300 Win Mag vs 6.5 Creedmoor For Elk Hunting

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I interview a subscriber named Mark Floyd in this video who has cleanly and successfully taken bull elk with both the 6.5 Creedmoor and the 300 Winchester Magnum out in Wyoming.
We’re going to talk about how Mark ended up going on those elk hunts, the story of each trip, what he thought about hunting elk with the 6.5 Creedmoor vs 300 Win Mag, the pros and cons of each cartridge for hunting elk (and YES, as crazy as that sounds, the 6.5 Creedmoor does have a couple of advantages over the 300 Win Mag for elk hunting), some lessons he learned along the way, and what the future holds for him.
To read a more detailed comparison of the 6.5 Creedmoor vs 300 Win Mag, visit:
thebiggamehuntingblog.com/6-5...
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6.5 Creedmoor for elk hunting
300 Win Mag for elk hunting
6.5 Creedmoor vs 300 Win Mag
300 Win Mag vs 6.5 Creedmoor

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Sign up at the link below to receive a free E-Book to learn more about popular hunting cartridges like the 6.5 Creedmoor and 300 Win Mag: thebiggamehuntingblog.com/ebook

[@Tradmark454]

Love the 300 winmag. That said, all u need for a 6.5 creed to work is to use the right bullets

[@danblumel]

For many Big Elk hunting situations, the 6.5 Creedmoor "needs more". That's why I bought the 6.5 PRC instead. It has plenty more.

[@johnandrosemarywyatt977]

The eld-x is basically a cup and core bullet. It's accurate but not real tough. A bonded or mono bullet is a better choice.

[@jmgates09]

At traditional hunting ranges mono and bonded are better but it seems the eldx&m berger vld & hybrid hunter are softer and better at longer ranges

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

I agree and really like the Creedmoor with 120-130gr monometal bullets pushed really fast.

[@mfortho]

I have a few boxes of the Hornady and Barne monometals to test for deer season

[@rickherbert3496]

I have a 7mm Remington 700 Long Range rifle with a Proof barrel. I have a muzzle break and it is pretty easy to shoot and the recoil isn't to bad. I have a NightForce 5 x 22 scope on it. I reload and I am shooting a 168 grain Berger Hunter at 3030 fps. I like it but it is heavy almost 11 pounds. I also have a Tikka t3x 6.5 Creedmoor. Tikka's are known for being long throated so I was able to measure where the lands start and reload my loads long and they are on the hot side averaging over 3000 fps. This year I took my 6.5 on an elk hunt with my grandson. It only weighs 8 .5 pounds with the Vortex Lightweight hunter scope. I live in the west (Utah) and I have horses and I ride all the time. I'm 70 years old and retired. I started hunting when I was 14. Opening morning of rifle elk season, we hiked into our area and my son in law had taken a nice bull the week or so before in the same area with a bow. He started calling and right away we got an answer. I had told my grandson that he would have the first shot. A nice 5 x 5 came out of the trees about 200 yards away and my grandson opened up with his 270. Five shots later and the elk went down. So ten minutes into the hunt we had an elk down. My son in law said hey we called in a couple of bulls last time so lets keep trying. He started calling again and about five minutes later another elk came out. He was a 4 x 4 and he was 230 yards away and he was standing broadside. I didn't really want to shoot one that small (because of all the work it takes to get them out) and I was hoping for a mature 6 x 6 but he was only a few hundred yards from where my grandson's elk was down so I decided to take the shot. The 6.5 Creedmoor did the job and hit the elk right behind the front leg. Right where I was aiming. The bull just stood there. After a few seconds he turned and started to walk back into the trees and he fell over. When I checked him out the entrance hole was about the diameter of the bullet. I couldn't see the exist hole because he was laying on that side. When we turned him over there was an exit hole and it was a little bigger than the entrance hole. When we opened him up there was massive damage in the lungs and heart. It looked like the lungs had been ran through a blender. The bullet must have fragmented after it entered and really did the job. His body cavity by the shot was full of blood. We did not see any blood where he was standing or the few steps he took before he went down. I told my grandson that he shot his first bull that day and it could be my last, who knows. I planning on hunting for many more years, so maybe I will get lucky again. It was a great hunt one that we will remember for a long time. Thanks for the video it was very informative.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Glad you enjoyed that video, thanks for sharing your story! What bullet were you using in your 6.5 Creedmoor for that elk hunt you talked about?

