So, I am curious about this cartridge. I know it is purpose built to perform very well at long ranges and in a short action. It is spec'd out for it's COAL to fit nicely in a short action with long bullets and function flawlessly. From what I see and read it is a fantastic cartridge and due to it's SAAMI specs is appropriately chambered and usually matched with an appropriate twisted barrel.
My questions are; what is the top end game for this cartridge and how available is the factory ammo for it? I know the ammo that is loaded for it is all very good. Also I have seen one of the more well known gun writers knock over a bull elk with one.
From what I've seen of this cartridge it seems to be one of the better "one and done" combo's out there for most everything lighter than big bears.
Who all shoots one and has experience shooting bigger deer with it like elk or moose?

Do you shoot at deer sized game beyond 400/500 yards routinely?

This cartridge is designed to shoot paper at long range, not live animals, for which it is underpowered. Unless you can shoot a 4" group under all conditions from field positions you need to hunt with a larger cartridge.
The World is full of good 500 yard rifles. What's in severe short supply is 500 yard riflemen. Most have never fired one single group from field positions at long range, but they talk a good story.

Routinely....No. But, often enough. I occasionally shoot across farm fields and get out west. I have shot over five hundred yards and am quite capable. Did it regularly shooting crop damage deer with a 300 win mag. Thinking the 6.5 Creed would be a capable deer gun for all shots 0-500+ without all the noise and recoil. Looking at the efficiency and downrange numbers of the Hornady ELDX ammo (not match ammo) it looks very potent. I wouldn't plan to hunt elk or moose with it as I do have other calibers in the battery for that. That is merely a question to judge it's upper end capabilities as it looks close to the 6.5 Swede which has been used for the same. But, as a deer hunter primarily the 6.5 Creed looks like a good choice. With quality platforms set up correctly out of the chute due to the SAAMI specs and excellent factory ammo it could make it easy for a guy.

Just to add a little more Ted so your question is a little better answered. I don't shoot at game animals at that range "routinely" any more. I do shoot out to and past that routinely at paper and steel plates though and have been hunting big game since '82. As I alluded to I have in the not too distant past. I shot crop damage on a farm with a 300 Win Mag and burned the barrel out. 500 yards was a chip shot shooting off a hay stack from prone at the time. I have been trained to shoot properly as a kid and through the military.
What interests me the most is when you crunch the numbers. With the high BC 147gr. 6.5mm bullets at extended ranges it holds it's energy very well and rivals conventional bullets out of the 300 magnums. All that our of a short action with minimal recoil and muzzle blast. Granted those are just numbers and that is why I posed the question here so I could hopefully get some "real world" feed back. Elk hunting would likely have me totting my 280 AI and shots would be within 400 yards or not. Thanks

There is a better 6.5 than the Creedmoor and you won't burn up any barrels with it.

6.5x284 Norma

Works in a standard long action with no bolt face work
No belt
Factory ammo and brass
Case design allows bulkets to be seated long
140 grn LR Accubonds @ or above 3k
30° case shoulder

The Creedmoor has several new fans.....

It does nothing that isn't already there

I'm not thirsty........ so I won't drink the Creedmore cool-aid

Mostly agree with Ted Thorn. The 6.5x284 is great, but brass are spendy and recoil is comparable to the ol .270 Win. Ballistics are quite similar out to 500 yards. With Ballistic tips, Accubonds, Sciroccos, Berger VLDs etc. all available in multiple weights of .277 bullets, cheap and effective. That said the 6.5-284 Norma is super cool. Oh, and the 6.5 Cred and .260 Rem. and the Swede are all fine too. Oh, and the king of all is the 6.5-06

It will do anything a 6.5X55 or 260 Rem.can do.I have relatives in Scandahovia that moose hunt with the 6.5X55.They don`t think it is underpowered for big animals.

quote:

Originally posted by swampshooter:
This cartridge is designed to shoot paper at long range, not live animals, for which it is underpowered.

