Looking to buy a new Tikka rifle, torn between a 6.5CM or 7mm/08, will use for Deer hunting mostly, any pros or cons

Both are great deer cartridges. If you're not handloading then the 6.5 will likely be the better option for ammo availability and variety.

Six, half dozen the other for deer. If choosing the 6.5, I would stay with somewhat lighter cup and core bullet for deer. I took two deer with the 6.5 140 grain accubonds that did not open up much or leave much of a blood trail. Both deer recovered, but it took some tracking. Both double lung shots. Never had any trouble with 6.5 or 7mm cup and core like Hornady Interlock etc.

In the 6.5's ballistic twin 260 Remington we've obtained fine results on deer/pigs with 120 grain Ballistic Tips, 129 grain Interlocks, 125 grain Partitions and some factory loaded 120 grain SST's in Remington Accutip ammunition.

In the 7mm08 it's been all good with 139 & 162 grain Interlocks and 120 grain Sierras.

IMO, both of these cartridges are right in the "plenty of thump, yet easy to shoot" zone for deer cartridges.

Either one will do what you're looking for.

7-08 is my personal favorite, do anything, round. An 8 twist 260 Rem is my choice for 6.5.

Ok thanks, I think I am leaning towards the 7mm/08

Any particular reason?

Are you a handloader?

Deer hunting and antelope with SA .473” bolt gun any 6mm, .257, 6.5mm would due nicely. For deer and elk in SA I’d go with 7-08 Rem or 308 Win.

For just deer hunting, I agree with mathman on this one. The pros to having a 6.5 creedmoor outweigh having a 7mm08. If you were stepping up to elk hunting, I'd be more tempted to get the 7mm08. But you state specifically "for deer hunting". Unless you handload, and you have a stockpile of 7mm bullets. I see no advantage of the 7mm08 over the 6.5 creedmoor if you do not handload your own.

If you don't handload 7mm-08 has been scarce.

Long before I owned a .260, I thought it had to be just about the perfect whitetail round. I now have two and my opinion hasn't changed. The 6.5 CM does the same thing. I have a couple of them as well, neither because I searched them out.

I had planned to get my kids 7mm-08's but ammo, components, and rifles are more available for the CM. I don't like the marketing hype but appreciate the practicality of owning Creedmoors.

You may want to consider the 308, I did! Midway has 79 ammo options currently available from 110-200 gr.

I don't think there's much "marketing hype" that goes with the creedmoor. It was designed well and does pretty much everything that's been said about it. It's a bonus that Hornady actually promotes its cartridges and doesn't let them die by the wayside like Winchester has done. You want to hear some "marketing hype", watch some videos on the 325 WSM, when it made its debut. Those guys tried to blow smoke up our azzes and not too many of us bought in to it. The 6.5 Creedmoor is a little different in that regard.

I'm in the same situation as the OP, buying a new whitetail rifle, and went with the CM.

7mm-08 maybe

7mm-08 is a better cartridge in my book, wider bullet makes up for some of the downfalls in a 6.5… although with current situations ammo availability in 6.5 is better. Might give 6.5 prc a look as it bridges the gap between the 2

I went with the 708 and a friend went with the 6.5 creedmoor. They’re more alike than different.

From an accuracy and killing standpoint we can see no difference. From a recoil standpoint we can tell no difference. I already had 708 stuff so I went with that and I’m completely satisfied. If I’d have went 6.5 creedmoor I’m sure I’d have the same feelings.

"Bridges the gap between the 2". That had me rolling. The 6.5 and 7mm08 are really like 2 peas in a pod. Generally the 6.5 edges out the 7 in precision/accuracy and factory ammo is much easier to find for the 6.5. As well as it is much easier to find components for the 6.5. One reason I'll be shooting one of my creedmoors here in a bit and the 7mm08 sits in the safe. Those that don't get it, may never understand, but that is the simple facts of the matter.. Mathman was trying to steer the OP in the easier direction, but you know what they say about leading a horse to water. By the way, keep those jokes coming. That was a good one about bridging a gap with the PRC..