[@rickherbert3496]

Berger 140 grain VLD Hunting.@@Thebiggamehuntingblog

[@jonfarrar9666]

Had the same issues on whitetails in Maine with the creedmoor and eldx bullets passed 250yds. Sold that 💩and bought another 7mm-08. Out to 300yds it's a hammer with CX bullets.

[@akathecanadian]

I always look for your channel when it comes to caliber comparisons and info on a specific cartridge. Amazing work. Don’t stop

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Thank you very much!

[@mrmatt7210]

To be clear, the 300 Win is an excellent choice for elk sized game, but I wouldnt feel undergunned with a 6.5 Creedmoor with a shot under 400yrds. There is always a balance which takes place between expansion and penetration where mid weight bullets are concerned. People want a bullet which can be used on deer to elk sized game with rapid expansion, deep penetration, excellent weight retention, flat trajectory and low wind drift. The problem is for every benefit, there is likely a negative which is undisclosed. For example, in my opinion the Hornady ELDX bullet is an excellent choice for those which are likely to hunt at long distances and dont need optimal penetration. However, this is a non bonded, ballistic tipped bullet designed for rapid expansion and it can lose up to 50% of its bullet weight when used at distances of less than 400yrds. The reason the hunter didnt get exit wounds on his elk wasnt the cartridges fault, it was the bullet choice. To be clear, had the hunter chosen a bonded soft point bullet or a nosler soft point, the results would have been different.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

I think we're pretty much in agreement here and something like a 140gr Partition or a 127gr Barnes LRX likely would have exited. However, the relatively lower power of the cartridge was also partially responsible for the lack of an exit wound as well. A 200gr ELD-X from a 300 Win Mag still might not have exited from that elk under those conditions, but I think it would be more likely to.

[@jmark1298]

My experience with the Eld (both X&M) on whitetail deer- they will certainly come apart after entry (regardless if using a 6.5 or 300 win) and will likely never pass through. I also rarely, if ever, have had any blood to track (again- regardless of caliber) so very hard to find unless I see 'em go down. This year I am going to try the Terminal Ascent and see how they work on deer out of both my 300 and my 6.5cm

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

The Terminal Ascent is a great bullet and I think you'll like how it performs.

[@reloadnorth7722]

I have owned a .303, .308 and 300wm for 40+ years. Although I have heard many good stories about the 6.5cm, I just cannot see myself making any changes at my age - 60. I only hunt moose and have never lost one using these 3 calibers. Mostly 1 shot kills, but on occasion 2 shots if they move.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

I don't blame you for feeling that way. I like the 6.5 Creedmoor for a lot of stuff, but I'm a 300 Win Mag man to my core and definitely prefer that cartridge in general, especially for bigger game.

[@TheTGRproductions]

300 Winchester Magnum all day. But I'm a 30 Caliber go through and through. I just like how much they slap everything that moves (or doesn't).

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Fair enough!

[@markgalyen38]

For the recoil sensitive I suggest the 7mm08

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Not a bad idea

[@wadepederson8457]

No, the 140 grain interlock lead tip was available, I will never ever use the eld X again. I find it a poor design, but the original IL works great, I have both the 6.5 CREEDMOOR and the 300 WIN mag the mag gets the accubond and grain weight for what you hunt.The 6.5 CREEDMOOR I use nothing over 130 grain bullet you just can't get the velocity with the heavy bullets and you need velocity to extend range just keep it simple.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

I didn't know Hornady ever offered a factory load for the 6.5 Creedmoor with a 140gr InterLock. I do agree the 6.5 Creedmoor offers amazing performance with 120-130gr bullets, especially monometal projectiles.

