6.5 creedmoore vs .243

[Varminterror]

That’s what I was thinking.

I think the “argument” the 6creed has less recoil gets kicked around so much only as a means of retorting a “hidden advantage” when Luddites state the 6creed is pointless because the 243win shoots faster. Equally, you’ll hear the retort that the 6 creed has longer barrel life. None of these 3 facts are false, but all 3 “differences” are really just distinctions without a difference in application, rather than tangible advantages or disadvantages.

When it comes to comparing the 6.5 and 243, or really these two classes of bullet weights in short action cartridges, these threads always go the same way:

• Some folks who I tend to assume have never used actually a 6mm come in and state it’s nothing but a varmint rifle.

• Others who have used them a lot defend the real world performance they’ve seen.

• A few Luddites will chime in with their “I don’t see the point in anything new when XXX was already around,” or “My YYY has been working for ZZ years, I think I’ll keep that instead,” which doesn’t actually contribute anything to the discussion.

• Then there’s a cycle of “enough is enough, but more enough is more, and in America, more is better.”

Guys can keep playing that “1 up” game - and frankly, that’s where I have found myself in the last 10yrs or so. Any time I think I might want “more enough” than a 243win or 6 creed or 6.5 Grendel, I don’t reach for a small step in performance. So I reach past a 6.5 creed, past a 7-08, past a 30-06, and grab something with around 80-100grn powder capacity. The “one rifle guy” can benefit from a middle ground rifle which is, in reality, a little too big for whitetails (and certainly so for coyotes and small game), and a little too small for elk, bear, moose, etc. But how many of us here are “one rifle guys?” How many guys who can regularly hunt elk or bear or moose, or other true big game species really can’t afford a second (or 10th) rifle? For me, if I need more than 100grn of bullet over 40ish grains of powder, I look long and hard at stuff flinging 200grn over 80+ grains of powder. Or maybe I’m just trying to justify my love affair with Magnum hunting cartridges, in an era where magnums and hunting are dying.

 

[Walkalong]

My recoil tolerance falls between the .308 and .30-06, always has, the .06 is getting sharp to me. I do not mind my .458 Win Mag, as it is a big (real big) push, and is not sharp. My two hunting rifles are a .308 and a .35 Remington, used to also have a .30-30. I'll buy the next cool handgun in a minute, even if I have two of that caliber already. Not so with rifles, so I only have a few of them. If I was into rifle like I am pistols, I would have had to run out and buy a 6.5 Creedmoor, if for no other reason that I like the 6.5 Swede and it's little brother the 6.5 CD can't be bad. But I am not into rifles that way, so I'll stick with what I have.

Funny how we are sometimes, while I think nothing of having five .32 autos, I would never dream of having five .308s. I have two .308s, a target rifle and a hunting rifle. Got it covered.

 

[Varminterror]

@Walkalong - I’m that way with shotguns. I have far and away more revolvers than rifles, but on a pie chart, I almost have to enlarge my shotgun “wedge” just to make it visible. I have to think pretty hard to even remember the dozen shotguns my wife and I have. I do almost everything I ever need to do with a 12ga Benelli Super Nova with 2 barrels. Everything else is either action shooting competition stuff or heirlooms which rarely-if-ever get fired.

When I grow up, I keep telling myself I want to get a nice exhibition grade O/U for field use, but I keep buying rifles and revolvers with the money every time I start getting close to finally scratching that itch. Only because I might go upland hunting 2-3x per season, and don’t really mind if I miss a year.

 

[cdb1]

I’m a shotgun person too.

 

[Hookeye]

I shot one deer w .243win. 100 gr bullet hit rib going in and out and lung wound looked like you shoved a fat crayon through em. D was 50 yards. Not impressed. Definitely did not come apart too soon. Deer dressed 161# iirc

 

[Hookeye]

Ran 50 yds then turned ninety degrees and walked about 75 and fell. Killed it. Guess it worked. Not as fast to drop as hoped. But then ive hammered some deer that refused to read the script. Bought diff bullets for the next yr and saw nothing big enough to shoot lol

 

[Hookeye]

I am getting older and figured w my spine and allergy issues the snap and slosh of my head by .300 winmag might be more than wanted.
Had one years ago. liked it. Have shot metal buttplate 760 rems in 30-06 and found them w 150 to 165gr to be comfy
In a t shirt. So my newest deer rifle a boring old 06. Still have .243 and 35 rem. Might get a 7mag again. Never know. Proly a 35whelen too.

