In this video I compare the 7mm-08 Remington to the 6.5 Creedmoor. I go over the ballistics of each one and we find out which one is a better hunting cartridge.
absolutely I love it you're comparing 150 grain bullet to 129 grain bullet it's not apples to apples. my buddy shoots a 65 creedmoor and it does all right on deer but my 7-mm-08 shooting a Barnes vortex 120 grain bullet absolutely knocks the living piss out of them...
7mm-08 is my choice. I think the 7mm-08 is really an awesome blend between the 6.5 Creedmoor and the .308 Winchester. Kind of gives you the best of both worlds
I have and love both. The 7mm-08 is definitely better. Sends similar weight bullets 100 to 175fps faster. It's a great round. I love my 3 Creedmoor's. But 7mm-08 takes the cake
I own a Ruger American in 7mm-08 and have had very good success with it. I initially got it as a first center fire rifle for my then-14 year old son. It shoots sub-MOA with Hornady 139 gr. GMX in factory loads. My son and I have taken 10 whitetails with it. It has performed admirably. I would not hesitate to use it on elk up to 300 yards, maybe 350. I like it so well that I usually end up taking it hunting whenever my son is not using it in lieu of my .30-06.
7mm-08 for me. Most underrated cartridge. Unfortunately ever since bleepin' Covid manufacturers seemed to be kissing the 6.5cm butt and ammo selection for the 7mm-08 is limited.
My Dad bought me my BLR in 7mm-08 and it works real well in a light weight rifle. It has great energy on impact and I've seen very impressive long range shots out of New Zealand where they hunt crazy log shot on small to mid size game. I'll never shot it over 200 yards and stuck a low power scope on. Real flat shooter
I love the 7mm-08 and my 6.5x55 (both Tikas). I have squeezed a CM also but I'll stick to my Guns, either of the 2 have done have worked extremely well for me. No moose here in Texas unless you whistle at them from a High Fenced game ranch, hopefully if it shows up it wont have a dog collar looking for a bone!!! Informative video keep m coming
Having owned many rifles in both calibers over the 60 years I have been hunting and reloading either caliber would be great for deer but if I were hunting elk as well the 7-08 makes a much better elk gun because of the bullet selection and the extra energy and I have seen what both can do and both are great calibers!
I've shot the 7mm-08 for about 25 years now, in an Encore pistol (15") and in an A-bolt. They both seem to prefer 140gr bullets over all others. The Accubonds perform the best overall, with the Ballistic Tip coming in a close second.
Don’t underestimate the 175 grain 7mm. The original load for the 7x57 was a 173 grain bullet at 2350 fps. Bell used this load to take most of his elephants. Even today, this load is a great still hunting load for elk or moose out to around 200 yards.
@@randallwhite9015better than what? The 65CM or the 7x57. Because the 7x57 is practically the very same cartridge as the 7MM08 only better because it has more case capacity. So it can do everything the 7MM 08 can do only better. Both have barrels in the in the 9 to 91/2 twist but the throat on the 7x57 is longer allowing it to handle the long high BC bullets that are so popular today. It took a nock because when it was introduced 100+ years ago there were guns chambered in 7x57 that couldn’t handle high pressures so that’s why we always see lower velocities and reduced performance but any good hand loader knows that with a modern gun the performance easily exceeds the 7MM 08.
@@craiglacount89100 % correct 👍.I have just purchased a 7mm08 as a go to gun for pigs and wild dogs as I'm using a 7mm rem mag now. As I am a lefty and here in Australia I don't have many choices, but if I had the choice I would probably have got a 7x57 as it could push the same pills as I use in the magnum a little bit harder than the 08 , i.e 162sst and 168 Bergers.
I'm taking the 7 all day long, not a big drop in energy from the 308. Great bullet selection, better at the 300 and 400 yd range over 308 and hits harder at the most common hunting ranges over 6.5. The more I learn about the 7mm the better I like it. Put a good TTSX in it and it is tremendously effective to 300 yds.