I concur. For hunting the likes of Elk and Moose there are certainly better cartridges. The "Sweede" gained most of its reputation on Scandinavian Moose which are not the same as N.A Moose. If your primary purpose is animals the size of Elk and Moose I would step it up to something more like an 06 or ??

quote:

Originally posted by Quintus:
That said the 6.5-284 Norma is super cool. Oh, and the 6.5 Cred and .260 Rem. and the Swede are all fine too. Oh, and the king of all is the 6.5-06

If a .264 bore is a necessity then there is also the Win Mag. And the forgotten 6.5, the 6.5 Remington Mag! I often wonder how one of those would do on an intermediate Mauser action with a long enough throat to accommodate heavy for caliber slugs. Seems to me it would match the 284 or 06 versions in every way in the right configuration. And brass could be formed from 7mm RM. Much easier to acquire than 284 brass..

You won't go wrong with the 6.5. Often you can buy Hornady match ammo cheaper than you can handload specialized bullets. This was the intent of the round and it does it.

Howa 1500 Varmint is exceptional, I put a Grodas GRS on mine.

i recently sold my 375 and wanted a lighter recoiling longer range paper puncher, and perhaps antelope and deer rifle.

i was battling the 6.5CM or the .260rem.

at the end i went with the .260 rem in a remington 700. ballistically they are nearly identical, and with my own loads should be able to eek out a tiny bit more velocity from the .260rem.

check out prime ammunition, they are very reasonably priced, use norma brass and norma bullets. they only have select cartridges, but the .260 and 6.5CM are in the mix. i am going to try and get out and shoot mine for the first time this coming weekend. just been too dang busy.

i know people shoot elk with these things, but for me, they'll stop at deer. and i'm not sure i can keep my 7RM in the safe when chasing mule deer, it really likes to go...

quote:

Originally posted by Wstrnhuntr:

quote:

Originally posted by swampshooter:
This cartridge is designed to shoot paper at long range, not live animals, for which it is underpowered.

I concur. For hunting the likes of Elk and Moose there are certainly better cartridges. The "Sweede" gained most of its reputation on Scandinavian Moose which are not the same as N.A Moose. If your primary purpose is animals the size of Elk and Moose I would step it up to something more like an 06 or ??

They are the size of an Eastern North American Moose or Western Shiras Moose which are larger than a very large American Elk.They are called Elk In Scandinavian Countries.In all
Scandinavian Countries you have too take and pass a Hunting proficiency test in order to hunt there.All the hunting when I was there was by drives.No moose were lost.6.5X 55 was the most popular fire arm used and most were model 96`s.8MM Mausers and30/06`s were next in popularity.There were also a fair amount of marlin 336`s in 30/30 being used.Cartridge size never makes up for a lack of proficiency in bullet placement.JMHO,OB

quote:

Originally posted by OLBIKER:

quote:

Originally posted by Wstrnhuntr:

quote:

Originally posted by swampshooter:
This cartridge is designed to shoot paper at long range, not live animals, for which it is underpowered.

I concur. For hunting the likes of Elk and Moose there are certainly better cartridges. The "Sweede" gained most of its reputation on Scandinavian Moose which are not the same as N.A Moose. If your primary purpose is animals the size of Elk and Moose I would step it up to something more like an 06 or ??

They are the size of an Eastern North American Moose or Western Shiras Moose which are larger than a very large American Elk.They are called Elk In Scandinavian Countries.In all
Scandinavian Countries you have too take and pass a Hunting proficiency test in order to hunt there.All the hunting when I was there was by drives.No moose were lost.6.5X 55 was the most popular fire arm used and most were model 96`s.8MM Mausers and30/06`s were next in popularity.There were also a fair amount of marlin 336`s in 30/30 being used.Cartridge size never makes up for a lack of proficiency in bullet placement.JMHO,OB

Yep! People hate on the 6.5 Creedmoor, but is as powerful as 95% of the loads for the 6.5x55 and everyone has used the Swede to kill much bigger things since the 1940s.

Between the 6.5 CM, 6.5x47 Lapua and 260, I am sure one of these will die the death eventually.

I kind of believe it will be the 260 and the Lapua.

Hornady, Ruger and Savage just introduced George Gardners 6mm Creedmoor. I think this will kill off the 6mm XC at least in the USA. Here in Europe Tubb's 6mm XC has had quite a bit of a head start and is at least known of by quite a few people in the 300 CISM. We will see how a more available and cheaper round does against it.

