6.5s

OLDHORNHUNTER

Very Active Member
Messages
1,018
Getting ready to buy another rifle .. looking strongly at the 6.5s been hearing & reading a bit seems like a good round to add to my collection . I see a lot written about how good they are for deer & lopes How does it handle elk ? also looks like most companies are making them Mostly in 6.5 Creedmore .. Any input
 
that is what I keep seeing trying to find out some more info . Is the 6.5 Creedmore the best option I have seen the 6.5 300 Weatherby I am Not interested in that. I am looking for a light gun , so far I have looked at the specs on Browning X Some of the Savages Kimber & Bergara they all have guns under or around 7 #'s . I have all the components to hand load just not the time . I know there are a Ton of ammo companies some Really good ammo these days .
 
If you are not going to handload and want a light weight gun I would look at the 260rem and 6.5 creedmore. The weatherby vanguard s2 in 6.5creedmore is a great rifle. If going with a custom built gun that opens a lot more options IMO.
 
Thanks again leaning heavily towards the Kimber with a 22" barrel it weighs in at 5.5 #s . Savage also has a model 16 with a 20" barrel at 5.65 # s All the Savages I have shoot really good groups with factory loads But still looking
 
Here's a pic of my Kimber 84m Hunter in 6.5CM. Weighs 6lbs 13.3oz's with a Leupold VX-6 2-12 scope on Talley Lightweight lows, empty mag. Chrono'd at 2890fps average at the muzzle with Hornady Superformance 129grn SST's out of the 22" barrel. Handles really well. Plan is to carry it for Deer in Montana this November if it shoots well.

20160904_172256.jpg
 
I was at Cabelas yesterday and I picked up a Browning X bolt Western Hunter Atacs model in 6.5 Creedmore. I picked up a Leupold Vx 2 4x12 with wind plex reticle and CDS in the bargain cave and mounted it in Warne rings and bases. I wanted to shoot it right away so I picked up some Hornady Precision Hunter factory rounds loaded with 143 gr ELD-X's and went to a local range. I was amazed to say the least. Here's a picture of the rifle and my first 5 shot group at 100 yards. And by the way I used the bullet break in method for the barrel, I shot one and then I shot another and then I shot another until I had finished a 20 round box. I may have screwed up the barrel as I didn't use the shoot and clean method of barrel break in. The hole to the right of the group is my 50 cal muzzle loader.

These are round numbers 9-14 through the gun with no cleaning.

2984020160917173858.jpg


5472820160918191447.jpg
 
So I've had the kimber out 3 times now. I did not do a "barrel break-in" consisting of shoot-clean-shoot-clean, either. First trip, shot 12 rounds. Went home, cleaned. Second trip 20 rounds, went home and cleaned. Third trip 27 rounds, cleaned, etc. The best I've been able to do is .75" @100 yds, which was my first 3 shots on my last trip using the precision hunter 143grn ELD-X's. Groups opened to 1.25-1.5" after that first group.

Now, I am not the greatest bench-rest shooter and a small, light rifle is a bit different to shoot than my other rifles weighing 2+ pounds more, but I'm satisfied so far. I think the ability is there to be a sufficiently accurate mountain rifle. I'll keep at it, and I think that ELD-X ammo is pretty good factory stuff, the gun doesn't hate it anyway.
 
Yes Apex, you've ruined it so just send it my way!

OP, I like the 6.5 creedmore (and will build one soon) but suspect it to be a bit light for the way I elk hunt. Based on a traincar load of elk there are a few rifle cartridges that I really like for elk and the others are considered marginal by me.

Zeke
 
If you reload...6.5-284. IMO it's the perfect blend of power yet with moderate to mild recoil. You can get Lapua brass for it too. Mine pushes 140's in the mid 2900's without max loading them. I know guys who are getting 3100+ with the same 140's.
 
Agreed on the 6.5 CM being light-ish for elk. That said, you could do worse. Seems everyone knows someone who's taken elk down "just fine" at reasonable ranges with a .25, .26 or even the .243! 7mm-08's are right in there too and quite popular in the elk woods around here. I think the 6.5 will be a heck of a whitetail/muley/lope gun though.
 
Any quality 6.5 130gr bullet and up moving at 2900+ is plenty for elk. Think about how many have been killed with a 130gr bullet from a 270win moving around 2950-3000...LOTS.
 
Zeke, my point about barrel break in is; had I done the shoot and clean method of barrel break in I would have said thats why it shoots so good, when in reality it's just a damn good barrel. As you can tell I'm not a fan of breaking in barrels. Until someone shows me what a guilding metal jacket made of 95% copper and 5% zinc does to a chrome moly or 4140 stainless barrel with the shoot and clean method of barrel break in to make them shoot better I call BS and a total waste of time. Some say it will clean up the machine marks left by the reamer. Remember we're talking about copper compared to steel. Have you ever machined stainless steel? I still call BS.
Well that's my opinion, and you know what they say about opinions.
 
Looks to me like the COE & the velocity on the 6.5 is better than that of the 7mm-08. I can tell you I have NOT had to put a second bullet in any of the bucks or elk that I have shot with my 7/08 or 270 So it should handle an elk easily !!
 