Great video. The way you put these together is straightforward and simple and people love it. I think you can probably shoot elk with a lot of cartridges but range is serious consideration.
I agree with you on your assessment of the 6.5 and the 7mm-08. I have three rifles in 7mm-08 zero Creedmoor's. But if I did build a Creedmoor it would be a lightweight mountain rifle for deer and sheep.
The 7-08 has my vote. W.D.M. (Karamojo) Bell, Jim Corbett, Craig Boddington and countless others swore by the .275 Rigby aka 7x57 Mauser which is all but identical to the 7mm-08 in performance. If Boddington sent his daughter to Africa with the 7-08 as her primary weapon, that's a huge vote of confidence.
One thing very few hunters understand is the importance of a bullet's frontal area. The 7mm has 15% more than the 6.5, which means the 6.5 is less efficient at converting it's energy into tissue damage. You need roughly 150 FPS more velocity with a 6.5 bullet to equal the energy transfer of the 7mm. The biggest advantage the Creedmoor has over the 7mm is the precision with which the rifles and ammunition are made. They hold very tight tolerances and the guns are usually quite accurate. Of course a well-made rifle with quality ammo in 7mm-08 can also be very accurate but this is not going to be as common in factory rifles. My choice for hunting would be the 7mm in a good quality gun using handloads.
I have a .308, 7mm-08 and a 6.5X55. All three are damned accurate, easy to carry up, down and around in B.C. and I love them all. It's a real struggle to pick which one to take on a hunt. But for Elk or Moose, I'd go with the '08's. I know people have had good results using the Swede on Moose. I'd not have a problem using it within 300yds if it was my only rifle.
7mm-08 for me also, when you hunt you want your game to go down from the first shot and the 7mm -08 does that , thanks for making it clear, if want to shoot paper fine go for it.
7mm-08 for hunting. They both can take an elk or even moose, but I personally and ethically wouldn't. Great deer cartridges up to mule deer. They also don't ruin nearly as much meat as a 308 and up calibers.
Meat Damage is often a Bullet and point of impact Choice Thing, 308 with a good Bullet doesnt destroy more meat than a 6.5 with a soft Bullet. 8x57is is one of my Favorit Cartridges an 7mm Mauser both doesnt destroy much meat with Barnes TTSX or Nosler Partition even on our little Roe Deers there are at 90% only 2€ Coin big holes on both sides. With other bullets i had way other results .... Velocity is also a big factor for meat Damage when you hunt under 100 Yards the most Time take a really hvy Projectile at low Speed and it would Damage much less meat than a light Bullet at high Velocity i have shot several Roe with 9.3x62 on Driven Hunts on Wild Boar, Red Deer and Roe they had only 2 big Holes on both Sides on 40Yards (Slow 250gn Bullets)
The 7 and 6.5 are functionally identical in hunting settings. They are both great short range big game cartridges with the proper bullets used. As far as 308s go, the magnums can lead to meat damage, but so can the magnum 7s and 6.5s. More about velocity and bullet construction, as someone else mentioned. The 308 is functionally similar for hunting big game to the 7-08 and 6.5 Creedmoor, with the exception of when you start run heavier bullets.
In a vacuum, I might choose the 7, but in our world, I’d pick the 6.5 due to firearm and ammo production. In fact I have picked it twice in recent years.
@@phild9813 Ammo Production is no Problem when you are a Reloader get 100 or 200 pieces of good Brass and they last forever my 7mm and 8mm Mauser brass is on its 8th or 9th firing without any Problem i have Virgin Spare Brass in my Reloading Room for both my 8x68s Brass on its third (ok 8x68s Brass is not cheap and i think more than 4-5 cycles not realistic as many other Magnums)/ 7mm08 Brass is cheap as Dirt you can simply turn 308 Brass into 7mm08 without major Issus And yes when you only buy Factory Ammo 6.5 Ammo is a bit cheaper but for example here in Germany Hornady Superformance SST in 7mm08 cost 44€ 6.5 Creedmoor 42€ What are 2 € for a pack of 20 difference for most Hunters that make 20 Shots a Year ....
