Elk with a 6.5 Creedmoor

[fyrewall]

Apparently, a 6.5 bore would be acceptable for shooting elks with certain bullets and would also be acceptable for shooting rodents with certain bullets. Should you have ammo loaded with 140's & 95 Vmax bullets you could do both effectively with the same rifle. This would make the 6.5 Creedmore into sort of all around rifle but not the absolute best for either but workable.

I have never shot an elk but since this would be a really big deal I would probably use a .30 caliber or bigger.

 

[sw282]

DWM ''Karamojo'' Bell killed several boatloads of elephants with his .256 Gibbs (6.5x54) and a .275 Rigby(7x57) in Africa... He once killed 19 African forest buffalo in one day with a 22 Savage Hi Power. His favourite Lion Gun was either the Gibbs or Rigby... ln later years he praised the lnstant killing power of the 220 SWIFT on Red Stag in his native lreland... What Bell stressed above ALL was bullet placement...With Bullets and real estate its All about ''Location-Location-Location''

 

[fyrewall]

Native Americans in the far north shoot all sorts of big northern beasts using dinky .223's. If mastodons roamed the far north today, a skillful hunter knowing the beast's habitat (real estate) and anatomy would place some tiny little bullet in the right place to cause some sort of death. I would prefer some rifle having a bore size big enough inside to show finger prints if I had to shoot a mastodon.

 

[300_whisper]

A lot of folks used to kill elks with poopy little cartridges. An old friend of mine who killed literally many tons of elk, used a 35 Remington for many of them, including some real toads. He didn't know much about ballistics, but he knew a bunch about elk HUNTING.

The elk these days, are entirely different, and it pretty much takes a 250 grain bullet going around 4000 fps to anchor one. Must be the result of genetics and evolution; probably all the wimpy ones were killed off by guys with 30-30's and 300 Sav's. jd

You got to put it into perspective though. When I hear guys hunting with rounds like that I know they were within 100 yards. The 35 Rem with 200 grain bullet would put some serious hurt on any North American game animal...within reason. There are articles of guys juicing up the 35 Rem and shooting Cape buffalo with them.

The issue with the 6.5CM or any of these fast, high BC, long range rounds is that guys expect to kill a game animal at extended distance. That’s where the dilemma comes. If you get close and shot an elk with any normal deer round you’ll most likely have success. But when guys on all these forums talk about 600 plus yard shots with a .223 on elk (sarcasm), you need to seriously start considering your skill level, bullet size and construction, velocities and energy at various ranges, etc. The bigger magnums give you a little bit more room for error if you want to start shooting like Carlos Hathcock.

But to answer the OP the 6.5CM should work. Get a heavy bullet, with good construction, and get close.

Not picking on you JDS. Your post brought up an excellent point though about round selection. I just wanted to elaborate bc the .35 Rem can get it done. You just have to be smart about it.

 

[sw282]

http://www.handgunhunt.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=10025&cat=500&ppuser=5861

Friend of mine killed this 4x5 bull Elk. First day of Elk season 2018. 35Rem@159yds.. TC Contender 14'' hand gun. Walmart purchased 200gr factory 35Rem ammo. No fancy hi tech bullets. Just 200gr SP.. We shoot IHMSA Silhouettes together. He has killed Black Bear, Deer, Alligator... Even shoots Prairie Dogs with his TC Contender.. His best PD kill is 309yds in Wyoming a couple yrs ago while on an Antelope hunt.. Brought a 223 barrel w/scope for his Contender.. Shot PDS after he filled his antelope tag

 

[284winner]

http://www.handgunhunt.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=10025&cat=500&ppuser=5861

Friend of mine killed this 4x5 bull Elk. First day of Elk season 2018. 35Rem@159yds.. TC Contender 14'' hand gun. Walmart purchased 200gr factory 35Rem ammo. No fancy hi tech bullets. Just 200gr SP.. We shoot IHMSA Silhouettes together. He has killed Black Bear, Deer, Alligator... Even shoots Prairie Dogs with his TC Contender.. His best PD kill is 309yds in Wyoming a couple yrs ago while on an Antelope hunt.. Brought a 223 barrel w/scope for his Contender.. Shot PDS after he filled his antelope tag

Answering an above question. Getting close enough and knowing that rifle/pistol intimately. Sounds like he does know it intimately. My son used to ask as a younger 12 year old boy, "Why do we use our deer rifles to shoot ground hogs"? I'd tell him that we need to know the rifle/bullet combination and exactly how it shoots at all ranges in various wind situations. He didn't get it then, but as a 25 year old today, he is very glad he learned his rifle intimately then. Nothing makes up for time behind the rifle. The gentleman shooting the .35 Remington knows it's limitations and his as well.