Kimber Mountain Ascent in 6.5 CM I just picked up. Loading up some Berger 130 VLD Hunting rounds and hope to get out in the next few days...

KImber%206.5%20CM-L.jpg
 
I am a 264 win mg freak. in fact I'm heading to unit 57 in WY in about a week with my all time favorite rifle , a 100% original first year pre-64 264 win mag Westerner I've hunted with for 35 years .

That said there is a reason the 7mm Rem Mag knocked the 264 off the map. the 284 caliber is just plain better at all ranges. if I were buying or building a new rifle I might use on elk I wouldn't even slow up at the 6.5 caliber.















Stay Thirsty My Friends
 
You don't need to spend a fortune on a rifle to get a great shooting 6.5. Check out the Ruger American. I have sold and shot many of them and have a couple at the house. All of them are shooters.
Norkal

"One can take my life but not my faith or my
confidence. I fear none and respect all."
 
>Zeke, my point about barrel break
>in is; had I done
>the shoot and clean method
>of barrel break in I
>would have said thats why
>it shoots so good, when
>in reality it's just a
>damn good barrel. As you
>can tell I'm not a
>fan of breaking in barrels.
>Until someone shows me what
>a guilding metal jacket made
>of 95% copper and 5%
>zinc does to a chrome
>moly or 4140 stainless barrel
>with the shoot and clean
>method of barrel break in
>to make them shoot better
>I call BS and a
>total waste of time. Some
>say it will clean up
>the machine marks left by
>the reamer. Remember we're talking
>about copper compared to steel.
>Have you ever machined stainless
>steel? I still call BS.
>
>Well that's my opinion, and you
>know what they say about
>opinions.

Haha.
Good for you to have a strong opinion! Nothing wrong with that at all.
We both know that the throat of a barrel wears out because of a couple things....not just the projectile! Why wouldn't firing rounds down the barrel POTENTIALLY remove any tooling burrs in the throat? It will surely wear one out especially if it's repeatedly fired when really hot.

We "break then in" so they don't foul with carbon and copper as quickly and cleaning will be easier. Any gun will eventually get "broken in" but cleaning MIGHT become problematic and accuracy MIGHT TEMPORARILY suffer.

With that said: do what you feel good about and I'll do the same. Obviously you've ruined that fine shooter so might as well send it my way! Haha. Damn fine shooting Mr Apex!

Zeke
 
LAST EDITED ON Oct-20-16 AT 02:33PM (MST)[p]Zeke, it's the heat and pressure of the round going off that wipes out throats not the projectile. That's why cartridges with large powder charges ruin throats faster than cartridges with small powder charges. Compare 308 Win to 300 RUM, which one will toast the throat first using the same grain and brand of bullet?
I still see no reason to break in a barrel with the shoot one and clean method of break in, seems like a waste of time to me. I guess to each their own but I won't waste my time doing it. You have your way, I have mine I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

By the way didn't you work at Wolfe's many years ago?
 
I've only had it to the range 1 time and basically shot it to break in and find max load. Shot Berger 130 gr VLD Hunting and H4350. Top load shot was 43.5 gr of H4350, which showed no pressure signs at all. I have rounds loaded for range sessions #2 which I am going to try the OCW load development.

First impressions of the rifle...its light. Can't just throw the rifle in some bags and squeeze trigger. Need to be more aware of technique (then my heavier rifles) and it doesn't take a lot to transfer movement into the rifle while shooting. I really like the stock and feel of the rifle. Trigger is pretty crisp, but may try to lighten a bit more.

Hope to report back shortly with some groups from the OCW test....
 
LAST EDITED ON Nov-22-16 AT 09:43PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Nov-22-16 AT 09:41?PM (MST)

I think Im going to buy a Rem 700 30-06 and have it re-barreled in 6.5-06 AI. I've been reading 3100-3200 from a 140. Easy to find 25-06 brass is used to fire form the cartridge.
 
Gasman
If your gonna go AI set it up as a 6.5-280ai and use nosler brass. Already formed. Also a 6.5saum will push a 140 3100+ and is easy recoil and brass is readily available from GAP.
 
Hi there , first post on your forum for me ..I can't say from experience how good the 6.5 will do on your elk , although a pal of mine did just fine a couple of weeks ago with his .260 on elk , but I'm using the 6.5 x55 on our fallow deer ( I'm in Sussex , England) and it does a perfect job ..Shooting a 128gr homeload it's a tack driver ..I've had several people from Sweden shoot with me over the years and they knock down plenty of big stuff with there's ...like anything the shot placement is the key ..
 
>Gasman
>If your gonna go AI set
>it up as a 6.5-280ai
>and use nosler brass. Already
>formed. Also a 6.5saum will
>push a 140 3100+ and
>is easy recoil and brass
>is readily available from GAP.
>

The 6.5x280 AI will be my next rifle after I finish the one I'm in the middle of right now (another 300 RUM). Oh, and then there's the 6.5 creedmore for the wife. Too many projects, too little time.

I know small caliber and cartridges which don't generate lots of energy will kill elk ....if it's all just right but it's not an elk rifle/caliber for ME. I've killed too many elk not to have a strong opinion.

Zeke
 

Click-a-Pic ... Details & Bigger Photos
Back
Top Bottom