That difference in energy says it all for me for hunting. It doesnt sound like much but its pretty considerable especially when you factor in the bullet sizes. I know "elk cartridges" is widely debated topic, but its not very difficult to get a 7mm-08 to be highly capable for elk.
The 6.5 CM is a great deer cartridge with ballistics virtually identical to the venerable 6.5x55. The 55 has taken game up to Moose at reasonable distances. The CM would do the same. The only issue is it not a "long range" Elk rifle. Then again, neither are the 7mm-08 or the 308 for that matter. Basically, the two -08 cartridges are "less marginal" for big game like Elk. Long action and/or Magnum cartridges with good bullets are better for Elk+ hunting - period. Don't hunt with marginal rifles.
I have taken deer up to including a large Axis doe with my 6.5cm at distances under 300 yards. I never had to look hard (or at all) to find them since the CM is so easy to shoot accurately. - shot placement with Nosler BT bullets = DRT. Would I go Elk hunting with it? No. But, I wouldn't take my 308 either. I would go with my 280 AI every day and twice on Sunday.
I have both and they are both great cartridges. Depends on the target you are shooting at as well as the game. Bullet selection makes all the difference in the world more so than your ballistics numbers. BTW book numbers always seem on the high side often with compressed loads that don't even shoot that well. Book loads also have a tendency to use longer barrels than most people are shooting unless you are a long-range bench shooter. I now have a 6,5 PRC that will outperform either. The only fair comparison would be the best weight bullet for up to 300 yards if considering hunting and that could vary as to the game. Anything deer size and below would be a wash because the energy for a clean kill shot is there with either. It would really makes no difference you would use hunting to 300 yards with good bullet selection.
Built a 7mm08 ar10 18 inch barrel, sends 139/140s at 2650 to 2700 so same ballistics as a 22 inch creedmoor, also sends 150s at 2550 to 2600 again smoking the creed and the 150 eldx has about the same bc as 140 eld match so even with the short barrel it does very good at shooting paper out to 1k and beyond. For me there's no point in 6.5cm especially after seeing the difference on game there's no way I'd shoot elk with the 6.5 while i wouldn't hesitate with 7mm08. There's a lot larger difference than the ballistics would suggest
I don't get too shoot very far, it's just my heavily wooded location.... But, for deer and black bear under let's say 200 yard's (in reality it's WELL under that, more or less point and shoot) I say that, too say I love my wife's 7mm-08 Rem. I have 2 loads for it. The rifle is a Savage 16 with an H-S precision Sporter style stock that I bedded, and a 21.5" Pac-Nor thin barrel. 1.) 120gr TSX using W760, federal primers, Hornady brass and have gotten stellar groups. 5 shots @ 0.9" - although this load is hardly too never used 2.) The "money" load uses a 175gr RN Hornady interlock with the same W760 powder @ 2440fps at the muzzle... While not the fastest load, it'll put 5 shots in 0.75" or less. Within it's range limit it's devastating. She usually gets atleast 1 deer per year with it from our ground blind. That slow, heavy, low B.C. , high S.D. RN bullet gets the job done. I love that bullet. I want too get a 7mm Rem Mag, just too see how the bullet does at 2850fps-2900fps... But I don't wanna swing a 26" barrel around the woods... I'm torn lol
I'd have to agree with another gentleman on here making a comment. I'm a bit old school lol. I like the old Mauser cartridges. In fact with the 7x57mm, it was made famous by WD, Karamojo Bell he shot elephants with it. I've also read an article found in rifle shooter where the author loads 7x57mm with modern high BC bullets, it out performs 6.5 Creedmoor. This gentleman loaded it to European CIP specifications he was using a modern rifle. With good brass, today's powder those old Mauser cartridges will out perform anything today. In Scandinavia 6.5x55 is still used as a modern hunting cartridge and for competition. It's loaded to modern standards. It also out performs 6.5cm. Then there's 8x57mm American factory ammo for this thing is like a 30-30!! But if you have a modern commercial rifle the 8x57 can compete with 30-06 and nips the heels in terms of kinetic energy to .300 Win. Other You Tube creators demonstrate how effective 8x57mm can be. Rob ski and Henry Chan demonstrate on how powerful the 8x57 is. Rob Ski had original German ammunition. It went through body armor like a hot knife through butter. Henry Chan had a 98k replica sniper the 8mm bullet had a 198gr bullet with a bc of almost. 600 and he was hitting 1000 yard targets with ease. The old Mauser cartridges are great so long as you hand load. But I will say if you don't reload you can't go wrong with the New cartridges. I'll say 7mm-08 will do almost everything the 7x57mm will do with factory ammo.
