Who shoots a 6.5 creedmoore ? I just don’t get it for anything bigger than deer size game and super close shots

[pilar]

I was given a nice 6.5cm buy a friend, and am shocked at its size case and dismal velocity with 140gr + bullets ( +/- 2500fps ) going light 120gr =( +/- 2800 )
I would like to shoot aoudad and muledeer, and love bonded & mono bullets, but all my research is pointing to highly frangable high B.C 140+ grain cup & core and changing to a dial up scope for anything + 300 meters, I’m I just getting confused by the hype? Or reading bad advice?

 

[Daisy]

I like the 140gr tipped fusion in 6.5.

It’s plenty of gun for North American game imo.

 

[mdwest]

I don’t hunt with a creed.. but one of my close friends does…

The upside is his rifle is laser accurate…

The downside is that it’s been ok on deer.. and marginal on big hogs when using hornady eld-x…

He’s seriously looking at going back to a 30 cal (probably a 308) after using the creedmore for the last 3 seasons…

He bought some Barnes Vor-tx for it that he’s going to try …. Depending on the results, he may stick with the creedmore…

 

[CastShooter]

The first problem you're having is the velocities. 140 class bullets are 2750 fps and 120 gr is 2900 fps, roughly. I'm almost positive the 150+ class still does 2600 fps. My personal 6.5 with RL-26 is pushing a 140 gr at 2880 fps from a 24" barrel.

It's basically a short action 270 winchester, if you like the 270, you'll like the 6.5 CM

 

[pilar]

The first problem you're having is the velocities. 140 class bullets are 2750 fps and 120 gr is 2900 fps, roughly. I'm almost positive the 150+ class still does 2600 fps. My personal 6.5 with RL-26 is pushing a 140 gr at 2880 fps from a 24" barrel.

It's basically a short action 270 winchester, if you like the 270, you'll like the 6.5 CM

I do love my .270win , this 6.5cm is 22 inch barrel & I don’t think I will reload
But have been obsessively studying the real life velocity of factory and it’s very underwhelming to say the least

 

[Throwback]

Ive had success with the 143 grain Hornady ELD-X round on game. Personally, I usually reach for my 7mm PRC or a 300 Win Mag most of the time when hunting but my son and I have successfully killed hogs, whitetail deer, Axis deer, an impala and a blesbok with that 143 grain round. Most all of those with one shot kills.

I think of it though as not having much room for error, where as if you bring more gun (e.g. 300WM), maybe you can screw up one of the other factors like shot placement, to an extent, and still be successful.

I personally would use something else for Aoudad or Mule deer but I am sure people have used the 6.5 CRM on them. We have a Mule deer hunt next month and will be bringing the 300WM. Cheers

 

[Hogpatrol]

Forgot to put Bergers in that poll.

 

[BryceM]

I'm using Berger 140 HVLDs in my .260 AI. The chrony says about 2925 fps. Recoil is pretty trivial. I like the bullet selection in 6.5, but I've never had a reason to buy a Creedmore.

For mule deer, the 6.5 CM is plenty. Honestly, the .243 is plenty, if you're careful. Loads of people use the Creedmore for elk. I'm not one of them, but I have no doubt it works. The last elk I killed was with a muzzleloader.

I've always thought the huge love affair everyone has with the 6.5 CM has a lot to do with a generation of flinchy .300 magnum lovers who can now actually hit something.

Does the Creedmore punch above its weight? Everything hits above its weight when the bullets go in the vitals.

 

[Hooked Now]

I tried a 6.5 CM and just never found a round, factory or otherwise, that grouped how I wanted. On the other hand, I have a .308 that loves everything and possibly the softest shooting .300 WM in history. So the CM went on down the road to become somebody else's disappointment.

 

[Flbt]

I was given a nice 6.5cm buy a friend, and am shocked at its size case and dismal velocity with 140gr + bullets ( +/- 2500fps ) going light 120gr =( +/- 2800 )
I would like to shoot aoudad and muledeer, and love bonded & mono bullets, but all my research is pointing to highly frangable high B.C 140+ grain cup & core and changing to a dial up scope for anything + 300 meters, I’m I just getting confused by the hype? Or reading bad advice?

I don’t even understand why the 6.5cm was made.
I dont see it offering anything over the 260
Or my second favorite 6.5 the 6.5x55
I like the 6.5 Grendel the best but it’s probably the min Mauser action that I like best.
With the 6.5x55 I like a 140 gr or 156gr soft point round nose with the 156gr

If I pull a bear permit the 6.5x55 is on the short list to hunt with using a 156gr load

 

[Cowboy777]

I shoot a hornady 143 eldx out of a 16” barrel. I’ve dropped whitetail, impala, blesbuck, lechwe, warthog, jackal, bushbuck from 200-350 yards easily. Longest shot was a golden wildebeest at 416 yards, circled 100 yards and then dropped. Shot placement matters

 

[Wildwillalaska]

143 Eld-x work well on sheep sized animals. My kiddos’s Tikka and Fieldcraft both shoot the Hornaday factory ammo wonderfully and she stacks them into dime sized ragged holes. Moreover, the 6.5 Creed proved super easy for her to enjoy suppressed, even when very young. Overly mild recoil really helped her transition from rimfire to a game rifle. Now that she’s 13, she isn’t as recoil sensitive and shot a suppressed 308 superbly in RSA back in May, even tried a suppressed 375 for a few rounds at the end of the trip. She’ll use her Fieldcraft 308 this fall, but give her a choice and she’ll grab a 6.5 Creed over just about anything.

