A do-all rifle for 700yd deer...don't drink the CMKoolaid if actual 700yd shots are likely. The 6.5 cal is likely a good choice, but not the small-capacity CM case. If most of your shots will be closer, and you'd like the option of maybe learning how to shoot animals to 700, then the CM is not a bad choice, with the right bullets. A 700 yd shot in OK is not Creedmoor-friendly, in my opinion. You'll need more speed.

And there are a lot of great off-the-shelf options for rifles now, like the Tikka, or for a bit more money, the Barrett Fieldcraft. A lot of guys think these two constitute the perfect hunting rifle. Just make sure you are pushing enough lead if your goal is actually 700yd hunting. I hunt and shoot in the mountains at higher altitudes where the air is less dense, and even mild wind gets pretty difficult to call at 600yds, which is the farthest I practice. I'd not hunt a CM at 700yd for big animals.


I belong on eroding granite, among the pines.