6.5 PRC for elk.

I stopped reading when precision optics said .264 projectiles aren't ideal for big game lol.

I killed a nice bull with my 6.5 creedmoor. Your prc is fine. People are killing elk moose and brown bears with. 22 centerfires with extreme damage. Shoot a heavy for caliber expanding bullet that does a lot of damage and you'll kill big game.

Elk I killed attached 20241024_173038.jpg
 
Desjard said:
I stopped reading when precision optics said .264 projectiles aren't ideal for big game lol.

I killed a nice bull with my 6.5 creedmoor. Your prc is fine. People are killing elk moose and brown bears with. 22 centerfires with extreme damage. Shoot a heavy for caliber expanding bullet that does a lot of damage and you'll kill big game.

Elk I killed attached View attachment 928532
Click to expand...
6.5mm bullets will kill ELK/DEER/MOOSE/BLACK BEAR and MICE cleanly at "ethical" ranges.

The OP may very well be capable of doping wind, elevation drop, mirage out to the ranges, temperatures and even the elevation he's shooting at when compared to what he sighted in at. The list goes on. Not many people can, especially under uncontrolled field conditions.

The 6.5 PRC round is very capable, it's not a laser by any means, no matter which rifle it's chambered in.

Once ranges get past 300 yards, velocity drops and gravity takes over. There are so many factors that will cause a hunt to go awry, out past that range.

I know people who continuously practice shooting 500-1000 yds under controlled conditions, who wouldn't attempt similar shots in the field.

I also know two people who shoot under all sorts of conditions, keep meticulous records from 100yds to 1000yds. Both claim they feel confident about their ability to cleanly take any game animal at anything in between. Neither of them have had the opportunity, or chose not to take it.

The OP didn't say he would take such an opportunity, but he definitely believes he's capable. Hopefully he does some real life, in the field practice before he tries to find out.

I killed an Elk Cow on a draw, with a 6.5x55 Tikka T3, loaded to 2550fps with 160grain Hornady round nose bullets.

Range was appx 125 yds and the bullet did everything it was supposed to do. Hit a rib just below the spine, expanded and took out both arteries, then went through the rib/hide on the far side and into the brush behind her. She walked about 20 meters and fell down.

A lighter bullet would have done the job just as well.

The 6.5x55 Swede takes a bit of a back seat to the 6.5prc but only because of the century plus old firearms it's been chambered in.

If a Tikka T3 chambered for the 6.5prc, without having to change anything, the 6.5x55 Swede loaded with good brass and bullets to similar pressures should be just as capable, seeing as their capacities are almost identical.

My 2550fps load, with Imr7828ssc, over CCI250 magnum primers, under 160RN bullets in Lapua cases, will not be found on any website or in loading manuals, but it's safe in my rifle.

All of the replies imploring the OP to use discretion show experience in the field. Minimalism only goes so far under such conditions.
 
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Welp I’m gunna poke the bees nest here but it needs to be said, again, so here goes nothing…..

GunNutters tend to forget that people (myself included) kill elk at with a stick and string every single year, over and over again….and that an arrow has a fraction of the energy your bullet does….its all about shot placement and it shows that a solid 75% of people here think that a bigger bullet makes up for piss poor shot placement. You can drill an elk in the guts at ANY distance with ANY hunting caliber and one won’t kill it more than the other. That being said a 243,270, 6.5 creed with a GOOD bullet in the boiler room will still kill it more humanely than a 300 win, 338 Lapua, whatever hunting caliber you want with a bullet in the guts. That’s facts.

You do not NEED a big 30 or something to kill one at 500-800 yards. You need a GOOD bullet and a GOOD shooter behind it. Plain and simple. Cut n dry. The 6.5-284 has killed a pile of elk at those ranges. Best of the west has proven that time and time again on their TV show and Youtube. But how? The 6.5 is too small……oh wait….with good shot placement. But it’s all luck you say? Nah, it’s practice, it’s spending time behind a rifle.

I’ve witnessed more moose and elk get folded up like a cheap lawn chair from a 270 with a 130gr Core Lokt than I have with any other caliber. At ranges from 100 yards to 450 yards. Why? Cause guys know their rifles, they know where to put the crosshairs and make their shot count.

To the OP, buy whatever rifle in whatever caliber you are comfortable shooting and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. I cannot stress that enough. Drop is drop and will be the same no matter what (pending your velocity/SD/ES is consistent) it’s the wind that will make or break a good marksman. Don’t be afraid to shoot in all weather conditions. 45km winds? Go shoot. 5km winds? Go shoot. Put some time in behind the rifle and you’ll reap the benefits of a successful hunt. Don’t let all the Debbie downers here tell you can’t do it. Go prove em wrong! Good luck!
 
hunter-4-life said:
GunNutters tend to forget that people (myself included) kill elk at with a stick and string every single year, over and over again….and that an arrow has a fraction of the energy your bullet does….
Click to expand...