Factory ammo is easier to find in Creedmoor.

I shoot 7-08 as I reload. Never had an issue getting components.

Check this one out:

It's only as hard as somebody makes it if they don't want to look.

I should preface - specific to 7-08. I mean, primers sucked for availability for everyone, regardless of cartridge. a 6.5 CM didn't make it easier to find them. Power etc. But bullets? Cases? - pretty easy.

I missed where we found out the OP is a handloader.

Ammo availability goes to the creed. 140eldm's would be my deer bullet. From muzzle velocity to waaaay out there.

I knew what you were saying.

To the OP......I think you should get both.

Don't think anybody said he was and that's why many say 6.5 for wide selection of factory ammo that seems to be available.

No, but the talk started going in the direction of how the 6.5 had no advantage in that respect, and we don't even know if that's relevant.

Thats right.

I don't think it was hyped up to do something it couldn't. I just feel the bullets, twist rates, and range finders were far more ground breaking than the cartridge.

The 325 WSM was pointless from the get go. Hornady is not immune, though... 30TC.

Speaking of rolling.


Carry on though...

Isn't the F-Class ten ring 1 moa?

Yes I do reload, I also have some 284 bullets to reload with

Yes it is.

Easy peasy at 1000 yards, in any wind. Right?

Use one that will open up. 6.5 140 grainers are long bullets and will hold together. I don't think they need to be bonded or mono- metal on top of that. Nothing in any chambering I have has given the same level of quick kills with great penetration as the oft maligned 140 Gamekings out of my 260 Rem. I went to 120's because I thought my slower twist demanded it - despite my lying eyes. I have used various 120's with good success but the 140 GK to me is perfection. Going back to them.

That definitely helps if you go with the 7mm08. Which bullets do you have on hand?

I just "assembled" this CM, DIY parts from Defiance/Proof/Mcmillan, my second CM, sold the first one as I didn't like the particular rifle. It's as advertised, easy to shoot, affordable/available ammo and effective on deer sized game. Really likes these Berger 140 Hybrid Target bullets.

I have 160 in Accubond and Partition, 150 Nos BT, 140 AccuBond, 120 Sierra Spitzer, 175 Speer Mag-Tip

You'll kick some serious asss with those 140 AB's running 2800fps.

Yep.

The 120 grain Sierra is no slouch on deer either. I don't know how fast they were going out of my buddy's Rem M7, but they were being pushed by 45 grains of Varget so they probably weren't crawling along.

I have both in stainless Tikka's. I would probably prefer the 7-08,but the wife claimed it and has killed 2 bucks with 120 Barnes.I shot my buck this year at 155 yards with the 143 ELD-X in the 6.5 and wasn't at all impressed with performance,although accuracy is great.

Get both, be a looney

Any day of the week and twice on Sunday. LOL

If I do my part.

Been shooting a 7-08 of some sort since 2001 and also have a 6.5 Creed, as well as several 6.5 Grendel’s. I think you’d be pleased with either round as they’re similar. I’d lean towards the 7-08 just because you already have 7mm components on hand. 120gr Barnes are bad medicine for deerz in my 7-08, wouldn’t hesitate to load up the 140gr Accubonds and hunt bigger game.
What kinda distances do you practice at/what’s your maximum comfortable range shooting at game? Both cartridges are capable of ethically taking game much farther than 95% of hunters can reliably shoot.

peak98

I can shoot up to 400yds

Nice rifle and target system!

If you're up to it so are both cartridges.

OMG...

Every time bsa posts I roll my eyes….

A 1 moa target is cake walk. If you can't hit it, that is on you^^^^ Like they say, you can lead a horse to water, but I can't make you shoot any better.. Either you can or you can't. Sounds like you fall in the latter..

When you learn, maybe you will understand. I'm sorry you are only mediocre at best. Maybe you should take up golf or something more along your skill set. Knitting???

