Tikka 6.5cm or 243 for new rifle purchase

[Elite]

Hey everyone,

So I have read a lot of the smaller then traditional caliber threads and they are interesting. Life has gotten busy and I do not have the time to handload anymore for the amount I like to shoot.

Here is some questions before I purchase a tikka while they are on sale

I have a 30-06 in a 8lb set up shooting 180s at 2780 fps and it gets tiring shooting it at the range and spotting shots is impossible.

Can you spot shots in a 6.5 cm? Would like to be under 7lbs set up with this build. How much does upgrading the stock help for spotting shots?

I also noticed that the 6.5cm only has a muzzle velocity of 2550 for a 143 with a 20” barrel. I know that is fast enough for a bullet to expand but would going to a 243 and a 90grn eldx at 3000 fps be a better set up due to the muzzle velocity?

Most of my shoots are under 200 yards but I have taken elk at 600 yards. I practice a lot of longe range in the summer.


Let me know everyone’s thoughts please


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[Firestone]

I've had a few different tikkas in 6.5cm, they all shot really good. One was a dedicated mule deer gun for about 6 years and that 143eldx worked amazing at creed velocities.

 

[Dmoua]

I don't know if 3000 FPS is achievable with factory 90gr bullets from a .243. Maybe with a 24” barrel. My wife has a 20” 243 and shoot it around the 2800 fps range with 90gr TGK bullets that I load.

Shooting a lightweight rifle will make spotting your own shots under 500 yards pretty difficult. It takes a lot of discipline.

My vote is on the 6.5 CM. Better ammo selection if you don’t plan to load for it.

 

[Elite]

I don't know if 3000 FPS is achievable with factory 90gr bullets from a .243. Maybe with a 24” barrel. My wife has a 20” 243 and shoot it around the 2800 fps range with 90gr TGK bullets that I load.

Shooting a lightweight rifle will make spotting your own shots under 500 yards pretty difficult. It takes a lot of discipline.

My vote is on the 6.5 CM. Better ammo selection if you don’t plan to load for it.

Even with a 6.5 cm would be hard to spot shots?


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[TxLite]

Even with a 6.5 cm would be hard to spot shots?

Stock ergos will help with that. That was the driving effort behind the rokstock, but there are also others that are going to be more forgiving than most factory stocks

 

[Dmoua]

Even with a 6.5 cm would be hard to spot shots?


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Depends. Do you blink when a shot goes off? It’s an acquired skill imo to be able to spot shots. Longer range is easier because the shooter has time to recover after the shot goes off.

 

[Vern400]

It'll be difficult with a lightweight rifle to spot shots. In general that takes a lot of fire control discipline.
Your order of suitability for elk is
30/06 then 6.5 then 243 then 223 then 22 mag.

Didn't want to leave anybody out

Seriously though, if you drop 20% on foot pounds of recoil, and you dropped 20% on weight, it's a toss up which rifle will give you less felt recoil.

The 6.5 CM recoil allows you to pretty much shoot all day. I was shooting 308 beside 6.5 suppressed last weekend, and it's hard to say the 6.5 creedmoor isn't pretty sweet. And that makes perfect sense.
A 165 at 2800 fps comparing to
140gr at 2700 fps.

 

[LongWayAround]

My 6.5CM is a Bergara, not a Tikka, but similar weight. I am not able to spot all of my shots, but do watch them hit regularly. Last fall, I watched my elk drop through the scope upon impact.

I also have a .243 that is not a Tikka. All things equal, the .243 will be easier to spot.

My 6.5 barrel is 22" and I believe the muzzle velocity is about 2700fps. I have no idea what my .243 is at the muzzle.

Since you referenced the Hornady 143, I have copied a response from them. I asked about their 6.5 testing and the possibility of heavier factory offerings for the .243.

"Thank you for contacting us. 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition is tested in a 24" barrel with a 1:8" twist. Elevation is 1800' ASL. While there are no immediate plans for a 108 ELD-Match load for the 243 Win, we will certainly forward the suggestion to management for consideration."

