Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 6.5 Creedmor or 308 Win.?

They’re both good at similar things. Everything else being equal, I’d lean toward the 308 for greater barrel life.


Okie John

Always interesting to read yet another thread involving opinions of the 6.5 Creedmoor from people who've never fired one--and don't know how it's spelled.

6.5 CM target
308 win hunting

I never drove a new catty, and wasn't impressed drivin an old one either.

For Me a .308 Win does all i need and more as I only hunt whitetails in the Cumberland Mountains where 100yds is a longish shot, plus the .308 Win is reloader friendly with plenty of reloading components available....And if my buddy's saw me toting a Creedmoor of any kind they would think I had turned gay 😁....Good luck..Hb

split the difference, 7-08... that said, any of these 3 would be a good choice...

It isn't so far in my similar rifles. My lone 6.5 Creedoor, a Kimber Hunter, is a 3 shot, 100 yard 1-1.25" rifle. In fairness, I have only shot the Creedmoor a few times with factory and handloads. It has been easy to load for but hasn't given anything close to the velocities in the manuals. I just picked up three pounds of Sta-Ball 6.5 which may improve it over the H-4350 and REL-15 I have used so far.. FWIW, my .30-06 Montana is about as accurate as the GSR.

The .308's are an 18.7" Ruger GSR Synthetic and a Model 88 Winchester 22". I also have an M!A HB with a Mark 4 scope. The GSR and M88 both do 3-shot groups at 100 yards of 3/4 inch. The M1A ia a 2" 5-shot group rifle.

A previously owned Model 99E in .308 Win was a 3 shot 100 yard 1.75 to 2.5" grouping rifle with its best loads. It went to a BIL.

It's been my experience the Staball 6.5 will speed up your MV's over H4350...

I use to be strictly a 30-06 and 270 Win man, slowly I warmed up to 7mm-08 and now experimenting with 308 win. I noticed that both 7mm-08 and 308 are very easy to handload to great accuracy to the point that 7mm-08 has become my main hunting caliber. Since I use my firearms to hunt and all my shooting is focused on developing a load and practicing for a hunt I don't think I have any need for 6.5 Creedmoor. I could be wrong.

I use both for deer and prefer the Creed. Flip a coin.

The 6.5 Creedmoor has been the most well engineered cartridge to come on the scene for a long time. Yes, for target matches, but with proper bullets and conventional to lightweight rifles, they are well suited for hunting. Prior to that in my opinion is the 300WSM. The 6.5CM is super easy to load for and adequate for much of our North American big game. Apparently the perjorative crowd here likes to call any cartridge they don't approve of as "gay". Makes no sense - shoot what you like and I'll do the same.

Killing power of a creedmoor sucks when you are elk hunting. If anyone wants to chase a wounded elk for a couple miles in thick timber, they are a fool.
Can you kill an elk with a creedmoor at reasonable distance? Yes
Can you also easily lose one at those distances? Yes

Who worries about recoil when you aren’t on a bench?
I can almost guarantee anyone that has shot an elk, and lost one with a creedmoor, now hunts with a 300 wsm or similar lol.
I have been hunting with the same rifle for 30 years. 225 grain partition dumps em every time. I couldn’t give two sh!+s about ballistic coefficients at 600 yards lol.

Oh yeah, one other thing.
Got a 5x5 bull opening day this year with that outdated, heavy, inaccurate.308 lol. 95 yards

It’s funny how you can talk to bow hunters about elk hunting (likely shooting an maximum of 50 yards) and in the same day talk to a guy that thinks he needs to have the flattest shooting rifle at 800 yards. All this paper shuffling statistics is all BS. I have shot one Mule deer at 275 yards about 20 years ago. Everything else has been 150 yards or less.

More accurate? Maybe
More plastic? Definitely!

I would be shocked to find a factory rifle that outperforms anyone of my 55 yr old Sakos. Anything over 1/2” group at a 100 is a disappointment from any of them

Yep... older bro bought an ouhgt six Finnbear deluxe on closeout back in the 70's ($175)... bout 10 yrs back, 3 of us shot a group with it @ 100 yds (1 shot each) his buddy and i had never shot it before, our shots were touching... bro shot and said "fugg!, i think i flinched", (he had just finished sighting in his 870 turkey load) ... his was the flier, group measured just over .600...

SAKO !!

i think it was 2008 or '09 when i got a 6.5 Creedmoor in 15" MGM barrel for my TC Encore. then i shot several deer with it. 2 or 3 years later, i got another 6.5 CM in a 16 1/4" MGM barrel with a High Plains Saphire laminated rifle stock. i shot several deer and 2 years later i bought another 6.5 CM in a 23" MGM barrel. i shot several deer with it. i shot 120gr Nosler BT, 120gr Hornady SST, 140gr Nosler BT and 140gr Hornady SST. i used several IMR powders, Varget and Superformance. i found Superformance powder to be about with these barrels. the barrels would go on average 1/2 - 3/4" groups at 100 yards (5 shots/bench), with a couple of 1/4 - 3/8" groups at 100 yards (5 shots/bench). a few years later, i sold the barrels because i got bored with it. not harping on 6.5 caliber, but i think it is a real good caliber and it doesn't matter if you use the 6.5CM or 260 Remington or 6.5 Swede.

i had a Remington m760 in 308 Winchester. i'd use 150gr, 165gr, 170gr and 180gr Hornady with many powders. i killed many deer and one black bear (396lbs). then i got bored and sold it. if you want 308 Win speeds, then go to an old cartridge, 7.65x53 Argentine.

I have both. Kimber Hunter in 6.5CM. Adirondack in 308.

What’s not to like!

You CLUELESS Fhuqking Droolers are a hoot! Hint.

Retard Twist Rates,Living Walnut and Blued Finishes are fhuqking HILARIOUS! Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!………

Yep-
I was sure drooling after packing out my 11th bull elk! I had emergency brain surgery 4 years ago and they still can’t escape me!
Spending all this time whacking off to paper targets, b.c.’s, etc is a joke. I’ll just keep stacking animals while you laugh !