308win vs 6.5 CM - thoughts and questions

[Oregonboy]

Hello,

I need a little advice.

I’ve finally paid off some massive debt and now want to have a little fun building a new rifle.

ive got a .308win tikka t3 lite SS with no upgrades. 308 is definitely a tried and true round but I’ve been looking at a 6.5CM and thinking that may suit me a better than a 308.

I like that the 6.5CM has less recoil and that It can touch 1,000 yards no problem. Ballistically, it seems like the 6.5 can do every the 308 can do and more. The only advantage I’m seeing with the 308 would be better knockdown power within 400 yards.

ive also spent some time looking through the “let’s see your semi custom tikka build” thread and I don’t see many 308s, but I see A TON of 6.5CMs, there’s gotta be a reason for that.

The only concern I have with the 6.5CM is burning through barrels faster than a 308. I recently read a comparison of 6.5 vs 308 and the author said not to expect more than 2,000 rounds through a 6.5 before needing a new barrel. He said the 308 could take 5000+ before needing a new barrel. I would love to hear from 6.5 owners if that’s been their experience.

I live in Oregon so deer and elk are the name of the game. I mostly bow hunt but my hunting partner (dad) is getting older and so are his knees so I see us doing more rifle hunting in the future, thus the build.

What’s a guy to do? Should I ditch the 308 and get a 6.5? Is barrel burn even something I should worry about? Should I keep the 308 and go the suppressor route to lower the recoil?

Thanks for the consideration and help!
Nick

 

[30338]

I’d buy a suppressor for the 308. And with the plethora of factory 6.5 creedmoors around, if going that route, I’d buy not build. And I never worry about barrel wear.

 

[Brendan]

If you're using it for Elk - .308 will be a better choice. Also, just because a 6.5 CM can shoot to 1000 Yards, doesn't mean the bullet will be carrying enough energy to kill at that range. Max range on game will be much less.

What I'd do (unless you really just want a new gun) is shoot the hell out of your current gun, spend money on stock and optics, and then if you get the need to change in the future, get a prefit carbon barrel to throw on it. A nice heavy scope will be easier to shoot with, and will help dampen recoil with a little extra weight.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

"It can touch 1,000 yards no problem."

What is your long range shooting experience? The theory is all there until it's time to pull the trigger. The .308 can "touch 1,000 yards no problem" also.

Is recoil from your .308 causing you to miss animals? Not getting as good of "groups" as you like?

My .308 has still killed more large game animals than any of my other cartridges combined. It's all about what your goal is. Getting into long range shooting/hunting? Just want a new rig and a new cartridge? (nothing wrong with that). Recoil causing you field issues?

With that being said, I’m a huge fan of the 6.5 cartridges. I’ve been shooting .260 since 2002 and have always owned a .260 in some form since then. I was a varmint/long range/competition guys in my younger years and .260 always treated me really well.

6.5 CM is almost identical to .260 and there are lots of great factory ammo options for it now a days. If you want to switch from .308 go for it.

That T3 Lite Stainless in .308 is an awesome rifle though. If it’s giving you recoil issues look into a muzzle brake or go for the 6.5 swap.

 

[TxxAgg]

Tuned in

 

[boykin8992]

Either gun will shoot a 1000 yds! Both have about the same recoil. I have a 6.5cm very accurate and lite recoil. Love the round. Shoot both and decide what you like!

 

[Oregonboy]

Thanks for the replies so far, very helpful. When it comes to guns, there’s a lot I don’t know that I don’t know (I’m a bow hunter) here’s a little more info:

The reason I was looking for lower recoil was due to a shoulder injury. I’m actually pretty healed up, feeling near 100% most days but the injury has caused me a be a little recoil shy. I haven’t shot it since I’ve made a recovery so it may be a nonissue.

In regards to my long range career, it’s nonexistent. I also have no desire to shoot an animal past 500 yards. The desire to reach to a 1000 would be for fun only. My dad has a set up that shoots that far so it would be fun to tag along with him at the range.

from the sounds of it, seems like the 308 will be just fine and there are plenty of ways to tame recoil and hit long range targets.

 

[Tahoe1305]

I have a few rifles in both cartridges.

I think 6.5C is just the rage right now. Lots of factory options in ammo and rifles (308 still has more though). Like you mentioned inside 400yds with energy, 308 has advantage and most hunting shots are likely inside that range. Outside of 400 6.5C will continue to be flatter and start to catch up on energy.

From what I can tell ammo is still a tad cheaper in 308 (can be found as cheap as .50-75c per....tough to find 6.5C less than $1 and most of the good hunting loads are closer to $1.5).

I personally like to reload and can get a bit more “juice” out of my 6.5Cs compared to 308s. If I didn’t reload I think it’s close to a wash because my tikka in 6.5C shoots factory ammo pretty slow.

Either way can’t beat your tikka so I’d at a minimum stick with that brand regardless of what you do. If the recoil bothers you the Limbsaver airtech for $30 is a amazing upgrade (I have one on my 6.5C).

Hope that helps.