You do realize bell also favored his 6.5x55 which he killed as many if not more elephants with! The 6.5 creedmoor and the 6.5x55 are ballisticly the same!
I'm a 7mm-08 fan but you should have pointed out the data for the 7mm-08 was using a 26 inch barrel. Not exactly the barrel lengths available in 7mm-08. Having a 7mm-08 means I don't think I need a 6.5 Creed. Having killed two moose with it I think its a viable Elk cartridge with the proper bullet and reasonable presentation and range. After all it pretty much does everything the 308 does with a little less recoil. Everything I've killed with it was one shot and the only thing that went about 100 yard after the shot was a moose with a high lung liver shot at close range. The other moose was over 200 yards quartering toward me and was DRT.
Personally, they are so close I’d pick the rifle first, and then if its only available on n 7mm-08 I’d go 7mm, or vice versa with the CM. If the rifle I want is available in both cartridges, I’ll pick the one with cheaper/more readily available reloading components. If you don’t reload, then look at the ammo shelves, and pick the one with a better ammo selection, availability, and price. These would both be deer cartridges for me, one being marginally better for elk than the other isn’t on my radar. If I ever get to go elk hunting, I’ll buy a rifle for that hunt.
If I had to choose, I mean if you forced me to choose I would go with the 7mm 08. Mainly cause I don't care about a creedmore and I am sure the 7mm 08 ammo is cheaper than the 6.5
6.5cm is everywhere in Texas and it’s rare now to come across 7-08 on the shelves. Before Biden came in, creedmoor ammo was very reasonably priced as well in comparison to 7-08 with more options on the shelves as well.
Of topic, but what kind of scope do you use for Elk Hunting - magnification, weight - are my main cancers. All my current scopes are set up for deer or target use.
Since the 7mm-08 is derived from the .308 Win case necked down from .30 to .28 caliber, it punches at around the same weight class, allowing for better ballistics with heavier bullets than the .26 caliber Creedmoor. While the two may be pretty close, I would opt for the .28 over the .26. But hey, that's just how I roll.
Too me, the 284win is a more fair comparison with the 6.5cm. I kinda look at it as a 7mm “creedmoor” if you observe it’s shoulder angle & overall proportional dimensions. I feel it really allows the 7mm projectiles to shine(as a non magnum) in the way the creedmoor has for the 6.5mm. The 308 cartridge no doubt has it’s limitations which slightly handicaps the 7mm in comparison to these more “modern” or efficient designs.
If you want to widen comparisons, it's crazy. There are way too many cartridges to be in a mix that are close. Just make the 7mm-08 a 7mm-08 Ackley Improved and compare. Then you have made the comparison even more unfair. Go one more and give the 7mm-08 a custom 26-inch barrel with a 1-8 twist and shoot high BC bullets. All cartridge comparisons of different calibers are apples to oranges.