 

[sgt_zim]

I do love my .270win , this 6.5cm is 22 inch barrel & I don’t think I will reload
But have been obsessively studying the real life velocity of factory and it’s very underwhelming to say the least

For reloading a good 130 gr bullet, you seem to have forgotten 130 gr Scirocco II. It has a BC of .57. Not as high as ELD-X or NABLR, but close enough. With Swift's published powders, no reason at all you shouldn't be able to get 2750 fps out of a 22" barrel with that bullet. They are in stock on Swift's home page.

I know @Philip Glass has had good luck with Scirocco II, heck, he's even in Swift's advert on their Scirocco page.

While none of my antelope were as far as @Cowboy777, my Swede worked like a champ on blesbock, impala, and warthog. My longest shot was about 150 on the blesbock. Also, I shoot 160 gr Woodleigh PPSN out of mine at a very modest 2400 fps.

@Flbt - the shortcoming of 260 Rem is mag length. If you don't want to shoot the longer bullets that weigh 155 - 160 gr, then yeah, 6.5CM doesn't do anything a 260 Rem won't do. One of my favorite YTers made a measured 800 yard shot on a cull blesbock with ELD-X and his 260 Rem. Which RN 156 gr bullet are you using? PPU?

I started to bring my 6.5x55 on a black bear hunt a couple years ago, until the outfitter told me griz come through there from time to time. Where ever I am, I always seem to have a black cloud trailing me pretty closely, so I brought my 9.3x62 instead.

And I believe @Shootist43 prefers 120 gr TTSX for his Swede, seems like he's getting 2900 fps out of his.

 

[Franco]

I have a Hill Country 6.5 Creedmoore, primarily a range gun; but I used it on an antelope at 352 yds. He was standing still, head forward towards me, with enough angle to get a line across both shoulders. 147 gr Hornaday ELD Match - 2695 fps - hit just ahead of the left shoulder and exited just aft of the right. He dropped where he was standing.

We (the guide) spotted him in a small group about 1000 yds out, and they started walking towards us. I was going to pull the trigger at 500 yds but the guide said to wait - he was getting closer. At 352 I got tired of waiting.

There seems to be a lot of choices for ammo, I've just always shot the 147 ELD at the range. To me, it's more of a training rifle than a hunting rifle, but I primarily hunt Africa. I used it for this antelope because I was told we would be on flat, open ground with little to conceal us, the shot might be long, and the 147 gr ELD would do the job if it was put in the right spot.

 

[Philip Glass]

For reloading a good 130 gr bullet, you seem to have forgotten 130 gr Scirocco II. It has a BC of .57. Not as high as ELD-X or NABLR, but close enough. With Swift's published powders, no reason at all you shouldn't be able to get 2750 fps out of a 22" barrel with that bullet. They are in stock on Swift's home page.

I know @Philip Glass has had good luck with Scirocco II, heck, he's even in Swift's advert on their Scirocco page.

While none of my antelope were as far as @Cowboy777, my Swede worked like a champ on blesbock, impala, and warthog. My longest shot was about 150 on the blesbock. Also, I shoot 160 gr Woodleigh PPSN out of mine at a very modest 2400 fps.

@Flbt - the shortcoming of 260 Rem is mag length. If you don't want to shoot the longer bullets that weigh 155 - 160 gr, then yeah, 6.5CM doesn't do anything a 260 Rem won't do. One of my favorite YTers made a measured 800 yard shot on a cull blesbock with ELD-X and his 260 Rem. Which RN 156 gr bullet are you using? PPU?

I started to bring my 6.5x55 on a black bear hunt a couple years ago, until the outfitter told me griz come through there from time to time. Where ever I am, I always seem to have a black cloud trailing me pretty closely, so I brought my 9.3x62 instead.

And I believe @Shootist43 prefers 120 gr TTSX for his Swede, seems like he's getting 2900 fps out of his.

That 180g Scirocco was bad medicine for my last leopard!

 

[AZDAVE]

I had a nice 6.5x55 and really enjoyed shooting it. Then a old friend sent me a care package of mixed brass. 10mm 2500 rounds. 6.5 creedmoore 3000 rounds of once fired brass some 30/06 and 45/70 just as COVID was kicking off. so I looked at a local shop and they had a tikka in the back shelf for 1/2 off. So started playing with the round and in the tikka was getting on a pair of chrono's with 143 eldx 2782 fps. Took it to africa in 2021 and shot a number of the small animals Vaal rehbok, bat eared fox, aardwolf and it anchored everything drt. Put together a nice precision rifle and it shoot eldm 140 and 147 into tiny little groups when I do my part.

