Talk me into this, 6.5 Creedmore

[Irving]

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

[Erni]

You would use as a hunting rig though?

Sure, as long as it's enough caliber for the game.
Also, lighter kicking round should be just right for my teen son for a hunt.

[buffalobo]

What rifle did you buy? Thinking about rebarreling my Axis to 6.5 Creedmore, and building an AR in that caliber as well. Also interested in being talked into this round.

+1 on AR in 6.5 Creedmore.

For the price of Axis, buy one. Not long til daughter will be ready to hunt.

[Irving]

Kid will be eligible to hunt next year. I'm going to take her on a hunt if I can, but she's far from wanting to actually take any animal.

[powerstroke79]

Take a look at The Thompson Center Compass. I bought one last year in 6.5 Creedmoor. After the the rebate ,shipping and fees it cost me $207. Great shooting rifle with some good features for $207. All the Factory ammo I have shot through it has been right around MOA. Hand loads are 1/2 moa.

[Hoser]

Also interested in being talked into this round.

It is a pretty solid caliber. It had pretty much all but completely sunk the 260. Factory ammo is cheaper than 308 and hunting ammo is starting to appear.

With proper bullet selection, putting a hurting on an Elk out to 300 yards or so is very doable. Something like a bonded core bullet or a solid is what I use in my 6.5-284 Elk rifle.

[Irving]

Sure, as long as it's enough caliber for the game.
Also, lighter kicking round should be just right for my teen son for a hunt.

I was thinking more about that specific rifle as far as compatibility with being a hunting rig, i.e. is it too long? Too heavy?

However, I'm interested in the conversation of caliber effectiveness for hunting as well, but that might not fit into this thread and I don't want to high jack as I'm sure it's been discussed as well.

[Irving]

It is a pretty solid caliber. It had pretty much all but completely sunk the 260. Factory ammo is cheaper than 308 and hunting ammo is starting to appear.

With proper bullet selection, putting a hurting on an Elk out to 300 yards or so is very doable. Something like a bonded core bullet or a solid is what I use in my 6.5-284 Elk rifle.

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

I don't have to switch my hunting rig to 6.5 Creedmore. I can just as easily build one on an AR platform and use that gun for antelope or coyotes.

[Erni]

Irv, I see where you are going with this.
The rifle combo balances well. Thepredator barel is a bit heavier then stock (I think) but not bad overall. It should carry well. Kick is less than the 150gr out of a 30-06 and probably good enough for a kid that is 120lb. I'm about 2x that so the 30-06 didn't bother me much, but my kid started flinching after 10 rounds. That was the lightest ammo on hand and he wanted to try a bolt gun that day. He is strong but thin, can deadlift 1.5x bodyweight and do 15 pullups in a row, so careying it should be fine.

Btw, a note on the Mod AR scope. With good light and properly focused, I was able to make out the holes ar 100yards on 9x. That is a huge step up for me from the bargain scopes I have been using.

[Great-Kazoo]

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

I don't have to switch my hunting rig to 6.5 Creedmore. I can just as easily build one on an AR platform and use that gun for antelope or coyotes.

By the time you're done , again, you could just buy a nice bolt action and optics. The 6.5 uses a 30 cal AR lower, so you're starting from scratch.