6.5 Creedmoor for moose?

South Pender said:
If you're a handloader, Slamfire, I'd recommend a heavy bullet in any 6.5 if hunting moose at ranges under 300 yards. My choice would be something similar to the 155-gr. Lapua Mega softpoint pictured:
5Q7LM2O.jpg

This would be my choice in my 6.5x55 (another cartridge you might want to consider), and should also do well in the 6.5CM. Its great sectional density of .318 should produce reliable penetration through the large bones and musculature of a moose, and should be able to be pushed to around 2700 fps at safe CM pressures with the right powder.

Edit. It might be worth mentioning that the 6.5x55 achieved almost-legendary status among Scandinavian moose hunters. They liked the cartridge with the long 160-grain bullets available to them. Their 6.5s had a 1 in 8" twist, and I'd guess that most all modern 6.5s--6.5x55, 6.5 CM, etc.--would have this same twist, making them fully capable of stabilizing 160-gr. bullets.
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My swedish friend and his buddies use the 8mm Mauser, but his daughter uses a 6.5X55.
My friends and I have killed moose with everything from .54 round balls to 8mm magnums and everything in between, a pile of them with 308's and .303's as well.
The common denominator in all one shot kills was shot placement , not cartridge or distance.
Cat
 
remington jim said:
Trolling again ? lol BUT :rolleyes: the 100 gr 6mm dia bullet has a higher sec density then the 6.5 dia 100 gr there fore shooting at near the same speed the 6mm Should Out Penetrate the 6.5 :p:d RJ
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Somehow that works....but the 6.5 is just so far behind the extra half a millimeter of the 7mm-08! It might have a grain or two less powder as well :p

That 0.019" in diameter seems to really be make or break for a big game round, but I imagine the CM works good for squirrels and such.

(Meanwhile, there is no comparison as to the expanded diameter of the two bullets of similar construction, which is really what matters)
 
Plenty of armchair expertise available here, lol. I would be interested in knowing how
many contributors to this thread have actually shot a few moose. [say 5 or more]

While the 6.5 has been very popular in Scandinavia, in recent years it has given way
to a couple of other very popular chamberings.

I am now well past 70, and have been so very fortunate to live most of my life in
prime game country in BC. I raised 5 kids on game [mostly Moose, Elk and Deer]

Someone made the statement that moose are easier to kill than Elk....I tend to
agree. A moose shot through the lungs often shows no sign of the hit, but will
either stand around for a few seconds, or move off a few yards before tipping over.

I mentioned in an earlier post about shooting moose with 6.5's, even a 6mm Remington.
But when looking back at several dozen moose I have shot, most were taken
with 30 cal chamberings. Some with 7mms, a couple with the 270, 3 with the 8x57.
The 303 worked fine in 4 instances.

Elk are much more tenacious of life, and even hit hard will usually try and put a
postal code or two between itself and you. They die with proper placement, just
not quite as quickly as a moose will. For that reason, I do limit myself to the 270
and up for Elk Hunting. Partitions, A-Frames and Accubonds are my bullets of
choice.

The 6.5's as a group have taken plenty of moose over the years, but I doubt if
it would make 50% of all moose take, but that is a personal opinion. Dave.
 
A 6.5x55 with the 160 RN will kill anything on this continent, the 6.5 creed is a ballistic twin so it would be the same, I am going to try loading some 160 RN's for my creed soon to see if they work in the short action of my X bolt.
 
I've taken a lot of moose over the years and YES a 6.5 Creedmoor will work just fine.

Shot placement is the key to a quick and humane kill and I'll add, a regular cup and core or bonded cup and core bullet to the lungs broadside will kill quicker than a mono with the same shot.

YMMV, but this has been my experience :)
 
Eagleye,

I have shot just enough moose to qualify haha. And I don't think I ever only shot one once.

That isn't saying they weren't fatally hit with a good shot the first time. It means if theres time for a second one I immediately stick them again as a policy.

I bet the results from the 6.5s with a good bullet mirror those from the 30-06s and 300 WM I used. They amble off a short distance and kerplunk onto the ground very soon after being hit, with little drama.

Some of the 30-06 loads I killed them with were quite sedate, loaded for milsurps like Garands I didn't want to beat up on. It hurt them bad.
 
Joel said:
Eagleye,

I have shot just enough moose to qualify haha. And I don't think I ever only shot one once.

That isn't saying they weren't fatally hit with a good shot the first time. It means if theres time for a second one I immediately stick them again as a policy.

