Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Which cartridge

.308. Hopefully your wife is doing ok?

I prefer the 308 to the 6.5 Cm because I like the larger bore and heavier bullets for elk hunting, and because I like the military rifles chambered in it. But if I lived where you do I'd take the 6.5CM instead because it is going to work just as well to kill deer -----and is going to kick less.
I am not bothered by recoil much but it is NOT some kind of virtue either.
Recoil may not hinder in some cases, but it's never helpful.

6.5 creed. Great factory ammunition, low recoil, and kills elk just fine.

308

308

Less gay

308 because loaded with a lot of bullets in different weights.

Low recoil = 6.5 grendel. I'd go with a Howa Mini.

243

308 Winchester is the most versatile hunting rifle ever.

That might be a stretch, but not far from it. I'd go .308 Win as well, but 6.5 Creedmoor will win out for light recoil. The reason I said .308 was the fact I was in inthe only Walmart within 20 miles of me today. Town has a population of 7K, and they only had one box of Winchester Deer Season XP Creedmoor ammunition, 5 types of .308 Win a few boxes in each, not counting 7.62X51.

Cheapest most available ammo is and will remain, 308. It’s a better fit too if you might hunt hogs or black bear, though 6.5 could handle all. The 308 however will do it in stride, without the need for premium bullets. Personally I would feel underprepared (let’s call it) hunting elk with a 243, 6.5 or 7-08, withOUT also using the best possible premium bullet such as Nosler Partition, Accubond or similar. I would not feel that way with a box of Remington 308Win 180 grain PSPCL on an elk hunt.

This kind of thinking is backerds. The guy asked about a rifle to hunt deer in Georgia.

This is what all the gun writers taught us way back when. That for your first rifle you should get something that’s good for all game in all of North America. So the first rifle I bought was a 30-06. But I never went hunting elk or grizzlies or moose.

And years ago, I had a buddy that had killed more deer and hogs than anyone I knew. Probably more than the large majority of gun writers. He’d show ya his boat paddle 12 twist 223 and say, “This is all ya need.”

Now I’m not saying everyone should hunt deer with a 223. But I also wouldn’t add the condition that they’d need premium ammo for elk if they bought something less than a 308 if they ask about a deer rifle for Georgia.

I have Tikka's in both cartridges. I'm heavily invested in 308 with several 308 rifles that I like. And I've spent time and effort working up loads that I like and trust. I tend to reach for one of the 308's 1st.

I ended up with a 6.5CM just to try one and see what the fuss was all about. It lives up to the hype and have to admit it is probably the better cartridge for most people. The only caveat is that presently I see more 308 ammo on shelves. Before the latest ammo shortage there was plenty of both. If you don't handload I'd check ammo availability 1st.

I’m a huge .308 fan, but I think you should buy the 6.5. No doubt it will kick less, and ammo is available pretty much everywhere. Just be sure to keep ahead of your needs.

If you handloaded, I’d suggest a 6.5 Grendel for even less recoil, but I just checked online and ammo is spendy and scarce right now.

Just bought my first .308, Ruger American Predator and screw a can on it. Me too much like! Ordered some 130 gr TTSX and ready for some fun under the green light, piggies beware.

Another vote for the 7-08. I have 5 of them. Also soft shooters. Load em up with 120 TTSXs or 139 Interlocks and go kill schiet.

If factory ammo, I would source the ammo before the rifle. See what’s available that works for you and buy a rifle for it.

Yes he did say he wanted to hunt deer in GA but that State also has hogs and black bear. He said his biggest concern was Ammo availability and cost and that he wasn’t a hand loader. He also asked WHY someone would recommend one over the other. I started by saying that 308 is cheap and available and will remain so for a good while longer. The 308 Ammo is cheaper primarily because it is readily available and performs well WITHOUT premium bullets. Six and 6.5 would be OK for deer with cheaper cup and core bullets but not larger, tougher game in my opinion. I thought I’d add that part in answer to the WHY of it. In other words - fine for deer but if you might cross species, you’ll need to spend $45/box for the smaller calibers. With 308 you can pretty much do it all for $25/box.

I don’t always look, but I went in Wallyworld last week and checked out the ammo isle.
It was pretty bare. Most common rifle ammo was limited to a box or two or none. There were four or more boxes of 6.5 Creedmoor, a bunch of 350 Legend and 22-250, and a decent supply of 22LR. No other rimfire that I noticed.

Not sure I’d base my rifle choice on what I saw there though. Maybe a wider search of some actual sporting goods stores might be a good idea.
I don’t know though. I have enough to hunt for the rest of my life if I was frugal with it.

I have some premium ammo for 223 and 243. And I’ve never spent $45 on a box of ammo.
But times have changed. I think all of the 6.5 Creedmoor ammo I saw was premium, and about $45.

Still, I don’t know that availability of new ammo from a retail store favors one over the other.
Rifle availability might be a different story.

Pull in here get a Crudmoor



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