6.5 Creedmoor

[Neophyte]

I’m looking at doing an African hunt with my girlfriend.
She’s short, having a custom 6.5 built for her with a 12” LOP. What animals, plains game only, would you reckon would the Barnes 120 grain TTSX be suitable for?

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Nathan Foster, from New Zealand, has a great website with tons of info on bullets. He doesn't have any data for the 6.5 CM, but he has extensive info on the 6.5 Swede. What works in the Swede will work in the CM.

I have a couple of 6.5 Swedes and I prefer the 140 gr bullets.


TERMINAL BALLISTICS RESEARCH

CLICK LINK:

6.5x55

The 140 grain Partition is without a doubt the most effective all around projectile for the Swede. Nothing else comes remotely close. This is a bullet that time after time, produces a deep, broad, violent wound resulting in fast kills. The Partition exits medium game at speeds fast enough to ensure complete disruption of vital organ pressures. Light and lean or large and tough, this is the go to bullet in the Swede, reaching its limit (wide wounding) on game weighing around 150kg (330lb) although it is adequate for use on Elk - unless you are sold on the idea that 450kg (1000lb) body weights are what the Swede was designed for. Wounding is wide down to velocities as low as 2200fps (310 yards) becoming moderate as velocities approach 2000fps or 430 yards. For those who use the Swede and have not hunted with this bullet, try it. The Partition should be driven into the major bones of the forwards chest cavity on game of all weights, not because of the bullet design but due to the power limitations of the Swede. Used this way, the Swede is brought to optimum performance.

 

[Neophyte]

Nathan Foster, from New Zealand, has a great website with tons of info on bullets. He doesn't have any data for the 6.5 CM, but he has extensive info on the 6.5 Swede. What works in the Swede will work in the CM.

I have a couple of 6.5 Swedes and I prefer the 140 gr bullets.


TERMINAL BALLISTICS RESEARCH

CLICK LINK:

6.5x55

The 140 grain Partition is without a doubt the most effective all around projectile for the Swede. Nothing else comes remotely close. This is a bullet that time after time, produces a deep, broad, violent wound resulting in fast kills. The Partition exits medium game at speeds fast enough to ensure complete disruption of vital organ pressures. Light and lean or large and tough, this is the go to bullet in the Swede, reaching its limit (wide wounding) on game weighing around 150kg (330lb) although it is adequate for use on Elk - unless you are sold on the idea that 450kg (1000lb) body weights are what the Swede was designed for. Wounding is wide down to velocities as low as 2200fps (310 yards) becoming moderate as velocities approach 2000fps or 430 yards. For those who use the Swede and have not hunted with this bullet, try it. The Partition should be driven into the major bones of the forwards chest cavity on game of all weights, not because of the bullet design but due to the power limitations of the Swede. Used this way, the Swede is brought to optimum performance.

Thank you!
That’s a very informative post. I appreciate your help and your taking the time to reply.

 

[One Day...]

The list is long, Neophyte, assuming a well placed shot in the vitals

• Impala
• Springbok
• Common Reedbuck
• Mountain Reedbuck
• Vaal Rhebok
• Duiker
• Klipspringer
• Lechwe
• Bushbuck
• Nyala
• Warthog
• Blesbok
• Etc.

Unless she is willing to pick her shots, and she is a reliable shot, you likely want to go to 140gr, just to be on the safe side, for the larger PG.

• Kudu
• Waterbuck
• Gemsbok
• Black wildebeest
• Blue wildebeest
• Red Hartebeest
• Zebra
• Etc.

If both categories are on the license, just have her shoot everything with the 140 gr, this will avoid confusions. The recoil is a little higher, but still very moderate.

You would be surprised to hear that many local farmers in RSA do not hesitate to take a .22-250 on Kudu and such, and I have shot all of the above (and bigger, e.g. Roan) with a 100gr TTSX out of a .257 Wby, all resulting in instant collapse. Admittedly the .257 Wby has a long established and demonstrably verified reputation to kill way outside its weight class, but my wife (also a petite, we had to shorten the stock of her Blaser R8) shot about the same list, including Wildebeest, with her .270 Win and 130 gr TTSX.