I bet the results from the 6.5s with a good bullet mirror those from the 30-06s and 300 WM I used.
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While I think it is good policy to be sure, I had 8 moose on the ground, shot with the 7x57, with 9 shots fired in total. These were
all taken within 225 yards, and shot with 140, 150 or 160 Partitions. Results, all similar.. :) Dave.
 
Joel : Somehow that works....but the 6.5 is just so far behind the extra half a millimeter of the 7mm-08! It might have a grain or two less powder as well :p

That 0.019" in diameter seems to really be make or break for a big game round, but I imagine the CM works good for squirrels and such.

(Meanwhile, there is no comparison as to the expanded diameter of the two bullets of similar construction, which is really what matters)


Under that reasoning Might as well jump up another .024 thou to .308 and have a Even MAYBE ? more expanded diameter ! LOL RJ
 
Bella Twin shot a record breaking griz with a .22 Does this make a .22 a great griz round? Heck no.

Same with the 6.5 , it will work on moose but that does not make it a great moose round. There are much better moose calibers out there.
 
AlbertaJohn said:
Bella Twin shot a record breaking griz with a .22 Does this make a .22 a great griz round? Heck no.

Same with the 6.5 , it will work on moose but that does not make it a great moose round. There are much better moose calibers out there.
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Are we really comparing big game and 6.5mms to grizzly bears and 22s?

From Africa to Europe to North America, the 6.5mms in roughly CM velocities (or less) have proven themsleves to be pretty capable big game rounds. The reduction to absurd stunt shooting is a line of reasoning I have trouble understanding.

"Better" in this case seems quite subjective, not objective.
 
Eagleye said:
While I think it is good policy to be sure, I had 8 moose on the ground, shot with the 7x57, with 9 shots fired in total. These were
all taken within 225 yards, and shot with 140, 150 or 160 Partitions. Results, all similar.. :) Dave.
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That's great too, Dave!

I might be irrationally worried about losing one, regardless of the caliber used. Or just not have the confidence in landing that first shot so cleanly that you do. Young guy? Maybe just not as good of a hunter? lol.

One of the very knowledgable guides here on the forum sold me a 7x57 Ruger with an 18.5" barrel and said even if they were only doing 2650 FPS or so, 140gr Partitions kill big animals. Period.

I really can't imagine the 140 gr 6.5x55 version you were using did any less.
 
I do qualify for the 5 + moose killed, but I’m still “new” at it and still a kid(50)! I have shot most with 30-06, one with 9.3x62, some with monos and some with partitions, results were all similar except one! That one took a lot more shots than I’m willing to admit, and all these shot were well placed shot but that moose just didn’t want to die! So I would say that generally they are easy to kill but some times not too easy! The most important thing is for sure shot placement but I think that proper bullets is key! Cause a big moose has big bones and if you hit one with a cheap bullets you might not recover the beast!!
 
AlbertaJohn said:
Bella Twin shot a record breaking griz with a .22 Does this make a .22 a great griz round? Heck no.

Same with the 6.5 , it will work on moose but that does not make it a great moose round. There are much better moose calibers out there.
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Is there ? WHY are they better ? and you did say Caliber NOT cartridge ! SO there's much better out there then a 6.5 x 300 Weatherby Mag with a 140 gr Partition bullet at 3300 fps shot thru the Lungs ? Just askin ? ;) RJ

Remember BULLET placement is #1 and a 140 gr from a 6.5 caliber thru the Lungs of a moose does the same thing as a 30 caliber 180 gr thru the lungs does ! :)


Ok FLAME away ! LOL
 
If hunters spent as much time practicing their marksmanship skills as they did arguing about caliber and cartridge selection, these conversations wouldn't even matter...
 
Joel said:
Are we really comparing big game and 6.5mms to grizzly bears and 22s?

From Africa to Europe to North America, the 6.5mms in roughly CM velocities (or less) have proven themsleves to be pretty capable big game rounds. The reduction to absurd stunt shooting is a line of reasoning I have trouble understanding.

"Better" in this case seems quite subjective, not objective.
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I'm saying just because a 6.5 works does not make it the best. There is much better calibers out there.
 
kthomas said:
If hunters spent as much time practicing their marksmanship skills as they did arguing about caliber and cartridge selection, these conversations wouldn't even matter...
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Agree!! Plus on top of that hunting skills, getting as close as you can and knowing where/when is ok to shoot for your ability, for the cartridge use in the situation you are in!
 
kthomas said:
More moose have been killed with 6.5mm's than probably all over cartridges combined.
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where owe where would you get that idea. 6.5x55 is used in Scandinavia, but it's far from universal, the 30-06 is almost as.common. Moose there are also smaller even than the Canadian moose. My guess would be either 30-06 or 30/30 due their longevity.
 
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