Mr. hooper said that getting a .308 would be a good idea since it sounds like a good in-between cartridge. Anyone else have thoughts on it vs the 6.5 and 7mm for my uses? Thanks!
7mm Rem Mag or 6.5 Creed
- Thread starter alextheabranchial
- Start date
Nothing wrong with a 308. Great cartridge. However at distance you have to shoot heavy for caliber bullets to get an equivalent bc to a 6.5 which makes for more recoil.
You don't have to shoot heavy bullets out of a 308. You can shoot 155 fullbore/Palma bullets and learn to read the wind. What hasn't been asked here yet of the OP, Are you planning to load your own ammo or shoot factory rounds? This could limit your choice of cartridges. Also the factory barrels will limit things. The twist rate and chamber of a factory barrel will limit what will shoot good from it.
The .308 is fine but the Creedmoor is better ballistically and will shoot flatter and better in the wind. You can shoot the heavy 200+ grn bullets in the .308 for a better BC but they are moving slow and use more elevation at distance.
If you were only shooting to 300-400 yards then either but if you plan to shoot farther the Creedmoor will definitely shine.
As for factory vs loading, the Creedmoor shines there as well as there is a lot of factory ammo at relatively inexpensive prices. .308 match ammo is the same price is not more for good match ammo.
If you were only shooting to 300-400 yards then either but if you plan to shoot farther the Creedmoor will definitely shine.
As for factory vs loading, the Creedmoor shines there as well as there is a lot of factory ammo at relatively inexpensive prices. .308 match ammo is the same price is not more for good match ammo.
Prose
Silver $$ Contributor
There are a lot of budget rifles that perform pretty well. The two you listed are, well... not very good. Below is a decent comparison from a couple years ago. Another very good rifle is the mossberg patriot. The ruger american also gets many good marks. With an economy rifle it's about living with the features offered, not the ones you want.
.308 is probably a better option in a single rifle battery. If you do end up going on a once in a lifetime hunt you aren't going to bring your cheap, wrong-caliber rifle, anyways.
http://www.chuckhawks.com/compared_bolt_action_economy_rifles.htm
I disagree the 6.5x55 is a good round that has been in use for 126 years. It has been used to anchor big tough animals over them years. The 6.5 Creed is a modern case design that has proven accuracy characteristics. That said very few factory rifles chambered in the 6.5x55 I believe has hurt it here in the U.S. I feel the Hornady brass was poor quality at least what I had was. I made brass from Lapua 308 palma's for mine. I had a savage stainless 22" barrel hunting rifle and a savage 24" barrel predator hunter and on good quality brass in of the shelf savage rifles I had pushed a 140 Berger at 2,950 FPS and 1/2 moa groups from factory rifle's. The Hornady Superperformance 129 IB factory load clocked 2,950 FPS from the 22" barrel savage and the light rifle hit hard on the shoulder. It is a Great Cartridge in quality brass that is now available it easy to load and as the case design would have it very accurate. There is no doubt that the 120 to 140 class 6.5 bullets hit as hard as much bigger calibers. It is a Great little round and I for one am glad to see it gain in popularity I am going to the 6.5 creed for my light weight hunting rifle that is still capable of taking a 600 yard shot on game if I need it to.
I'll most likely end up buying factory ammo but (much) later on in life I might do some reloading.
Hi there Alex,
It would appear that you did some thinking about the capabilities of the 6.5 Creed & the older 7mm Rem mag - vastly different (as per GSPV).
Are you a frugal person concerned with combined stuff like barrel life, ballistic efficiency, and powder costs? Or dislike recoil? Or want increased momentum and more inflicted trauma of a slug up to 35 grains heavier? Or have acquired some knowledge about old style belted cases that might affect your selection?
For my own use, like going to the range and shooting deers I would go for the 6.5 Creed. But, should I go to Alaska or some place that has really big beasts like massive moose or grizzly bears I would go for the 7 mag, if a selection were to be restricted to the 2.
My best advice would be to get the 6.5 Creed (1) and a .300 Win mag (2). Keep in mind both these different rounds have well established uses. The .300 Win mag has been accepted for military use and has a good track record for long range competition and is very popular as a hunting round but kicks hard and is not cheap to feed.
The .308 is a fine cartridge but falls short of the 6.5's in regard to long range performance ... go on-line and run the Berger ballistic calculator or Hornady 4 degree freedom calculator and compare the 6.5 bullets against the .308 bullets using realistic muzzle velocities for both. Like don't try to make the .308 into some magnum.