Keep her shots at a reasonable distance (150 to 250 yards); have her only take broadside shots; and the Creedmoor is just fine. Where it runs into problems is when folks confuse punching paper at 800 yards and hunting. It does not take much residual energy for a 150 gr bullet to poke a hole in a paper target, but it takes a lot more to deliver killing power and deep penetration to a stout animal. This is why the Creedmoor is developing a poor reputation in Africa, and the Western USA I might add, the caliber was never designed to shoot a Kudu or an Elk at 800 yards, even if it can reach a paper target out there.

The one animal that I would say is a no-no is Eland, and of course all dangerous games, although leopard will fall easily to anything that can bag a white-tailed deer.

 

[Neophyte]

The list is long, Neophyte, assuming a well placed shot in the vitals

• Impala
• Springbok
• Common Reedbuck
• Mountain Reedbuck
• Vaal Rhebok
• Duiker
• Klipspringer
• Lechwe
• Bushbuck
• Nyala
• Warthog
• Blesbok
• Etc.

Unless she is willing to pick her shots, and she is a reliable shot, you likely want to go to 140gr, just to be on the safe side, for the larger PG.

• Kudu
• Waterbuck
• Gemsbok
• Black wildebeest
• Blue wildebeest
• Red Hartebeest
• Zebra
• Etc.

If both categories are on the license, just have her shoot everything with the 140 gr, this will avoid confusions. The recoil is a little higher, but still very moderate.

You would be surprised to hear that many local farmers in RSA do not hesitate to take a .22-250 on Kudu and such, and I have shot all of the above (and bigger, e.g. Roan) with a 100gr TTSX out of a .257 Wby, all resulting in instant collapse. Admittedly the .257 Wby has a long established and demonstrably verified reputation to kill way outside its weight class, but my wife (also a petite, we had to shorten the stock of her Blaser R8) shot about the same list, including Wildebeest, with her .270 Win and 130 gr TTSX.

Keep her shots at a reasonable distance (150 to 250 yards); have her only take broadside shots; and the Creedmoor is just fine. Where it runs into problems is when folks confuse punching paper at 800 yards and hunting. It does not take much residual energy for a 150 gr bullet to poke a hole in a paper target, but it takes a lot more to deliver killing power and deep penetration to a stout animal. This is why the Creedmoor is developing a poor reputation in Africa, and the Western USA I might add, the caliber was never designed to shoot a Kudu or an Elk at 800 yards, even if it can reach a paper target out there.

The one animal that I would say is a no-no is Eland, and of course all dangerous games, although leopard will fall easily to anything that can bag a white-tailed deer.

Thank you!
You’ve helped me tremendously. I use a .338 Win Mag for everything from Wyoming antelope and Mexican coues deer to elk and moose. I’m switching to a .375 Ruger as my one rifle for everything as I’m wanting to hunt in Africa. For plains game the .338 Win Mag is more than enough I think and a friend took Cape Buffalo with the .338 Win Mag.
I’d like to move her up to a 30-06 or .300 Win Mag eventually but that will take time.

 

[One Day...]

I feel a lot of sympathy Neophyte, my first PG safari was with the .340 Wby / 250 gr Nosler Partition and for a 10 year period it was my default rifle for all big game from Moose through Elk to Deer.

I have since changed my choice. While I was blessed with an uninterrupted string of success with the .340, in the end I came to the unescapable conclusion that it was too much gun, and too much recoil, for all but the biggest game: Moose in America and Eland in Africa.

My anything, anywhere, anytime, caliber is now the .300 Wby, and I also went down in bullet weight with the advent of the TTSX and similar. I will still use the .340 Wby but with 225 gr TTSX on my next Moose, and I will use the .375 H&H with 300 gr TTSX on my next Eland, but I now shoot the .300 Wby with 165 gr TTSX on all large PG in Africa and equivalent in America (Elk) and Europe (Red Stag). And I use the .257 Wby with 100 gr TTSX on all small and medium size PG, American and European mid size game, and all MG (Mountain Game). Using the Blaser R8 of course facilitates things as it is a breeze to bring along several barrels on a hunting trip.

