coyotekilla
WKR
6mm creed is all but identical to 243, just all the 6 cm are fast twist, and only some of the 243 are.
First Rifle Recommendation
- Thread starter Booper Scooper
- Start date
OP you've come to the right place and I like how you're approaching the purchase rather than a knee jerk so many of us end up with. I turn 50 this year and raised three sons, youngest is almost your age. We've run the gamut of big magnums to midrange and everything in between. Myself and two sons now shoot 6.5 CM, and oldest shoots 308 because he's the big brother and has to be the baddest of them all haha. You're on track with a Tikka 243 but them SWFA scopes are UGLY I just can't do it! 
We like Trijicon and Nightforce. One thing I like about the 6.5 CM is I've never seen one that doesn't shoot reasonably well from dirt cheap to Tikka. Our first one was a Thompson Center Compass and the only reason I bought it was BassPro had a promo with my card I could get it for $175. I slapped a spare scope on it and shot a 5 shot group at 100 you could cover with a quarter when sighting it in with whatever cheap factory cup and core ammo I picked up off the shelf. Since then we've had lower end Weatherby, Bergara, Tikka, and another Weatherby. All of them shot great out of the box with factory ammo. I've not seen this type of boring no drama accuracy in any of the other cartridges I've owned which have been many. In addition to those my wife shoots a 6 ARC and my AR "Texas gun" is also 6 ARC. You'll notice we tend to enjoy the slower moving less explosive cartridges. For the first time in my life I don't want for more guns/calibers/cartridges. We get tons of 223 play with the ARs otherwise I'd definitely also want a bolt 223 for play. Good luck on your journey and have fun and be safe. As others stated don't let the Fudds discourage you beating on the big cartridge wallup drum, it's all in their heads.
We like Trijicon and Nightforce. One thing I like about the 6.5 CM is I've never seen one that doesn't shoot reasonably well from dirt cheap to Tikka. Our first one was a Thompson Center Compass and the only reason I bought it was BassPro had a promo with my card I could get it for $175. I slapped a spare scope on it and shot a 5 shot group at 100 you could cover with a quarter when sighting it in with whatever cheap factory cup and core ammo I picked up off the shelf. Since then we've had lower end Weatherby, Bergara, Tikka, and another Weatherby. All of them shot great out of the box with factory ammo. I've not seen this type of boring no drama accuracy in any of the other cartridges I've owned which have been many. In addition to those my wife shoots a 6 ARC and my AR "Texas gun" is also 6 ARC. You'll notice we tend to enjoy the slower moving less explosive cartridges. For the first time in my life I don't want for more guns/calibers/cartridges. We get tons of 223 play with the ARs otherwise I'd definitely also want a bolt 223 for play. Good luck on your journey and have fun and be safe. As others stated don't let the Fudds discourage you beating on the big cartridge wallup drum, it's all in their heads.Booper Scooper
FNG
Yeah we can hunt with .223 in Alabama.
I was leaning towards the .243, and of course the 6.5CM. From what I've seen, 6.5CM ammo is very stocked up usually, I've not, not seen it (not counting covid). The .243 also has a lot of factory options, but I see them out usually which leans me even more to the 6.5CM.
For recoil, I'd be adding a suppressor eventually and getting a good recoil pad (prob a limbsaver for now) as I've read a lot of bad stuff on Tikka's recoil pads.
So far my options are the .223, .243, and 6.5CM. If Tikka did offer a 20" 6mm, I'd probably go with that.
I do like light recoiling rounds a lot, so all 3 options will fit me fine. Also I appreciate the ammo recommendation as I was confused on some options with the .223. I haven't done much reading about the .223 for deer, not like it wouldn't do the job perfectly, but that wasn't my first choice although it's definitely in my top 3 choices now as I've said.
Thanks for your reply, @ckt3
This describes what I did perfectly, except I had enough points on my card that I got it for free. Still my primary rifle, though I plan to pull the trigger on a Tikka here soon.
Booper Scooper
FNG
OP you've come to the right place and I like how you're approaching the purchase rather than a knee jerk so many of us end up with. I turn 50 this year and raised three sons, youngest is almost your age. We've run the gamut of big magnums to midrange and everything in between. Myself and two sons now shoot 6.5 CM, and oldest shoots 308 because he's the big brother and has to be the baddest of them all haha. You're on track with a Tikka 243 but them SWFA scopes are UGLY I just can't do it!