 

[Captcurt]

I've never had a bullet deflect or fail to penetrate a shoulder, but axis deer arnt that large. .

I had a 90 gr Nosler BT blow up on a bambi shoulder, but it was at the extreme range of about 30 yards. All I could see was the shoulder between two trees and an eye peeking off to the side. Now in hindsight I should have shot at the eye. The deer went about 50 yards with the whole ribcage and shoulder ruined. That was my armadillo load. I also had a 95 gr BT Silvertip deflect off of a pinky-sized limb about 5 feet in front of my barrel. Of course it was at one of the best bucks that I had seen in 20 years. I'll never know if my CM or 300 WSM would have nailed him, but I doubt it.

 

[LoonWulf]

I had a 90 gr Nosler BT blow up on a bambi shoulder, but it was at the extreme range of about 30 yards. All I could see was the shoulder between two trees and an eye peeking off to the side. Now in hindsight I should have shot at the eye. The deer went about 50 yards with the whole ribcage and shoulder ruined. That was my armadillo load. I also had a 95 gr BT Silvertip deflect off of a pinky-sized limb about 5 feet in front of my barrel. Of course it was at one of the best bucks that I had seen in 20 years. I'll never know if my CM or 300 WSM would have nailed him, but I doubt it.

I've had rounds skip off trees, and shot rocks right I front of me a couple times. Haven't found a round that will go thru lava rock, but I'm still searching!
Haven't had a shoulder stop, or bounce, a bullet yet. I do tend to run them heavy tho

 

[LoonWulf]

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

Stop shooting them in the ribs!


Those are delicious........

 

[LoonWulf]

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...

One of the nastiest little rifles I've ever shot was my plastic stocked Savage 11 in .243
My loads we're actually very mild, 100sp at 2800fps (duplicated Winchester's 100gr PowerPoint load from the same gun). Even then that thing stung

The .243 I just finished for my wife weights about 1/2lb more and is super comfortable to shoot.

 

[Mosin Bubba]

One of the nastiest little rifles I've ever shot was my plastic stocked Savage 11 in .243
My loads we're actually very mild, 100sp at 2800fps (duplicated Winchester's 100gr PowerPoint load from the same gun). Even then that thing stung

I don't know why, but 243s kick more than you'd think. Not as much as say an '06, but they are sharper than the ballistics might suggest.

 

[Captcurt]

One of the nastiest little rifles I've ever shot was my plastic stocked Savage 11 in .243
My loads we're actually very mild, 100sp at 2800fps (duplicated Winchester's 100gr PowerPoint load from the same gun). Even then that thing stung

The .243 I just finished for my wife weights about 1/2lb more and is super comfortable to shoot.

I bought one of the 11's in 338 Federal It will be interesting to see how the recoil is with it. The ultra-lite rifles can be deceiving. I had one of the Kimber Hunters that weighed 5 3/4 lbs. in 257 Roberts. It was a pretty stiff jolt. Worse than my 300 WSM.

 

[joseywales76]

Iam guessing you're buddy wants to Stay with a short action.

Get the 6.5cm on a short action it will be more versitable.

Building a 243 260 or 708 on a long action with some freebore really wakes these rounds up

 

[Legionnaire]

Good discussion. Were I starting out today, I think it would be hard not to select a 6.5 Creedmoor. It is a very capable round. I shot .30 cals for a lot of years (.308, .30-06, a few .300 Win Mags) but have given them up in favor of smaller bores: .243 Win and Ackley, .260 Rem and Ackley, and 7mm08, 7x57, even a 7 SAUM. No doubt a lot of overlap in the lineup right now, but I like playing with them. It would be hard to pick only one, but if I had to, I'd probably keep the .260 Ackley. But for a newbie, I'd definitely recommend the 6.5 Creedmoor.