 

[Darryle]

It's hard to argue against a 6.5 Creedmoor, plenty of available ammo, wide variety of bullet choices, velocities and it's generally very accurate out of the gate and easy on the barrel, providing plenty of life, especially if you are not stepping on the throttle.

 

[Dukhtr3]

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[Elite]

Just looking on tikkas website and it shows the 6.5 cm only holds 3 in mag? But the 6.5 prc holds 4? Why is this


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[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

I was able to spot shots with my stock tikka 6.5 cm pretty well. Never miss one now after adding the can.

 

[Brucebarker024]

I was able to spot 95 percent of my shots from a factory tikka 6.5 creed cut to 20 inches with a 147 eldm at 2600. Added a can and that got better, then added a krg bravo and i don’t think I’ve missed spotting a shot inside 60 yards with a fixed 10x.

 

[billoo349]

Just looking on tikkas website and it shows the 6.5 cm only holds 3 in mag? But the 6.5 prc holds 4? Why is this


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It comes with a 3 round but you can get a 5 round. Not sure on the prc. My thought would be the picture on the Tikka site is not actually showing a 4 round magnum magazine because it should be more proud of the bottom metal.

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[TaperPin]

I always like to have a 243 around - it’s an easy to shoot round that makes an ideal plinking, rock shooting, coyote, antelope and mule deer if you’re careful. It’s been used a lot and has a good track record for those things. My 243 has taken a cow elk - a 100 gr partition through the middle of both lungs and she made it past 4 football fields of sagebrush before piling up. At least when used with that bullet, in the timber 4 football fields is a long long way and a guy’s tracking skills better be sharp.

If it’s going to be used less on the smaller targets and more on the larger, including elk, then it seems reasonable to go with the 6.5, and guys using it for that range of critters seem to do better than they should.

 

[Elite]

I always like to have a 243 around - it’s an easy to shoot round that makes an ideal plinking, rock shooting, coyote, antelope and mule deer if you’re careful. It’s been used a lot and has a good track record for those things. My 243 has taken a cow elk - a 100 gr partition through the middle of both lungs and she made it past 4 football fields of sagebrush before piling up. At least when used with that bullet, in the timber 4 football fields is a long long way and a guy’s tracking skills better be sharp.

If it’s going to be used less on the smaller targets and more on the larger, including elk, then it seems reasonable to go with the 6.5, and guys using it for that range of critters seem to do better than they should.

Partition is a very strong bullet. It wouldn’t have much effect on lungs only


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[TaperPin]

Partition is a very strong bullet. It wouldn’t have much effect on lungs only


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It works quite well on smallish antelope lungs - the front 1/3 sheds off in fragments, not what I’d call very strong. It’s just not very large.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Partition is a very strong bullet. It wouldn’t have much effect on lungs only


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I’ve decked caribou, moose and bear with partitions. They will absolutely work.

OP, the tikka 6.5 creedmoor is rad.

 

[BKM]

I jumped on the 6.5cm bandwagon this year after watching since its birth. I’m not sure what I was waiting for, low recoil and shoots everything well. Spotting close Shots is hard, but do you really need to spot a shot at 100? By 200 yards I can spot them all.

 

[PC356]

I don't know if 3000 FPS is achievable with factory 90gr bullets from a .243. Maybe with a 24” barrel. My wife has a 20” 243 and shoot it around the 2800 fps range with 90gr TGK bullets that I load.

Shooting a lightweight rifle will make spotting your own shots under 500 yards pretty difficult. It takes a lot of discipline.

My vote is on the 6.5 CM. Better ammo selection if you don’t plan to load for it.

Last Friday I was tuning an eBay parts 20” Tikka .243 barrel I had just acquired. Runnin off the shelf 90 gr ELD-Xs they were hitting 2989.0. Went thru several boxes of shells and chrono’d every shot thru my Garmin and saw similar. Here’s the first 10 shot session: