For all those that hunt…6.5 CM

[BMosely]

We have a buddy we bust on all the time for 6.5.

 

[Don selleck]

several of my friends hunt with those. very effective

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450 Bushmaster would be my call.

 

[BMosely]

Second vote on the 450 Bushmaster if out to 250 yds. I have AR platform that the kids stole so I went lighter with the Ruger American Gen II. Some quick trigger work down to 2.5#, polished the bolt, built a tactical bolt knob, Lapp in the rings for a positive scope set and looking at the target that is a 3 shot .55” group at 100 yards. Pretty tight for throwing knuckle balls out there.
Side note: Those are $90 Vortex rings and were complete trash without lapping. The bottom rings were maybe 2% contact out of the box.

 

[1STMP]

130-150gr bullets out of a .270 pushing 3000fps are no joke. My longest shot on a Muley was a clean kill at 386yds with a single Accubond. He never left his bed. Rifle is a 1950 manufacture Husqvarna 640 (FN Supreme commercial Mauser 98 action) in .270 Win.

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I love the .270 Win.
Also hunt Muleys mostly
in southern NM. 13 deer
in the books. All one shot
kills.
The last one was at 20 feet.
Got out of the truck to open
a gate and a nice 4 point
stood up.
He was so close that all I
could see thru the scope
was hair. One shot set him
down, mid rib cage below
the spine, thru both lungs.
Not one drop of blood.
I was dumbfounded that
he didn't bolt as I had
enough time to retrieve
the Remington from the
rack and quietly chamber
a load. Quickest hunt in
all my years of hunting.

 

[lewtot184]

What an interesting post! I've never deer hunted, but i did loan my brother my 257 Robert's with handloads and he took a couple of bucks up in Michigan with it without having to chase them. That was some years back. That older 257 and a marlin 444 are the only meat guns I have left. My eyes are so bad now I can't see through optics, but if I was younger and the zeal for the hunt I think both would cover a lot of bases east of the Mississippi river.

 

[Xp29h]

Second vote on the 450 Bushmaster if out to 250 yds. I have AR platform that the kids stole so I went lighter with the Ruger American Gen II. Some quick trigger work down to 2.5#, polished the bolt, built a tactical bolt knob, Lapp in the rings for a positive scope set and looking at the target that is a 3 shot .55” group at 100 yards. Pretty tight for throwing knuckle balls out there.
Side note: Those are $90 Vortex rings and were complete trash without lapping. The bottom rings were maybe 2% contact out of the box.

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I’ve heard great things on those Ruger models!

I’ve also gone to a dual ring setup vs 2 singles. My thought is if it loosens, you know it vs 1 ring it tight and the other isn’t! Well see how it all works!

Rarely in Maine deer hunting would you get out over 250 yds. Moose hunting up north in some of those big cuts, sure. But for me my food plot is 98 yards long! Perfect for that 450!

 

[Sahara]

I’m fortunate to have bought 160 acres of prime Alberta land for pretty much pocket money 35 years ago. Tons of deer, elk, bears and a few moose. I’d say fifty percent of my elk hunts end within the first hour of opening day, ninety percent by third day. Usually I’m done within a half hour, sometimes five minutes into opening day. I like it that way as they get smarter as the season goes on.

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

Second vote on the 450 Bushmaster if out to 250 yds. I have AR platform that the kids stole so I went lighter with the Ruger American Gen II. Some quick trigger work down to 2.5#, polished the bolt, built a tactical bolt knob, Lapp in the rings for a positive scope set and looking at the target that is a 3 shot .55” group at 100 yards. Pretty tight for throwing knuckle balls out there.
Side note: Those are $90 Vortex rings and were complete trash without lapping. The bottom rings were maybe 2% contact out of the box.

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I had never heard bough lapping in scope rings before I had issues with the scope on my Savage 10ML kept coming loose. I would try a 3 shot group and bu=y the 3rd round I was 8” off. Once the rings were lapped in I have had zero issues.
Speaking of that Savage 10ML. That .50 caliber will drop a deer at 250 yards easily.

 

[khryslerkid]

I took a shot on a deer one day with a 273. I swore I missed it. My nephew was standing next to me and said "you hit it". I said how do you know? He said it raised up and kicked his front feet then ran into the woods. I saw it run into the woods but I missed the action after I pulled the trigger because of the recoil. And not much of a recoil I might add. I've shot with both eyes open ever since.

The deer went into the woods, made a circle and dropped right there. 308, 30-06, 12 ga slug, 44 mag is all I used for deer after that.

 

[440plus6]

Second vote on the 450 Bushmaster if out to 250 yds. I have AR platform that the kids stole so I went lighter with the Ruger American Gen II. Some quick trigger work down to 2.5#, polished the bolt, built a tactical bolt knob, Lapp in the rings for a positive scope set and looking at the target that is a 3 shot .55” group at 100 yards. Pretty tight for throwing knuckle balls out there.
Side note: Those are $90 Vortex rings and were complete trash without lapping. The bottom rings were maybe 2% contact out of the box.

