Do deer prefer the 6.5 Creedmoor?

R

Roamin_Wade

Moderator
I’m trying to figure out what rifle to get my 12 year old son and there are several options where it doesn’t come in 243 but rather, the 6.5 Creedmoor. Is the Creedmoor as able of a round to kill a deer as a 243? That’s all I need to know. How does the 6.5 Creedmoor measure against the venerable 243?
Thanks y’all!
 
The 6.5 Creedmoor shoots 140-147 gr bullets about 100-150 fps slower than 308 and 270 shoots 150 gr bullets at the muzzle. With recoil only slightly more than 243. At the muzzle 308 and 270 shows a very slight edge in power, but the more aerodynamic 6.5mm bullets mean they catch up to 308 and pass it within a very short distance. It takes a while longer to catch up to 270. The much better Sectional Density of the heavy 6.5 bullets mean it will penetrate deeper than either. If you move up to 180 gr 308 bullets you see about the same penetration as 140 gr 6.5 bullets.

The 6.5 is proving to be a reliable elk gun out to 500 yards or so and a viable target rifle out past a mile. As a hunting rifle it does everything a 308 or 270 does with less recoil.

That said, if deer are the largest game your 12 year old will ever hunt the 243 is certainly more than adequate. Ammo is a little cheaper and readily available. Plus recoil is a little less. It would make a little better varmint rifle that is also just fine on deer. While 243 can be used on larger game it is starting to be borderline on game larger than deer. The 6.5 CM is right at the lower end of an all around North American hunting rifle.
 
There's no "free lunch" so the 6.5C is going to have more recoil than a .243Win. How much more is based on gun type and weight. Whether this will affect a 12 year old beginner is based on the shooter's perception of that recoil.
I've shot a 7mm08 using similar bullet weights as the 6.5C uses and find the recoil is significantly more than a .243. I have a 6.5C in a box in the gun room but have not fired it so have no SxS comparison.
 
I don't think "deer prefer the 6.5 Creedmoor" or any bullet choice where they become dinner lol.


I would just go with the 243, it proven and ammo is easy to purchase.
 
There's no "free lunch" so the 6.5C is going to have more recoil than a .243Win. How much more is based on gun type and weight. Whether this will affect a 12 year old beginner is based on the shooter's perception of that recoil.
I've shot a 7mm08 using similar bullet weights as the 6.5C uses and find the recoil is significantly more than a .243. I have a 6.5C in a box in the gun room but have not fired it so have no SxS comparison
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Recoil also comes with being more overbore. The 243 win is much more overbore than the 6.5 creed. In the Creed, the 120 is a superior whitetail bullet to the 140. The 100 gr is the preferred cup and core combination for whitetail in the 243. The felt recoil of 100gr 243 and 120 gr Creed are near identical. Having said that, my 7 year old hunts with a 7-08 and has no recoil problems.
 
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Think of it this way. A 243 pushes a 100 gr bullet to about 3000 FPS. A 6.5 Creedmore pushes a 120 gr bullet to almost 3000 FPS. A 270 pushes a 130/140 gr bullet to 3000 FPS.

So, the 6.5 is just a bit up the power scale from the 243, but not quite equal to the 270. They will all kill a deer adequately. I shoot a 260, which is a Ballistic twin to the 6.5 Creedmore, and recoil is light, but for very light recoil I load 100 gr bullets for the 260. It works just fine on deer with either 100 or 120 gr bullets. I don’t shoot the 140’s that so many folks do. If I needed a heavier bullet, I’d just shoot my 270.
 
I think deer prefer the 460 Weatherby....

Low mag capacity!
High chance of flinch or scope to the eye!
Can be heard for miles like a tornado siren!
Heavy, so it limits time in the field!
Hunter will fool around not ejecting the $5 ea spent brass!
High potential to break the scope!

:eek:
 
The whole thing is more about the kid than the chambering. However, the Creedmoor will kill deer just as fast as any other cartridge.
Not all 12 year olds are mature enough for deer hunting. What kind of shooting experience does he have? Can he sit still and quiet in a deer stand for hours? He going to be able to sight in and practice enough?
You going to buy the rifle for you or him? Better to let him make the choice within a budget.
"...deer prefer the 460 Weatherby..." Far greater chance of a miss too. snicker.
 
