I don't know the ammo situation in your area but around here at this point I'd still go .243, simply due to 6.5CM not being available everywhere in quantity. Besides, for your purposes I don't think you'd really need more than a .243.
As for rifles, I guess much depends on budget, but I'll let others far more qualified comment on that one.
Shooting factory ammo, I think the 243 is the best choice, then 260. Lots of different ammo readily available for the 243, more so than the 260 where I live. With that said I have both, a 243 and Creedmoor. Only Creedmoor ammo I have ever found locally was the Superformance/129 SST loads. Did not shoot well in my particular rifle-2.5"+ groups. Handloaded hunting rounds are much better, 1" or less.
I am also having another Creedmoor built. I think it is the perfect, low recoil, whitetail cartridge. However, it will not do anything a 243 or 260 cannot do. Personally, I like the heavier 6.5 bullet choices.
If cost is a consideration, pick up a 700 ADL in 243 from Academy Sports-<400.00. Swap stock and trigger for a nice low cost rig.
Rick Grimes for Governor "This isn't a democracy anymore"
Thinking about getting a Low recoil deer rifle for hunting from ranges of say 25 yards to 400 yards.Prefer stainless rifle
The cartridges I am thinking about are 243 Winchester,6.5 Creedmore,Maybe 260 Remington.
I will be using on deer weights of approx 150 Pound average,some a little more and some a little less.
I will be shooting FACTORY ammo ONLY.
Which cartridge would you prefer and why? Which rifle and why?
Thank
One of the 6.5 Creed's advantages is the excellent factory ammo from Hornady and Winchester/Olin. Deer aren't hard to kill, so either will do, but the 129 grain Hornady SST factory load, at least in the lots the I've shot, have been very accurate and in a very small sample size, deadly.
I would agree that 243 factory ammo is exponentially more common than 6.5 Creedmoor, but anyone who plans ahead can order it from an on-line retailer and have it delivered to his/her mailbox, usually within a couple of days.
I have RAR-Predators in both 243 and 6.5 Creed. Both are accurate with factory ammo, with the advantage going to the Creed. Both rifle are set up with the same rings and scopes, so they are as equal as two randomly purchased factory built rifles could be. I'm happy with both.
Howa is now making the 1500 in 6.5 Creed and if SAS can sell them for $330, that would be a heck of a buy. AFAIK, Howa and Savage are the only manufacturers currently cataloging a stainless rifle in 6.5 Creed.
AFAIK, Howa and Savage are the only manufacturers currently cataloging a stainless rifle in 6.5 Creed.
I think Ruger still catalogs a couple heavyweights, Hawkeye Predator and Target.
Kimber catalogs the Montana, Adirondack, and the new Hunter, but not sure how long it will be until a Montana or Hunter in 6.5CR is actually available for sale.
I don't know the ammo situation in your area but around here at this point I'd still go .243, simply due to 6.5CM not being available everywhere in quantity. Besides, for your purposes I don't think you'd really need more than a .243.
This. And a Kimber Montana.
Last edited by TexasPhotog; 01/24/16.
"The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that lightening ain't distributed right." - Mark Twain
Without a doubt the 243. Also if I was doing factory only at 6.5 CM recoil levels, I'd do a 7mm-08 before I did the 6.5. Another outstanding low recoiling cartridge.
With your outer limit at 400yds., I'd go Creedmoor. The 140 A-max factory load is very accurate, and poison for deer.
"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing." Robert E. Howard
I have all three, including a .243 twisted for longer bullets, and they'll all work. But if limited to one would probably go Creedmoor. While .243 ammo may be sold in every store, it may not be available in the best load.
As 260remguy noted, ammo can be delivered to your door--and I have found often a cheaper prices than local stores. (And no, there's no hazmat fee on shipped ammo). Find you which load your rifle likes, then buy a bunch.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
Thinking about getting a Low recoil deer rifle for hunting from ranges of say 25 yards to 400 yards.Prefer stainless rifle
The cartridges I am thinking about are 243 Winchester,6.5 Creedmore,Maybe 260 Remington.
I will be using on deer weights of approx 150 Pound average,some a little more and some a little less.
I will be shooting FACTORY ammo ONLY.
Which cartridge would you prefer and why? Which rifle and why?
Thank
One of the 6.5 Creed's advantages is the excellent factory ammo from Hornady and Winchester/Olin. Deer aren't hard to kill, so either will do, but the 129 grain Hornady SST factory load, at least in the lots the I've shot, have been very accurate and in a very small sample size, deadly.
I would agree that 243 factory ammo is exponentially more common than 6.5 Creedmoor, but anyone who plans ahead can order it from an on-line retailer and have it delivered to his/her mailbox, usually within a couple of days.
I have RAR-Predators in both 243 and 6.5 Creed. Both are accurate with factory ammo, with the advantage going to the Creed. Both rifle are set up with the same rings and scopes, so they are as equal as two randomly purchased factory built rifles could be. I'm happy with both.
Howa is now making the 1500 in 6.5 Creed and if SAS can sell them for $330, that would be a heck of a buy. AFAIK, Howa and Savage are the only manufacturers currently cataloging a stainless rifle in 6.5 Creed.
Hi Called myself looking for a Stainless Howa 6.5 Creedmore and cant seem to find one. Who is SAS for a blued one for $330.? I called a Local sportsmans warehouse and they have a blued Ruger American rifle 6.5 Creedmore for $430.00 ouch
SAS is shortactionsmoker, he manages Whittaker's Gun in Owensboro, KY.
I don't know if Whittaker's has any of the Howa 1500s in 6.5 Creedmoor, but Legacy Sports has the 1500s cataloged in 6.5 Creedmoor, so they should be hitting gun shop shelves soon. Whittaker's currently has Howa 1500 chambered for a variety of cartridges, even 6.5x55, for $330.
I think that I was wrong about the 1500s being stainless. The 1500 barreled actions are listed on page 37 of the Legacy Sports cataloged in blued and grey cerakote. I must have mistaken the cerakote for stainless. 'Sorry for the misinformation.
