6.5creedmoor vs 7mm08 for whitetails under 350 yards

[MudRunner2005]

You won't see much difference between the 7-08 and 6.5cm in terminal performance. Another option is the 308 with 168eldm. That's a deer slaying sucker too

Everyone seems to forget about the .308 Win these days... The original short-action badass. If it weren't for the .308 Win, and the popularity craze it caused in the private sector amongst BR shooters, none of these other cartridges would even exist.

 

[GonzoK34]

The 308 isn't a has been, not by a long shot. 168s worked for me out to 650 yards on deer everywhere I hunted. The 6.5 CM is certainly a solid step up from the 243 for young kids and the ladies. Recoil is acceptable.
In Vietnam the M14, 7.62x51 worked just fine on some exceptional long range shots against VC/NVA during my tours as an infantry/Recon Marine.
Ballistic, trajectory, wind drift and recoil favor the 6.5s.
It's a new age and we all are benefiting.
SEMPER FIDELIS
Remember to Pray for our Deployed Service Members

 

[WildRose]

It isn't a "has been" it's simply been surpassed in pretty well every respect by more modern cartridges.

It will still do exactl what it was designed for very well but we have many faster and flatter 30's available today that exceed anything it was or is capable of.

 

[MudRunner2005]

WR, it will do better thanks to technology giving us better bullets, powders, and brass than what was available even 20 years ago.

Sure, there's much flatter and faster shooting .30's, but new tech has breathed some new life into it for sure, and really narrows the gap between old and new.

 

[WildRose]

WR, it will do better thanks to technology giving us better bullets, powders, and brass than what was available even 20 years ago.

Sure, there's much flatter and faster shooting .30's, but new tech has breathed some new life into it for sure, and really narrows the gap between old and new.

Not really as the new are constantly benefitting from the same things that are giving the .308 new life.

Hey, don't forget I own quite a few of them myself and love them but it is what it is.

 

[Susquatch]

It isn't a "has been" it's simply been surpassed in pretty well every respect by more modern cartridges.

It will still do exactl what it was designed for very well but we have many faster and flatter 30's available today that exceed anything it was or is capable of.

Very true. However.......

One can always find faster flatter cartridges EVEN among the oldest cartridges - eg 300 WinMag vs 30-06 vs 308 vs 30-30. That is NOT the issue because that assumes that newer flatter and faster is always better. It simply isn't.

Flatter and Faster usually means more kick. More kick usually means more flinch and more flinch usually means more misses. I would never hand a 300 Win Mag with 220gr bullets to any new hunter let alone my 12yr old Granddaughter.

Despite the "long range" spirit of this forum, hundreds of thousands of us whitetail and hog hunters hunt edges and farmland where a really long shot might be 450 yards and a close shot might be 5 feet.

If you pay attention to what the bullet manufacturers say, you will also find that many bullets have a preferred velocity for given ranges for given game. Driving a light deer bullet at extreme velocity actually reduces penetration and increases frangibility resulting in lost game. Driving a heavy bullet at Iow velocity on light game reduces expansion and can also result in lost game.

Any hunter prowling the swamps bogs and hardwood forests of North America is "usually" (but not always) better off hunting with one of those "old" technology 308s or 260s or 7-08s or 243s than any powder hungry magnum.

And then there is range manners. Nobody I know willingly sets up his fun gun next to Mr Super Magnum anything. But a 308, 7-08, 260, CM, or even a 30-06 is usually welcome.

And let's not forget barrel life!

I AM NOT KNOCKING THE LATEST AND GREATEST BIG MAGS HERE! I am just saying that almost any cartridge you can name has its place, it's game size, it's purpose, and it's pros and cons.

I simply don't buy the "newer bigger faster flatter" is ALWAYS better argument. In my deer camp we don't argue over whose cartridge is newer bigger better faster or flatter. We argue about who is the better hunter and who is the better shot because that's what puts meat in the freezer no matter what cartridge they shoot.

 

[WalksLikeADeer]

There has been a huge surge in 6.5creedmoor lately and I think I want to jump in on that train. I do already own a 7mm08 for my wife and she loves the rifle... many people on here would say "since you already have reloading dies for that why not stick with it"...well I am a tinkerer so a new caliber is always welcome in our stable. My concerns are two fold though...is the 6.5creedmoor here to stay or will it become difficult to find ammo over the counter and brass for reloading? Is the 6.5cm truly a good whitetail caliber OR is it more towards the unsuitable side similar to a 243 (I am a believe in dead is dead so why not have the horse power if you do not mind the recoil). yes I know plenty of 243s have killed a ton of deer but I still think it is a marginal caliber for strictly deer.

6.5 and 7mm will both kill deer plenty dead. As far as .243 Win being an effective deer caliber, over 40 bucks without ever having to track a single one and throw in a few elk and black bear one shot kills and I think you have your answer...

 

[stx]

Have you considered putting a muzzle brake on your wife's rifle ? Best money spent if she hates recoil.

Completely agree! With a left shoulder replacement and 12 screws in my right shoulder(I'm right handed), I have muzzle brakes on everything.....I love to shoot but my shoulder can't handle the recoil like it could when I was younger......recoil is NO LONGER an issue! Your wife can enjoy shooting any caliber she chooses without recoil if she has a brake!

 

[SP101]

Completely agree! With a left shoulder replacement and 12 screws in my right shoulder(I'm right handed), I have muzzle brakes on everything.....I love to shoot but my shoulder can't handle the recoil like it could when I was younger......recoil is NO LONGER an issue! Your wife can enjoy shooting any caliber she chooses without recoil if she has a brake!