Ive shot enough deer and elk with a 250 Savage to know the 6/5 Creedmore is plenty of gun for deer, and with the 140 gr. bullet or the 160 it would lay the biggest elk down if you keep the range within a reasonable distance, to me that would be a couple of hundred yards...

Not trying to hijack the thread but I have a question as I too am trying to decide on one of these three calibers (6.5CM, 6.5-284, or 260 Rem).

I have a Remington 700 (BDL type) action currently in 308 that I want to rebarrel to one of these calibers. With 140 grain bullets in mind, does the magazine length allow for taking advantage of the increased case capacity of the 6.5-284 or .260? Or will bullet seating depth negate much of the case capacity advantage?

Matt,

The 6.5-284 looks like a short action caliber, but it is not. The long length of .264 bullets means it works a hell of a lot better in a long action than it does in the short.

The Creedmoor was designed with a shorter over all case length to fit into a short action with long bullets. The 260 was designed by Remington to shoot 120-130 grain bullets(even some of those are too long for it) in a short action.

The best cartridge for the short action is the 6.5 CM or 6.5x47 Lapua (if you like the logistical problems it brings.

The way I understand your question, you want a 6.5 CM. The 6.5-284 ends up way too long, and the 260 might work and it might not.

The practical side of me says the 6.5CM is the way to go for the action I have. But I'm easily distracted by the siren of an extra 100 FPS.

Thanks BWW for talking me back away from the edge.

The key is that the 6.5-284 ends up killing itself around 800-1400 rounds. That extra 100-150 fps equates to half barrel life.

There is no need for hunters to ever subject their barrels to the abuse that F-class shooters do. Normal round count for a match was 22 rounds in 22 minutes. Between 3 and 5 matches per day. Even the big bull barrels get very hot. I had to quite shooting competitively due to medical problems, but friends of mine who are still shooting tell me that by loading H-1000 in the 6.5x284 that they are getting much better barrel life, and accuracy and velocity are just as good.
My barrel, for match competitive purposes went south at about 850 rounds, but a hunter could have fired another 850 rounds through it without any problems. I got my best accuracy by jamming my bullet .007 into the rifling. At 850 rounds I could no longer touch the rifling with my bullet (Sierra 142 MK). But it was still shooting 1/2 moa. How many of you hunters shoot more than 50 or 60 rounds per year. That 1700 rounds is a lifetime of shooting for most hunters, and like I said if a guy would shoot slow enough to let his barrel not get real hot that round count could be doubled. Just let the barrel cool off a little bit between 5-shot groups. That will double your barrel life. I was loading H-4350. I'll guarantee you that a 6.5x284 will get just as much barrel life as a 7mm Remington or Weatherby Magnum and I don't hear any hunters complaining about short barrel life in their 7 mags. And besides that, barrels are expendable, so what if you need a new barrel every 10 years, a new barrel is no big deal. I had to re-barrel my 7 mag. not long ago, but I'm not going to start shooting a cartridge with drastically less performance just because I had to replace the barrel once every 10 years.

I am both a hunter and a competitive shooter.

The 6.5-284 doesn't work on a short action very well.

I have no problems owning one.

quote:

Originally posted by Big Wonderful Wyoming:
The key is that the 6.5-284 ends up killing itself around 800-1400 rounds. That extra 100-150 fps equates to half barrel life.

At 3k FPS with 140 grain LR Accubond the 6.5x284N is not a barrel burner and it is at its best in a standard long action

People must forget.....the 30-06 pushed, gets well over 3k fps with 150's but the bc isnt as sexy on paper

Animals still die quite dead though

For a hunter it is not a barrel burner.

For someone who is shooting competitions and it is.

In 2016 before I moved to Germany I shot 400 rounds of 338 Lapua, 200 rounds of 7mm Mag, 800 rounds of 6.5 CM and 1200 rounds of 308.

Had a place to shoot where I could hit gongs to 600 yards, and a place to shoot paper up to 1400 yards if there wasn't a lot of motorcross activity. High angle stuff, multiple winds direction, and tons of public land to make it work.

I learned a lot last year about long range, and I consider it to be the most shooting centric period in my life where I got to shoot the most at long distances, and learn the most.

