The most famous of recent Internet YouTube video’s below show Wayne van Swoll taking a Bull Elk at 603 yards with the “little” 6.5 Creedmoor (low recoil) and got full penetration and an exit wound visible in the video.
He used a 129 grain Hornady bullet. A look at the Hornady site and found a bonded bullet with a .485 G1 Ballistic Coefficient. Assuming a 24 inch barrel and a hot load he was likely able to achieve a muzzle of around 2900 to 3000 fps with Superformance Powder if he used that. We can guess that he did but don’t know for sure.
A look at the JBM ballistics site of such a round looks like this at 600 yards; This Elk got hit with Deer killing energy of around 1000 ft-lbs and still got an exit wound. Why is that?
The reason there is great penetration is largely due to this bullets sectional density, which is in the .260 class for this bullet. I thought it was .280 but was in error. The Hornady 143 grain ELD-Xspanding is higher as is the Nosler ABLR 142 grain both of these SD’s are above .290 and would have been perhaps slightly better choices for this game animal. That said; the 129 grain bullet did punch an exit wound as well. The bullets small diameter vs its mass makes it penetrate far better, placing this high in the CXP3 game killing class. And with low recoil this cartridge is easy to shoot, thus increasing accuracy at long range, “less recoil than the .270 Winchester, more accurate, and holds its energy better and longer”!!
A look at a 129 grain Nosler AccuBond Long Range at the same speed arrives at 1200 ft-lbs, 200 more ft-lbs of energy with a G1 BC of .561 traveling at over 2000 fps. But the load data for Nosler max’s out at 2810 fps making each round nearly identical with just over 1000 ft-lbs of delivered energy.
Preferred energy published for Elk size game is around 1500 ft-lbs. But the .264 diameter and sectional density made it a game changer as others are able to do the same with ethical results putting Elk down with one broadside clean killing shot.
In hind sight I would have chosen a heavier 6.5 bullet with high BC and a .290 class sectional density such as the Hornady ELD-X Precision Hunter 143 grain or the Nosler ABLR in 142 grain as they would arrive with a bit more energy and buck the wind a bit better too. I do have to say the 129 grain did its job magnificently regardless.
Taking a Moose with the Creedmoor can be done with heavier bullets in the 140 grain class but the shooter should opt for broadside shots. The Swedish hunters use the 6.5×55 with great success.
Having said all that; The “little” 6.5 Creedmoor is the talk of the gun world in Target as well as Hunting.
© 2018