Talk me into this, 6.5 Creedmore

[Irving]

Well part of this is that I've got some lowers to build into another caliber. I had thought there was a 6.5 that could fit a standard AR lower, but it sounds like I was thinking of a different one. I'm less interested in switching to Creedmore since I've already got a .308, BUT I'm not so deep into .308 that switching would be at all difficult. As I get deeper into hunting though, I'd like a round that will be good enough for anything in the lower 48, which it sounds like 6.5 Creedmore probably would be.

ETA: Kazoo, last time I checked, your job is to help people spend their money, not save it. Get back in your lane!

[Hoser]

6.5 Grendel fits in a small frame AR. 6.5 Creed fits in an AR-10 lower.

I wouldn't use a 6.5 Grendel on an Elk. Deer and Antelope for sure.

[Irving]

Copy that. Grendel is the one I was thinking of for an AR. Doesn't make me any less interested in 6.5 Creedmore for a long range rig if I ever want to get into LD rifle comps.

[ray1970]

Just tossing around more opinions.

I put some rounds through my step dad?s 6.5 Creedmore and found it to be very soft shooting. His is a bolt action and to be fair I?m pretty sure it had some sort of muzzle break (brake?).

My 6.5 Grendel on the AR platform seems to have a pretty decent kick, more so than his Creedmore. I am just running a flash hider on mine and it?s built to be short and light so that could be part of it.

I guess my point is as far as caliber selection for youth or people who don?t enjoy lots of recoil it?s probably not as critical as the rifle platform and setup. If you don?t mind the excessive noise and a little concussion, I?ve shot magnum caliber hunting rifles that had breaks (brakes?) that had very little felt recoil and were a joy to shoot.

[husky390]

I already have an aftermarket stock on mine. Isn't the Ruger American just a copy of the Savage Axis?

I have a Ruger American Compact in .308 and love it, weighs 7lbs scoped. The stock required some sanding as it touched the barrel but that?s fixed now and it shoots Barnes Vortx ammo very well. Now that Magpul has released a stock for the American, I?m strongly considering buying an American in 6.5 Creedmore and installing it in the Magpul stock.



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[husky390]

Just as a quick mental exercise, would you consider shooting an elk at further than 300 yards with a .308?
.

I won?t based on a diagonal crosswind I experienced at Ben Lomond that pushed my rounds 12? off target. Didn?t happen at 300 yards or less but would at 400. My flags never picked up the wind and we were really scratching our heads until we felt the wind while checking our target. So, I keep my shots to 300 or less. As always, yours and others MMV.


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[Irving]

Is it a shorter barrel that earns the compact designation?

[MarkCO]

6.5 CM is a legit cartridge. Easy to shoot, load and does well on game further than most hunters will (or should) pull the trigger. It hangs (energy wise) with .308 and even some .30-06 loads. Our 6.5 CM 143ELDX has 1450 ft-lbs at 500 yards, our .30-06 180g has 1550 ft-lbs at the same range. That is not enough difference to matter. The .308 is around 1350 ft-lbs at 500 (I use 350 yards as a max for the .308 on Elk).

RAPs are pretty good for the money. I have one in .243Win in a Boyd's 1AT stock.

I tend to look at cartridges in clusters and most of the 6.5 to 8mm cartridges that push 100 to 200 grain bullets at 2500 to 3000 fps MV will be okay for CO big game, granted with different parameters. My max distance for big game is almost always based on sufficient energy to make a clean kill. Not a fan of 6mms for Elk, but use them a lot for Deer down to Prairie Dogs. I like to use .30 or .33 caliber on Elk, but am fine with the 6.5s and 7mms. My 14 year old is using a 6.5CM (Bergara) for Elk and he shoots it better at 14 than I shot anything at 21. My 16 year old uses a .30-06 for Elk. All three of us are using .243Win for Deer this year.

Anecdotal, but I have seen more animals walk away, or not get collected, when shot with a 7mm Mag than any other caliber. Few would argue that the 7mm Mag is not sufficient for Elk. Some of that is just hunting. Practice with your kids makes more difference than adding 50 yards to their max range. All the people (including my Kids) I have taken hunting for the first time have to shoot 100 rounds in a variety of field positions at a variety of ranges over a few range sessions before hunting season. We then use that to lay down a Max distance, shot angles, etc based on their skills and caliber. Blake shot his first Elk at just under 350 yards and it was not a big deal at all. He was holding 8" groups as 550 yards with his hunting rifle and we set a limit at 350. But I have had some that 100 yards was their max, and they had to be sitting with the forearm on a pack. As their skills and/or size improves, they get more freedom in terms of their engagements on big game.

[husky390]

Is it a shorter barrel that earns the compact designation?

Shorter barrel and stock. LOP is 12.5?. I?m a big guy and mine looks like I?m carrying a 10/22 but it fits me just fine.

I just checked Ruger?s website and it looks like they?re coming out with a Compact in 6.5 Creedmore. Sweet!!!!




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[Irving]

I heard a former hunting guide talking about the early days of 7mm Mag and having lost the most animals with that caliber. They didn't really get into it, but it seemed like part of the problem was that people started hunting with it before there were good hunting rounds made.