I shot in weekend local competitions, hunted coyotes and practiced.

Not a serious competitor, but if I was I'd have probably shot another 3000 rounds

quote:

Originally posted by Big Wonderful Wyoming:
The key is that the 6.5-284 ends up killing itself around 800-1400 rounds. That extra 100-150 fps equates to half barrel life.

I have to agree with this. If I had a do over and wanted to shoot 6.5 it would be the Creedmoor now that Lapua brass is available.
When I re-barreled last time I went with a straight 284 and I've been very happy with it. I neck up 6.5x284 Lapua brass. It shoots very well. Bartlein 5r barrel. According to the throat erosion measurements that I've been taking I expect at least 2500-3000 rounds out of the barrel. But I've quit shooting competition now.

What I am looking for is low recoil, accuracy, and enough punch to knock over relatively large whitetail around 200-250 pounds out to 500 yards if need be. I was thinking possibly the 6.5x284 but the Creed offers cheaper components and loaded ammo if I want to be lazy.
I don't get out elk hunting every year like I'd like to and when I do I have a very well built (to me) 280 AI that has dumped them with ease in the past. And a 280 AI surely doesn't kick too much.

Have you considered the 7-08, or are you intent on using 6.5's?

Ballistics of the 6.5 Creedmoor and 7mm-08 are surprisingly similar. If you compare factory ballistics of Hornady 7mm-08 139gr SST @ 2910fps and Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor 129gr SST @ 2950fps then you will find the 7mm-08 starts with about 180 ft/lbs energy more at the muzzle but the Creedmoor slowly closes that gap down range and they are within 100 ft/lbs of each other at 500 yards. The muzzle velocity of the 7mm-08 is 40 fps faster at the muzzle but the velocities are equal by the time bullets get to 500 yards


Both cartridges are capable of fine accuracy. Both are available in factory rifles and ammunition. The only real differences in shooting these two rounds would be that the Creedmoor would have a little less recoil and it has more room for long, heavy for caliber bullets.

quote:

Originally posted by Grenadier:
Ballistic of the 6.5 Creedmoor and 7mm-08 are surprisingly similar. If you compare factory ballistics of Hornady 7mm-08 139gr SST @ 2910fps and Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor 129gr SST @ 2950fps then you will find the 7mm-08 starts with about 180 ft/lbs energy more at the muzzle but the Creedmoor slowly closes that gap down range and they are within 100 ft/lbs of each other at 500 yards. The muzzle velocity of the 7mm-08 is 40 fps faster at the muzzle but the velocities are equal by the time bullets get to 500 yards


Both cartridges are capable of fine accuracy. Both are available in factory rifles and ammunition. The only real differences in shooting these two rounds would be that the Creedmoor would have a little less recoil and it has more room for long, heavy for caliber bullets.

Run the numbers with 140gr bullets in both cartridges.

I did take a look at Hornady 7mm-08 150gr ELD-X and 6.5 Creedmoor 143gr ELD-X. Again, the differences are minor.

6.5 Creedmoor 143gr ELD-X:
V0 = 2700
V500= 2031
E0 = 2314
E500 = 1309

7mm-08 150gr ELD-X:
V0 = 2770
V500= 2037
E0 = 2555
E500 = 1381

When you look at 160gr bullets then the Creedmoor has an advantage because it has room for those outside of the case. The 160gr-175gr bullets in the 7mm-08 don't have enough room to protrude out front as far as they should. Instead, they take up internal cartridge space and reduce powder capacity.

I'm just starting to gain field experience with the 6.5 CM. So far, so good. Once I have a large sample size of personal experience with it I will speak directly about it.

That said, I do have a tremendous amount of experience with what a 270 can do. I would not hesitate to use my 270 for any and NA big game including moose, elk or big bears. My 270 experiences have been with 130 grain and 140 grain bullets exclusively.

There is such a quantum difference between the 6.5 CM and the other referenced cartridges mentioned in this thread that it seems to fall strictly on personal preference.

Ross Seyfreid said of the 270 "due to the advancements in bullet technology it's a much bigger gun than it used to be". And that was about 25 years ago. With another quarter century of technological development and powders and bullets, I believe the 6.5 CM is the new 270.