This point is not relevant...

The mechanism of inflicting tissue damage (hopefully fatal), for arrows vs bullets is entirely different, and energy functions differently for each...

Arrows are designed to RESIST shedding energy and kill by slicing arteries causing hemorrhage. Bullets on the other hand are designed to RAPIDLY shed energy, and are designed to cause shock and pulverization of tissue.

Therefore, arrows require much less energy to perform their desired function... You can not equate the energy of an arrow to the energy of a bullet.
 
rjefferies said:
Looking for a new elk gun, and leaning towards a 6.5 prc. Going to be shooting 500 - 800 yards at most. Will be carrying it around the mountain for a week so weight is a factor. What guns do have you guys used? was thinking bergara but not set on that yet. Budget is around $1500 for the rifle..... For the right deal maybe a bit more


What factory ammo did you use?
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I've killed 9 elk, average distance was 150 yards. My longest shot was 200 yards, in the Great Plains of Alberta. Spotted him at 1 mile and stalked him to the killing distance. My favorite hunting skill is stalking and killed many other big game animals in the praries.

It's unfortunate that the internet has influenced people to kill at long distances, instead of using real hunting skills.
 

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Desjard said:
I stopped reading when precision optics said .264 projectiles aren't ideal for big game lol.

I killed a nice bull with my 6.5 creedmoor. Your prc is fine. People are killing elk moose and brown bears with. 22 centerfires with extreme damage. Shoot a heavy for caliber expanding bullet that does a lot of damage and you'll kill big game.

Elk I killed attached View attachment 928532
Click to expand...
There are actually people on YouTube who make a good living talking about what the "best elk caliber," "best deer caliber".....
Seriously earning a living because everyday they talk about what (they think) is the cartridge or rifle you need to kill big game.
And people just eat it up.
Practice. Use the right bullet, keep your shots within your capabilities, and practice some more.
Who gives a f. U. K. What rifle or caliber you use to hunt your game?
I think people are just looking for attention.
Either that or they are just stupid🤷
 
This thread is heading for a derail fast .
For all those saying people should learn to hunt closer, or better, maybe we should all just dispense with modern rifles and use sidle lock traditional muzzle loaders or just get rid of rifles all together and bow hunt .
Just because a topic of long range hunting and shooting is being discussed does not mean those same people do not know how to hunt, stalk, and kill at extreme close range as well as long range.
Cat
 
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hunter4life, an arrow will kill very well within it's range, depending on the "skill or luck" of the archer.

I've had to dispatch more than one game animal due to a poorly placed arrow as well as poorly placed bullets. It's always ugly.

Arrows don't depend on ENERGY, they depend on tissue damage to arteries and internal organs to cause "bleed out"

One thing about your comment though, which brings to mind something quite relevant to this thread is that a lot can be learned from archers when it comes to bullet placement. It's one of the reasons I like to take a just under the spine shot, if it's presented. I picked up on that, back in the days when I hunted with bows/arrows.

Each has it's own place.

I run into people who believe they can shoot at UNETHICAL RANGES, because they have a NEW RIFLE/CARTRIDGE/OPTIC combination which they believe gives magical powers to the projectiles. Some are posting in this thread.

Maybe they can do it, but not many can and even less can do it consistently.
 
bearhunter said:
If a Tikka T3 chambered for the 6.5prc, without having to change anything, the 6.5x55 Swede loaded with good brass and bullets to similar pressures should be just as capable, seeing as their capacities are almost identical.
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The 6.5x55 is closer to the 6.5CM than the 6.5PRC in case capacity and performance. IIRC the 6.5PRC has ~18-20% more case capacity than the Swede. Closer to a 280AI type case, as a for instance.
 
Just looked at the charts on useable case capacities and you're right. My bad. Should have done more indepth DD, other than just comparing case drawings.

The 6.5PRC definitely has a capacity advantage.
 
No one else smells a troll?

65prc to kill an elk at 800
In the mtns where ive never hunted
What gun shud i get

*Throws match*

He should have added:
With a 3-9 power scope
Wtf is a ballistic app
I think barnes will be my bullet of choice

😅🤣😂

To be real, most non mountain people cant even find a way to GET to a point 800 yards away, let alone get an animal out.
 
avocado said:
No one else smells a troll?

65prc to kill an elk at 800
In the mtns where ive never hunted
What gun shud i get

*Throws match*

He should have added:
With a 3-9 power scope
Wtf is a ballistic app
I think barnes will be my bullet of choice

😅🤣😂

To be real, most non mountain people cant even find a way to GET to a point 800 yards away, let alone get an animal out.
Click to expand...
My point exactly.
Tomorrow it will be: "is a pellet gun enough gun for beaver at 500?
 