[@gsitzkowitz]

Great episode! But this guys experience with the 6.5 is similar to my own with the 6.5 caliber all together. Not much blood trail if at all and no “authority” on impact. Dead is dead but there is something that’s gratifying about seeing your game react to being hit.

[@OutsidetheEchochamber]

My friend(newer hunter)hired a guide, took his 30-06 proceeded to miss a bull just over 400 yards the guide told him to use his rifle to shoot the friend does as instructed and dropped the bull. Guides gun was a 6.5 creedmore

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Very interesting!

[@OutsidetheEchochamber]

@@Thebiggamehuntingblog not sure the ammo used, 340 type bull, proves placement is most important.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

100%!

[@bsa526]

Thankfully this gentleman spent the time learning his setup, which made all the difference. It is great to hear that more and more outfitters arent allowing 6.5 Bleedmoors in their camps

[@hoyt7710]

I live and in the hunt north Georgia mountains my self. They can be tough. But I've hunted out west too. Big difference. Looking forward to getting back out there.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Best of luck to you!

[@jimiandersonblackknight7554]

350LGN- out to 150 with a 270 g soft nose 308WM150-250 y with a 160g hpfmjI 250-500 6.5 Creedmoore with 140g jhpM . Hard rounds to find on the shelf but if you load go to the Everglades for the bullets and use your best powders ! I shoot mostly imr and wn they aren’t popular but they pack one hell of a punch 🥊 💥💥💥

[@johnpittinger1545]

I have reached that 80 year mark and know all too well about “ bitting the bullet “ when it comes to doing the hunts you want to do before you run out of ability to stand up to the obstacles that can stop you dead in your tracks. BTDT. Had the ability and knowledge and physical skills 40 years ago but not now. So glad he went for his dream and experienced the wonders of Mother Nature.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

100%!

[@mfortho]

Definitely!!!

[@blackie1of4]

Great story.. I actually made it all the way through 😊 Both of these cartridges have a place as you've stated and have pros and cons! I've never used either of them.. but I have never hunted outside of Pennsylvania! I primarily hunt whitetail and occasionally black bear! So hearing Mark talking about his experience was interesting to say the least! I've harvested deer with these cartridge's.. The 303 British The 30-06 Springfield The 7mm-08 Remington The 350 Remington Magnum The 350 Legend and The 358 Winchester If I was to hunt elk.. and had to choose one of those.. I'd choose the 358 Winchester! If I wanted a dedicated elk rifle.. I'd choose a 7mm Remington Magnum 😊 That being said.. every deer that I've shot didn't know the difference between cartridges. However.. I did.. the blood trail from the 35 calibers was drastically different! Even with the 350 Legend shooting Federal 180 grain loads. None of them traveled past 100 yards.. only one deer ever fell dead on the spot.. most mad dashed thirty yards and piled up! We live in a day and age where we have multiple firearms.. and that's a beautiful thing! It nice to have choices! All that being said.. I don't believe that theres a perfect cartridge! A firearm that you shoot well out to 300 yards with a bullet designed to punch through is the most important thing to consider. I also believe.. that if you shoot at a animal.. hit it.. and can't find it.. you should tear up your tag! Which leads me to say.. only squeeze the trigger if you know you'll cleanly harvest the intended game! There is no room for shooting at live game! Thanks for sharing this brother

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@mfortho]

It was a great experience and I’m glad you enjoyed me rambling on about it.

[@billyhancock7851]

I believe that in my past l have found some hunters want a complete pass through while other hunters want a inside explosion, so it seems. We need a good short range, Long range, pass through, major inside damage, ect, ect list.

[@Longtrailside]

I think he would do good with the 7mm prc since hes recoil sensitive. The 300wm and wsm kick about the same. The wsm has a little more of a sharp kick than the hard push of the 300wm.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Yes, but the 7mm PRC didn't exist when he went on that first elk hunt in 2019. He has since learned that he's not as recoil sensitive as he initially thought as he's become a more experienced hunter and shooter.