I used to only have surplus military rifles. Then my grandkids got interested in learning to shoot. So I bought a collection of rifles from BB guns up to .308. Because of the current market conditions, I bought ammo, and then rifles. I was able to get 6.5 Creedmoor, but not 7-08. I expect the 7mm rifles of all kinds to become more popular. The 6.8 Western and the 7 PRC should show the benefits of that size bullets. A couple of times I found .280 AI, but no rifles. While the 6.5 Creedmoor is essentially a more powerful round than the 6.5x55. There should be no argument about how good it is for hunting. When Mauser made there original bolt action rifles. 7mm was the first caliber used, and others were developed later. I would like to see comprehensive tables developed for every caliber. That shows the ultimate twist rate for each bullet weight. Also the expected barrel life for each powder load, or cartridge case.
What you want is literally impossible. Barel life has as much to do with what bullets you shoot down to their composition, the speed of those bullets, steel used in the barrel, time between shots like shooting cool barrel or hot barrel. Too many factors. Even gun cleaning falls into barrel life. Some people under clean and others over clean. i have magnums that will shoot well far beond what experts say. I never shoot an overheated barrel in my magnums. I never over clean a rifle as well. They do have charts on bullets as to twist when you get to real long bullets with good BC's I honestly believe that it's better to have more twist than less because today you want to shoot the high BC bullets. Custom barrels can cost as much as a new rifle sometimes, but one can get an older cartridge to do almost as well as the new ones by having a new custom barrel Ackley Improved with a longer throat for high BC bullets. But why? The newer cartridges have a few other improvements that make them better choices and you can buy a whole new rifle sometimes for what it would cost to re-barrel with a custom barrel, and it still wouldn't be as good.
For me the 308 is my minimum for elk or moose, although Sig's new 6.8 Fury may replace it. For deer both 7 or 6.5 are great! Honestly I use an 80 grain 257 cal TTSX for deer. DRT.
If the Sig 277 actually delivers the velocities it is promising, it will be more than the minimum. Out of a 24" barrel, they are promising velocities exceeding the 270 Weatherby Magnum.
@@texpatriot8462 yes they are saying 150 gr at 3120 fps and 140 gr at just over 3200 fps. That is a 6.8 Western type of muzzle energy. Much more (240 fps faster) then a 270. In a 24" barrel with 140 gr bullet it it is 50 FPS faster then a 280 AI shooting the same weight 140 gr projectile! So the brass 6.8 ammo is basically a 7mm08 replacement (400 fps slower then the hybrid HP ammo) and the hybrid HP ammo is a 280 AI replacement. All from one gun. Amazing when you consider a 140 gr 6.8mm bullet has a better ballistics coefficient then a 140 gr 7mm bullet.
Very good video. Hornady did an amazing advertising campaign when launching the now popular cartridge. However, hunters/shooters have exaggerated the effective range and energy but it’s still an impressive cartridge in its range. The 7mm-08 is an extremely efficient cartridge with decent range and energy at reasonable distances. Minus small game, the ‘08 is a much better choice for deer, antelope, mule deer, and elk. Maybe not a popular statement,but I don’t think it’s wise to hunt elk with a 6.5CM. It’s like hunting deer with a 22-250, it can be done but likely going to be tracking.
I'll take the 7-08 over the 6.5. Just like i choose the 7-08 over the 260 years ago when buying a rifle for the gf. But they are pretty close. I don't consider either an elk round of choice.
There's one major thing I think you missed out on: the domination of the 6.5x47mm lapua in target shooting when 6.5 creedmore was made. They just caught on you can neck down a 308 and get rougly the same performance out of it vs oddball 6.5x47mm lapua brass which has no parent case
We have killed a couple big bulls with my 7mm-08. With Hornady 150grn precision hunter ammo, my rifle is absolutely an elk cartridge out to 500 yards. Much past that and we’re getting into long range hunting folks. And that is an entirely different conversation. I don’t have any experience with the 6.5cm hunting so I can’t speak to it as an elk round.
