.308 or 6.5 PRC for Deer in Colorado

[SRshooter1]

6.5 PRC would be a great option if you want a dual purpose gun. I re-barreled my 300 Win Mag to a 7 PRC. For the purpose of doing some ELR matches and still maintaining a rifle for hunting. Obviously you don't need to shoot long range at an animal but you can certainly shoot the 6.5 PRC 300 yards just the same as your 308. The 308 however is going to be difficult to work with past 800-900 yards. If I were in your shoes, I would re-barrel your Tikka to 6.5 PRC you wont lose any capability the .308 had.

I appreciate your response and advice!

 

[SRshooter1]

Tikka T3x Lite Stainless 6.5 PRC 24.3" 1:8" Bbl Rifle JRTXB319

Tikka T3x Lite Stainless 6.5 PRC 24.3" 1:8" Bbl Rifle JRTXB319 For Sale

www.eurooptic.com

This is a smoking deal on a stainless T3x in 6.5 prc. I picked up a prc last fall when my trusty .270 had some issues 2 weeks before 2nd rifle and have not been disappointed (aside from pricier ammo). The 130 terminal ascent is impressive out to 500+. That said, I punched my CO mule deer tag at 50 yards last fall, go figure.

Wow, smoking deal! Thank you for passing that along. That's about how it goes on your shot, right!?

 

[justinspicher]

Does it really matter what caliber you choose? The deer doesn’t know the difference and if you don’t train with it, it isn’t gonna matter anyway. Hell, you might now even see any deer and then it’s a moot point anyway. Besides, folks are out there using carbon and wooden sticks to kill shit.

 

[SRshooter1]

#truth

 

[nhridgway]

This is a smoking deal on a stainless T3x in 6.5 prc. I picked up a prc last fall when my trusty .270 had some issues 2 weeks before 2nd rifle and have not been disappointed (aside from pricier ammo). The 130 terminal ascent is impressive out to 500+. That said, I punched my CO mule deer tag at 50 yards last fall, go figure.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[jw19]

6.5 prc gets the nod for me. Finally convinced my father in law to give one a shot and he picked up a tikka super varmint. Gun is shooting .3 moa and from now on his trusty 308 will be sitting in the safe

 

[MountainMan83]

Love my .308. Good on all size game, availability of ammo, and manageable recoil. My goal is to get close to animals, not shoot them from more than 400 yards max. Ethics are a major concern for me shooting at anything further than that.

 

[SRshooter1]

Ethics should be a priority for all hunters

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

If you havn't shot a bunch at 1000 yards, you won't have a clue what is a good caliber for shooting at that distance. I have been hunting for over 70 years and I won't shoot at anything over 500 even tho I have several guns that will shoot MOA at that yardage.

Nuff said!!!!

 

[SRshooter1]

I'm an experienced marksman. I've been shooting my whole life and I'm in my 50's. I shot the highest score on the entire rifle range at Parris Island in the Marine Corp and was invited to try out for Scout Sniper. My OP stated I was target shooting at 100k, not hunting. I know and understand my current BC for the .308. I appreciate your note. Have a great season!

 

[solarshooter]

In addition to the first part being the most flagrant trolling comment on this thread, this is also the best advice I've seen so far:

Id look into a 338 lapua. You need kinetic energy to kill things. With enough WALLOP anything will kill.

How far are you planning to shoot? A 6.5 CM would work for hunting and shooting and it's cheaper than the 300 or prc. .308 would be perfectly fine for a long range target gun and hunt with.

A 6.5CM will kill and hit far enough for all your needs, with less recoil than 308/6.5PRC, great barrel life, and plentiful box ammo selection. The ballistic difference between 6.5CM and 6.5PRC is small, and will likely be more than compensated for by the lower recoil.

There are some smoking deals on Tikka 6.5CMs on that same eurooptic sale others have linked.

OP, you should take some time to read the various "small" caliber success threads, scope field evals, and results from practical field shooting accuracy tests like the Cold Bore challenge. Putting a Vortex on a magnum to shoot game at 600yds is breaking just about every rule that exists on this site. Not trying to be rude - you are new here - but you are at a critical juncture where you really stand to benefit from reading all the testing and evidence this community has to offer.

 

[SRshooter1]

Thank you for your wise words and straightforward advice. I appreciate your response and understand your perspective.

I want to assure you that I'm not trying to be disrespectful. While I'm new to the possibility of hunting in Colorado, I have lived here for 20 years and possess backcountry and shooting experience. My recent focus has been mainly on target shooting, and hunting was simply an idea I was considering, potentially alongside building a new rifle.

For now, I've decided to put those plans on hold and concentrate on PRS. I will continue to research and learn independently rather than taking up more of your valuable time. I appreciate everyone's input and am grateful to be a part of this community.