 

[MT257]

For the applications you have listed the 308 with do everything you need and more than the 6.5. I think156gr is the largest you can push out of a 6.5. You can go over 200 if you so choose in a 308. The 308 has been around a long time was used by the military and is very accurate. The reason you see so many 6.5 builds is because hornady didn’t their job and marketed the shit out of the cartridge. The 6.5 is a great rifle don’t get me wrong, but there are many better rifles out there I would grab before even considering grabbing a 6.5 to hunt elk. Can it be done absolutely, but I think there are better choices out there.

 

[Mike Islander]

I don't know of any 308 round that will exceed the energy of the best 6.5 CM round at 800+ yards, but I'm no expert. More importantly to me is bullet velocity at long range (velocity to insure proper expansion), and 6.5 CM is hard to beat for that. But almost nobody is shooting that far. I certainly wouldn't do it on game for an ethical kill. Too many variables IMO. Only reason I can see choosing 6.5 CM over 308 if you already have the 308 is if you are competing long range or just want less recoil. 6.5 CM will definitely deliver for that purpose.

 

[ramsdude47]

I got a 6.5 Creedmoor for this exact reason.

A lot of people seem to think it is over-hyped, but really it is the best answer for low recoil + still enough juice. Plus I can still add a suppressor and get less noise and even less recoil.

 

[prm]

The 308 with 155 Scenars is not a bad choice. I have one of those and it shoots the 155 over 2900. I have a 6.5 Creedmoor too. For killing critters I’d give the 308 a slight edge. For shooting paper at long ranges the windage of the 6.5 will be a bit better.

 

[menhaden_man]

I've got a few "classics" (30-06, 7 mag) and find myself shooting my two 6.5 CMs more often... more pleasurable to shoot and still plenty of juice to do what I'm interested or capable of shooting. I was shooting a pile of 308s, 7 MM, and '06 at the range yesterday and think they're just not as "easy" as the 6.5 manbun. Probably why they're so popular.

If it were me, I'd probably keep the 308 and just buy a factory 6.5 CM. I've got two: a Hawkeye FTW and a T3X that I picked up after reading too much Rokslide this past winter. Both shoot under 1 MOA easy. You can get Tikka setup with glass under $1k pretty easy and ring up 0.5" groups with factory ammo. Do a search on the Tikka love festival and you'll see plenty of convincing evidence.

 

[Florida Bow Hunter]

I don’t know how much knock down a 6.5 will have on a Roosevelt. 308 is tried and true.


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[KClark]

I killed my first two elk with a 308 but for some reason they weren't dead enough so I've moved 'up' three times now. The elk I kill now with a 300 WSM don't appear to be any dead-er than the ones shot with the old 308 and 180s. The only difference I see is they can be a little farther away and still wind up dead.

 

[Doc Holliday]

.308

 

[JP7]

You can touch 1000 on the range with a .308. But you could also get a 6.5 for funzies. Plus I think Larry potterfield said it best when asked on how many guns he needs “just one more”. I’d make a joke about being a hipster with the 6.5 but a prior thread here made it seem like the hipsters are shooting .308s. That’s how I found out I was a hipster...or at least hipster curious.


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[TripleAAA]

Hello,

I need a little advice.

I’ve finally paid off some massive debt and now want to have a little fun building a new rifle.

ive got a .308win tikka t3 lite SS with no upgrades. 308 is definitely a tried and true round but I’ve been looking at a 6.5CM and thinking that may suit me a better than a 308.

I like that the 6.5CM has less recoil and that It can touch 1,000 yards no problem. Ballistically, it seems like the 6.5 can do every the 308 can do and more. The only advantage I’m seeing with the 308 would be better knockdown power within 400 yards.

ive also spent some time looking through the “let’s see your semi custom tikka build” thread and I don’t see many 308s, but I see A TON of 6.5CMs, there’s gotta be a reason for that.

The only concern I have with the 6.5CM is burning through barrels faster than a 308. I recently read a comparison of 6.5 vs 308 and the author said not to expect more than 2,000 rounds through a 6.5 before needing a new barrel. He said the 308 could take 5000+ before needing a new barrel. I would love to hear from 6.5 owners if that’s been their experience.

I live in Oregon so deer and elk are the name of the game. I mostly bow hunt but my hunting partner (dad) is getting older and so are his knees so I see us doing more rifle hunting in the future, thus the build.

What’s a guy to do? Should I ditch the 308 and get a 6.5? Is barrel burn even something I should worry about? Should I keep the 308 and go the suppressor route to lower the recoil?

Thanks for the consideration and help!
Nick

The 6.5 is a superior round but.... it does burn thru barrels. I would stick with the tried and true 308. There is a reason its been one of the most reliable rounds ever. Both will have the same result in the end. A dead elk. As far as recoil there is not much difference. I would stay with the 308 and add a can. Just my opinion.

 

[Catahoula]

.308

 

[Florida Bow Hunter]

I killed my first two elk with a 308 but for some reason they weren't dead enough so I've moved 'up' three times now. The elk I kill now with a 300 WSM don't appear to be any dead-er than the ones shot with the old 308 and 180s. The only difference I see is they can be a little farther away and still wind up dead.

.300WSM hits like I jackhammer!

I shoot the 150 Winchester Supreme Ballistic tips in mine. Also have a twin in .270 WSM.


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