Varminterror
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Can you read?
6.5 Creedmoor for Moose
- Thread starter JeeperCreeper
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Can you read?
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JeeperCreeper
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I think he was kidding, like "hey, get your own shoes" as opposed to disagreeing with your point
Old Stumpy
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horsemen61
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Of course I’d take the 6.5 Creedmoor
“Shot Placement”
Is Yuge!
What good is a bigger round if the best you can do is gutshoot something?
“Shot Placement”
Is Yuge!
What good is a bigger round if the best you can do is gutshoot something?
d2wing
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I used to live where moose were very common. They have since disappeared. Moose vary a great deal in size but all adults are big. I have been charged by a bull, and saw many up close. But I saw one that left me awestruck. He was a Giant black bull standing in a slough. I have seen huge Horses and bulls, elephants in Asia but nothing as tall and awesome in the wild as this guy. Black with white legs and a rack that looked like you could park a VW on it. For that guy I would use at least a 30-06 to do him justice. I am pretty sure a 6.5 would kill him but some that rare big and awesome needs the best I can get, If I ever had the chance I would use my buddies Winchester pre 64 model 70 in .300 Holland and Holland. And feel honored. I don't know what happened to that guy. Never saw him again. That moment is next to stopping a charging bull.
horsemen61
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@Old Stumpy
Do tell what do you have against the 6.5 Creedmoor? In all the threads I can recall about it you seem to disparage it like it personally took advantage of you somehow?
Do tell what do you have against the 6.5 Creedmoor? In all the threads I can recall about it you seem to disparage it like it personally took advantage of you somehow?
what good is a 6.5 if you gut shoot something?
recoil limitation is what it is, and choosing the 6.5 or 7-08 is a safe bet if those are as heavy a round as a shooter is comfortable with, if they can shoot heavier (and have/want them), why not?
Close up, the 170 grain bullet will upset and penetration at 30-30 velocities. But it has to be up close. In my Marlin 336 the velocity of a 30-30 factory 170 grain is around 2150 fps, a Rem 150 gr was 2250 fps. These are not Weatherby magnums. I have a 1930's American Rifleman article on the hunting habits of Inuits, and these guys were skilled trackers and stalkers. They got up close, placed their shot, and according to the article, had a smoke before moving after the animal. I believe they probably up graded to other calibers, what they purchased prior to WW2 was what was at the local Trading Post. But you know, cave man killed bigger things with spears, the trick, getting up close and placing your shot.
Old Stumpy
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I have nothing against the 6.5 CM. It is just that it is highly over-rated in my opinion.
The 6.5 Creedmoor is a cartridge which offers nothing over the 6.5 Swedish, other than a shorter overall length at the expense of increased chamber pressure. In this regard it has the same relationship as .308 to .30-06.
Yet, it's being hyped as the ultimate in modern long range ballistics, even though those ballistics are over a century old.
The ability to use it in short actions is touted, yet it is frequently seen in heavy rifles with huge scopes, which completely negates that advantage.
Some claim that it's short overall length makes it an absolute necessity because it can be used in AR platforms, yet few seem to bother.
I just find it amusing how so many 6.5 CM gurus get so bent out of shape when you disagree with them.
Sorry, but it is not a sacred cow.
You did ask.....
Old Stumpy
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To be sure, these older generation Native and Metis hunters were skilled at what they did. But it isn't difficult to approach moose fairly closely. They certainly aren't as skittish as deer and elk.
One night I was visiting a friend at his tiny cabin, about 10 miles outside of a small rural town. When I left around midnight, I drove up the snow-covered hill that I had to climb to get to a right turn in the road that would take me back to the highway. At the corner stood a big moose, seemingly unconcerned with the strange fire-eyed creature approaching. He casually moved behind a tree to allow me to pass, while remaining perfectly visible.
Llama Bob
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That's funny says every Swede ever
I don't know anyone who lives in Sweden, or hunts in Sweden. I don't think anyone in this thread does either, or for that matter, do many in the US speak Swedish or hunt Moose in Sweden. Therefore I can make up stories about the Swedes do and no one would know any better.