[@Longtrailside]

@@Thebiggamehuntingblog True it did not exist back then, thats why im saying now would be a good time to get ahold of one and try it out. Good for him though for learning how to shoulder and hold the 300wm. Honestly its not that bad once you properly shoulder it, even without a brake. I dont even use one. I am glad to see him trying differrent cartridges and seeing what works for him, and for his style of hunting. Most just buy whats most popular at the time of purchase and realize later that its either to light per caliber for hunting or to heavy.

[@mfortho]

Yeah, as it turns out the 375 h&h ain’t so bad! I was just inexperienced. But a day at the range is a lot more fun with a few boxes of 6.5 compared to the WM, WSM, or H&H for sure!

[@tommysmyth254]

I like the 300 win mag better

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Nothing wrong with that...

[@clapton924]

It's odd that the conversation has arrived at this point. It's like comparing the performance of a Honda Accord to a Mustang GT.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Well, similar to the comparison of the Honda Accord & Mustang GT, there are definite advantages to each one. I wouldn't say one is "better" than the other, but there are absolutely situations where I'd rather have one over the other.

[@clapton924]

@@Thebiggamehuntingblog Absolutely. I use a 6.5 CM for whitetail and hog hunting.

[@stratop3686]

Great story, but confused why he isn't considering the 308 which meets all his criteria? If he enjoys Randy Newburg, he should know Randy shoots most of his elk with 308 w/Nosler bullets.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Not a darn thing wrong with the 308, especially with Nosler bullets. I honestly have no idea why he bought the 6.5 Creedmoor instead of a 308 though.

[@mfortho]

The 308 was definitely on the list. I think it was a recoil thing at the time, which is now a mute point since I enjoy shooting my 375 h&h…. And I got a strong personal recommendation from a buddy that is an experienced western hunter. I didn’t tell that story during the interview.

[@jmgates09]

When we going to get a Episode with 300wsm

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Good idea. My content calendar is pretty full for the next month or so, but I can definitely squeeze a 300 WSM episode in there after I get through these next couple of projects...

[@BornAgain2019]

Can a 6.5 Creedmoor kill an elk? Its nt ideal but yes. IF that's what you have to work with as any cartrige know the cartridges and your limitations.

[@rpk5250]

Would the all copper bullet Creedmoor work in less than ideal shot?

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

I think a copper bullet for the Creedmoor (120gr E-Tip, TTSX, CX, 127gr LRX, etc) would be an excellent choice for hunting bigger game. I don't necessarily advocate using that cartridge on elk, but I think those bullets would be better than the 143gr ELD-X.

[@Dfleuryoutdoors]

All copper bullets would give you the extra penetration you need to reach vitals on a less than perfect shot. Down side is a more narrow wound channel so shot placement is even more critical

[@CU65LATER]

I have ever hunt elk in Usa but i still think there could be sweet spot between both. For ex. 7mm Remington magnum with or without can....Or even 30-06 Sprngfield 😅 6.5cal s are made for caribou or deersize game but not for big game hunt at the longrange.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Sounds like we're pretty much in agreement!

[@CU65LATER]

@@Thebiggamehuntingblog Exactly i tried to say so , sorry .Lol

[@matthewyingling6490]

Anybody who will say that the 6.5 is better than a 300 is full of elk droppings.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Tell me more...

[@titomish5914]

Never heard anyone say that ever, quit making crap up pls

[@TheAlbertaChannel]

I like moose droppings. Those chocolates are always a treat when you find them in stores 😅

[@MrBuckeye63]

In the hunting world the 6.5 CM = to a handloaded 6.5X55 And the 6.5x55 has probably taken everything 🤣

[@eiszeit9795]

we’re not allowed to hunt with anything smaller then a 7mm bullet diameter, that law makes more and more sense for me😅

[@nickbaker5594]

127 Barnes Lrx is in my opinion the hands down best for elk out of a cm.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

I agree 100%! Great bullet for the 6.5 Creedmoor (6.5 PRC too)!

