6.5 Creedmor with the new Federal ammo using the Terminal ascent bullet.

Before you judge it look it up. I finally listened to the Vortex podcast today driving to the airport. Gamechanger.

agsalaska said:

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6.5 Creedmor with the new Federal ammo using the Terminal ascent bullet.

Before you judge it look it up. I finally listened to the Vortex podcast today driving to the airport. Gamechanger.

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As an owner of 4 6.5CM for the family big fan of this development.

I have a 6.5 PRC. Waypoint 2020 with a Mark 5 HD scope.

It outperforms me and would have no problem with an Elk under 400 - 450 yards with proper shot placement. The kick is not bad at all and I have a carbon fiber barrel

However, if I was focused on Elk, I would go with a 7MM PRC at least, but that is a lot more kick.

I don't think I'll go Elk hunting anytime soon. I bought the rifle strictly for 1,000 yard long range shooting

Are you comfortable with your accuracy shooting the 6.5? If you have a good track record with it; it is plenty of weapon.

meggy09 said:

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Who here would say they'd be ok with a 6.5 PRC for elk out to 500 yards but not a 6.5 Creedmoor to 300 yards?

If you raised your hand, sorry, you're an idiot.


Any discussion about ft/lb, whallop, knock down, hard hitting, etc. etc. is an outdated understanding of terminal ballistics. For anything in North America bullet construction, impact velocity, and precision are vastly more important than the weight or diameter of your bullet. It's disappointing that nobody in the thread has even mentioned those things yet, but it is pretty fuddy around here.

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who the hell are you yelling at?

The only poster that came even close to mentioning those yardages said absolutely nothing about the 6.5 Creedmoor and only their 6.5 PRC. Nobody is discussing those other things because the discussion is based on the premise of whatever round and bullet construction you're going to shoot out of your Creedmoor you'd likely shoot the exact same bullet out of your PRC.

I guess it was only a matter of time before I started seeing ballistics gel pics and someone arguing energy doesn't matter…

Settle down there Kujo.

I mentioned the Terminal Ascent bullet in the first sentence of the fourth post. Do you need me to explain the mechanics of bonded bullets?

Nobody said a thing about 500 yards.

Seriously man. Chill out.

6.5 PRC will do just fine at the OP's specified range. Shot placement and bullet selection are the main two factors. I personally would go with a larger gun for a little more wiggle room, but if you are a competent shooter then the 6.5 PRC will assuredly get the job done. As stated previously, some outfitters may have caliber minimums, so check on that before booking anything.

On the point of the 6.5 creedmoor, I think the early adopters gave it a bad reputation because they were hunting with target style bullets and/or trying to take shots way beyond their skill level distance wise. With a hunting bullet, I see no reason why a 2700fps projectile won't easily kill most animals in North America at a reasonable distance.

The caliber debates are an age old tradition here and every other forum. Take a rifle you can confidently place the bullet in the boiler room under varying conditions and roll it. It's mostly an academic debate. At the OPs original question- lots of calibers can and will kill an elk at the stated conditions.

meggy09 said:

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For anything in North America bullet construction, impact velocity, and precision are vastly more important than the weight or diameter of your bullet…

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Cool. I just drew an elk tag for this fall, and the most accurate rifle I own is a .222 Remington.

My do everything western game rifle is a 6.5 PRC. I'm handloading 153 gr TMKs for it currently. But for factory I'm getting great performance with Federal's 140 gr Tipped Fusion and Winchester's 142 Nosler ABLR. Either should be excellent for elk. Factory loadings from Hornady have been accurate but slow.

I can't tell you how many times I've dreamed of having my little .223 with 77 gr TMKs on archery elk hunts. I'd have zero issues using that inside 300 yards.

Get a good bullet inside their chest cavity and they die.

McInnis said:

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meggy09 said:

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For anything in North America bullet construction, impact velocity, and precision are vastly more important than the weight or diameter of your bullet…

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Cool. I just drew an elk tag for this fall, and the most accurate rifle I own is a .222 Remington.

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I know at least a handful of people that have killed multiple elk in AZ with a .243. Granted, shots were within 150ish yards, but even calibers that are considered way too small by the "I need a huge caliber to shoot something" crowd will do the job perfectly as long as the shooter does their part correctly. I wouldn't advocate a .222 on elk, but will also say that at the correct range and with the right shot placement and bullet, it will punch a hole in an elk heart just like anything else will. But don't use it.

And somebody above said that they think the 6.5 caliber is gimmicky. The 6.5x55 Swede is one of the best overall calibers you will ever find. Probably one of the original 6.5 rounds, and it has killed thousands and thousands of European moose, which are significantly bigger than elk (2x the weight in many cases). And has done so with less velocity and energy than a 6.5 PRC.

The 6.5x55 was introduced in the 1890's, so it's been around a minute or two. Use a good hunting bullet in the 6.5 PRC and shoot in the right spot and you'll have plenty of success.

7mm PRC is going to have more energy downrange and will give you higher probability of kills at longer ranges, but recoil is significantly higher if that is a concern.