Trying to decide 6.5 CM or 308 Win

I think you answered your own question.

6.5x55!

7.6 creedmoor

The only application on your list that would bias towards the .308 is black bear hunting, but only if you get a 1:10" twist and handload so you can use heavy bullets.

Otherwise the lower recoil and generally higher SDs of the 6.5 would be preferable.

A 140 gr 6.5 bullet will give you the same penetration on game as a 180 gr 308 bullet regardless of whether it is fired from 308 or 30-06. The 6.5 will beat 30-06 or 308 when shooting 165's in the 30 calibers. You don't see any advantage with the 30's until you move up to 200 gr bullets.

I hunted exclusively with 30-06 for nearly 40 years and made the change to 308 about 10 years ago. But for what most people do the 6.5 is the better round. It is probably better to compare it to 270. The 270 is actually 6.8mm vs 6.5. When shooting the same bullet weights 270 starts out at the muzzle about 150-200 fps faster. But in the same bullet weight the 6.5 has better Sectional Density and better Ballistic Coefficient.

The 6.5 will penetrate deeper at any range than 270
The 6.5 will catch up to the 270 in speed somewhere between 250-300 yards
The 270 will still shoot a couple of inches flatter out to about 400 yards, after that the 6.5 starts to shoot flatter than 270
The 6.5 does it with about 1/3 less recoil than 308 or 270
Every rifle is an individual, but the odds are heavily in favor of most 6.5 rifles being more accurate than most 308 rifles and virtually all 270's.

On paper the 308 or 270 look ever so slightly better from a hunting standpoint at ranges Inside 300 yards. But the 6.5 is versatile enough to do double duty as both a hunting cartridge and a long range target round. I can shoot at the range year round, hunting season is only a few days each year. There are no good options for good 270 target loads or rifles. The 308 is an excellent choice as a target round, but it starts running out of gas at about 800 yards. The 6.5 is still in the game at a mile.

jmr40 said:

You don't see any advantage with the 30's until you move up to 200 gr bullets.

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I agree with that. If I'm going to tangle with a big black bear the 200gr A-Frame or something looks good, but otherwise, nothing he listed really gets me excited for the .308,

If I remember right, the 6.5 is just a necked down .308. I've gotta tell you, I love the .308. It's versatile. Brass is plentiful. You can pick up whatever you need from practically anywhere. When I was into long distance, I shot a .308 based on a Remington 700 action with a Krieger barrel. At 100 yards, it would put five 168gr Berger VLDs through the same hole. Using heavier bullets and a 40 MOA mount and Nightforce scope (it had like 100 moa adjustment capability), I was able to reach out to 1000 yards when I did my job.

Now that having been said, if I was gonna build another rifle, I'd probably go for the 6.5CM. The benefits read like a laundry list. Less recoil. Flatter shooting. Much flatter. It is also more resistant to wind drift. Shooting a .308 out to 600 or beyond was a real challenge. With the 6.5CM, much less so. The rifle I shot was almost a clone of my .308, but for the caliber. I can't attest to the 6.5s effectiveness as a hunting round or the barrel longevity, but it's a lot easier to hit what you're shooting at at distance. If you're only going to be shooting out to a few hundred yards, I doubt that your choice would make much difference. I'd just get the one that's going to be the cheapest to feed.

A 160gr PP or RN in 6.5CM is not going to be a step down from your .30-30 on bear.

With the 308 you can get sp steel case ammo, I've been seen it shoot pretty good. That's about 24¢ a case. Or brass case surplus for cheap practice. The cheapest 6.5 is going to be s&b or ppu, good ammo for the money at. 45-50¢ each.

I have a 6.5cm axis and really like it.
The recoil is mild and it's really accurate.
Another good cartridge if you reload would be a 7mm-08 rem.
Nice thing about the axis is you can swap barrels with a bench vice and a barrel nut wrench.
If you buy the 6.5 and would rather have a .308 just swap the barrel

TonyAngel said:

If I remember right, the 6.5 is just a necked down .308.

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You don’t, because it’s not.

Buckeye63 said:

I like the long 140gr 6.5 bullet ,

But I like the larger frontal area of the 308 ... Im in a quandary.

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Something in 7mm should do 7mm08, 280, 280ai

But to answer your question, pick one it doesn't sound like it will really matter with your use. Personally, I consider the 308 a slightly better hunting cartridge than the 6.5 Creedmoor. The benefits of the Creedmoor are flatter trajectory which only really shows itself outside what I consider ethical hunting distances.

There are many gunshop stories out west here of people taking their Creedmoors out hunting and have wounded game to show for it because of "sniper" hunting at distance as it gets called (not my term). Now I'm in no way saying its the cartridge, it is definitely the marketing getting to hunters who are not educated in the ways of ballistics and terminal performance and taking shots that shouldn't be taken given skill set, distance, bullet type, etc.

I don't think there is much difference between performance of the two on animals under 400 yards, however the 308 allows for heavier loads which will help when going after elk sized game.

I would tell other people to get the 6.5 creedmoor because it makes logical sense in 2020, and then I would turn right around and buy a 308.

Buckeye63 said:

To me ... The 6.5 CM is the modern
6.5x55 ... ...

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And that is ALL that it is, despite all the hype.

I own guns chambered in both cartridges and if it were me no brainer I’d do the 6.5 Cm

If I had that choice for a hunting rifle the answer would be the 308. The 6.5 CM certainly has it's fans, and it is a very useful cartridge, but the 308 has more punch with the heavier bullets at practical hunting distance. If I was usually punching paper and ringing steel, did not reload, or sensitive to recoil, my answer would be different.

I would rather have a 6.5. I tried a 308 and got bored with it very quickly.
First combination was a 168 AMAX with 4064. Shot one ladder. Then changed seating depth and was done.
It just seemed too easy.

The .308 has the advantage of being a slight edge as a hunting cartridge and ammo availability, but not enough to make the 6.5 a bad or even worse choice for your stated purpose. But I shoot a 7-08 which I like better than either. Really buy which ever and enjoy it, some day get the other. Two great all around cartridges.

I agonized over this a little while ago.

I finally decided on the 308 for the following reasons.

I already shoot 308 and am set up with dies, brass, trimmers etc...

I have thousands and thousands of various 308 bullets already on the shelf.

I rarely shoot over 300 yards.

I just felt there was no advantage for me to add another caliber.