Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 6.5 vs 270 vs 7mm-08

So my son is ready to upgrade from his starter gun (Rem youth model in 7mm-08) to a new gun which will handle most of his hunting for many years to come. I'm trying to use the 'pay once, cry once ' philosophy.

He started with the manufacture. He has it narrowed down somewhat to three. Gun A (top contender) is offered in 6.5 creedmoor and 270. Gun B (next in line) is offered in 6.5 creedmoor and 7mm-08. Gun C (last choice) is offered in 6.5 creedmoor, 270 and 7mm-08.

The common theme here is the 6.5 creedmore. I have been handloading for the 270 and 7mm-08 for years. I have expensive dies and sizing mandrels and other equipment for those two calibers. I would have thought either of them would be the logical choice. But with the popularity of the 6.5 I am not so sure.

So enlighten me as to why the 6.5 is so popular and a better choice for him.

98% of his hunting with this gun will be PA whitetails with an occasional trip out west for antelope and mule deer. Maybe even an elk hunt one day.

Thanks

The Creed is a far better choice than the 243 for any big game hunting but it offers less than the 7-08 or the 270 when it comes to larger game like Elk. Adding that you already load for these two the choice would be easy for me.

Buy a high quality, adult-sized stock for the 7mm-08. Absolutely no need for a new rifle.

Different take: How about putting the 7mm-08 barreled action he already has into a top of the line stock appropriate to his now grown stature?

(Someone beat me to it. )

The Creeds are a flash in the pan.....The .270 will do any job you ask and more.....it'll be here far after most of us are long gone.....ammo can be purchased anywhere.....There is a reasom why it's so popular.....to me the choice is an easy one.

It might be a Savage,,,,,wouldn't hunt with an ugly gun one's entire life would yuu?

The 6.5 Creedmoor came out in 2007, and is now more popular than ever. Pretty long flash there.

He wrote Rem youth model, thankfully.

That would be my suggestion as well. I might make it a theme to upgrade the 700 on different occasions. A new stock and trigger might be nice rather than new gun. Later a longer mag box and new barrel-action job might be on the table. I would much rather have one really nice rifle than two cheaper ones.

As far as the caliber choices the 6.5 offers great ballistics but doesn't really excel until over 600 yards. The Creedmoor is popular because for the first time manufacturers combined a short action with a platform designed to shoot the high BC bullets. For many years anyone shooting 6.5's would have to change the barrel and modify magazine size from stock configurations to take advantage of the better BC bullets.

There's nothing wrong with a 270 but the 7-08 offers the benefits of a short action and a wider range of bullet choices. It's probably my favorite caliber and I can't think of anything it couldn't handle that a 270 could.

My apologies.....I need to do a better job of reading....in this case restocking with a HS precision or McMillan would be a good choice

Place a good bullet from any of the 3, and they work. For simplicity and factory ammo, if he will not handload, a 270 like the older parent 30 version, is never a bad choice.

The first rifle I wanted was a 270, but had to settle for a 7RM, later a 243, and so many since. I have used 3 270s to good effect. Never left me wanting....

Give me a 140 Accubond or 150 Partition and I will happily hunt anything in NA, non-dangerous. Same for a like-loaded Creemoor or 7/08

The 6.5 is popular for many reasons: Great accuracy, low cost quality ammo, light recoil, and deadly results, all in factory rifles.

Better? Subjective perhaps. Those qualities above might be better for some, for others, same-same. Relative to the shooter.

For a hunting rifle that will also be used on a lot of paper and steel, recoil will be a consideration, nod going to the 6.5

I'd consider the ammo question, will one handload or likely just buy factory. No doubt the 270 has the longest track record but I doubt the other 2 will ever be obsolete.

According to Nosler Load Data, the 7mm-08 will push a 140gr Ballistic Tip, Accubond or Partition to about 2950fps using Big Game. In factory loads, about 100fps slower.

The 6.5 Creedmoor will push the same weight bullets to about 2730fps handloaded with IMR 4350 - about 2710 in factory loads.

The Creed will launch a 120gr bullet to about 3,060fps, the 7mm-08 to 3,260 when handloaded. Similarly, about 100fps slower in factory guise.

