I pulled the trigger 6.5 creed

[BoogieMan]

I have been going back and forth with buying a new bolt action for hunting. Originally wanted a classic walnut and blued. After thinking about what that walnut looks like after years in the woods I went 180. Ordered a Weatherby Vanguard Wilderness in 6.5 creed. Topping it with the new entry level US Optics TS-12. Now I just need to choose some decent hunting ammo.
Considering Federal Premium Non-Typical 6.5 Creedmoor 140gr
Love to hear some feedback and or suggestions on ammo and rifle.

 

[stagpanther]

I almost exclusively hand-load all my ammo--but I sometimes use hornady ammo as a baseline reference for checks (their velocity performance and pressure ratings are remarkably consistent in my experience). Can't speak for their hunting performance though.

 

[BoogieMan]

I would give Hornady a try as well. I have had success with their 30/30 hunting ammo. They offer a 143 Grain ELD-X Hornady Precision Hunter. Looking at the manufacturer charts. ELD seems to retain velocity better than other comparable bullets at distance.

 

[Rimfire5]

I have shot a variety of Hornady factory ELD-M match ammo when I got my first 6.5mm Creedmoor.
The Hornady ELD factory ammos perform very well.
The more general Hornady hunting ammo doesn't shoot as accurately but shoots more than accurately enough for any hunting application.

If you intend to hunt, the 143 ELD-X is just about as accurate as their match ammo, in fact is shoots more accurately in one of my three 6.5 CMs than any of the Hornady match bullets.

I have hand loaded more than 8,000 6.5mm CM rounds in three different rifles.
I have used Sierra, Berger, and Hornady bullets from 130 to 147 grains and they all shoot well.
The Hornady ELD-Ms and ELD-X bullets and the Sierra 130 TMKS, TGKs, and 142 SMKs all shoot very well. The Berger 140 bullets shoot well also but it took some work to find where they wanted to be seated to get the best results.

One of the three rifles liked the 130 and 140 grain bullets best and the other two shot the 140 bullets well but shot the 142, 143 and 147 grain bullets best.

 

[jmr40]

You'll like the Creed. I'm betting you're other rifles start getting lonely in the safe. For factory loads I'd start with, and probably stay with the 143 ELD-X from Hornady as an all around bullet.

The 129 gr Interlocks in their American Whitetail line of cartridges is amazingly accurate and a good choice for deer at moderate ranges. That ammo is pretty cheap as well. It wouldn't be my choice if I wanted to shoot elk size game nor is it the best option if you want to stretch the 6.5's legs on long range target shooting. But the 143's will work for all of it.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1017716196?pid=407252
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/101693199?pid=259413

 

[reynolds357]

I have been going back and forth with buying a new bolt action for hunting. Originally wanted a classic walnut and blued. After thinking about what that walnut looks like after years in the woods I went 180. Ordered a Weatherby Vanguard Wilderness in 6.5 creed. Topping it with the new entry level US Optics TS-12. Now I just need to choose some decent hunting ammo.
Considering Federal Premium Non-Typical 6.5 Creedmoor 140gr
Love to hear some feedback and or suggestions on ammo and rifle.

I have two 6.5 Creedmoors. I reload for them,but when I first got them, brass did not exist. I had to buy factory ammo for the brass. Hornaday 129 Whitetail shot good in both rifles. 129 Superformance shot like trash in both.

 

[bamaranger]

6.5 CM

Congrats on your new rifle and I hope it serves you well.

I cannot offer any advice on a CM as I do not have one, but have been resisting the urge for some time. I simply do not shoot far enough at game to realize any improvement over a .243 trajectory wise, and our deer are not big enough to require the additional bullet weight offered by the CM.

That said, I would not turn down a Kimber Hunter in 6.5CM with a tidy 3x9x36 compact scope should someone offer one as a gift!!!

 

[BoogieMan]

"I cannot offer any advice on a CM as I do not have one, but have been resisting the urge for some time. I simply do not shoot far enough at game to realize any improvement over a .243 trajectory wise, and our deer are not big enough to require the additional bullet weight offered by the CM.

I cant either. I have been shooting 30-06 out of a Remy pump for years. For the hunting I do I cant justify the purchase at all. I also considered .243 as it has proven itself for decades. But, all the cool kids are shooting Creed. And I wanted a new "over the counter" bolt gun. I just love that new gun smell. lol

 

[Ernie Bishop]

BM,
What kind of distances do you typically hunt at?
Assuming, you are talking whitetail deer?
I use both ELD-M and ELD-X bullets for hunting FWIW.
Where do you try to put the bullet on the animal at every time?
Behind the shoulder or double shoulder shot?

