6.5 CM, 6.5 PRC Enough/Effective for Elk?

jmcd said:
I won a 6.5 prc last spring. Got it setup then went to shooting it. Liked it so much, I never took my 300win mag out of the safe this year.
I shot several coyotes, 4 deer, and yes, a bull elk at 175 yards. It was plenty of gun. 140gr bullets.
Killed elk with above mentioned 300 with 180gr bullets, 7mm08 with 140gr, 308 with 150gr, 270 with 130s, and 25-06with 100gr(over 300yds too). I had no doubts the ballistics on the prc were more than adequate.
The prc is so much easier too shoot a lot, I feel like it will make most people a better shot with that caliber than some howitzer. An elk shot in the ass with a 300 will die way slower than one pumped in the chest with a 6.5
But, like Ismith hinted, stay away from the crredmoor……
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Understood, great info! Thanks!
 
Addicting said:
At those distances it doesn’t really matter much. My closest was 225ish and out to just under 400. We started noticing in the CM with the accubonds we heard the hit but the elk showed no signs of a hit.

We were shooting cows and couldn’t do a second shot in fear of shooting a second elk. One shot, they scramble a bit, and wait a bit to see if we could identify which one it was.

That ultimately led me to going to a 7 mag with 150g TTSX. There was no doubt which one we shot after the switch. The 6.5 PRC wasn’t a thing yet which made me wonder if it would have the same difference.
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We had the same issue with the 6.5 PRC. We to something in .284 cal. The 6.5s killed them just not the way we liked. Ours shots were between 200-450 yards.
 
Put in your order, and add or detract from the list. Stick to simply performance.

Placement? (Specific shooters single shot accuracy with specific setup rifle)
Bullet?
Recoil? (Specific shooters multi-shot accuracy and ability to shoot on a regular basis whether practicing or hunting)
Energy?

My personal extremes have been my CM and a 338 when I was 16. I freaking love the rifle, and every person that shoots it does. It’s a semi-custom Tikka T3x wideland veil that I shoot Hammers through out to 600 (never shot further) you simply point, push, see the hit comfortably. Ground squirrels, coyotes, deer… whatever… I want to hunt everything with it, but is it the best tool for the job?

In the early 90’s I was blessed to get a 338 in a Ruger Mark II. I loved it until I shot it like shit. I shot 210 grain Barnes at over 3100 fps. It gets my testosterone up just talking about it, but I developed a flinch… The bullet, and energy were awesome. I couldn’t shoot with it effectively enough.

My humble opinion is to pick the rifle you shoot best with the most energy you can. More energy is better, but if you can’t shoot it then it’s wasted.

I’m not a fan either of the CM for elk. I want more energy. More energy = more energy transferred into the elk and more damage. This isn’t just actual tissue damage from the structure of the bullet, but also a shock wave to the body that damaged cells through the body, especially the nervous system. I won’t go crazy with a lesson on bombs and how they commonly kill through a massive shock wave traveling through the air.

I have a Tikka in 300wm shooting Hammers that I am just getting dialed now. It has a muzzle break and shoots great. It’s not as comfortable to shoot, but I shoot it great. I may invest in a new stock. It is the obvious choice for me. I shoot it as well for a single shot and it delivers a greater force transfer.
 
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Exit and clean kill at 603. Must have been a "perfect shot" or hed have never went down. You need a 300 fudderby to kill anything that far. Especially if you shoot in the ass cause youve shot a total of 1 box of shells through it ever, and shot a single 3 round group before going out.
 
Wyhunter said:
Does anyone on here shoot a 300 prc? Ive been looking at burning some more money and havent fired that round.
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I do and it does fine on elk, but isn’t fun to shoot. If I’m going into canyon country I will take it. Otherwise, I find myself using the 280ai I built for my kid the most.
 
Addicting said:
lol, NO

90g accubond and a 250g accubond at the same speed are dramatically different results.
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Which one is dead-er?

Bullet Selection + appropriate impact velocity trump headstamp. Those 77gr TMK's are just insanely effective, didn't believe it until I saw it.
 
Chingon said:
Those 77gr TMK's are just insanely effective, didn't believe it until I saw it.
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In a perfect world, let’s see one hit with a little wind drift or a twig deflection.

It’s not about Deader. It’s about humane kills. I quit using the CM because after witnessing 6 total kills with premium bullets(not all mine) I wasn’t impressed. 2 of them were found the next day and spoiled, 3 of the 4 were still gasping for air when we walked up on them. They were shot in the lungs ran a 50-100 yards and laid down, we walked to them, all died. Only 4 made it to the freezer.

A grizzly has been killed with a 22LR, it wouldn’t be my first choice just because it worked.
 
Addicting said:
In a perfect world, let’s see one hit with a little wind drift or a twig deflection.

It’s not about Deader. It’s about humane kills. I quit using the CM because after witnessing 6 total kills with premium bullets(not all mine) I wasn’t impressed. 2 of them were found the next day and spoiled, 3 of the 4 were still gasping for air when we walked up on them. They were shot in the lungs ran a 50-100 yards and laid down, we walked to them, all died. Only 4 made it to the freezer.

A grizzly has been killed with a 22LR, it wouldn’t be my first choice just because it worked.
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What premium bullets? TMK's, ELD-X and ELD-M are effective killers. High-weight-retention premium bullets don't thrash insides as well.

This dead horse will continue to get beat upon until we all admit it was killed with a 223 in the first place :ROFLMAO:
 
Wyhunter said:
Does anyone on here shoot a 300 prc? Ive been looking at burning some more money and havent fired that round.
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I have actually shot that round a couple of times. Love the caliber, just be sure to get a muzzle break and a pair of headphones, LOL!
 
Chingon said:
What premium bullets? TMK's, ELD-X and ELD-M are effective killers. High-weight-retention premium bullets don't thrash insides as well.

This dead horse will continue to get beat upon until we all admit it was killed with a 223 in the first place :ROFLMAO:
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Accubond, Accubond LR, ELD-X

Everyone involved with those elk ditched the CM in favor of something bigger. None of us have found the need to go back.
 
6.5 Creed, 100 grain broadheads, flint-tipped spears and very large rocks... Heck, I once heard tale of a man who could just look at an elk in the right spot, and it would drop dead where it stood.

To go harken back to our caveman roots: "put good bullet in good spot, elk die."

All jokes aside, if you have any doubts, you can't go overkill. If you don't hit the animal in the right spot, then your risk of wounding goes up the smaller the round.

Between your two options, I would pick the PRC, just to increase the margin of error.
 
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