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

Right on Mr Dirt! Hope all is well with you.

My choice 7mm-08

We did find the wound channels with the 7mm-08/140 ABs to be more substantial, and penetration was also very good. With 100+ fps higher muzzle velocity and a little bigger bullet, those result seemed pretty reasonable. 6.5 was with 129 ABLRs and 130 ABs and usually found those under offside hide, where 7mm-08 w/140 ABs usually left a nickel to quarter sized exit. It's not going to make the difference between a dead or live elk, but I do have a more confidence in the 7mm-08 on elk based on our experience.

I re-read and tried again.
I think we're talking about different schit.

Of course, I may not be a legit hunter.

Look, the essence of my post is that things have changed amongst the general hunting public. IMO, the uber magnumi, hard kicking cartridges that many believed were necessary to kill deer are in the past. I was one of them. Super accurate, lighter kicking ones seem to be the trend nowadays and I'm one of those now, as I use shoot a lot of game with 6.5CM and 7-08, suppressed. They are a dream to shoot, and kill very efficiently.

No schit. I've been using a 7-08 since the 80's when they came out in the M-7.
The essence of my post was that the 7-08 used to be considered a pussycat to shoot and now some people act like it's a freaking .375 compared to the Creed.

Have watched the same evolution w/ the .270 Win.

From weak sister to the manly .30-06... to hard-kickin' beast to the gentle 6.5 CM.


Same round.

Just right.




GR

Yep.

Same hit with either caliber 140 g bullet will yield same result.

This has been good for me. I've learned a bit and sorted out my own mind some more. If the rifle were going to be mine, as a reloader my head says 7-08 and my heart says 6.5 Creed.

This is for a smallish young woman who has no idea what she wants, yet. I looked at some more rifles today, (Ruger American, two versions of Savage Axis, Remington, Browning, surprised at how much I liked the Mossberg Patriot Bantam). They gave me a heads up about a Christmas sale coming.

We are one week into a leisurely quest, and if the right deal comes along in .308 I can load it down for her, though long term she should depend on factory loads. Thanks to all for the input, much appreciated.

Plastic bags? Who does that?





P

I assume he put weight in the bags. I've added weight to stocks to reduce recoil, and it is effective.

Asking the young gentleman, which of the two, or the rifle, he wants, may just be the way to go.

As an aside, and just because I want to talk about it, and nothing you can do about that, here is a thought on a gun for a young hunter:

Whay not start with a singleshot?



Bought such one in .308 Win. for my 14 year old. My idea was, to benefit from the virtual impossibility of any user induced mishaps.
Rifle is carried unloaded and loaded on stand. Rifle per default is uncocked until you get ready to shoot. After the shot, rilfe is obviously safe - as the cartridge is spent and the gun can not be opened while cocked.

To screw up, one would have to set aside a cocked rifle - thats about it. While realizing that we should never rely on mechanics to safety - complexity adds to the pressure.

Good on y'all getting young guys shooting.

How does that work? 140s will come out of both at similar speeds, +/- 100 fps.

In essence much depends on the owner’s ability to either reload or not. If comparing 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08 Rem, or 308 WCF to a non handloader, the 6.5 Creedmoor and 308 WCF are way out front. The 308 WCF outstrips the 6.5 Creedmoor by quite a bit when you can buy 125, 130, 150, 155, 165, 168, 175, 178, 180 and 185 grain loads over the counter with several multiple bullet designs. The 6.5 Creedmoor has several bullet designs as well but less varying weights sold over the counter.

If a handloader, all three can be made to serve on 90+ percent of game pursued. The choice would be on how often large game (700-1300 lbs) is pursued. All three are fairly the same on game at 400 yards (6.5mm 140 gr, 7mm 150 gr, 7.62mm 165 gr), except wounding with a bigger bore and heavier .30 caliber 180 gr, or even 200 gr bullet load can offer some advantage on large game like elk and moose at or inside 250 yards. Obviously if you’re looking at 600 yard shots the 6.5mm and 7mm would be easier on wind drift, however with today’s technology in ranging, doping and scope use the 308 WCF is plenty capable. Beyond that the 6.5mm and 7mm are superior on paper and easier to make hits with.

All three behave well for bullet expansion due to impact velocities when compared to magnums. They offer speeds that balance well on bullet resistance, expansion and penetration using several types of bullet designs.

All can be loaded down with hunting hand loads and bullet weights giving 13-18 ft-lbs recoil level. The chosen chamber really depends on what you intend to predominantly use the rifle for.

Elk won’t tell. Dead elk don’t talk much anyway.

Statistically it takes a huge cohort (sampling) to establish confidence when measuring subtle differences. Less the difference, larger the required sampling.

So, what we mostly see in these situations are anecdotal conclusions that are not statistically sustainable.

And then throw in variables of bullet construction and type used, range, where hit, etc.

But, I do appreciate opinions and first hand experiences.

IMO.

DF

Not sure why you guys humor a gunngrabber like goosefugger when she wants to talk rifles.

Started my boy with a loaded down 7mm08, either would work.

I'm a huge fan of the 7mm-08 and have owned 6 of them, including the one my daughter is currently shooting. I have never owned a 6.5CM, but if I was picking a new gun for a youth today (or adult for that matter), it would be a 6.5CM, based solely on ammo and component availability.

I don't think you could tell the difference in performance if you shot 100 deer. Elk......maybe 1 out of 100......maybe....

260 rem if you can find one.

What exactly does a 260 Remington do that a 6.5 Creedmoor won’t, except not accommodate long 6.5 bullet loads in a std 2.825” short action (SA).

That’s the reason Hornady picked up the 6.5mm and redefined it as a properly designed 6.5mm with 8 twist and a usable COAL without the seating and load complications for the average hunter or target user. Lapua also knew well and good that to operate high BC heavy bullets in a true SA with 6.5mm loads you’d need a reduced case length and their 6.5x47 was developed to do just that.

On another note, Remington never supports their cartridges very well. They threw in the towel on so many cartridges that carry the Remington name it’s hard to keep track. In fairness the 260 Remington development had little to do with Remington and more to do with the work of Jim Carmichael who developed it as the 6.5 Panther in the early 80s. In another twist Art Alphin of A-Square submitted SAAMI specs and drawings well before Remington did on the cartridge as the 6.5-08 A-Square. Somehow Big Green got the glory due to industry clout and the 260 Remington was born. It’s a great cartridge, it just has some COAL quirks when using full potential length 6.5mm projectiles. It does nothing in the field a 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5x55SE, 6.5x47 Lapua, or 6.5-06 won’t do using a 0.473” bolt on a std SA or LA.