To address the Fudds—earlier I was just holding a .270 (not even planning to buy it), and one of them chimed in saying a .30-06 would be better. It never ends. I can only imagine what he would’ve said if I had been looking at a 6.5 Creedmoor.
For what it’s worth, I shoot a Marlin Model 60 .22 semi-auto for squirrels and the occasional rabbit, so I definitely respect the classics. At the end of the day, though, I know all of these cartridges are more than capable of taking the game I’m after, so I’m not going to let that kind of commentary get to me.
One thing I’ve realized is that I’d prefer my .223 to be on an AR-style platform. My brother has one that’s suppressed, and I really enjoy shooting it. Something like that would be perfect for night hunting coyotes or hogs, which is something I’m really excited about.
At the same time, I can’t get over how smooth the bolt was on the Tikka I handled. Because of that, I’m still considering a Tikka in either .243 or 6.5 Creedmoor. Honestly, it feels like a coin flip between those two at this point.
I’m also planning to look more into Trijicon and Nightforce optics. I’m not very familiar with them yet—I’ve mostly heard about Vortex and Leupold. I’ve been running iron sights on my Marlin, so scopes are still pretty new territory for me.
I’m not going to make a purchase just yet—I want to make sure I have everything sorted out first. But I really appreciate all the advice so far. It’s given me a lot to think about.
Also, thanks again to for sharing your experience with the 6.5 Creedmoor—I appreciate it.
Oh alright. I knew they were both 6mm but was just confused on the name moreso. Thanks.
No problem. You will be happy with any of the choices you listed above, but regardless, it's helpful to learn more about the general topic of how bullets kill and the variables that actually matter.
If you haven't yet, read through this thread, ideally in it's entirety.
It is a major learning experience. I was a skeptic like 8 months ago (more out of ignorance than disagreement), but the evidence there and the logic presented in how bullets kill is very sound and persuasive. It's a very long thread but well worth reading to see the evolution and growing body of evidence over the years, and is arguably *the* thing that Rokslide is known for.
The podcast episodes on small calibers in this post are the best I've ever heard on the topic. https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/compilation-of-formidilosus-posts.260643/post-2558313
Booper Scooper
FNG
No problem. You will be happy with any of the choices you listed above, but regardless, it's helpful to learn more about the general topic of how bullets kill and the variables that actually matter.
If you haven't yet, read through this thread, ideally in it's entirety.
It is a major learning experience. I was a skeptic like 8 months ago (more out of ignorance than disagreement), but the evidence there and the logic presented in how bullets kill is very sound and persuasive. It's a very long thread but well worth reading to see the evolution and growing body of evidence over the years, and is arguably *the* thing that Rokslide is known for.
The podcast episodes on small calibers in this post are the best I've ever heard on the topic. https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/compilation-of-formidilosus-posts.260643/post-2558313
Alright you've got me interested. I'm gonna read through this when I'm not super tired. Thanks!
--
Also, I wanna preface that I'm more ignorant than anything. I don't wanna offend anyone's choice in caliber, so when I said that the .223 wasn't my first choice it wasn't because it's not capable, but just because it hardly gets mentioned from where I'm at. Then again, there are outliers like that guy I saw in the gunstore who has dozens of deer with his .223, so there you go.
More commonly I'm always met with people like "30-06 or nuthin'" lmao. Again, thanks for the thread, Imma do some reading.
PS: More than likely will get a .223 later anyway (like the 30-30 lever action) cause it'd be a nice gun to setup at night with a suppressor and hunting fat hogs and coyotes. I just like the feel of the Tikka which is why I wanted that too lmao.
Booper Scooper
FNG
The .223 on an AR platform***. I'm getting tired and hardly able to type. Have a good night y'all, and thanks for the replies!
Yup it's a coin flip between most of this, so ammo availability and price can come into play. Whatever you get you'll want to shoot it quite a bit at least for a while to develop natural repeatability. If you're paying $40/box opposed to $25/box it can make a difference.