I think that it is a fine deer and blesbok and small animal round.

The biggest problem withe the 6.5's is the bullets are designed more for punching paper than animals, just to fragile.

The best results I have had with the 6.5 has been my little grendel shooting 120 CX at 2550.

I haven't had a chance to hunt with my 6.5 PRC but for me all the 6.5's are deer rounds.

Much better options in 7mm and 30 cal when kritters get bigger.

 

[Flbt]

For reloading a good 130 gr bullet, you seem to have forgotten 130 gr Scirocco II. It has a BC of .57. Not as high as ELD-X or NABLR, but close enough. With Swift's published powders, no reason at all you shouldn't be able to get 2750 fps out of a 22" barrel with that bullet. They are in stock on Swift's home page.

I know @Philip Glass has had good luck with Scirocco II, heck, he's even in Swift's advert on their Scirocco page.

While none of my antelope were as far as @Cowboy777, my Swede worked like a champ on blesbock, impala, and warthog. My longest shot was about 150 on the blesbock. Also, I shoot 160 gr Woodleigh PPSN out of mine at a very modest 2400 fps.

@Flbt - the shortcoming of 260 Rem is mag length. If you don't want to shoot the longer bullets that weigh 155 - 160 gr, then yeah, 6.5CM doesn't do anything a 260 Rem won't do. One of my favorite YTers made a measured 800 yard shot on a cull blesbock with ELD-X and his 260 Rem. Which RN 156 gr bullet are you using? PPU?

I started to bring my 6.5x55 on a black bear hunt a couple years ago, until the outfitter told me griz come through there from time to time. Where ever I am, I always seem to have a black cloud trailing me pretty closely, so I brought my 9.3x62 instead.

And I believe @Shootist43 prefers 120 gr TTSX for his Swede, seems like he's getting 2900 fps out of his.

If I use the 6.5x55 I was thinking of the Norma
156 load
I am using s&b 140gr now on deer and hogs
I would have used there 156 load but every where was out of stock when I got the rifle so went with the 140gr

I don’t have to worry about grizzly in fl.
If I do something is really wrong lol
The 6.6x55, 358 w and the 45-70 or 44mag are the rifles that I will be picking from if I get a permit

 

[CBH Australia]

I don’t have one and I don’t believe it has anything over a 7mm-08 for hunting.

I know the 6.5cm was optimised for long range and the ballistic advantage starts out past reasonable hunting ranges so that settles that argument.

With the right projectiles I figure it should be good but I’m not in the market for one although it is the easy button for a target rifle with various options and it “should” be a capable deer rifle with the right rounds.

 

[Alistair]

I've shot a 6.5CM plenty, although I haven't hunted with it.

When used for what it is, it's a solid cartridge. You can get pretty much .270win performance with equivalent weight bullets, for a tiny bit less recoil, and with a better selection of bullets. They tend to be pretty easy to load for in my experience as well.

That said, it's still in the same class as a .270win, and it's not some magic cartridge that does amazing things.

For me, that does to your OP, limit it primarily to medium size game such as white tails, reds deer, mule deer, etc. It's probably not optimal for something the size of an Elk, although plenty use it for that with success.

I wouldn't shoot any animal with any cartridge much beyond 300yds personally, and within that envelope a 6.5CM is actually pretty excellent. If I did need to make a longer shot, I'd rather do it with a 6.5CM than pretty much anything else in that power and recoil class. So 'short range'? No more than any other cartridge really.

I have found that factory ammo is not going to show the best aspects of this cartridge. Most seem to be pretty mild loads with pretty miserable velocities. Home loads will give you a lot more and 2800fps+ with a 140gr is perfectly achievable, especially with small primer brass.

For hunting, I'd stay away from any of the 'match' highly frangible, high BC designs. Unless you're shooting 500yds+ their benefits are minimal, and something tougher with more controlled expansion is going to give better, more reliable, terminal effect.

I've found 140gr to be the sweet spot in this cartridge, although my experience is more on the match side of things.

Some bullets you may wish to consider for hunting:
140gr Interlock
140gr Accubond
120gr TTSX
130gr Scirocco.

If you do want a little better BC (and don't mind a slightly more explosive expansion) I've found the ELD-X to be an excellent bullet for longer range, lighter built animals. At least the 145gr .270 version was, so I'm sure the 143gr 6.5 will be equally good. Just don't expect it to do well on hogs, or elk, or bigger PG, or within 150yds. It's too fragile a design for that imo.

 

[pilar]

I don’t know but my heart lies in the old Winchester m70’s and Husqvarna’s
I have my eye on m48 9.3x62 Husq and a 6.5x55 ( it what everyone had in my family when I was growing up except in .270 and .243 )
I think I will dump my 375 ruger and this 6.5cm ( I like wood better anyway) for a brace of husqvarna’s