So tell me if I am wrong the Creedmoor is a better paper long range round but with the energy(Kelvin) AKA knock down power the 7MM is better for actual hunting which is what I am looking for for bear and elk hunting here in Colorado and Alaska
If I am shooting paper the 6.5 CM all day long. If I am shooting deer/elk sized game the 7mm-08 is superior. But, to be honest, I could probably make either one work. They are both great cartridges.
The powder capacity of the two,just because the 6.5 case is shorter but fatter at the shoulder and for hunting the 130grn bullet is a much better option for hunting because of the velocity and it's high sectional density and the twist rate but I would not use it on any thing larger than mule deer the 7mm08 because of the diameter and it's bullet weight but given the distance of about 270 yards max range for elk yet I would not recommend ether when it comes to elk, sectional density is where to compare both calibers that's why a 130grn in the Creedmoor is optimum and the 140grn is optimum for the 7mm08 depending on the type of hunting and area you want to hunt, with the 130grn bullet I get 2950fps and thats with a 22inch barrel but that can change the longer barreled rifle raises velocity for both, the best thing you can do is to use sectional density when comparing different calibers, you can use ether for at least 500yds shots on deer and plenty of energy from both and I don't recommend the 140s for the Creedmoor because of it high sectional density and it is to good and the animals seem to run off at longer distance and hard to track because of the internal damage, with 45 years in the field with a great many calibers finding the right bullet for the job is essential, just my 2 cents,aim small good hunting.
The 6.5 short action I'd hunt with is the 260. Slightly more powerful than the Creedmoor, has a better shoulder angle for reliable smooth feeding, shoots heavy enough bullets for big game. Just a better option, and I'd still pick 7mm-08 over 260. Wouldn't even pick Creedmoor to shoot targets. Better choices just in 6.5 include the 260 wildcats and 6.5x47 lapua, but I'd go 6GT.
Hard to argue against the 7mm-08 for hunting. I caught the 6.5 fever and took two deer with the ELDx Hunter ammo. I've never been so disappointed in the lack of blood trail and terminal performance. If I'd kept it I was going to ballistic tips.
@@ReloadingWeatherby almost everyone I meet says the same thing. I don't see how it's so popular outside of being accurate. I'd rather give up a touch of accuracy to have devastating terminal performance.
I have not seen 08 amo in some time. I can get all the 6.5 I need. That matters a lot. Maybe that will get better and I hope so but available amo and rifles chambered for it matters. Both great rounds for deer. For elk sure but it better be a good shot. Iv seen good shots with a 243 on deer result in no recovery because of lack of blood trail. I would think these 2 rounds would be similar on elk ok but don’t expect a good blood trail
Lol. They’re both good. But you can’t compare to 7mm rem. 6.5 for 120-130 grain and 7-08 for 140-160 that makes sense if you have the budget for a couple rifles.
I agree about neither being a good elk cartridge. However, my son has taken 2 cow elk and another hunter took a spike bull with Hornady reduced recoil, 125 grain 30-06. Point is, smaller calibers, or in this case, lighter slower bullets can and will take elk surprisingly well.
When I hear people say one is for hunting and one is for paper, I know what I am actually hearing is "I can't do research and don't understand math. Both are great cartridges, big fan of 7mm08 especially over 308 but 153 grain Berger hybrid 6.5 Creedmoor has more energy than 150gr 270 after 300 yards and more than 178gr eldx 3006 after 400. At 1k yards it has 838 ftlbs of energy and is still going 1500fps from a 20" barrel. That's pretty close to 190gr 300wm downrange energy.