"The felt recoil of 100gr 243 and 120 gr Creed are near identical. "
" A 243 pushes a 100 gr bullet to about 3000 FPS. A 6.5 Creedmore pushes a 120 gr bullet to almost 3000 FPS. "
According to the laws of physics, the first comment is not correct.
Action must equal re-action so you can't push a 20% heavier bullet at basically the same velocity w/o having more recoil.
 
If this is for a kid, I would find a way to let him/her try it. My nieces are going to try my 6.5 Swede off sand bags to see if the are close to shooting a hunting round....if I could, I’d get them shooting an AR first to build up.

My first was a single shot 12ga and i’m uneasy about that thing to this day!

I had a daughter who wanted to hunt. Took hunters safety, shot a youth 22 a bunch....for some reason, the ar scared her......so, I borrowed a youth 20ga auto shotgun....she touched off one bird shot and wouldn’t touch it again.....what was I going to do.,,,get her a 410? Now, OH law is different.....I would probably pick up a Ruger bolt action 44 mag and download it......recoil can be hard to overcome mentally.
 
Just another's opinion.
270 w/130 grain bullets is capable of 3200 fps. Not just a current factory offering but a long existing hand-load many 270 home reloaders like me make for their rifles & have for many years.

BTW: "The creedmoor is a mediocre military experiment that went no-where's in testing." but Hornady's investment in (requiring return.) Hornady found a nitch in the citizen sporting world for their new 6.5 Creedmoor in-between the 260 Rem and 7mm-08.

Maybe~?~ if Hornadys 6.5 doesn't grab as much market share as thought.
Unlike Hornadys 17 cals their 6.5 Creedmoor is likely to see obsolescence before their 17 HM2 will.

My 2-cents in regards to the 6.5 Creedmoors comparisons.
Seeking a fair measure.
The Creedmoor's preformance should be compared to the 260 Rem stats not the 243s which is 2 calibers smaller.
 
Deer prefer pellet guns at 100 yards.

No difference in 243 or 6.5. They shoot moose with 6.5 in Europe (Northern)

243 is likely more available off the shelf in stores in deer country, you can't go wrong with either.
 
Got my boys $400 Mossberg Patriot Synthetic Scoped (Vortex) Combos in .270 WIN.

They shoot them fine, but the deer hate it... to death.

:D


I was already set up for the caliber, as I've shot it for decades.




Red
 
I'm going to call my custom 6.5x55 the real 6.5 and the Creedmore a 6.5Lite ! MY 6.5x55 gave me great service so I'll keep it .Better all the way around : My custom is on a M98 Mauser.
 
I like the 257 Roberts or any of the 3 popular 6.5s:
260 Rem
6.5 Swede
6.5 Creedmoor.

My reason is that when these shells are loaded with 120-125 grain bullets I cannot tell any difference in recoil from the 243 when loaded with 100 grain bullets. Mathematically there is some difference but I can't feel it myself. So for a light deer bullet there is nothing the 24 cal will do the 25 won't.

The 257 can fire a heavier bullet, up to 120 grain and the 6.5s can all fire bullet as heavy as 160 grains. The means the 25s and the 26s cover more ground and can be used over a broader spectrum of game. It may not matter is only deer are to be hunted, but you never know what the future holds and if you can strike a heavier blow with no cost in the "kick department" I see no reason not to go with the larger bore.

In my opinion the 25s and the 26s are just more versatile.

Not that there is anything wrong with a 243. There's not. But if I were going to buy a new rifle I would choose a 25 or a 26 over a 24.
 
I just asked several and they said they prefer a .177 Daisy BB gun at 100 yards.

But in all seriousness, it really gets down to can you get a clean kill shot at a reasonable range. There are lots of deer that have been taken out to several hundred yards with a 6.5 Creedmoor. And I'm sure there are hunters that probably couldn't get a clean kill with a .460 Weatherby or .50 BMG at 10 yards.
 
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