Ballistically there's very little difference at 300y. Maybe 10% difference in wind drift or something.
Recoil-wise, the difference basically follows the bullet weight. There's not much difference between a .308 firing 155 scenars and a 6.5CM firing 140 ELDs. But there is a big difference if the .308 is firing 175gr SMK match loads.
I'd probably go .308 instead of 6.5CM for your application. Personally I went the other way around because I shoot out to 1000y with some regularity and the ballistic difference is notable.
The Savage rifle you're looking at is likely to be accurate and have decent stock stability and a good trigger. Personally I find the action on savages a bit rough a lot of times. That's sort of a nit pick, but on something I'm going to be shooting a lot it kind of diminishes the fun of owning it.
My next Build/Buy will be a bolt action tactical type gun, that for now anyway will be used for target purposes. Most ranges near me are limited to 100 yards. One is out to 300 yards. I know some property owners where this could be longer, but not much. 300- to 500 the max as far as I can see right now. Again, the most of my plinking will be at the very close by 100 yard ranges.
I have considered building/buying in 5.56/.223, but for the money I would like something useful if I do gravitate to longer ranges. At say a 300 yard range, is there still any "superiority" to the 6.5 Creedmoor round?
I understand there is less recoil with the Creedmoor, but I dont remember .308 being anything like I remember 30 06 to be. My shoulders do not give me trouble YET, but I am 61 years old. The recoil (I only fired a few rounds through a friends .308) could be a factor, I tend to spend a while when I go to the range.
Now to demonstrate the depth of my stupidity, lets say I purchased/built a .223 bolt gun, Howa action, Tikka, whatever. I assume this small caliber gun could not be later rebarreled to a larger (.308 or 6.5 CM) later on? Obviously the barrel would have to change, and I assume the bolt as well, making it a nonsensical transformation, right?
For purposes here, let's limit the conversation to 6.5 CM or .308...I understand there are others to consider, the only exception I can think of if a caliber would be ballistically similar to .308/6.5 CM at the ranges I am stuck with but could reasonably be transformed from 5.56/.223, which I reason does not exist
OK, let her rip...
Russellc.
Well......you COULD get a budget axis 2 for $400(ish) in any chambering you desire(6.5cm included) shoot the barrel out of it if you like or rebarrel for another $250-400(ish) and slap on a stock of your choosing for however much you wanna spend.Likewise the 6.5, but if I were going that direction, it would be 22 250, but that really doesnt appeal to me either. At the shorter ranges, it would be no better than the .308, (speaking of 243) and at longer ranges, should I end up there, the 6.5 CM would better than both.
That said, I would likely would not turn down an earth shattering deal on a 243, ( or 22 250) but only to rebarrel to 6.5 CM. The debate in my head is over 6.5 CM vs .308, and that's the way I am going this time, anyway.
Thanks for the input however, I need to hear it all!
Much appreciated,
Russellc
Not arguing as you are correct, location and availability drives cost, here in hawaii more so than elsewhere.
Here are the products im referencing, locally i can get these for about 5 bucks a box more than midway.
.308
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/4...r-308-diameter-168-grain-boat-tail-box-of-100
6.5 (was looking for amax but they dont seem to be available anymore, last few boxes i ordered were 30-32 i think)
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/6...m-264-diameter-123-grain-boat-tail-box-of-100
I didn't know starline offered any bottle neck rounds, well besides .458 socom, thats pretty cool i use alot in pistol cals.
Heres what i paid locally for a couple boxes the 208s are from a year or so ago, 143s from last month or the month before.
Well I dont hunt other than at the super market and they only let me use a cart. Lol. I am going with the 6.5 CM, as I may indulge in longer distances later, and since it has slightly less recoil and capable of better bsllistics if I do venture longer ranges seems to make sense. I may get the cheaper Tikka for the better action, I think it also has a fairly easy to change barrel, as does the Ruger. Dont know about the Rugers action, but I here great things about the Tikka action. Then theres the Howa, and here we go again! At least I have settled on a caliber.
Russellc
Fair enough. Like i said, i basically shoot all hornady bullets and the cheapest brass available, so my comparisons tend to be bassed on those factors.
That is one of the reasons i shot alot of hornady, i know pretty much anytime i order bullets they will be around 30-35 bucks a box. What cals did you have issues with win brass? Ive been using it in every thing i can get it for as ive had good luck with it. Hornady brass i use in the CM, Gren, and my .250.There is usually less difference in price on the Hornady bullets than some of the other brands. I actually shoot the Nosler CC's in my RPR. They aren't the absolute slickest, but the Litz G7 is a respectable .281, and, perhaps most importantly for me, I was able to get my last pack of 1,000 for $192 shipped. I used to shoot .308 Winchester brass, which was cheaper than Hornady, but primer leakage and early brass failure in a couple of chamberings eventually lead me to just give up on it and move to Hornady, mostly because it's always available in my area.
If you like the Tikkas, you can get a heavier barrel Tikka in 6.5 CM with the CTR model:
https://shop.whittakerguns.com/product/ss-8091241
The price is $880... pretty much a killer deal on an awesome rifle. I have a Tikka CTR non-stainless in .308 that I paid more than that for right when they came out, and it is one of my most accurate rifles. I'd personally take that rifle over the Savage Stealth, especially at that price, but I'm not a huge Savage fan so YMMV.
I've got to admit, pretty sweet! I would like a longer barrel, but 20 inches is longer than anything I have, the stainless look really good! Best all around choice so far, despite the Savage models being a little cheaper, this for the money indeed offers more.That's a good deal.
If you like the Tikkas, you can get a heavier barrel Tikka in 6.5 CM with the CTR model:
https://shop.whittakerguns.com/product/ss-8091241
The price is $880... pretty much a killer deal on an awesome rifle. I have a Tikka CTR non-stainless in .308 that I paid more than that for right when they came out, and it is one of my most accurate rifles. I'd personally take that rifle over the Savage Stealth, especially at that price, but I'm not a huge Savage fan so YMMV.
Of course a .223 gun would be minimal recoil, plenty for 300 yards, and I already have lots of bullets and brass. Once proficient, then to the 6.5 creedmoor. For some reason I want that 6.5....
Russellc
Agreed. You can never have too many...Well then ya have your answer... the original question of does the .308 or 6.5cr have an advantage over the other... if you reload the bulletts will tend to be cheaper in the 6.5 For you uses though a .223 would do great and is still worth having around even if/when you add the larger gun... there is no law that you have to choose only one- other than finances
What cals did you have issues with win brass? Ive been using it in every thing i can get it for as ive had good luck with it.
I had some primer leakage in admittedly warm .308 loads , but the main issue was with .270 Win brass. I had one batch of brass that showed incipient case head separation after the first few firings with book loads that didn't show abnormally high velocities, flat primers, or any other pressure signs. I double checked my die settings and fired case measurements and everything seemed to be in order, I haven't had any trouble from the replacement Hornady cases over the course of probably 6 loads. Around the same time I had some of the bad batch of WLR primers that developed pin hole leaks on the shoulders and etched the bolt face on my rifle. Altogether I was just kind of disgusted with Win components and threw them all away. Not exactly scientific or statistically significant, but I haven't bothered with Win cases since, I'm sure the vast majority are fine though, other folks seem to like them.