It would appear that you did some thinking about the capabilities of the 6.5 Creed & the older 7mm Rem mag - vastly different (as per GSPV).
Are you a frugal person concerned with combined stuff like barrel life, ballistic efficiency, and powder costs? Or dislike recoil? Or want increased momentum and more inflicted trauma of a slug up to 35 grains heavier? Or have acquired some knowledge about old style belted cases that might affect your selection?
For my own use, like going to the range and shooting deers I would go for the 6.5 Creed. But, should I go to Alaska or some place that has really big beasts like massive moose or grizzly bears I would go for the 7 mag, if a selection were to be restricted to the 2.
My best advice would be to get the 6.5 Creed (1) and a .300 Win mag (2). Keep in mind both these different rounds have well established uses. The .300 Win mag has been accepted for military use and has a good track record for long range competition and is very popular as a hunting round but kicks hard and is not cheap to feed.
The .308 is a fine cartridge but falls short of the 6.5's in regard to long range performance ... go on-line and run the Berger ballistic calculator or Hornady 4 degree freedom calculator and compare the 6.5 bullets against the .308 bullets using realistic muzzle velocities for both. Like don't try to make the .308 into some magnum.
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My plan right now after hearing all of the input is to go with the Creed and also get a feel of my dad's .300 Win Mag; if I want one later on, then I'll go with it then. Thanks for the input everyone!
GSPV
A failure to plan is a plan for failure.
At this point, a reasonable bolt action in any cartridge that you can economically buy factory ammo for will be fine.
A 223 would be at the top of the list for inexpensive ammo. Low recoil. Accurate.
Spend a lot of time shooting paper. Focus on trigger pull, bench technique, and learning to play the wind in a basic way (like shoot all the shots of your group with the wind blowing in the same direction).
My advice would be to, as a next step, get a basic reloading setup. This doesn’t have to be expensive. I won just as many matches loading on a press that I saw yesterday for $35 as I have with my current setup.
From there, hopefully, you can advance to equipment that is meant for whatever endeavor you choose.
The people here are great and always willing to help.
A 223 would be at the top of the list for inexpensive ammo. Low recoil. Accurate.
Spend a lot of time shooting paper. Focus on trigger pull, bench technique, and learning to play the wind in a basic way (like shoot all the shots of your group with the wind blowing in the same direction).
My advice would be to, as a next step, get a basic reloading setup. This doesn’t have to be expensive. I won just as many matches loading on a press that I saw yesterday for $35 as I have with my current setup.
From there, hopefully, you can advance to equipment that is meant for whatever endeavor you choose.
The people here are great and always willing to help.
I've been told, and truely believe that all you need to hunt in North America is 3 guns. A 22LR, 12 GA shotgun, and a 30-06 and your covered. But whats the fun in just having 3 guns?
7MM will be a great hunting rifle, but will wear you down on the bench from the recoil.
As for the 6.5, If you go this route, be sure not to turn a blind eye to the remaining cartridges in the .243/6mm and 6.5mm category. There quite a few differant cartridges in this size range and they are all awesome (fun). The .243/6mm and 6.5mm cartridges have so many pluses. Pleasant Recoil, Higher FPS, Lower Drop rates as the range goes up compared to larger bullets, the list goes on and on. Its even a great cartridge to hunt with if you become efficient with the rifle and learn proper shot placement.
I have a 7mm rem mag, 6mm ppc, .243 winchester, I love the 6mm/243 caliber. They are just so fun and enjoyable to shoot. The 7 mag gives me body aches just thinking of shooting it on the bench, but I keep it for that Elk hunt I dream of taking some day.
As for the 6.5, If you go this route, be sure not to turn a blind eye to the remaining cartridges in the .243/6mm and 6.5mm category. There quite a few differant cartridges in this size range and they are all awesome (fun). The .243/6mm and 6.5mm cartridges have so many pluses. Pleasant Recoil, Higher FPS, Lower Drop rates as the range goes up compared to larger bullets, the list goes on and on. Its even a great cartridge to hunt with if you become efficient with the rifle and learn proper shot placement.
I have a 7mm rem mag, 6mm ppc, .243 winchester, I love the 6mm/243 caliber. They are just so fun and enjoyable to shoot. The 7 mag gives me body aches just thinking of shooting it on the bench, but I keep it for that Elk hunt I dream of taking some day.
You obviously have not spent much time shooting the cm.
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