I see you like to fudge the numbers in favor of the 6.5 Creedmoor. Why don't we use a 150 ABLR in 270 Win? The 270 beats the 6.5 Creedmoor all the way out to 1000 yards with that bullet. Why are you using a 190 gr for 300 Win mag? Use a 210 gr and the 300 Win mag has a sizeable advantage out to 1000
Both great cartridges. The 7mm-08 is just a bit more powerful. It delivers more energy to the target. Wonder why they didn‘t make a 7mm Creedmoor instead of 7PRC. Hunters want less recoil with sufficient energy down range. But ok… that‘s what the 7mm-08 already does… Hard to beat I guess.
The .260 utilizing the 140 gr Speer Gold Dot bonded which has a BC of .571, same length as a Swift Aframe and short enough to stabilize will blow away the Creedmore.
My vote: .260 Rem to start with! After the barrel’s shot out re-bore it for 7mm-08 and then again .308! I have no idea of this is truly cost effective, but it sounds good. I’m sure a man could get all the spent .308 brass he wants, cheap!
7mm-08 just can’t get on the 6.5cm band wagon. Couple of guys at my camp impulsed bought because they read they were the shit. Both hunted with them and each took a deer but they never hunted with them again. Those boys don’t like tracking.😉
308, 7-08, 260, 6.5cm in order. .308 bullets are significantly superior. .690 to .878 G1 in a 1:10 barrel.... .243 is arguably better than 6.5cm but recent surge in 6.5 bullets have shadowed that.
The shooting sports are like golf in that the game is best played if one has more than one "club" in the "bag". The 7mm-08 will launch a higher BC bullet faster than the 6.5. So the 7mm-08 waves bye-bye from the starting gate.
I'm not on the 6.5 cm bandwagon. That cartridge is too much a .270 wannabe. I just don't need that. The .260 Remington does intrigue me, as does the old 6.5x55. I could really tolerate a 7mm-08 in a light woods carbine though. I think it would be very easy to load up a 7mm-08 to mimic .300 Savage manners on the butt while delivering much better on the muzzle end. The mild "little" 7-30 Waters had potential in lever guns, but the 7mm-08 has far more potential for 0 to 200 yards for a moderate range hunting carbine.
Had to revisit this. Hornady giving 150grain 7mm-08 2850 FPS in test barrel is literally getting factory spec .270 150 grain power. That is definitely a hunters cartridge.
How often are you shooting past 400 on game? No often honestly. If you are you should be using something better than both. Inside 400 the 708 is the better hunting cartridge. Just super versatile
For those that only handload you could flip a coin but as someone who doesn't the Creedmoor blows the 7mm-08 away. I can readily buy match grade ammo to hunt with almost whenever I want if I look for it, with loadings in high BC heavy for caliber fragmenting bullets that have great terminal performance down to 1800 FPS impact velocity. After seeing multiple necropsy's from 6.5 and even .223, its seems clear to me that a good bullet at adequate velocities hitting an elk in the vitals is going to kill it, no matter the caliber.
I assume you're talking about the presicion hunting ammo from Hornady? You know you can get high b.c. bullets in factory ammo with the 7mm-08 right? You can get the 150 gr ELD-X and it still has 100 ft.lbs of more energy at 400 yards than the 6.5 Creedmoor with the 143 gr ELD-X. And I still stand by my statement that these two cartridges are not good elk cartridges
@@ReloadingWeatherbyPrecision hunter or the 140/147 match ammo, it all works. I'm not saying you can't get high BC factory ammo in 7mm-08, I'm saying its far more available in 6.5. I still wouldn't choose to use a 150gr eld-x over a 143 in the 6.5 due to the lower BC although both would likely be fine for my uses. The energy figure is not a good method to determine the wounding potential. Bullet construction and impact velocity matter far more.
The 6.5 CM doesn’t have the horsepower to push 140 grain pills for elk. 127g TTSX LRX is great for deer. Punching paper is different than punching meat.
Yep, but it's nice to have a little insurance. That's why I hunt with a 300 WBY. Good shot placement with the performance of 300 WBY? They don't take a step.