Based on this, the 30-06 is the most popular Moose round in Sweden
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...oose-died-to-teach-us-this-lesson#Post1892248
This was interesting:
6.5x55 for Moose? Really?
Being from the country in which the 6,5x55 is one of the most used calibers I might have a go at this? Ohh, I qualify by having shot exactly ONE moose with it. Why not more? Well, while I do think that it is perfectly capable of killing any living moose on this sphere we call Earth I do not think it is perfect for the job. I prefer cartridges with bigger, heavier bullets. This is simply because I do not always have a situation where I can pick my shot and then I want a bullet heavy enough to kill eventhough it might have to pass through the point of the shoulder (the knuckle) on a moose quartering towards me. A 6,5x55 with a 130 gr TSX might do just that but as it is not legal for moose here it's a moot point for me. I've seen more "bad shots" from 6,5's than most other calibers - to be honest many was because the bullet used wasn't up to the job. So for me the combination of the available, legal bullets with the rather small diameter and weight of the 6,5 makes it less desirable then fx a 9,3x62, 30-06, 8x57JS or what ever might float your boat. The 6,5 is used less and less here for our larger species. In the south the wild boar population is increasing and in the north the bear population is also increasing. A lot of hunters simply want a little more bullet than our "National Caliber" can handle.
Then again, if I ever get in a situation where I was forced the use the 6,5x55 I would keep hunting and not worry a bit! As long as the nut behind the butt use some common sense it will do what it is supposed to.
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...oose-died-to-teach-us-this-lesson#Post1892248
DocRock
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That's funny says every Swede ever
Except that I used to live and hunt in Sweden. So I know better than you.
I shot my Maine moose with a .270 Win, 140 grain Nosler Accubond handload at about 270 yards, and it went about 5 yards before piling up and expiring. Muzzle Velocity was about 2,900. Can't find the file, but think it weighed about 560 lbs.
It's important to use a round that has adequate velocity/energy and proper bullet construction, but shot placement is even a bigger factor in a kill. I've seen the results of deer killed by people shooting running deer, probably driven, that were hit with 5 or more rounds before going down and dying. They ruined a lot of meat, but worse, the deer may have run off and needed tracking and further shots. There was no lack of energy/velocity, but poor shooting.
It's important to use a round that has adequate velocity/energy and proper bullet construction, but shot placement is even a bigger factor in a kill. I've seen the results of deer killed by people shooting running deer, probably driven, that were hit with 5 or more rounds before going down and dying. They ruined a lot of meat, but worse, the deer may have run off and needed tracking and further shots. There was no lack of energy/velocity, but poor shooting.
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Who or what defines “enough gun”? There is no dead by degree; the 6.5 will kill a moose in the vast majority of hunting scenarios - good enough for the field. If there are any circumstances that prohibit the use of a 6.5 on a moose, then they should be defined and understood for the hunt. The chances of a theoretical 6.5 absolute limiting parameter presenting itself in the field would be close to zero. A moose is not a tank - the skill of the hunter/ shooter is vastly more important than questioning the 6.5 ability as moose medicine. We spend a lot if time splitting hairs on this forum - the 6.5 is just fine to hunt moose.
cdb1
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Well stated. Being that I was using a 6.5x55 before the Creedmoor craze I feel the same as you. Also, I’ve never read anything about it but imagine a 6.5x55 would be less likely to have feeding issues, not that I’ve ever read anything about Creedmoor feed issues.
cdb1
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I’ve read ad nauseum over the years about Inuits and other native people using everything from .22 LR to 30-30 to .303 to kill polar bear, brown bear and moose.
There is a huge distinction between subsistence hunting and hunting just because you want to. Varminterror stated it well above.
