Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .243 ~ 25-06 ~ 6.5 CM ~ 6.5 x 55 ~ 7mm08

I would personally throw the 25-06 out from the beginning. It shoots low BC bullets really fast. So does the .243, but the .243 can also shoot pretty high BC bullets reasonably fast. Same could be said for your 22-250, if you've got enough twist in your barrel for the 75's. So on that line, I'd probably throw out the .243 unless your 22-250 isn't legal for deer wherever you are located.

The 7-08 would be my next to throw out. It is really just a little 30-06. A 140 7mm bullet and a 165 .308 bullet are the same SD, and these two cartridges can push them to about the same velocities. I personally don't see what one of those two does that the other doesn't until you get to a 200 grain Partition on something that might eat you. If someone had a 7-08 and wasn't hunting bears, I'd conversely wonder what they were hoping to accomplish by adding a 30-06.

That leaves the 6.5's. The Creedmoor and the Swede are basically interchangeable. I've seen Quickload predictions that put them within less than 50 fps of each other. The Creedmoor is the obvious choice if you want a short action or the ability to get decent factory ammo. The Swede has the best buy on Lapua brass, and a 147 ELD at 3.150" pretty much puts the shank/boat tail junction of the bullet right at the shoulder/neck junction of the case while having more room for RL26. Either one can blast a 123-130 class bullet at close to or over 3,000 fps, which is the same ballistics as the .243 with 105's, while having the option to go higher in bullet weight/BC if one desired. On the other side, a 95 VMax or 100 BT, TTSX, or Partition should be capable of 3150-3300 fps.

Not much that needs to be added to this, my thoughts exactly. I will say I've had my last 6.5x55, it's a good chambering, but doesn't do anything that the 6.5 Creedmoor doesn't with better rifle, ammo, component and full power load data availability. The easy button for this question is a Creedmoor in whatever flavor you prefer, a couple lbs of RL16, and some bullets matching your specific needs. I've been shooting Hornady brass in my 6.5s for a while, but with the good reports going around about Starline and Peterson, I'll have to upgrade my next batch and give them a try.

There is no "gap" between 22-250 and 30-06.