If spotting your own splashes is important, then the 6.5 and 6 are a better option than 308win - as is the 243AI. In an AR-10/LR-308, you’ll be able to get more bullet into a 6 creed case than a 243win AI and still fit into the mag. The 6.5 creed gives more splash and target response than the 6/243, and the 308win more than that, but of course the harder it hits the target, the harder it hit your shoulder too, so you’ll be less likely to see your own impacts anyway. I CAN spot my hits with my 308win, but it really needs to be past 600yrds (time of flight vs. recoil recovery), and I’m a lot slower in splits and transitions to do it. With my 6 creeds, I can spot impacts even if the target is up close.
The 243/6 have less drop and drift from a shorter ToF than the 6.5.
Pick your poison. I’d rather have a 6.5 for killing deer at 800yrds, but for everything else, I’d rather have a 6/243. Between the 6/243, the only differences are barrel life, mag length issues, and powder consumption. The 243AI will push a couple hundred FPS faster, but not a huge shift in trajectory.
For what it’s worth, the 243win AI has been one of my favorite cartridges since the late 1990’s. After shooting the 6 Creed the last two years, it also has joined those ranks. Between the two, I’m hard pressed to say which I prefer - although I DID sell off my 243 RPR when the 6 version came out, and I DID buy a 6 creed barrel to replace a 243AI tube on one of my Strikers. So maybe my actions reveal what my words don’t.