 

[Django11]

I almost always start with Hornady ammo when it comes to rifles because they almost always shoot well. No different with my 6.5. I have their 140 grn match bullets that I use for target shooting and since I didn’t have a chance to shoot the 143 grn Precision Hunter before rifle season began this weekend, I just used the match ammo. I know it’s not exactly designed for hunting but my shots would be 100 yards or less and figured it would be fine. I shot 2 does with it. First was a front shoulder shot- did a good number on all vitals and dropped immediately. Second one was just a hair farther back than I intended on- took a good chunk out of the lungs and ran about 30 yards and expired. Neither bullet passed through but was basically stopped by the hide on the opposite side of the entrance. All in all they did the job well enough. All that being said I would recommend Hornady ammo first

 

[BoogieMan]

@Ernie Boshop- typically I am hunting whitetail under 150yds. I generally make neck shots, behind shoulder or if they are facing me I'll go at base of neck. The 165 Sierra Game Kings from the -06 have been very effective. Sierra has a 130gr Gamechanger. I assume it's similar to game king. Little pricey for factory ammo. But, thinking of giving it a shot.

 

[reynolds357]

@Ernie Boshop- typically I am hunting whitetail under 150yds. I generally make neck shots, behind shoulder or if they are facing me I'll go at base of neck. The 165 Sierra Game Kings from the -06 have been very effective. Sierra has a 130gr Gamechanger. I assume it's similar to game king. Little pricey for factory ammo. But, thinking of giving it a shot.

Game Changer pefrorms like the hollow point gamekings.

 

[std7mag]

Congrats oon the new rifle purchase.

But dang, yet another Manbun!

Please do tell us about your scope!
I would love to be able to afford a US Optics scope!

 

[Blue Duck]

Congrats on the new rifle. I don't own a creed but I have friends and relatives who have used them extensively. I have seen a few head of game killed with them. They do good with the right hunting bullets, but be careful and don't shoot game with match bullets and there is a lot of match bullets and loaded match ammo out there.

I witnessed a hog shot with the Creedmore where the the bullet only punched a tiny hole in and out, through and through. The hog ran off, with no signs of a hit, and no blood trail, except for a couple of small drops we found. We did get the hog, however. We were lucky enough to just stumble onto it dead. Later I found out he had shot it with an eldx match bullet, I think it was. He picked the bullet because it was so accurate. Accuracy is nice, but tiny groups are not the end all, when flesh, bone and blood are at stake.
I will take a 2" gun with killing power over a 1/4 minute needle blower bullet that doesn't open up, any day, when it comes to killing something.

 

[Rimfire5]

The 130 TIpped Game Kings (TGK) that Sierra calls GameChangers shoot just about as accurately as the 130 Tipped Match Kings (TMK). The overall group size is less than 0.01 difference for a long term average 60 groups for the TGKs and 130 groups for the TMKs. My three rifles all average around 0.35 inches for 5-round groups across three rifles.
Actually, one of the rifles shot the TGKs a bit better than the TMKs.
The TGK jacket is a bit thinner to allow the tip open on impact.

I have noticed that the TGKs POI was consistently about 1/2 inch to the right of the POI for the TMKs but on the same vertical plane.
I think the slightly different POI might be the result of the thinner jacket of the TGK reacting to the rifling more aggressively than the heavier jacket on the TMK.

 

[BoogieMan]

Would anyone consider the Sierra or Hornady offerings for Whitetail to be suitable for black bear as well? Seasons overlap in my WMU area. Not likely, but I dont want to pass up a chance at bear either.

 

[603Country]

I handload for a 260, essentially the same as a 6.5 CM, and use 120 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips at approx 2800 FPS. Killed maybe 20 deer with it and about the same number of hogs. For deer, I can’t see the need for a heavier bullet, unless you just want one. Deer aren’t hard to kill if you’re a good shot. I have not failed to get a pass through and a good blood trail.

Hogs, however, are a good bit tougher. If you want a pass through, I’d suggest a Nosler Partition. The 120 gr BTs are very effective on hogs of all sizes, but they generally won’t exit. But the hogs generally don’t go far, so tracking isn’t difficult unless they manage to bury themselves in a thick briar patch.

Will a 140 gr bullet kill deer and hogs better than a 120 gr bullet? I doubt it, and I can definitely say that the 100 gr Ballistic Tip kills as well as the 120.

 

[m&p45acp10+1]

I dropped 3 elk last winter in Nebraska with 140 grain Nosler BT. Through and trough double lung shots. All 3 DRT where hit. The exit wounds were large while not excessive. It was about -20 F so I was not looking to find the bullet in the snow. 2 shots were at distance of around 250 yards. One was at 325 yards.

I have killed one hog, and one white tail deer here in Texas with the same ammo. In fact the same box of ammo.

 

[doofus47]

My buddy showed up at the range with a 6.5Creed. It was a sweetie on the shoulder and a really accurate rifle. If I didn't already own a 260Rem, I'd probably pick one up as my antelope/deer stopper.

 

[Dranrab]

Welcome to the magical world of the 6.5 Creedmoor. Unicorn season is right around the corner!