Saw my brother in law absolutely starch a 6x6 Roosevelt with his 6.5 PRC and factory 143 eldx at 330 yards. Worked quite well.

Im
 
While I may not have as much unting experience as some, I have taken over 20 elk over the years with rifles chambered in 6.5x55 on up to 376 Steyr. At ranges of 5 to 475 yards. (Although my average shot distance on big game over the past 38 years is just 132 yards!)

Can an elk be cleanly harvested with a 6.5 Creedmoor, or smaller caliber? Sure. (I have used the 6.5x55 on elk, once,.)IF the bullet is placed accurately in the vitals, and of sufficient design to penetrate that far, and expand reliably. This means that the retained velocity and energy at the animal must be sufficient enough to do this, at that particular range.

Higher BC's buck the wind better and retain more velocity at longer distances.
Higher SD's provide for more reliable penetration capabilities to ensure the bullet makes it through skin, muscle and bone, to the vitals.

The experts recommend 1500 ft. lbs of retained energy for elk. They used to recommend 2000 ft. lbs. I believe the update is due to better bullet designs available today (bonded and monometal), compared to the older cup and core bullets of the time. (Not knocking the c&c, as I still like and use them too!)
In my experience, the higher the energy, the better on-game performance, so I do prefer the higher energy number, for the longest shot that may be presented, that I am willing to take; and for me that is 400 yards. Although I prefer to have that energy figure for 500 yards, IF a follow up shot is required on a wounded animal that is making its escape. (I have been with someone who made a poor shot and the elk was lost...at close range...and there was no opportunity for a follow up shot...it wasn't a good experience for either if us.)

In most instances, shots are much closer, and the higher energy figures at these distances provide a margin for safety that I fully appreciate, should the shot be somewhat less than perfect. And by this I mean quartering shots, or shots that encounter the heavier shoulder bone on the way to the vitals.

On elk, there is a big difference when considering the effect of a bullet on a cow or bull that is unwary and quietly feeding, as compared to shooting an animal that is wary, or a bull that is pumped full of adrenaline from the rut. This can only be fully appreciated through actual firsthand experience when shooting elk.

In the end, the OP should get the rifle he wants, within his budget, the chambering that he determines will work best for him. He needs to decide what his retained energy number is for the distance he is prepared to shoot, is sufficient. The 6.5 PRC will do the job at shorter ranges, but for the longer distances, a larger caliber, with more energy, would be a definite asset.

As to his question as to what 6.5 PRC we have; I have a LH Browning X Bolt that has been rebarreled to 6.5 PRC w/ a 24" 1:8 Wilson carbon fibre barrel.
The scoped rifle weighs 8 lbs 2 oz with a Leupold VX-5HD 3.5-15x44 B&C scope, and I am prepared to shoot big game out to 400 yards with it (although I might limit shots on elk to 300).
It will shoot MOA or better with several types of factory ammunition (136-143 gr c&c and bonded bullets). My rifle did not like the LRX or CX ammunition.
I have not yet taken the time to develop a handload tailored to this rifle.

Honestly though, I would prefer to move up to my 270 WSM or larger for elk. I have had very good success on elk with the 7mm Rem Mag, 7MM STW, 300 WSM and 338 Win Mag over the years. I now also have a 7MM PRC that I am hoping to use on elk this year.
 
These types of posts can also be spotted in golf forums. " I'm looking to buy a new driver. Heading down to the TPC Sawgrass course and plan on hitting my drives 350-400 yds. Callaway or TaylorMade?: Sorry but, equipment doesn't make the user.

No dude, you won't be shooting at elk at 500 - 800 yds. If you do... you're doing it wrong. Buy whatever you want, lots of ammo, and plan to shoot it at a range Often. With the same type of rests and positions you think you'll use hunting. When you're capable of hitting a pie plate sized gong consistently at 800, plan your hunt for a year out and keep practicing.

Get accurate to 400yds then brush up on your stalking skills and general elk knowledge. It'll serve you better than thinking about 500-800 yd shooting.
 
270AB said:
When you're capable of hitting a pie plate sized gong consistently at 800, plan your hunt for a year out and keep practicing.

Get accurate to 400yds then brush up on your stalking skills and general elk knowledge. It'll serve you better than thinking about 500-800 yd shooting.
Click to expand...
Reality right here.
A pie plate is what, 8"?
That means you only need a 1MOA rifle to make the "800 yard shot". It's far more about the shooter than the rifle itself .
An 800 yard shot presents really big obstacles as well as just being able to shoot in mountain wind conditions, one being you have to be able to get to the critter afterwards, then get it out!
Cat
 
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