A break is hard on the ears though.

 

[hseII]

A break is hard on the ears though.

We should all be wearing hearing protection regardless if brakes or without.

Surefire offers the ear plugs that allow you to hear but greatly reduce muzzle blast for less than $20/pair.

We are living in the best times to shoot: don't ruin your hearing like so many of us have.

 

[hseII]

Very true. However.......

One can always find faster flatter cartridges EVEN among the oldest cartridges - eg 300 WinMag vs 30-06 vs 308 vs 30-30. That is NOT the issue because that assumes that newer flatter and faster is always better. It simply isn't.

Flatter and Faster usually means more kick. More kick usually means more flinch and more flinch usually means more misses. I would never hand a 300 Win Mag with 220gr bullets to any new hunter let alone my 12yr old Granddaughter.

Despite the "long range" spirit of this forum, hundreds of thousands of us whitetail and hog hunters hunt edges and farmland where a really long shot might be 450 yards and a close shot might be 5 feet.

If you pay attention to what the bullet manufacturers say, you will also find that many bullets have a preferred velocity for given ranges for given game. Driving a light deer bullet at extreme velocity actually reduces penetration and increases frangibility resulting in lost game. Driving a heavy bullet at Iow velocity on light game reduces expansion and can also result in lost game.

Any hunter prowling the swamps bogs and hardwood forests of North America is "usually" (but not always) better off hunting with one of those "old" technology 308s or 260s or 7-08s or 243s than any powder hungry magnum.

And then there is range manners. Nobody I know willingly sets up his fun gun next to Mr Super Magnum anything. But a 308, 7-08, 260, CM, or even a 30-06 is usually welcome.

And let's not forget barrel life!

I AM NOT KNOCKING THE LATEST AND GREATEST BIG MAGS HERE! I am just saying that almost any cartridge you can name has its place, it's game size, it's purpose, and it's pros and cons.

I simply don't buy the "newer bigger faster flatter" is ALWAYS better argument. In my deer camp we don't argue over whose cartridge is newer bigger better faster or flatter. We argue about who is the better hunter and who is the better shot because that's what puts meat in the freezer no matter what cartridge they shoot.

Harrumph!!

 

[WildRose]

Very true. However.......

One can always find faster flatter cartridges EVEN among the oldest cartridges - eg 300 WinMag vs 30-06 vs 308 vs 30-30. That is NOT the issue because that assumes that newer flatter and faster is always better. It simply isn't.

Flatter and Faster usually means more kick. More kick usually means more flinch and more flinch usually means more misses. I would never hand a 300 Win Mag with 220gr bullets to any new hunter let alone my 12yr old Granddaughter.

Despite the "long range" spirit of this forum, hundreds of thousands of us whitetail and hog hunters hunt edges and farmland where a really long shot might be 450 yards and a close shot might be 5 feet.

If you pay attention to what the bullet manufacturers say, you will also find that many bullets have a preferred velocity for given ranges for given game. Driving a light deer bullet at extreme velocity actually reduces penetration and increases frangibility resulting in lost game. Driving a heavy bullet at Iow velocity on light game reduces expansion and can also result in lost game.

Any hunter prowling the swamps bogs and hardwood forests of North America is "usually" (but not always) better off hunting with one of those "old" technology 308s or 260s or 7-08s or 243s than any powder hungry magnum.

And then there is range manners. Nobody I know willingly sets up his fun gun next to Mr Super Magnum anything. But a 308, 7-08, 260, CM, or even a 30-06 is usually welcome.

And let's not forget barrel life!

I AM NOT KNOCKING THE LATEST AND GREATEST BIG MAGS HERE! I am just saying that almost any cartridge you can name has its place, it's game size, it's purpose, and it's pros and cons.

I simply don't buy the "newer bigger faster flatter" is ALWAYS better argument. In my deer camp we don't argue over whose cartridge is newer bigger better faster or flatter. We argue about who is the better hunter and who is the better shot because that's what puts meat in the freezer no matter what cartridge they shoot.

This is the LRH site and as such that's the focus here.

If you're not shooting over 200yds it doesn't matter a whole lot what you are shooting as long as you select an appropriate bullet.

In any given circumstance though flat shooting is important to most hunters however particularly if they are shooting in the 100-400yds range where probably 90% or more of the big game in the US is taken. It's pretty uncomplicated if all you have to do is move your aimpoint from the heart are to the top or slightly above the shoulder and if you're running in the 2850-3400fps range that's all you need at those ranges along with a bullet that'll get the job done.

The older cartridges are still excellent for what they were developed and intended to do but as it has since the invention of the first hand cannons over 800 years ago time and technology have both advanced and we have much better versions to work with today particularly when you start moving out beyond that 400yds range.

You can launch a .30-30 round a thousand yards but your odds of killing anything with it beyond 300 are pretty slim.

The difference in flight time between the .308win and .300 Rum can be a couple of steps by a deer or elk turning a perfect one shot kill shot into a mortally wounding shot.

 

[barleydog]

everyone should own both a 6.5 and 7mm in every variant they come in....every **** one....if yer an American that is....then ya need every caliber before and aft...every **** one of em….and 10000 bullets for each....and three wives...every American needs three wives....to clean all them **** guns

 

[Bravo 4]

....and three wives...every American needs three wives....

Just not at the same time, that's un-American! It's what the enemy does, why do you think they are so dang unhappy all the time? That's where all the hate and discontent comes from.