For those who believe a 6.5 CM is not adequate for big game, don't use it. For the rest of us, I think we have found a modern, versatile, accurate, handy cartridge.

I agree completely, there would be no difference between a .270 and the 6.5CM or a 7x57, for that matter. I've killed enough big stuff with a 7x57 to not be worried about it at all, actually quite the other way. When I pull the trigger, I know it's hitting the ground.

I have no doubt that my 6.5 Creed would do well on large game including deer, antelope and maybe elk if is all I had. But, I use my 7mm-08 for hunting large game and I hunt bulls eyes on distant targets with my heavy barrel Creed.

As a hunter who uses a .264 mag for deer sized game and who hunts elk with a .338, I fail to see the reason to go with a small 6.5 cartridge. A 142 grain accubond LR starting at over 3,000 fps does a great job out to 500 yards, don't know why I'd go smaller. As for elk, I really do prefer a .338 for its 'bang-flop' punch on big bulls. Ok, rant done.

One round not mentioned is a 6.5 RSAUM, also known as the 6.5 GAP4S. In a lighter hunting rifle it really is a good one. 130's at 3200 and 140's at 3100ish. If I were building a 6.5 to plug a whitetail at 500+, I'd pick that one.

While I do not have a 6.5CM, I do have most of the other 6.5mm rifles being discussed (260, 6.5x55, 6.5x284, 6.5-06AI and 263WM). That being said, I run my 6.5x284 on an intermediate length mauser action and it fits nicely, although I did have to do some feed rail work.

For the 260, I would not hesitate to shoot a deer at 500 yards with it, IF it is the only shot I had. I like to get closer. The cartridge itself will kill any deer that walks cleanly that far. With a good bullet, I would not hesitate to shoot an elk as well. My personal 260 is sighted in at 300 with a 120 TSX. For elk, I would probably load a 140 Partition.

Someone above mentioned that the 6.5-06 was king. I would not go that far. I really get nothing from mine that I can't get from the 6.5x284, except that my AI is a hair more accurate.

If I have but one day to hunt, my 264WM is what comes out. It is very accurate. I don't load it to barrel burning speeds since I don't need to. With a 129 Hornady or Accubond, it is very capable. I have shot deer with it at 500 yards, but again, only as a last resort on the last day.

Brinkey, I bought a Savage lady Hunter for my 12 year old granddaughter. The first year she was a bit hesitant, but killed her white tail with a single shot. This year she is totally in love with the rifle/cartridge and continues to make one shot kills on white tail and antelope. her father loves the rifle and has killed white tail and elk. Buy it, you won't go wrong for what you want.

I won a Browning X Bolt last year in 6.5Creed on a $20 raffle ticket. Being a 6.5 freak, I decided to try it out. Found an old Redfield 6x in the closet, mounted her up and off to the range we went. I was shocked! Rifle shot great with almost any load I fed it. OoooooooKeeeey Dokey. Had to do more now.
Decided the scope was good enough so focused on load development. Found a load using WW 760 and Hdy 140gr I locks that it liked.
Last week I went hog hunting in TX. Had a great time and what do you know but a big Doodad shows up. I usually recommend nothing smaller than .30 cal on Doodads but I had a good angle at 140 yds. Bang, dash 20 ft, flop. Recovered the I Lock from just under the hide. It was perfect mushroom that took out both lungs and top of the heart. Didn't weigh it but I'm guessing 60% weight retention.
Okay, now I've got another rifle that I have to deliberate about when I'm deciding which one to take hunting. Damn these dilemmas.

An update from my original post. I own a 6.5 Creedmoor now on a Savage platform with a SWFA MOA/Quad 6X42 on a 20 MOA rail. I’m shooting 143ELDX’s with a max charge of IMR 4350. It shoots so well it’s frightening. It kills deer(private and crop damage)like no tomorrow. I have yet to find a bullet to weigh. I have shot clear across a 40 acre field and bang flopped 150 lb deer. Seems to work rather well on intended targets and not any signs of being under powered for the task so far. In fact running numbers on my load shows favorable comparison to many 270 loads.

Deer are Very Easy to kill compared to other big game.