Trying to decide 6.5 CM or 308 Win

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Well @Old Stumpy simply put I’ve ALWAYS shot the 6.5 Creedmoor better than a .308 in rifles that are exactly the same except the cartridge they shoot, and in rifles that are different I’ve shot heavy target rifles in both guess what same result I always shoot the 6.5 Creedmoor better

if the 6.5 Creedmoor isn’t your thing hey more power to you to buy a .308.... or whatever makes you happy:thumbup:


IMHO to me it seems that their is less recoil in the 6.5 Creedmoor maybe not a lot but enough that I see a difference also as a hand loader I can tailor loads to my exact specs which helps me in the fact that I don’t have to rely on factory ammo even though their is an abundance of ammo for both rounds


So again I recommend the 6.5 Creedmoor for me and if it works for you great

I just don’t understand why some people refuse to give it the credit it deserves its good at what it does maybe that’s why it’s hated :thumbdown:
 
Personally I'd choose the 6.5, mostly just because I like it better.
Both will what you want, and for and handloader, at about the same cost.

the only real advantage the .308 has is in the used gun racks. You can sometimes get a much nicer older .308 for the same price as a newer 6.5.
This is just MY personal feeling on the mater, but if I'm going with a bullet heavier than 165gr in a .30, I want at least 06 capacity.
 
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jmr40 said:
You don't see any advantage with the 30's until you move up to 200 gr bullets.

That's not the case at all if you compare solid copper bullets. I only hunt with monolithic copper bullets for two reasons. First, they're way tougher than cup and core bullets and retain most of their mass. Second and perhaps most important, they don't deposit lead in the meat that I plan on consuming. If you look at monolithic 6.5mm bullets, they max out at about 130gr. A .308 cal 175gr LRX from Barnes beats a 130gr from anyone.

@Buckeye63, I have two rifles chambered for 6.5mm cartridges including 6.5 CM and 6.5x47 Lapua. I'm in the process of building a "do it all" 6lb hunting/tactical rifle and it's going to be chambered in .308 Win. I'll pick .308 Win over 6.5 CM any day of the week and twice on Sunday if it's a rifle that will be used for hunting deer or elk.
 
Hornady offers a 140 gmx, don't remember if anyone else offers heavier.

I've generally figgured you want all the velocity you can get out of a copper projectile, so running as heavy as a 140 or 175 in a short 6.5 or 30 would be limiting?
I don't shoot copper, and infact go completely the other way, so i have little real knowledge on the matter.
 
Hornady offers a 140 gmx, don't remember if anyone else offers heavier.

I've generally figgured you want all the velocity you can get out of a copper projectile, so running as heavy as a 140 or 175 in a short 6.5 or 30 would be limiting?
I don't shoot copper, and infact go completely the other way, so i have little real knowledge on the matter.
Ya I would think a 120 is better with copper.
 
@LoonWulf, I've never had good results with GMX bullets and that 140gr has a G1 BC of .350 .... yikes! They probably had to fatten up the ogive to keep the length down ... just a guess though. The Barnes .30 cal 175gr LRX has a G1 BC of .508 but if I were shooting a 6.5 mm monolithic I'd probably choose the 127gr LRX with a BC of .468. It's not hard to get the 175gr bullet moving fast enough to be effective out to 600 yards particularly since the LRX has a larger cavity in the nose to aid in expansion at lower velocities. For me the .308 Win is a better choice but I don't expect that to be everyone's experience.
 
Many years ago I went for the 308 because a) there had been a lot of load development for that round in and out of the service, b) brass was cheap and plentiful, and c) 30 cal was far and away the widest selection of bullets. These days I would go for the 6.5 cm because it has lower recoil, has plenty of load development and bullet options, and my volume is lower so I don't worry so much about cost. I don't shoot at extreme ranges but I enjoy precision at any range, and the 6.5 has it.

I still have and enjoy the 308, but why not benefit from decreased recoil and better ballistics, even if the difference is incremental?
 
@LoonWulf, I've never had good results with GMX bullets and that 140gr has a G1 BC of .350 .... yikes! They probably had to fatten up the ogive to keep the length down ... just a guess though. The Barnes .30 cal 175gr LRX has a G1 BC of .508 but if I were shooting a 6.5 mm monolithic I'd probably choose the 127gr LRX with a BC of .468. It's not hard to get the 175gr bullet moving fast enough to be effective out to 600 yards particularly since the LRX has a larger cavity in the nose to aid in expansion at lower velocities. For me the .308 Win is a better choice but I don't expect that to be everyone's experience.
Thanks for the info!
Ill look a little closer at the LRXs
Expansion has always been my major concern. Not necessarily at longer ranges, but as you know, a lot of the critters out here dont have much resistance to open a bullet up.
 
Personally I'd choose the 6.5, mostly just because I like it better.
Both will what you want, and for and handloader, at about the same cost.

the only real advantage the .308 has is in the used gun racks. You can sometimes get a much nicer older .308 for the same price as a newer 6.5.
This is just MY personal feeling on the mater, but if I'm going with a bullet heavier than 165gr in a .30, I want at least 06 capacity.

I'd agree all around, I like the .30-06, but never could warm up to its little brother even though I've been through several. I do like the fact that my .30-06 shooting 180gr ABs @ 2,750 and my 6.5 shooting 140gr ABs @ 2,760 fps had exactly the same trajectory, kind of a convenient hunting pair.

