]

A slightly larger caliber is still not going to make up for bad shot placement. Your lack of confidence of a 243 being a deer cartridge is laughable.

Laugh all you want. She has been hunting since she was 14, much longer than me. Her shot placement is spot on. She has approximately 60 deer or so to her name during that time. About 15-20 of those have been with the 243 from 50 yards out to 450 yards. All were recovered so yes does the 243 work... of course. A handful of those had very less than desirable tracking jobs, 3 of which I was a part of. The problem is she rarely gets an exit no matter which bullets we have tried. So unless the shot is a lower heart shot, sometimes it takes awhile for the animal to bleed out the little tiny pin hole entrance and you literally have no blood on the ground. Again, we have found all the deer but she was tired of not having exits, especially on broadside shots! Since she switched to a 7mm08, she has only had 1 deer not have an exit and that was on a hard quartering away shot where the bullet lodged into the front shoulder. She has shot about 8 deer to date with the 7mm08 2 of which were using lower charge powder 120 grain bullet loads (both of which were full pass throughs). So laugh all you want, to me...the 243 is marginal on our larger northern whitetails.

[justinp61]

I have a 260 that i deer hunt with and have had good luck with 120gr Sierra 1720's. Several years ago I had shoulder surgery and couldn't take the recoil of my old model 70 in 30-06 so after searching around bought the 260. It's a very light recoiling rifle and unless it's loaded hot I believe pretty much any woman or kid could shoot it fine. I've never really been a fan of a 243 on deer, yes I know they account for thousands of deer a year but so do cars and I don't like hunting with them either. lol

[SHOOT2HUNT]

Hi everyone, I just joined this forum, me and a couple of Savages...

Anything 6mm and up has been historically great for whitetails in general. I am sure 6.5 is just fine within reason. I personally hunt with a 308, because where I am the distance is 100-200y very typical and some brush in the way as the norm too so I feel better with a heavier bullet. On the Island where I used to live we commonly saw deer at 25-50y and 243 or even 223 is just about perfect, light bush rifle with a light recoil is great. I have taken Island mulies ( little black tails) with a 224. It's whatever does the job. I like to have different cals for different terrain. Hill country and Desert Mulies I hunt with 270, our local Whitetails with a 308, Island game with smaller caliber, its kind a fun gives me a chance to use different guns in the field. I have no personal experience with 6.5 Creed I see them at the range and I see most people choosing that caliber are shooting targets but whatever , its got good ballistics for hitting targets but I would personally be cautious shooting at anything deer size passed 200y, but I would be curious to see how this caliber does in a hunting rifle.

[Stumpkiller]

I'd have no qualms about taking a 6.5 CM (or .260 Rem) out to 400 yards on whitetail. Both still have plenty of energy to expand and kill efficiently.