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Thats one sweet bangstick!

 

[PROSTOCKTOM]

I used to hunt deer with a custom built 45-70. It would drop them in place with ease. 6.5 CM are really fun to shoot at 400 yards, but to expensive for Prairie Dogs.

Tom

 

[3sloppydogs]

I do use my 45-70 to shoot ground hogs occasionally. They never suffer.

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

A friend of mine built a a .22 Creedmore. That thing is a coyote slayer.

 

[Sahara]

I have a nicely built semi custom Model 70 in .264 Win Mag. It’s terribly inefficient as far as velocity gains for powder burned goes but it does kill elk and deer pretty good. I really like my 260 Remington and wanted something a bit stiffer so built the 264. It’s a great caliber with not very much kick. You just need to buy bullets that will stay together.

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

I have a .264 mag in Browning High power, I also have my dad’s .264 mag in a model 70.
The gun shop owner was a huge fan of that caliber and sold Grandpa, my dad, and Grandpa’s best friend each one. When I talk to the local guys around here there are quite a few of that caliber of rifles in the area.
I would like to see how that caliber would work on hogs.

 

[Sahara]

I have a .264 mag in Browning High power, I also have my dad’s .264 mag in a model 70.
The gun shop owner was a huge fan of that caliber and sold Grandpa, my dad, and Grandpa’s best friend each one. When I talk to the local guys around here there are quite a few of that caliber of rifles in the area.
I would like to see how that caliber would work on hogs.

I don’t have a ton of experience with it, but I have killed a nice whitetail buck, a bull elk and a very big seven foot black bear with mine, as well as a coyote. I like it. I got my rifle in a bizarre kind of way. One of our local characters called me one day; he had some guns to give me. Because he can be annoying I kept putting him off but he wouldn’t let it go. So finally I go over. He gives me around ten thousand dollars worth of rifles. He wants nothing for them, but I give him what I can, because as I told him: “I don’t know you well enough to accept a gift like this.” Turns out later that he was probably thinking about suicide and wanted the guns gone. Anyway, he appreciated that I gave him some money, and four years later he still is alive, just down the block from me.
It’s a bitch to reload for, mine is super finicky on what bullets it likes and you reach the point of diminishing returns where adding powder doesn’t add velocity but does add pressure. Mine absolutely prefers the stash of fifty year old 140gr. factory ammo that another buddy gave me a great deal on. Which breaks my heart because I’ve been reloading since 1972 and otherwise load one hundred percent of my center fire ammo. Fortunately the old Winchester bullets are a quality bullet that doesn’t explode on impact. The real selling point for me is the mild recoil. For a magnum caliber it is a pussycat.

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

I don’t have a ton of experience with it, but I have killed a nice whitetail buck, a bull elk and a very big seven foot black bear with mine, as well as a coyote. I like it. I got my rifle in a bizarre kind of way. One of our local characters called me one day; he had some guns to give me. Because he can be annoying I kept putting him off but he wouldn’t let it go. So finally I go over. He gives me around ten thousand dollars worth of rifles. He wants nothing for them, but I give him what I can, because as I told him: “I don’t know you well enough to accept a gift like this.” Turns out later that he was probably thinking about suicide and wanted the guns gone. Anyway, he appreciated that I gave him some money, and four years later he still is alive, just down the block from me.
It’s a bitch to reload for, mine is super finicky on what bullets it likes and you reach the point of diminishing returns where adding powder doesn’t add velocity but does add pressure. Mine absolutely prefers the stash of fifty year old 140gr. factory ammo that another buddy gave me a great deal on. Which breaks my heart because I’ve been reloading since 1972 and otherwise load one hundred percent of my center fire ammo. Fortunately the old Winchester bullets are a quality bullet that doesn’t explode on impact. The real selling point for me is the mild recoil. For a magnum caliber it is a pussycat.

I inherited my dads Winchster and all the old ammunition he had. My brother got my Grandpa’s Winchester and his ammunition.
The story behind my Browning, my grandpa’s best friend lived about 40 mils from him and once or twice a month I would take grandpa to his house and we would go to lunch. One day they were talking hunting and he asked if I wanted to buy the Browning. I asked how much and he said what half of what you have in your wallet. I hade $80 bucks. He came out with the Browning, a Remington 870, then went back for a Winchester .22, and a Stevens 20 gauge. He said his family would not want any of these so he wanted me to have them as a thank you for continuing to bring grandpa over. I was getting the best deal just listening to the stories they shared. I have all of his ammo and reloading dies. I will have to look and see what they are loaded to. I think i have all the information. It is a very accurate rifle.

 

[3sloppydogs]

Wonderful story Scott