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Joined: Sep 2005
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OP
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Ttying to distract myself as I am sitting by my wife as she is sleeping in the hospital. I want to add a bolt action rifle that will be used for deer hunting in Georgia. I am looking at the Tikka T3X. I don’t plan on handloading. I want ammo to be easy to find. I don’t like a lot of recoil or muzzle blast. I am thinking.308 or 6.5 Creedmoor. What would you choose and why?
“Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person” -Fred Bear
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15,314 Likes: 2
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15,314 Likes: 2 |
Peas in a pod for deer. Find the rifle you like in either one. Great choices for factory ammo.
Semper Fi
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Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 4,680
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 4,680 |
Those 2 are going to win the ammo availability game if you're just shopping in Wal-Mart, Academy, etc. Recoil in 6.5 is negligible to me and 308 isn't bad either, but definitely a little more. If you're willing to buy ammo online, Norma has some outstanding deals on 308 ammo right now. Hope all's well with your wife!
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Joined: Jan 2008
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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Joined: Sep 2013
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2013
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EZ button. What I would choose.
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Joined: Aug 2010
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 48,113 Likes: 12 |
Peas in a pod for deer. Find the rifle you like in either one. Great choices for factory ammo. Exactly. They will both shoot very well and ammo will be easy to find for either one. Recoil is slightly less with the Creedmoor. OP says he doesn't like recoil, so that may be the best choice.
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style. You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole. BSA MAGA
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Joined: Sep 2022
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2022
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Hi kandpand,
If you go with a .308, I recommend Winchester Super-X .308, 180 Grain Power Point, lethal on game and very cost effective.
Best of luck Sir!
KB
Last edited by KillerBee; 11/26/22.
KB
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,359
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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I’d go Creed based on lower recoil.
Don't speculate when you don't know, and don't second guess when you do.
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Joined: Jun 2020
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2020
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Buy whichever one you want or split the difference with a 7mm-08. 7mm-08 ammo may not be as available but isn’t crazy hard to find and how much do you really need for a deer gun. All are can’t miss choices.
Best wishes for you and your wife.
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Joined: Oct 2017
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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Recoil and muzzle blast bad... look for the 6.5 in a heavier rifle with 24” barrel.
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 971
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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I would say .308. While there is a lot of Creedmoor ammo out there, most of it around me is Match ammo. I see a lot more hunting ammo in .308. For GA deer, all you need is a 150 grain bullet. There won't be a ton of difference in recoil between that and a 140 grain 6.5 bullet out of a Creedmoor.
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Joined: Mar 2013
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Campfire Tracker
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Joined: Mar 2013
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Tikka is the easy choice. 6.5 over 308 is also easy choice when it comes to recoil. I imagine you don’t shoot long distance in Georgia. But I really like 76239 out of bolt action. Cheap ammo, 3030 ballistics and can be moa shooter. I think howa still makes some rifles.
All of them do something better than the 30-06, but none of them do everything as well.
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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I like the .308 Win myself but 6.5 CM is not a bad choice either especially if you wear your hair in a manbun 😁.....Hb
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Apr 2011
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EZ button. What I would choose. Yep. My 6.5 CM has much less felt recoil then either my 3-08 or 7-08. Kills deer and hogs just as well too.
"Allways speak the truth and you will never have to remember what you said before..." Sam Houston Texans, "We say Grace, We Say Mam, If You Don't Like it, We Don't Give a Damn!"
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,233
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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Flip a coin. Either one is the Easy Button.
It's you and the bullet, and all the rest is secondary.
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,692
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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EZ button. What I would choose. Yep. My 6.5 CM has much less felt recoil then my 7-08 in the same exact platform.
BT53 "Where do they find young men like this?" Reporter Savidge, Iraq Elk, it's what's for dinner....
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Joined: Apr 2011
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Campfire Savant
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Campfire Savant
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,770 Likes: 17 |
Crudmoor, you will like it. I load 120 Barnes for my two Savages
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Joined: Sep 2009
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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Split the difference and go with a 7mm-08. I sure like mine.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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If barrel length is important for the way you hunt, then consider that the T3X has a 22" in 308, and 24" in 6.5CM
Also, while both are very affordable, 308 ammo is usually cheaper.
FÜCK Jeff_O!
MAGA
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Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 639
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2015
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EZ button. What I would choose. Yep. My 6.5 CM has much less felt recoil then my 7-08 in the same exact platform. I'll fourth this, Creedmoor would be the easy button for sure. Lots of factory ammo options, and in a decent rifle (like Tikkas) most ammo is going to shoot pretty well without any fuss. Creedmoor provides more than enough killin' for Georgia deer, but does have noticeably lower recoil than .308 in similar rifles. The only strike against the CM in Tikkas is that you're stuck with a 24" barrel versus the 22" of the .308. Not a huge factor but I prefer 22" for unsuppressed hunting rifles.
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