7-08 is a ballistic twin to 308 with the same recoil. On paper it is a LITTLE better than 308, but we're talking about somewhere around 2" less drop at 500 yards and about 35 ft lbs more energy at that range when best loads are fired in each. 308 is about 1/2 the thickness of a dime larger in diameter. I like the 7-08 in theory but could never pick one over the more common 308. But I won't argue with someone who prefers the 7-08. They are REALLY close in performance, but 308 has always been easier, and cheaper to find.

The 6.5 does everything 270 does with recoil closer to 243. It shoots the same bullet weights as 270 about 150-200 fps slower at the muzzle. But the more aerodynamic 6.5 bullets come pretty close to catching up at 300 yards. I can't imagine any animal noticing the difference between 270, 6.5CM or 7-08.

Since I already own 308 and 30-06 going with 6.5CM was my best option. Recoil and ammo availability were also big factors for me. But depending on what you already have 7-08 might be more appealing to you.

140 AB has you covered from yotes to bulls and yes, I speak from experience.


screenshot


Find some Big Game and magnum primers then PM me for recipes. 150 ELDX are great also, cheaper and plentiful.

Note the entrance wound. Doesn’t get much better than that.





P

I am assuming you don't realize your club posts the results from your "long range matches"...

Out

I killed three whitetails last year with the 120 Sierra GK or ProHunter, not sure which one but they're about one and the same, out of the 6.5 CM running 2900fps. Absolutely deadly, all were DRT. Accuracy is wonderful too.

The .308 gives up 200 fps to the 7-08 with low drag bullets of similar BC. It is more like half a foot at 500 yards. The drop doesn't really matter, though. It is the wind that will get you. Seven for the win.

The 6.5 CM and 7-08 are much closer to being ballistic equivalents than the 7-08 and .308.

Laffin’.. It’s amazing he’s not leading PRS and every other discipline.

Freaking tool.

This question has been on my mind, because I want to get my youngest daughter set up for deer/maybe elk. I have a 7-08 Mountain Rifle I would give her, but part of me feels like the 6.5 CM would have a better chance of really getting shot more by her down the road, simply because of easy ammo availability. I reload, but she doesn’t, and her life has her bopping all around the wild areas of the great West, so ammo availability could be key. As others mentioned, Hornady did a great job supporting this one (still waiting for 6mm ARC brass though, haha) and ammo is everywhere and, I hear, generally very good. So I say 6.5 CM if ammo availability matters to the OP.

I’ve killed an antelope and a blacktail buck with a 6.5 140 ELDM from my slightly faster 6.5 GAP 4S, and it worked great, but that’s the extent of my 6.5 killin’.

I’m a big 7-08 fan and have used it to great effect on a bunch of deer from a couple different rifles with several different bullets. As pharm said, 140 Accubond and go huntin’. It might literally be the most perfect deer huntin’ cartridge ever made.

If minimizing recoil is an issue, and especially if shooting a lot at your max range is in the cards, the 6.5 CM with 147’s will be a noticeable notch down in recoil from the 7-08 with 162’s. Not that you need 162’s for 400 yards but if you ever tried them, there’s no going back.

7-08 or 6.5 CM is a pretty great problem to have. There’s no wrong choice there.

If you reload, put a 120gr bullet at about 2700fps and it will be a pussycat to shoot.

And put a Zeiss V4 on it for the WIN!

(still loving all mine)

lmao ..

the reason silhouette shooters basically invented and adopted a 7-08 for many years what's the simple fact that record last with the same BC bullet. in other words the 708 shoots the same BC bullet with similar trajectory with less weight in the bullet so it recoils less. I understand people that do not shoot many rounds do not get this. that when you shoot from 80 to 240 in a day or a weekend accumulative recoil adds up. that's also another reason the 6.5's are fairly popular.
even back when the 708 will be coming legitimized by sammi many of us were already shooting the 308 neck down to a 6.5
which made now known as a 260.... the limiting factor is if you got enough bullet weight impacting a Target to knock over at least for the silhouette shooting...

Go away troll……..

I'd suggest a tikka in 7/08 and a good 3-9x40 scope. You'll be set for life.

Post some pics of you full length sizing tips….. you know just for a good laugh!

My exact setup.