[@raymondwright6558]

Loaded the 127gr lrx,shoots perfect.look to hunt whitetail this year.Also,I hunt and not lazy,I'll get as close as possible.not shooting across a canyon.

[@mrV69]

300 win mag all day

[@chadwallace3598]

I’ll never understand why anybody would want to use something as small as the 6.5 for elk and up. Not very ethical.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Did you watch the video?

[@louiskiser9989]

Real hunters don't worry about the recoil of a 300WSM or aWin mag 180 grain bullet. Too much hipe about no recoil with a Creedmore

[@Hawaii_Hunter]

Although lengthy, it’s a very unfair and unequal comparison. It’s apparent that the 300 WM is a “magnum” class cartridge and the 6.5 CM is a “short action”’ cartridge. They’re in very different classes of rifle cartridges. I have rifles chambered in both and each has its own specific purpose. Undoubtedly, the 6.5 CM is the best in its class of rifle cartridge! I think that it’s flattering that the 6.5 CM is so great in its class that it often gets compared to other cartridges in grossly higher classes. Referencing the plethora of online ballistic resources, it’s very easy to deduce that the 300 WM has more powder, which translates to more power, and has heavier, larger diameter bullets with larger frontal surface diameter that will be more effective on elk. A good comparison would be: Which is best for elk hunting, the 300 PRC and the 300 WM? Despite being elk capable within the appropriate distance, proper shot angle, and careful bullet selection, the 6.5 CM is best at being a deer-size game cartridge. 🤙🏼

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

It sounds like we're pretty much in agreement in our assessments of the capabilities of the 6.5 Creedmoor & 300 Win Mag. That said, why is this comparison invalid? Sure, there's nothing wrong with comparing the 300 Win Mag to the 300 PRC (and I've done exactly that), but who says you need to compare similar cartridges? What I try to do with all my content is answer questions lots of people are asking and (believe it or not) there are a lot of people curious about how the 6.5 Creedmoor and 300 Win Mag compare to each other. Many of those people are likely very new to shooting and/or hunting, so I do my best to help them make informed decisions.

[@Hawaii_Hunter]

New shooters/hunters…If I was a new shooter/hunter and had a question about the two cartridges effectiveness on elk, I would walk into the local gun/outdoor store, open a box of 6.5 CM and 300 WM, and do a side by side comparison of the two cartridges. It is so obvious which would be better for elk, lol. There’s no comparison! The 300 WM’s OAL is significantly larger. Another key note to strongly consider when comparing the two cartridges is recoil. An online resource puts the 300 WM at 29.99 Free Recoil Energy and the 6.5 CM at 11.87. That’s an 87% increase in recoil between the two cartridges. As you know, recoil can have an adverse impact on accuracy and when hunting, shot placement is crucial, regardless of caliber. When compared with cartridges of the same class, the 6.5 CM: hits harder, drops less, is less affected by wind, and does it all with substantially less recoil. All hail the 6.5 CM! 🤙🏼

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

You're not wrong about the differences between the cartridges and there's nothing wrong with going to a gun store to do as you suggest. But there's also nothing like seeing some real world examples of how the two cartridges perform afield to learn what their true capabilities are like.

[@Hawaii_Hunter]

Thank you for responding and engaging with your viewers, very much appreciated! BTW, I really like your YT videos! Keep up the GREAT work. 👍🏼

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Thanks!

[@DROPTINE]

If you are using a 6.5 for ELK please please quit hunting.............................

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

What do you hunt elk with?

[@adamshaw8214]

6.5 creedmoor is a varmit round and target round.

[@outfitr9703]

6.5 creedmore is NOT an elk rifle, period!

[@Dean_Richard]

6.5 ceedmore is the worst elk rifle out there for elk and the hype is from those who shoot one and chase it for 6 miles to finish it off. 300 win mag will always reign superior. Just ask Chris Kyle. Rip