Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game First rifle for young hunter; 7-08 vs 6.5 Creed

New guy here. Enjoy reading the thread. Been hunting my entire life. Mainly deer. Grab a good bolt 243 win and run a 100 grain Hornady interlock at 2800 to 2900 fps and keep your knife sharp. Wont kick bad and will fill freezers no problem. I got my son a vanguard youth model. Very accurate and tough gun. Just my opinion. That heavier bullet from the -08 or creed will help with an elk though. A 6.5x55 would be cool.

My son was a smallish boy growing up. I took a Tikka T3, trimmed the stock, stuffed plastic sacks in the stock's butt, put a Conquest 3-9x on it, and downloaded 120 BT's to 2700fps. It was a very mild kicker, and a flat out game killing machine up through mule deer sized game, including many aoudad when we were pissed off at 'em and culling on friend's ranches. With today's bullets available in the 6.5CM, I don't see a bad choice between the two, especially if you will add a suppressor.....makes 'em both a real pussycat.

Welcome to the Fire.

DF

I realize that, but that's where I took it

I remember when the 7-08 was considered a lady's gun. Now it's a fire-breathing dragon. Hmm?

I do agree that the Model Seven is a sucky design for recoil. The only time I ever caught a scope in the brow was a M-7 in 7-08.

Thanks dirtfarmer, I think anything on a 308 case would do the trick. I remember when I was little I had to hunt with my dad's '06 and It would bust the hell outta me. Actually missed game because of the recoil. 7mm-08 would be a lifelong gun too. Never need anything bigger. Just had alot of luck with a 243 win. Fast twist for 105s and run 70s at coyotes.

Not sure about the fire breathing dragon, but I think most legit hunters have figured out you don't need a cartridge that requires a crash helmet and mouthpiece to kill big game animals.

I talked to a hunting buddy of mine the other day and he said he likes "near BB gun kick" whenever possible. Guy is probably 55yrs old, 6'3", 220lbs. He's got aches and pains and shoulder issues. We shoot a lot of 6.5CM, 7mm-08, .270Win, and .308Win at our hunting property. They aren't too rough on a guy, overall.

Do you really think that's what you need to shoot a 7-08?

Exactly the opposite of what I posted. Re-read it and try again.

I dont see how, similar size weight, lengths, in plastic stocks, only difference is recoil pad manufacturer, I dont know who makes the kimber. Kimber may be a little lighter, but we havent thrown scope setup in the mix either....

So full size guns are better to start youth out on?

I guess I'm a bad father, we'll just keep rockin and rollin with the model 7 in 708...

👍

The only thing I'm talking about is the fact that those two rifles have different stock geometries, and stock fit to the shooter is an important component of perceived recoil.

The hunter sure feels great, as good as the 7. My buddy has contemplated selling his, he usually shoots his 700 ss/syn he had chopped down to 20in in 708 or his 7 like mine in 708. But he got bit by the 6.5 bug. The hunter is punishing for both of us. We both werent expecting that kind of recoil. It wasnt just me. His daughter handed it back to him after she shot it also.

I did have a youth model 7 in wood stock in 708, it was rough. I agree that would be a terrible choice for a kid. I was reducing loading at the time for that gun but ended up getting rid of it.

I still have the old walnut model 7 243 my father bought me when I was nine.

It's almost certainly the way the rifles fit you folks, and/or recoil pads. If you look at the powder quantities, bullet weights and velocities for the two cartridges you'll see the physics of the situation says the recoil of the two cartridges can't be such that one is easy going and the other punishing.

So close, I would get same as a buddy w reload gear. We need to come together on this type stuff, will save us money and build friendship

We have a 6.5 CM and a 7mm-08 that our 3 boys have used on several deer and elk.

Assuming you reload.....if I had to pick one, it would be the 7mm-08, especially with elk on the menu. The 6.5 CM was better for when they were 10 and under because I could load up 100g BTs at 2700 FPS, which were very mild. Otherwise, the high BC 6.5 bullets don't give you much of an advantage at ranges most kids are capable of shooting at. The 6.5 was perfect for deer, though.

The 6.5 isn't very forgiving on elk with anything other than a boiler room shot, which is certainly possible with kids and field shooting conditions. The 7mm-08 with 140 ABs is a solid elk setup, kid or adult, and we usually get exit holes.

How is a 6.5 with a good 140 grain bullet noticeably less effective than a 7-08 shooting the same?

IMO. If you had the same exact rifles chambered in 6.5 CM and 7mm 08, and were Shooting factory ammo with the same bullet weight. Then you could do an apples to apples comparison regarding recoil. Otherwise its just speculation. I have and like both. There is no wrong choice here. I would choose the 6.5 CM simply on the availability of good factory ammo on the shelves

IIRC, you’ve “advanced” from 7RM to 7-08. Guess you’d take the bigger gun to Africa. But for most everything else….

DF