On the monos, I've had some good luck with them (LRX) and a bit of weirdness, still not totally sold. They penetrate well, and open up, but I don't usually see as wide of a wound cavity as I do with with bonded lead core bullets. I used the 127gr LRX on this year's cow (I think I like them better on that size game than lighter game), started them off at just under 2,900 fps and they were still doing ~2,350 fps when they connected. They did the job and busted through bone to exit, but I think I might go back to Accubonds of some variety next year.

As an aside, I called Barnes and chatted with them a while ago about their recommended bullet for Muleys/Elk out of an 18.5" .30-06. They recommended the 168gr TTSX over the 175gr LRX because I'd be able to run it a bit faster and get wider expansion. The guy I talked to said that the 168gr TTSX was actually the first bullet to use what became the LRX type design and shares the lower expansion threshold and better BC characteristics of that line. When they decided to bring out the LRX line, they elected to leave the 168gr in the TTSX line so as not to piss off/confuse customers.
 
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I have decided to go with the 6.5 CM
Mostly based on the great success I had with my little Swede sporter I owned years ago .. The Creed will be housed in a more accurate rifle with a better trigger and the Creed will have a abundance of cartridge and bullet offerings that my 6.5x55 would have never dreamed of ...
I feel the 6.5 Creed will do anything the 308 can do with less recoil ....
And the Creed will have a wide variety of high BC and SD bullets ...
I know what my 6.5x55 did with cheap PPU 139gr ammo did in the field and woods ... And my handloads with the long Hornady 160gr RN would do ..

I don't think. I could have made a bad decision... Just a better decision..
 
I have decided to go with the 6.5 CM
Mostly based on the great success I had with my little Swede sporter I owned years ago .. The Creed will be housed in a more accurate rifle with a better trigger and the Creed will have a abundance of cartridge and bullet offerings that my 6.5x55 would have never dreamed of ...
I feel the 6.5 Creed will do anything the 308 can do with less recoil ....
And the Creed will have a wide variety of high BC and SD bullets ...
I know what my 6.5x55 did with cheap PPU 139gr ammo did in the field and woods ... And my handloads with the long Hornady 160gr RN would do ..

I don't think. I could have made a bad decision... Just a better decision..


Great choice I think you will love it!
 
I have decided to go with the 6.5 CM
Mostly based on the great success I had with my little Swede sporter I owned years ago .. The Creed will be housed in a more accurate rifle with a better trigger and the Creed will have a abundance of cartridge and bullet offerings that my 6.5x55 would have never dreamed of ...
I feel the 6.5 Creed will do anything the 308 can do with less recoil ....
And the Creed will have a wide variety of high BC and SD bullets ...
I know what my 6.5x55 did with cheap PPU 139gr ammo did in the field and woods ... And my handloads with the long Hornady 160gr RN would do ..

I don't think. I could have made a bad decision... Just a better decision..
Don't forget the 156s! Oryx is tough enough;).
 
@LoonWulf, I've never had good results with GMX bullets and that 140gr has a G1 BC of .350 .... yikes! They probably had to fatten up the ogive to keep the length down ... just a guess though. The Barnes .30 cal 175gr LRX has a G1 BC of .508 but if I were shooting a 6.5 mm monolithic I'd probably choose the 127gr LRX with a BC of .468. It's not hard to get the 175gr bullet moving fast enough to be effective out to 600 yards particularly since the LRX has a larger cavity in the nose to aid in expansion at lower velocities. For me the .308 Win is a better choice but I don't expect that to be everyone's experience.

I have to wonder how stable that 175 LRX really is in a 1:10 twist.
 
I've been a long time hunter of whitetail with .300 Savage and .308 Win. I've used exclusively 150 grain soft points of various makes, and they really "kill deer dead." Subjective? absolutely. When I started hunting with my .280 Rem, I was astonished that it didn't kill them "deader." I got longer blood trails until I switched to a lower SD bullet, and now to an obsolete RN bullet and am duplicating the "bang flop performance" I was accustomed to.

There's something to your frontal area of the bullet theory and/or a lower SD for lighter game. The 6.5 may do it with the 120ish grain projectiles, but I'm guessing with greater damage to the edible parts.

Either choice will work well for you, but given your ".30-30" shooter tendencies, you may be more pleased with the good ol .308.
 
The .308 is a fine cartridge. However, I sold my last .30 cal a while ago in favor of cartridges in 6.5 (.260 AI) and 7 mm (7-08 and 280 AI). I don’t miss the .308.

You’ll like the 6.5 Creedmoor.
Yep, almost all mine are metric now, excluding the .223 and the .22-250(12 twist once the barrel burns out we're looking at much faster) I used to be one of the most die-hard .30 fans on this green earth, but efficiency is what it is and metrics seem to have it together on every front I care about.
 
I left the .308 for a 7mm mag, left the mag for a 7mm-08, and left behind an extra pound in rifle and scope weight. While 6.5 Creed is the new kid on the block, unless you're shooting it out an AR-10, I see no advantage to the 6.5 over the 7mm-08, which offers better performance, heavier bullets, and reduced recoils from any of the .30 cals, and WAY less than that magnum. If you want less recoil than a 7-08, just go to the .243 and be done with it.
 
I travel to hunt often so I try to pick cartridges that are common worldwide. The 308 is available everywhere. I doubt that the 6.5mm internet sensation will have that advantage for a while but it just may get there someday. Not many fellows need to consider ammunition buying ammunition in foreign places, but it is a consideration for me.
 
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