If the 200fps speed advantage is important to you, choose the 7mm-08. If you think you'd like to load 175gr bullets for some reason, choose the 7mm-08. Otherwise, IMO, there is no practical difference. High-quality factory ammo with premium bullets are available just about anywhere for each.

I haven't shot a Creed, but I have shot a 6.5x55 and a 7mm-08, and to me, recoil is a wash - fit of the individual stock seems to makes more difference in perceived recoil than the choice of cartridge.

If he REALLY thinks he is going to be shooting to 600-700 yards or beyond, the 6.5 will give a slight advantage with higher BC bullets. But remember, to take advantage of the difference, he will have to train, not just do some casual shooting for fun. - and in that case, he'll probably end up wanting a dedicated long-range rifle and an appropriate scope.

If it were me, I'd buy a Tikka T3x stainless in 7mm-08, and keep the 700 as a backup or loaner, with a slip-on recoil pad for adult use.

Any of the three will work--but I'll just note that the 6.5 Creedmoor does NOT just have an advantage beyond 600 yards. High-BC 140-147's in the Creedmoor started at 2750 catch up to typical 140 softpoints started at 3000 in the .270 at 300 yards--and drift less in the wind at any range.

I've hunted a lot with various 6.5's including the Creedmoor, .260, 6.5x55 and 6.5-06, along with the 7mm-08 and 7x57 (which is the same thing as the 7-08 in a different-shape case) and the .270. Have yet to see any difference in how they kill big game, but do know the Creedmoor offers lighter recoil and less wind-drift.

That said, why change horses now? As prairie goat suggested, the present 7mm-08 in an adult stock would work very well.

vapodog,

Mathman already pointed out that the 6.5 Creedmoor has been a "flash in the pan" (of "the latest fad") for over a decade now. It's already chambered in the majority factory bolt-action rifles in the U.S. but in Europe, and starting to become one in Europe. More ammunition factories start producing it all the time: I just got a press release from Sig Sauer on their new 6.5 CM ammo.

I'm no longer surprised to read posts where older shooters claim the Creedmoor is just the latest fad, because I've also noticed a lot of older shooters are unaware of rifle history, whether relatively recent or decades ago. But somehow the "Creedmore" seems to result in more examples of aggressive ignorance, as a friend of mine so aptly puts it.

Along with ADD, ADHD, and PTSD we now have CBHS.

To everyone that suggested a new stock with the same action and barrel : Excellent idea and one that I did not think of. However, we (I must include myself) are excited about a new gun with new features and new possibilities.

I do not see him shooting 600 yards and beyond so there goes one of the advantages of of 6.5.

As far as handloading, he says he is interested and wants to learn. That could all change quickly so I'm thinking that the one with a lot of factory offerings would be the smarter choice. But I think that is a wash. I did not realize the 6.5 had so many factory offerings.

So you all confirmed what I thought all along. I will wait to see which rifle he chooses and pick one of those three calibers that is offered in that rifle.

Thank you

My family hunts with 7mm-08s. Deer and elk. All four are stainless Tikkas, two T3, 2 T3 Superlites. All four shoot the following loads sub MOA:

120 Ballistic Tip circa 3100 fps
140 Partition circa 2875 fps
150 ELDX circa 2790 fps

Four bulls so far, one antelope, a truckload of deer.




P

yeah, just change the stock and call it good...

why reinvest the wheel.

Just a wild thought...

Restock the 7mm-08, as suggested. Then use the money allocated to the new rifle to buy.... a new rifle. But choose a chambering that is different enough to expand the opportunities. Get a 243 for light game, or a Creedmoor or a 357 lever action just because they are a lot of fun.

I am 5'10" with long arms.
I have found that, for me, adult rifles are on the long side of perfect for hunting.
Shooting at targets, wearing normal clothes, they fee, great. Wearing heavy clothes,
shooting from odd positions, I like my stocks a little shorter.

We put a youth stock on a M7 for my daughter. Add a 1 1/2" thick recoil pad and it would be about right for me to hunt with.

If I had a 7-08 to hunt deer in Pa. I wouldn't bother with any of the cartridges you mention.