This is a companion to my other thread in this forum.

Factors to be considered:
My rifle will be used suppressed, so weight is a bit of a consideration.

Primary uses will be close to medium range (under 300yds.) shooting on deer, hogs, exotics, and the occasional varmint, and some punching of paper or steel targets.

No match shooting.

Question:
What variable power range do you folks use on your 6.5 Creedmoor (bolt-action) rigs? Feel free to explain your choice.

Choices:
about 1x-6x
about 2x-7x
about 3x-9x
about 4x-12x
something bigger

 

George if you can. I really like mine.
https://www.longrangehunting.c...rce-shv-5-20x56.html
I also have a 8-32x 50 they are great. made in the USA

I had a NF 8x-32x 56mmAO a while back. It was a terrific scope but heavy.

George

For out to 300 yards and under any variable power scope under 9x is more than sufficient. No need to pay for more power than you need.

No need to buy anything as I've got a bunch of scopes sitting on the shelf waiting for rifles.

George

Hard to beat your basic 3-9 for what you describe.

Or a 2-7. No real need for more unless you plan to shoot gophers with it.

quote:

Originally posted by Cougarz:
Or a 2-7. No real need for more unless you plan to shoot gophers with it.

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I've long had a 2-7 Redfield on my .270. I love and favor the lower end, and the high end gives me all I'll ever need out to 300 yards on anything larger than a good-sized ground squirrel. (No, I don't shoot ground squirrels with a .270! )

Thanks for your suggestions, but I want to hear from those actually using 6.5 Creedmoor rifles.

George

On a rifle mostly for hunting, and weight considerations to be taken, nothing bigger than 4-12.

I have a Creedmore but it is set up as a long range rig. I have a Swarovski 5-25X on it. That said I also have rifles with similar ballistics as the Creadmore, for what you describe and for what I use those rifles for any variable scope with an upper magnification level of 6 or 7 or 9 is perfectly adequate. What is more important is low end magnification. Too high and you have far too small a field of view to make quick accurate close shots. Also a large scope on a small light rifle unbalances it which affects the rifles natural handling and pointability.

I think I've narrowed it down to:

• Leupold Vari-X III 2½x-8x;
  
• Burris Fullfield II 3x-9x Illum.Ballistic Plex;
  
• Zeiss Conquest 3x-9x MC;
  
• Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10x

I have these on hand. Once I have a feel for how the gun shoots, I may make changes.

George

I keep a VX-III 3.5-10 in Warne QD rings on my 6.5 CM as my primary scope and like it out to 600 yards for most everything.
I keep a VX-III 6.5-20 in Warne QD rings as a secondary for it if I want to shoot small stuff past 300 yards or targets past 600.

Both scopes are a good couple-few decades old and have been on multiple rifles over the years with no issues. The 3.5-10 has 200K+ miles of gravel roads on it while it was on a truck gun so it has proved it's self durability wise.

Have you ever used your 6.5 Creedmoor on a rampaging chicken?

George

quote:

Originally posted by GeorgeS:
Thanks for your suggestions, but I want to hear from those actually using 6.5 Creedmoor rifles.

George

I have two 6.5x55s. Is that close enough?

One has a fixed 6x and the other a 3-9.

quote:

Originally posted by scottfromdallas:

quote:

Originally posted by GeorgeS:
Thanks for your suggestions, but I want to hear from those actually using 6.5 Creedmoor rifles.

George

I have two 6.5x55s. Is that close enough?



One has a fixed 6x and the other a 3-9.

In my book a 6.5x55 Swede in a modern rifle and a 6.5 Creedmore are pretty much the same thing.
With that said I currently have a 3-9x40 Leupold on my 6.5, seems perfect to me for 50 yards to 450 yards.

6.5x55 is close, depending upon how you're using it.
Thanks,
George

quote:

Originally posted by scottfromdallas:
So do I its a 96 Mauser. Its my favorite blacktail rifle if that clarifys its use. I've had a Leupold VXII 2x7 on it from the start. Never saw the need for more magnification. In fact I've never shot anything at 7x including the odd coyote. My 6.5x55 is such a bullet flexible an accurate rifle the 6.5 Creedmore has never been of much interest to me. I understand what it was invented for but I'm a hunter only and the Mauser round more than covers the same range plus a little more.

I'm left-handed. There are no M-96 Mausers for me to use, and I don't know of anyone who chambers the 6.5x55 in a production left-hand rifle.

Since this rifle's main points of interest to me is that is has a threaded barrel and is chambered in a round known for accuracy, I bought it.

George

I am going with a Burris Fullfield II with the Illuminated LRS Ballistic Plex reticle.

It should work nicely with this round and rifle for the kind of hunting and shooting I will be doing.

Thanks for your suggestions.

George

quote:

Originally posted by Cougarz:
I'm left-handed. There are no M-96 Mausers for me to use, and I don't know of anyone who chambers the 6.5x55 in a production left-hand rifle.

Sako, Tikka, and Zastava make left hand bolt action production rifles in 6.5x55.

quote:

Originally posted by Snowwolfe:

quote:

Originally posted by Cougarz:
I'm left-handed. There are no M-96 Mausers for me to use, and I don't know of anyone who chambers the 6.5x55 in a production left-hand rifle.

