6.5 creedmoore vs .243

If I were hunting coyotes along with deer with one rifle I’d probably go .243. For deer only it would probably be 6.5 Creedmoor. I don’t believe the .308 kills deer any better than a 6.5 Creedmoor at any distance. Under 300 yards I don’t believe there is much difference between a 6.5 Creedmoor and .243. Past 300 yards I do think a Creedmoor is probably better.

I'll echo the main sentiment that for deer size game the 6.5 has a little edge and if buying a new rifle I'd probably go that route. But I wouldn't sell a 243 to get a 6.5 either.

I've had 100gr .243's and .250's blow up on a deer's ribcage so I can't be the only one.

The .243 should recoil a little less and would be better suited to varmints and deer but not for anything larger than deer. Good alternatives are 6mm Creedmoor and 6.5 Grendel, both of which will have low recoil, even less than the .243. It may not be relevant to hunting, but the Creedmoor and Grendel allow the use of longer, lower-drag bullets and stay supersonic and accurate out to longer ranges. They're offered in far fewer rifles than .243 though.

The 6.5 Creedmoor would have a little more recoil but it will be useful for game larger than deer and for target shooting, accurate out to farther than one can see well with hunting optics. The rifle selection is better than 6mm CM or Grendel but probably still not as good as .243 (it's not far behind though).

CraigC said:

I've had 100gr .243's and .250's blow up on a deer's ribcage so I can't be the only one.

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They weren't TTSX. I believe the monolithic bullets (TTSX, GMX, E-tips) are the key to hunting deer with 80 or 100 gr bullets whether they're .243, .257, or .264. Even with the .264 where a much heavier bullet can be used, I don't believe it's necessary for deer. A 100 gr TTSX will shoot flatter with no risk of coming apart or failing to penetrate through the shoulder. The cup and core bullets, on the other hand will come apart on bone and at high velocity will probably splatter the meat with lead even if they don't.

No, they weren't Barnes but I did switch to them in the .250. Getting double the penetration in SIMTEST over the CoreLokt.

.308

Why not get something in 7 mm.

labnoti said:

Good alternatives are 6mm Creedmoor and 6.5 Grendel, both of which will have low recoil, even less than the .243

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Why does the 6mm Creedmoor have lower recoil than a .243?

CraigC said:

I've had 100gr .243's and .250's blow up on a deer's ribcage so I can't be the only one.

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And that’s happened with larger caliber bullets of supposed stout construction.

From what I've seen with the 243, I would recommend it without hesitation. The normal things you have to worry about with small caliber bullets - only buying premium ammo,, waiting for favorable shots, limiting ranges, etc - don't seem to apply to the 243. It's up for any shot you are within 300 yards, which is all the further 95% of hunters are going to shoot anyway.

I kind of like to think of it as a Diet 270 - 30% less calories, same 200 yard zero flavor.

The only caveats I'd have are that A. speed is all you've got with a 243, so you ideally want a 24" barrel and I wouldn't go any shorter than 22", and B. if you do need to take shots longer than 300 yards, you need something bigger than a 243.

cdb1 said:

Why does the 6mm Creedmoor have lower recoil than a .243?

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Little less powder, and little less velocity. It's a smaller case.

My understanding is the difference in case capacity between the two is four grains. That’s not much.

Just glancing over the replies, I think mine will mirror most others.

6.5 Creedmoor all the way.
*Not a huge difference in recoil
*Availability of ammo is about the same now
* Heavier bullet options in the 6.5. You can get 100gr ammo for the 6.5 but you'll never find 140gr 243 ammo.

Kwaynem said:

I agree I heard that the 6.5 had less recoil than the .308 though I don’t know I haven’t ever shot either of them

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I have a .308 and had another. One recoil is comfortable, one was brutal. Which do you think I kept... Saying a cartridge has less recoil is going to be somewhat subjective.
My 6.5 Swede is comfortable and yes less than my Ruger .308.
I’ve never shot a 243 but imagine in the right rifle would have negligible recoil unless the rifle was criminally designed...
This seems the one reason to purchase the .243 if you are starting from zero on both cartridges: recoil. I’d like to get one for my daughter some day. But I also plan to get a .223 bolt action after she’s done with the .22lr. Then give her the Swede when she is capable of it.
if it were me and I didn’t already have the Swede I would not hesitate to get the CM unless I saw a great deal on a great rifle in .243.
YMMV
Greg

cdb1 said:

My understanding is the difference in case capacity between the two is four grains. That’s not much.

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It’s 10%, and good for 150ish fps, 5% ish less velocity.

Okay.

cdb1 said:

Okay.

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It’s not much, but it’s less. Not enough for someone to tell the difference between two identical rifles, and certainly not enough difference to make a 105 feel like less recoil in the Creed than say, a slow twist friendly 95 in the 243.

What I don’t understand, thousands on thousands of 243win rounds downrange, and a few thousand 6 Creeds now, is the data in some manuals which shows the 6 creed getting more velocity with the same bullets, even with lower charge weights. 2,000psi or not, that really hasn’t been my experience - I can get more speed from the 243win.

Varminterror said:

It’s not much, but it’s less. Not enough for someone to tell the difference between two identical rifles

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That’s what I was thinking.

I've downed 16 antelope with my tack driving .243 rifle and none got away. Antelope hunting takes place at long distance and windy conditions common to the Great Plains. I'd consider this cartridge to be ideal for deer sized animals. Yet the 6.5mm cartridges offer a heavier bullet with approx the same trajectory. For those who desire a heavier bullet the choice is obvious.

TR

I have both, and I like both. As a matter of fact, these are the only 2 "hunting rifles" I own. That said, I do deer hunt sometimes with 223 and 300 BLK. What I don't like is recoil when I can use something viable that doesn't produce an excess amount of it.