Trijicon take a look at the Huron, Ascent, Accupoint, and Credo lines. I don't like anything over 10 power max for hunting but that's just me, but lesser magnification tends to be less expensive which works well. EuroOptic and CameraLandNY are both good vendors. Nightforce can get pricey real quick. I've had some cheap SHV's I like and run the compact SHV on my 6mm ARC AR but I absolutely love the compact NXS on my Tikka. I don't look at their higher end stuff because none of it is in my budget. Wife and my baby boy both have Trijicon Huron 3-9x40's on their rifles and are perfectly content with them. Middle son spent a lot on a VX-5 and he likes it but I don't trust it, I've seen him have to readjust his zero when he got to Wyoming last year. Big boy with the 308 uses a lower end Leupold and so far no complaints but he's mostly archery and doesn't shoot the rifle much at all, probably not for 2 years now so no telling. I had a Trijicon Huron on my muzzleloader as well and it handled it fine. I think if I were to do over I'd lean more to the Ascent for the regular reticle hash marks instead of the random BDC marks that you have to hope line up to regular yardages or memorize off numbers.
I bought a Ruger American Gen 2 Predator in .243 last year, put a new Huron scope on it and it works for 85-90% of hunting situations.
The Huron isn't as good as folks say online. For the older guys - mine is similar glass and low light to a VX-2 that i got in 2006.
.243 would do a good job for you.
7mm-08 is basically a .243 with 120-130 gr bullets, another good choice.
The Huron isn't as good as folks say online. For the older guys - mine is similar glass and low light to a VX-2 that i got in 2006.
.243 would do a good job for you.
7mm-08 is basically a .243 with 120-130 gr bullets, another good choice.
Booper Scooper
FNG
Hi guys, I'm back. I kept going on and on in my head on what to use, why, etc. I couldn't keep going without having a headache, so to fix that, I've let the wheel decide:
First Rifle
Rifle: Tikka T3x Lite SS LH 223rem 1:8" twist, 20", (barrel will probably be cut when I get my suppressor)
Scope: SWFA 3x9x42 SS HD
Rings: Unknown Munitions
Suppressor: TBD (Prefer a budget friendly option)
Below you'll see my options. Not a large list of stuff, but when it came to the calibers, it was literally a coin flip between all three. All have their strengths, and weaknesses. However, all will take my ideal game with proper shot placement as well, so I cannot argue with that.
I was going to go an AR-15 .223, but, I was thinking I need to be open to new things, and here we are.
If for some reason I don't like the .223, based off the searching I've done on here, seems a cut, and threaded 223 1:8 twist Tikka barrel is quite common, so I'd likely find a buyer.
I want to say thank you to all who have contributed to this, and I won't forget it. I'm not exactly sure when I'll have the setup, as I've been very busy doing other stuff, but once I do get it I'll post a pic and maybe show my results in the field.
PS: If y'all have any recommendations on budget friendly suppressors, ideal barrel length (although @Q_Sertorius suggested a 16", so I'm leaning toward that or keeping it 20"), or factory ammo (this is a big one), please let me know.
Thanks again, y'all!
First Rifle
Rifle: Tikka T3x Lite SS LH 223rem 1:8" twist, 20", (barrel will probably be cut when I get my suppressor)
Scope: SWFA 3x9x42 SS HD
Rings: Unknown Munitions
Suppressor: TBD (Prefer a budget friendly option)
Below you'll see my options. Not a large list of stuff, but when it came to the calibers, it was literally a coin flip between all three. All have their strengths, and weaknesses. However, all will take my ideal game with proper shot placement as well, so I cannot argue with that.
I was going to go an AR-15 .223, but, I was thinking I need to be open to new things, and here we are.
If for some reason I don't like the .223, based off the searching I've done on here, seems a cut, and threaded 223 1:8 twist Tikka barrel is quite common, so I'd likely find a buyer.
I want to say thank you to all who have contributed to this, and I won't forget it. I'm not exactly sure when I'll have the setup, as I've been very busy doing other stuff, but once I do get it I'll post a pic and maybe show my results in the field.
PS: If y'all have any recommendations on budget friendly suppressors, ideal barrel length (although @Q_Sertorius suggested a 16", so I'm leaning toward that or keeping it 20"), or factory ammo (this is a big one), please let me know.