As to my wife, she will bravely shoots her 9.3x62 barrel on Buffalo, but it is objectively too much gun for her. She is much more comfortable with her .270 Win barrel, and as previously mentioned the 130 gr TTSX does anything she may ever need on all PG (except Eland). She declined even trying my .300 and I did not insist...

Your girl friend may be less recoil adverse, but the worst we can do is scare them with too much gun. As previously mentioned the 6.5 (of virtually whatever persuasion, from the old Swede, or dare I say the 1903 Mannlicher, to the modern PRC) will do anything at a reasonable distance, and accuracy-inducing trust and comfort with our rifles is in the end a lot more important than raw power.

Wishing you the very best for your safari, it will probably change your life

 

[sureshot375]

Basically anything smaller than eland is on the menu with right bullet and shot placement.

I would look at having a suppressor on hand. It makes a big difference with inexperienced shooters.

 

[FlyGuy]

Basically anything smaller than eland is on the menu with right bullet and shot placement.

I would look at having a suppressor on hand. It makes a big difference with inexperienced shooters.

100%

If she shoots the 6.5CM well, it's far better than a larger calibre she's not comfortable with.
Practice is the important thing. If she can consistently hit an 8" gong from various shooting positions at 200+ yards, she's good to go.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I’d like to move her up to a 30-06 or .300 Win Mag eventually but that will take time.

If you go the suppressor route, your girlfriend should easily handle these. My twenty-something year old daughter shot a suppressed 7mm RM with ease.

 

[Neophyte]

Going with the 6.5 Creedmoor or 7mm08 as her first rifle.
I’ll probably just get her a Savage for that one. Then I’ll get her a CRF 30-06 and have it put in a McMillan stock and let a gunsmith I know build her a custom rifle.
I’m still waiting on a .375 Ruger that’s being put in a McMillan stock that’s short enough for me. That, and some other accuracy enhancements, should set the rifle up for my one and done rifle to hunt the world.
Already have a .338 Win Mag model 70, CRF, that Patrick Holehan put in a McMillan stock for me. I’d use it for buffalo if I could. It’s my one gun for everything from Wyoming antelope and Coues deer to moose and browns.
Her experience with rifles is limited. She shot 5.56 in the Marines and a .243 hunting deer. When I had her shoulder a compact 6.5 Creedmoor at the toy store she commented that she could see through the scope for the first time ever. That tells me that she hasn’t had a properly fitted firearm. Proper stock fit is important in reducing felt recoil.
It will be interesting to see how my .375 Ruger stock fits her as I’m having it built on a compact, 12.5” LOP, McMillan stock to account for the colder conditions in the Last Frontier. I won’t let her shoot it until she’s worked herself up in caliber though because I don’t want to induce a flinch.
When I moved to Alaska I quickly saw the advantage of stainless steel and shorter barrels as my .338 has a 26” barrel. So I quickly grabbed a left handed Ruger Guide Gun and sent it to a local gunsmith.
I’m back in the lower 48, for now, and that’s where I met her. Took me a long time to find her and I ain’t letting her get away. She’s wanting to hunt and willing to move to Alaska and hunt in Africa so I want to set her up for success.

 

[dchum]

Shooting a Barnes in 6.5 I would take most all shot angles on up to Kudu.

Don’t over think it. You picked a tough bullet so just have her shoot in the shoulder and go take her trophy pictures for her!

Lots of people give great advice and stay on the safe side. With that said - That gun is plenty for antelopes.

Side note - I bet you find the 120 TTSX more accurate and recoils less than the 140 partition mentioned above. It will also have better straight line penetration and will likely exit most broadside shots. You PH will be happy she is shorting Barnes in her 6.5

Share pictures when you get back