There is a huge distinction between subsistence hunting and hunting just because you want to. Varminterror stated it well above.
someguy2800
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I have only seen a dozen or so moose with my own eyes but unfortunately they have all but disappeared from my state. Anyway this thread reminded me of the closest I have ever come to a moose. When I was about 19 me and two of my closest friends went on a hiking trip to Isle Royal, which is about a 60 mile long island in Lake Superior. Isle Royal is a bit of an oddity in that there are no deer on the island, only moose and wolves. We hiked from one end to the other and on the last morning of the trip I got up early due to one of my friends snoring and took a walk. I walked around for about an hour and a half exploring around and on my way back to the camp site I met my friends coming the other way on the trail. When we got about 20 feet from each other I was about to make a joke about my friends dreadful snoring and I pulled my camp knife from my belt and held it by the tip like a throwing knife when out of nowhere a 500 or 600 lb moose suddenly walked out of the brush into the trail between us. So here I am frozen staring at this moose 10 feet away from me with a 6" knife held above my head between my finger tips. The moose stopped, looked at them for a few seconds, looked at me for a few seconds, then with total disinterest it calmly walked off the trail and into the lake to eat its breakfast of lake weeds. We stood in the road about 50 yards from it and watched it eat for about 30 minutes and it didn't care whatsoever that we were there talking about it.
My own research also indicates .308 caliber bullets whether fired from .308 Winchester or .30-06 Springfield are increasingly supplanting 6.5X55mm for hunting Scandinavian moose, and the average number of rounds to bag such moose have decreased. Plus, 9.3mm calibers such as 9.3X62mm and 9.3X57mm are used from what I've read.
If I planned to hunt a North American moose, and the only rifle I owned that was readily available was 6.5mm/7mm diameter, even if it was a magnum chambering, I'd seek out borrowing / renting a .30-06 Springfield rifle and practicing with ammo loaded with heavy for caliber bullets, for me especially what's considered Premium bullets for such a hunt. That's just my $0.02 as I'd want to reasonably increase odds of a successful hunt within my control.
The .300 WM, .338 WM, .35 Whelan, 9.3X62mm, etc wouldn't be on my personal list as I'm still being treated for complications with a (non-shooting related) partial retinal detachment from Nov 2018 (I just had another injection of medicine directly into my left eyeball today) and my subjective sense is those would be pushing my personal risk too far vs a .30-06 Springfield with a decent recoil pad or using a slip-on Limbsaver recoil pad.
Old Stumpy
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I would think that cartridges with millimeter designations such as 6.5X55 and 8x57 would be needed to kill a Swedish moose. Largely because such moose are metric.
My 7.62X63mm rifles work for me! I've never owned or used any 7.62X51mm firearms though. All my 7.62X63mm ammo is loaded in .30-06 Springfield headstamped brass as it's more common and less costly.
There's a review on MidwayUSA in the heavy for caliber 6.5mm component bullets from someone using a 6.5CM with such bullets successfully hunting NA moose. I think it was the 160 grain Woodleigh Protected Point.
There's a review on MidwayUSA in the heavy for caliber 6.5mm component bullets from someone using a 6.5CM with such bullets successfully hunting NA moose. I think it was the 160 grain Woodleigh Protected Point.
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I used to work with a woman who grew up in Sweden. She grew up in a rural area where her family lived on a subsistence basis, growing much of their own food and hunting moose for meat. She had killed several moose when hunting with her family and I think she said that you can sell the meat legally, so hunting was important to their survival.
Her rifle was a 7.62x51.
Her rifle was a 7.62x51.
Gordon
Member
My Uncle Gil , with a couple car loads of NYPD cops went Maine Moose hunting every year for 30+ years and every couple years it would be his turn to take one. He used a 8mm Mauser from 1945 to 1955 when he upgraded to a Mannlicher Schoenauer 30-06 he got from Abecrombie and Fitch .He used 220 grain 30-06 ammo and that is what his MS 4x Zeiss scope was sighted in for when I got it in the 1970s . I remember other guys in his party using .35 Remington , .300 Savage , 30-40 and others but they all considered the 30-06 THE cartridge to use with 220 grain bullets favored.. I never went moose hunting IF I did it would be with a .375 H&H as it seems size appropriate to me But a 6.5 with a 160 grain bullet at the same 2500-2600 fps would certainly do , and has for a 100 years in Scandinavia !
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010568373
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010568373
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adcoch1
Member
Swedish moose might be metric, but all the ones I've run into in Montana and Idaho have been standard... Might be why I think 30-06 or my 35 whelen would be slightly better cartridges than anything with smaller diameter bullets.I would think that cartridges with millimeter designations such as 6.5X55 and 8x57 would be needed to kill a Swedish moose. Largely because such moose are metric.
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