Thanks again, y'all!
Attachments
Lol well that's one way to decide!
Take a look at the Air Lock stuff for your suppressor. I like a 20" for all my hunting rifles but shorter is a lot of fun and more manageable.
Take a look at the Air Lock stuff for your suppressor. I like a 20" for all my hunting rifles but shorter is a lot of fun and more manageable.
Q_Sertorius
WKR
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2024
- Messages
- 4,193
So, while I think 16” is great, there’s nothing wrong with getting a threaded one at 20” and leaving it that way.
Tikka offers 16” factory threaded blued rifles. That would be my first choice if you buy it in the next couple of months. I expect them to have 16”stainless versions sometime around late summer. [mention]EuroOptic [/mention] is my preferred place for a good deal on a Tikka.
As far as suppressors are concerned, barrel length plays a role. I don’t want a 7” long suppressor on a 22” barrel. My preference is for a maximum of 26” overall length. And, for a hunting rifle, 22” to 24” overall is handier in the woods.
So, assuming you do the economically sensible thing and purchase a factory threaded rifle and leave it whatever length it is currently, I recommend sticking to suppressors no longer than 6”.
You mentioned budget options. To me, the AB A-10 is your best choice. Get that in 5.56 and enjoy. https://www.absuppressor.com/a-10
If you want to look at lighter - more expensive options - then here are a few more options.
The AB Raptor 8 with a 3” reflex will give you more suppression without adding significantly more length or weight. I really like mine.
An Unknown Suppressors Reaper will basically do what the AB Raptor 8 does. It will have a reflex option available in August.
The hottest things on RokSlide for the last year have been shorter, lighter suppressors designed for backcountry hunting. The Unknown Suppressors OG 6.5, OG 6-S, and the Airlock 6.5, 7, 30, and Nano are very popular around here. I own a couple of these and like them.
My experience has been that they are about the same in suppression compared apples to apples (e.g., OG 6.5 versus Airlock 6.5). The Airlock options are very light, but they get hot very fast. My Nano, with no cover on it, gets noticeable mirage after three shots of 5.56 in about forty seconds. I like it for a hunting rifle, but I would not want it as my only suppressor.
So, you might consider an OG 6.5, 6-S, or Airlock Nano down the road.
As far as ammo is concerned, for cheap practice ammo, I like the Frontier 5.56 62-grain load. You might get the occasional tough primer and have to click on it twice. The ADI 55- and 69-grain ammo is great too. For hunting ammo, you want some 77-grain TMKs. I believe [mention]h2so4 [/mention] can help you out with this.
hardincobucks
Lil-Rokslider
Chris in TN
WKR
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2025
- Messages
- 1,685
The absolute only thing I'll add to what's been told to you above, is that 20" with a can, sort of gets a bit clumsy in some deer stands I've been in, especially enclosed blinds or smaller ladder stands if you're sitting there and hear a deer coming from the wrong direction and need to reposition for an off-side shot, etc.
20" without a can, is fine, of course.
But you can buy a 20" now and maybe cut it 16" to 18" when the time comes.
20" without a can, is fine, of course.
But you can buy a 20" now and maybe cut it 16" to 18" when the time comes.
DangerRanger
WKR
6.5 creed
Simple, tons of ammo options, good match ammo for when you start practicing longer ranges and want stuff that shoots well
20-22”
Simple, tons of ammo options, good match ammo for when you start practicing longer ranges and want stuff that shoots well
20-22”
EastHumboldt
WKR
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2020
- Messages
- 1,953
If any of your buddies have a rifle in the calibers you’re considering, see if they’ll let you shoot a few rounds. A gun with less recoil is easier to shoot accurately cause recoil is just physics. Bullet weight plus volume of powder and the weight of the gun all contribute to felt recoil. I didn’t have time to read this whole thread, but did anybody mention limbsaver recoil pad? Very helpful.
.243 is cheap to shoot, low recoil, very available factory ammo. As mentioned get an 8 twist barrel.
I have three tikkas and I love em. And I’m an OLD fart.
.243 is cheap to shoot, low recoil, very available factory ammo. As mentioned get an 8 twist barrel.
I have three tikkas and I love em. And I’m an OLD fart.
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