Sako, Tikka, and Zastava make left hand bolt action production rifles in 6.5x55.

True, but none are threaded or as easy to locate on a whim. I got mine in two days.

George

George,
I haven't picked mine up yet. How is the trigger on yours?

It's weird.

The center portion travels a long way before you get to squeeze the trigger. Nothing like the triggers on a Glock or Springfield XDS pistol.

I haven't had time to figure out whether that is normal or not.

George

Your pick of the Burris is probably a good one. I am not sure what they weigh now but my old 3-9x40 FF weighed a lot. A Leupold 3.5-10 shouldn't weigh too much.

You didn't say what your gun weighs. Mine is set up for LR and I have a SS HD 5-20x50 on it and suppressed it weighs around 12.5lbs.

The 6.5CM should do well for your desired purpose and suppressed it will be a joy to hunt with.

Joe

Thanks, Joe. According to the web sites, the rifle weighs 6lbs. 10oz., the scope 13 oz., Leupold PRW rings add 5 oz., for 7lbs. 130z.

The suppressors weigh a ton - 23.2oz for one, 160z. for the other .

George

My LH Ruger 6.5 Creed arrived last week. Scoped it up with a Kahles KXi 3.5-10x50. Rifle weighed 6 lbs 10 oz. With a set of Warne Medium QD rings and the scope it hit the scales as 8 lbs 1 oz. If I want to lighten it up I'll get some Talley's and mount up a Kahles Helia C 4x36. Should bring it down to around 7 lbs 10 oz. Will see how well it goes first...

Congrats!

I don't have a Creed but I do have a CZ 550FS in 6.5x55 that I use like you do at the 300ish yd range. I have a 2.5-10x44 Vortex on top and think it's about perfect for it.

I have been looking at the Left Handed Ruger Predator rifle in 6.5 Creed for no other reason as it's left handed. If I do decided to buy one I will most likely put a 4-16x44 Vortex HST on it. I have that scope on two other rifles and really like it. It has the target turrets and makes the adjustments easier if I decided to take it out further on steel targets.

Depends on its use, varmint hunting 4-12, big game hunting a 2x7x28 (28 now discontinued much to my stress factor) so today a 2x7x33 I suppose.

I would personally opt for the 2x7x28 Leupold on any a Creedmoor as its all I need and missing a varmint, if scope power applies which I seriously doubt, is no big deal to me. I like lean and slim handy rifles and detest large scopes..

I stumbled into a deal on a Zeiss conquest HD 3-15x42 and put it on my 6.5 CM early this fall.

So far this season my kids and I have taken 8 whitetails with it and have found it to be sufficiently bright and incredibly useful. Closest shot was 11 yards furthest was 320 yards. Side focus is fast, easy and convenient to use.


It seems to be a little brighter than the Leupold it replaced and much lighter weight than a Nightforce.

If it’s as durable as my Leupolds have been over the years it will stay with me for a long time to come.

quote:

Originally posted by GeorgeS:
Thanks for your suggestions, but I want to hear from those actually using 6.5 Creedmoor rifles.

George

As an aside, I'm genuinely curious.

WRT what you plan to use your 6.5 Creedmoor for*, what distinguishes it's performance from like calibers that would be used for the same purposes? I'm thinking of .30-06, .270, .280, 7mm Mauser, 6.5X55, etc. Why would experience with the Creedmore be of greater use for selecting a scope than experience with any of these other calibers?


*("Primary uses will be close to medium range (under 300yds.) shooting on deer, hogs, exotics, and the occasional varmint, and some punching of paper or steel targets.")

quote:

Hard to beat your basic 3-9 for what you describe.

yep.. all mine 3x9x50

quote:

quote:Originally posted by GeorgeS:Thanks for your suggestions, but I want to hear from those actually using 6.5 Creedmoor rifles.George I have two 6.5x55s. Is that close enough?

mine is a .260 rem. on a ruger M-77 and 2 7MM-08's I like using a good 50 I use it late in the evening on food plots, see real good in low light

3-9x40 V2 on my wife's 6.5 CM but I'm not opposed to up to 4-12

I have a Leupold VX-3 4-12x40mm on my Bergara 6.5 Creedmoor.

I have over 3x9 for two reasons. One is to see holes at 200 yards or more and the other is to judge deer in the field under less than ideal circumtances. Resolution matters too. If all I wanted was to pull the trigger on the kill zone of medium game, I guess 2x7 is all (maybe more) than you need. My father killed his Dall sheep at almost 400 yards with a fixed 2.5 and didn't think twice. So maybe it's all in your head.

I picked up a couple on sale Leica ER 2.5-10 scopes.. 30MM tube but shorter OAL and light. Awesome optics. There are some good closeouts on the Leupold VX6 2-12 and that's a pretty damnded good scope for all around IMO. Very bright with a great FOV at 2X, plenty of magnification for distance.

SWFA 6 X 42 Mil Quad on 4 6.5 Creed Moor,s