Next hunting rifle - 6.5 Creedmoor vs .270

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  • clfergus

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    I have been in the process of thinning out my gun safe and instead of having multiple rifles in the same caliber, focusing on one nice rifle per caliber. Over the years I would get a caliber and run on a good deal and decide I need a second of what I was comfortable with.

    So now I have a .308 I love along with a .223.

    I have been reading about this 6.5 round now for awhile. Seems like many people love it. It won't do anything better than my .308 but it does sound like it has less recoil. I also have read it is dead accurate. From a deer hunting perspective it seems to work well from what I have read.

    I am going to buy a new rifle just to have a new toy. Is the 6.5 Creedmoor the next caliber to add to my collection?
     

    blacknwhite

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    6.5 has a lot of advantages over .308, but if you're not getting into hunting shots over 300 yards then there isn't much of an advantage. The 6.5 will be a great hunting gun and an even better long range toy.
     

    mcapo

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    6.5 has a lot of advantages over .308, but if you're not getting into hunting shots over 300 yards then there isn't much of an advantage. The 6.5 will be a great hunting gun and an even better long range toy.

    Ditto. .270 is a fine caliber too but 6.5 creedmoor, being the flavor of the day, has lots of options for ammo, platforms, etc.

    If it is an Indiana hunting rifle, I think you'll be well served by either. I picked up a Howa 1500 LRP in 6.5 Creedmoor and its shooting well under 3/4 moa with factory ammo.
     

    ChrisK1977

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    I have a 6.5-300 and a .308. The 6.5-300 kills deer just as dead as the .308. If you are shooting at a deer, at the moment of the shot you won’t be able to tell the difference between the two recoil wise. If you want one you should get one.
     

    two70

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    You won't go wrong with either option or any of a number of other viable options. The 6.5 CM is certainly the flavor of the moment but will it last? Based on the current popularity I would have conclude that it probably will but it will be interesting to see what happens with the new and at least nominally superior 6.5 PRC. The .270 has stood the test of time and has proven staying power. In terms of rifle availability, the 6.5 CM is chambered in most new rifles but the used market is pretty limited. The .270 is pretty much available in all new rifles and the used market is very good. The one place that the 6.5 CM has an advantage over the .270s in rifle availability is the ability to build or by an AR in the 6.5 where you would be restricted to a BAR, SXR, R1 or Remy 7400 for a semi auto in .270. Factory ammo availability? Probably a slight nod to the .270 in most places but the 6.5 is gaining ground I'm sure. It basically comes down to whether or not you prefer a long or short action and what kind of rifle you want.
     

    Mgderf

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    I dove into the 6.5 Cm with a Howa 1500 action bedded in an ABA (American Built Arms) ModX chassis.
    It is an easy 3/4 M.O.A. with good factory ammo.

    www.gunbroker.com/item/781436814

    I didn't buy it there, and I didn't pay near that, but it's the same rifle.
    Just love this rifle.
     

    Mongo59

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    I went against the flavor of the month. I stuck with the .270. Down south in the un-glaciated portion of the state I seldom get a shot longer than 200-225 yards, so why carry a weapon with an expensive scope that can get damaged taking a ride on a 4 wheeler? With the trajectory of the .270 just sight it in at 200 yards and hold dead on with iron sights and squeeze. It will hit a half an inch high at 50 yards, 1.5 inches at 100 and back to center at 200. Even with my old tired eyes I can still get a good sight picture at 200 yards and that was the closest we would qualify in the Marines. After all I am taking out the thorax of a deer not taking bets on which hair I will hit. There is also a lot of history in shooting the sole survivor of the .30 '03. Remington 7400's are cheaper than bull meat around here and I won't try to tell you that didn't calculate in to the formula either. Why but one gun for $700 when you can have 4 for the same money? I don't collect... I accumulate. lol
     

    clfergus

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    Thanks for all the input. I never had read much about calibers outside of the .308 and .270 so it is interesting to learn more from people who have experience with them. I am intrigued by the lighter recoil.

    Someone also told me to look at a 7mm-08, said it was best of both worlds.
     

    Mongo59

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    A little off subject but if a light recoil is what you desire let me tell you about what I have discovered. This is just for the range or varmits and not for "hunting". If you have an old military bolt action 7.62x51 not the civilian .308 try shooting the German plastic rounds. It is stuff made in the 70's and shoots a 10gr plastic projectile around 4700fps. You get the boom, you smell the powder but the rifle doesn't budge. A box of 50 runs about $9.00 around here so you can shoot all day with no physical or financial regrets. I was on blood thinners for a year and a half and the saved my sanity, er... at least helped. They will shoot in the .308 but if you have a failure to fire you have a heck of a time clearing the round if it doesn't go off. The Germans don't make junk but some worry about possible plastic deposits in the bore but I have found that to be urban legend. Just a thought.
     

    two70

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    Thanks for all the input. I never had read much about calibers outside of the .308 and .270 so it is interesting to learn more from people who have experience with them. I am intrigued by the lighter recoil.

    Someone also told me to look at a 7mm-08, said it was best of both worlds.

    Given your stated wishes and that you already have a .308, I'm not sure the 7mm-08 fits what you want. Recoil wise it will be fairly similar but slightly less than the .308. You might notice or you might not. If you don't reload, factory ammo is readily available but not a lot of variety. Rifles chambered in 7mm-08 are pretty common though, depending on brand of course.

    Another option to consider is the .260 Remington, ballistically it is similar to or better than the 6.5 CM except for loading the extremely heavy for caliber projectiles intended for long range shooting. Ammo is a bit harder to find if you don't reload but new rifles are available along with AR barrels and used rifles are fairly common. Another round to consider in that range if you reload is the 6.5x55 Swede. Rifles are less common but easily found with a bit of effort and it provides the performance and low recoil that you want while still being something a bit different.
     

    Hohn

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    I don't think it much matters. I wouldn't choose one rifle over the other based on caliber alone, at least not for hunting. Either one is more than deer-worthy I'd think.

    With the .270 you get the ammo-everywhere availability of one of the most popular cartridges in North America. And it's as proven on deer as proven gets. A failure with .270 is not a .270 failure. It's the hunter.

    The 6.5 ballistically gives basically nothing up to the .270. The .270 will push 130gr about as fast as 6.5 pushes 120gr. But you get the short action of the 6.5 and ability to mag feed.

    Hunting to me is far more about bullet selection than cartridge selection or rifle selection. A Barnes, for example, will generally penetrate in nearly any caliber. A Winchester ballistic silvertip might fail at close range (come apart before penetration).

    If you can find a good deal on a quality rifle in a caliber that has enough power to push quality hunting bullets, then you have a great hunting rifle.
     

    ChrisK1977

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    I have a 6.5-300 and a .308. The 6.5-300 kills deer just as dead as the .308. If you are shooting at a deer, at the moment of the shot you won’t be able to tell the difference between the two recoil wise. If you want one you should get one.


    I have the 6.5 Creedmoor also now
     

    walleyepw

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    I currently don't own eitheir a 6.5 creedmore or a .270 win. Personaly I would like to own a couple of each. One thing that I seem to remember, is that when ammo was scarce and hard to find, there seemed to always be a shelf full of 270 in the local LGSs and wally worlds around.
     
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