Stainless T3, CDS Leupold.

I handload too.




P

Late to the party. Both excellent calibers.

If you reload. 7-08
If you don’t reload, 6.5 CM. 130s. Shoot flatter and hit hard in normal hunting ranges rather than 140s. IMHO 140s you need PRC.

If you plan on bigger than deer 7-08
Edit.
I reload and bought my 6.5, before Covid.
Deciding factor was S&B box of ammo was 10.99 for fmj and 11.99 for PSP.
7-08 was double that

Hard not to like a 7mm08….

Get both of em.😁

Nice! Have one sort of similar.....

They are basically the same thing. Not one thing I wouldn't shoot with one I wouldn't shoot with the other. Love the 7-08 but the 6.5 Creed is the easy button these days....

Over the past several years, I've come to regard the 6.5 CM as the perfect chambering for a "deer" rifle. I don't mean that as a slight on any other round. It's not like there is a shortage of chamberings that will work for deer.

Well said. These days, I mostly shoot the smaller cased 6.5mm rounds, the 7mm-08, and the .308 for hunting hogs and deer. I've not seen much difference in performance on game. I think the three biggest hogs I've taken have been one each with the .260, the 6.5x47L, and the 6.5CM. All did just fine. The 6.5CM is simply the round that won the popularity contest. The chamberings from the .257Rob with 115/120gr up to the 7mm-08 with 140/150gr do seem to be the sweet spot for performance at reasonable ranges versus recoil. The 6.5CM lies right in the middle and has a ton of factory rifle and ammo options.

MikeS, thanks, the range is county owned and really state of the art, Thomas County GA.

I, also, will jump on the 6.5 train. I have two, Creeds and two, .260s. Both are great cartridges. I use heavier bullets in the Creed, as it handles them better. My go-to in the .260 is the 129 Interlock. Fantastic deer bullet-near and far.

I really like the 147 ELDM in the Creed. It really works well on deer.

The 7-08 is a great cartridge, also, but right now one has to look at ammo/component availability.

A 6.5 CM or 7-08 for deer out to 400 yards? Yes to either or both. In a Tikka, the 6.5 allows a broader range of bullet weights and bullet/rifling seating arrangements, if that matters to you. The 6.5 CM is a bit easier to feed. Both are plenty for deer.

Let's not let facts get in the way... Lol

Trajectory and Ballistics

With its original 150-grain spire point bullet at 2,700 fps, the Springfield .30/06 was certified for an extreme reach of 4.75 miles, an effective firing range of 1,000 yards. A flip up rear leaf sight was graduated for ranges out to 2,850 yards. Point-blank range for a standing, man-sized target was 500 yards. Whether the military rifles were accurate enough to take advantage of this is moot. Im sure a few were, most were not. But that doesn’t mean today’s sporting rifles aren’t…

Accuracy

The .30/06 has been used to win many short, medium, and long-range target shooting competitions. Modern hunting rifles regularly print Minute of Angle with select ammunition, and carefully tuned rifles often achieve true 1/2 MOA performance, sometimes even 1/4 minute precision. Rifle/cartridge accuracy depends more on a concentric and balanced rifle and bullet than the shape of the cartridge.

I've had pretty good luck with the 7MM-08 over the years and I've had a bunch, will always own several and grab one anytime I have a hunting tag in my pocket that I hope to fill.

For me it's more about the gun and the availability of reloading components than the caliber in the .257--.280 range. For several years my main deer rifle was a Browning BLR in 7mm-08. Killed several deer. I mostly used 120 grain Barnes TSX bullets at around 28-2,900 FPS. Eventually I got tired of the mediocre trigger and redundant safety on those Japanese made BLRs so I sold the rifle (awesome gun otherwise). I decided I absolutely must have a Kimber Montana and the only one I could find happened to be in 6.5 Creed. I loaded 127 grain Barnes LRX bullets to around 2800 FPS. Killed 2 deer with it so far. Performance seemed pretty much identical to the 7mm sub 250 yards. Animals mostly dropped within a few yards with either and I think the most one ever ran was around 50. For better or worse 6.5 Creed has more options in rifles and components these days, but I would have probably taken a 7-08 Montana (or .260 Rem.) over the 6.5C if I could have found one on the used market. I don't have much opportunity or desire to shoot at animals beyond 250 yards, but if I did, I might prefer the Creed.

As has been said, get both!

I have both, find myself using the 7-08 more than the Creed.

OP didn't say if he hand loaded or not. If not, I'd recommend the Creed due to ammo quality and availability.

Deer will never know the difference, shooter probably won't either.

Now, the 7-08 and BG powder go together like ham and eggs...

Got that from a good source and it's been proven in the field and at the range. I even got a big jug so I won't run out any time soon.

DF

Very nice…

Just make life simple - get a 308

I like that answer Brad! 💪



A 7-08 gives eye popping results occasionally..
I have to hang this pic a couple times a year. 🙃

This 7/08 gets carried more than any gun I own.

"Like Button"

I’m a 7mm08 deer hunter but if I was starting up or starting over. I would consider the 6.5. Ammo availability would be the reason. I don't intend to start reloading. Manufacturers of rifles and ammo have clearly gotten behind the 6.5.

Fixed.

I knew I could count on you Jordan!

I like the .308, too. Hard to go wrong there.

One guy wrote than the 7-08 squeezes all the suck out of the .308. Sorta funny, but not true.

DF

Any time, Brad. *grin*

I shoot .308, too, but variety is the spice of life.

Because it doesn’t squeeze all the suck?

Ha!

I’m a 7-08 fan, but do have a .308 and like it. Also shoot that famous man bun round.

Diversity.

Gotta be P.C., don’t ya know.

DF

Yep.
When the boys get to talking rifle cartridges and they begin frothing at the mouth, their eyes glazing over with lust for the cartridge of the month, they'll inevitably ask what you shoot. When you reply "308", they quickly move on and you don't have to engage in a drawn out, inane conversation over minutiae. Meanwhile the old hands know what works; simply pick up a 308 and go hunting.

Replace "308" with any of a dozen or more nearly identically performing cartridges, many of which even older lol

"simply works" describes just about every midsize round. Personally, even as an "old hand" I'll probably still be lusting over every new (and every old!) cartridge to come along...part of just being a rifle loony. And they all "simply work".

How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Find out by buying a rifle chambered for the newest and greatest cartridge and striking up a conversation with a rifle looney.

Sure, if you have time to kill and want to kill it by talking about ballistics, why not?

If you don't, then don't.

But I find the whole "boys talk about the latest and greatest while old hands just go with what they know works" when there are plenty of both doing both lol. Maybe feeling like an old pro because of a choice of cartridge works for someone else. Maybe having better BCs and best in class performance to shoot deer at 100 yards does for someone else lol

And they all "simply work"...even if it doesn't make one feel better and warm and fuzzy about one's self somehow lol.

Ope, I seem to offended a rifle looney. Carry on with the white noise.

I’ve had 7-08’s since 1980. I’ve got a 6.5C now also. I’d go with the platform you like first, then if the price was good buy it in whichever of the 2 calibers it’s in. If you run across one in gorgeous wood and it happened to be 308 then I’d go with it.

There is a ratio that's tied to bolt face size, powder charge, action/loaded round OAL, brass dimensions, bore diameter, and barrel length that directly effects how many celestial beings may gyrate on a minimally sized surface.

Precisely 3.1415926

Apple Pi?

DF

"How I need a drink, alcoholic of course..."

"Offended" lol. The new retort whenever someone doesn't think like someone else does.

Amused me. I get a kick out of the assumed superiority.

Especially coming into a thread about two calibers in which neither are 308, and insisting its what the "old hands" use and that you don't want to be bothered by "boys" talking about newer cartridges.

Self aware, much? When the 308 came out would you have been complaining that people actually *gasp* have opinions about it? And want to talk with you?

About what is just a hot shot new way to sell a 300 Savage anyway? :P

The best bullet,never doesn't not win,to the chagrin of Melting Snowflakes everywhere. Hint..................