Question about 308 win and 6.5 creedmoor

[maximus]

hello all, 

question about rifles, right now i have a 308 that shoots great but i was looking at a 6.5 creedmoor, are the balistics so different? shooting 600 to 800 yards,  if yes can anyone explain a little, i imagine Lance can chime in and describe in a way that is easy to undrstand.

thank you all.

[10Turkeys]

I think the biggest difference between the 2 is there are no memes for the .308!

[AZAV8ER]

LOL, the but hurt old FUDD's lashing out because their emasculated 30-06  err 308 has been eclipsed.

 

[STOMP442]

Very similar ballistics when comparing heavy for caliber bullets such as 200gr vs 140gr. The .308 will deliver more energy at extended ranges and wind drift will be nearly identical but the Creedmoor will be much flatter shooting. That being said, most hunters using a .308 are using 150-185gr max in which a 140gr 6.5 projectile will provide better wind drift and trajectory and give up very little in the energy department. You have to compare apples to apples and it all depends on what you intend to do with it. A deer shot at 600 yards with either one will never know the difference. The .308 is a proven performer like say a suburban parked in your drive way and the Creedmoor is the new sports car your neighbor just bought. Both will get you to the grocery store and back. 

[AZAV8ER]

Maximus what are you aiming to hit at 600-800 yards? 

5 minutes ago, STOMP442 said:

Very similar ballistics when comparing heavy for caliber bullets such as 200gr vs 140gr. The .308 will deliver more energy at extended ranges and wind drift will be nearly identical but the Creedmoor will be much flatter shooting. That being said, most hunters using a .308 are using 150-185gr max in which a 140gr 6.5 projectile will provide better wind drift and trajectory and give up very little in the energy department. You have to compare apples to apples and it all depends on what you intend to do with it. A deer shot at 600 yards with either one will never know the difference. The .308 is a proven performer like say a suburban parked in your drive way and the Creedmoor is the new sports car your neighbor just bought. Both will get you to the grocery store and back. 

To be more accurate the 308 is a Suburban and the Creed is the 4Runner 

[AZAV8ER]

Out to 500-600 yards the big difference is going to be recoil. Less recoil to manage from a hunting/field shooting position equals better accuracy. The 308 Hornady 178gr ELD-X ammo at 800 yards has 1500fps and 894 ft/lb energy. Now something better (if we are talking hunting) than the 308 or Creed would be the 280 Hornady 150gr ELDX, at 800 the .280/150gr has velocity 1740fps and energy 1008 ft/lb with less or at least no more recoil than the 308. 

[JSR]

They have Creedmores on sale at Bed Bath and Beyond.

 

[jdown]

7 minutes ago, JSR said:

They have Creedmores on sale at Bed Bath and Beyond.

 

Don't forget your coupon!!  And my wife and mother both fit this description.  

 

[recurveman]

Both are plenty accurate, both will easily kill deer sized animals at 600 yards.   From a practical hunting standpoint there is no real difference.   If you hit the animal in the right place they all die fast.   If you miss they live to get shot at again.   The biggest difference is this equation is the connection between the rifle and the ground.   If the operator doesn't practice then it doesn't matter.   I also see everyone say "oh yeah I will practice" but they don't.   Then they spray lead at critters and are basically adding lead to the hillside.   So.......pick one and practice, practice, practice......all the ballistics is not relevant for hunting applications out to 600 yards.   The other huge problem I see with guys is they want to own 10 rifles for all types of purposes.    Get ONE great rifle and practice.    One great rifle that a hunter is comfortable with is more important that having one in every caliber.   I typically use one rifle.   I can consistently kill animals from 75 -964 yards.   When I pull the trigger, the animal dies.   My last animal was a desert sheep at 462 yards (a chip shot) and I hit exactly where I was aiming and only took one shot.   That is the goal.   The animal prior to that was a coues deer at 815 yards.....bang flop.   You need to be comfortable shooting the gun at different distances and conditions.   Caliber is completely irrelevant.  FYI - I shoot a 6.5 X 284.  It's a bit more powerful than the CM but that doesn't make it better than the CM.   I love the 6.5 caliber, but I would never own a CM.   I want one rifle that will kill deer and elk and I think the CM is a bit small for elk at distance.    So why not get a gun that will shoot all animals instead of needing a different caliber for elk.   One rifle that does it all is the answer!!!!!!!         

[maximus]

thank you for the input, the 600-800 range was for practice, i have besides the 308 a 300 win mag that shhots great out to 700 with 210 bergers but i want it to hear opinions about the popular 6.5 cm, if is similar to the 308 i won't even bother thinking about it.

[Ernesto C]

If you already have a 300 win mag and a 308 I don't see the need for a 6.5 specially at 600 to 800 yards..but that's just me.

[lancetkenyon]

Bullet weight for bullet weight, 6.5CM will have better ballistics, but 600 yards will not be a big difference.  

Bullet BC for BC, 6.5CM will have less recoil.

For steel out to 800, flip a coin.

For deer out to 600, flip a coin.

For me, honestly, I would go 6.5mm for a practice/steel rifle/deer rifle to 600.  If a lightweight rifle is the goal, again, 6.5.  One of the worst recoiling light rifles I have shot is my son-in-law's 7# .308.  Have no clue why, but it SUCKED.

Get what you can find components for.

 

[recurveman]

20 hours ago, maximus said:

thank you for the input, the 600-800 range was for practice, i have besides the 308 a 300 win mag that shhots great out to 700 with 210 bergers but i want it to hear opinions about the popular 6.5 cm, if is similar to the 308 i won't even bother thinking about it.

If you like one of these rifles and it shoots accurately then spend the time and money on ammo and practicing.   98% of the misses out in the field are due to the operator not understanding how his rifle shoots.   Practice, practice.   The best time to practice is coming up too.   I shoot 90% of my high powered rifle rounds from February to May.   If I'm shooting a bunch of rounds in the fall I have failed to be a good hunter.   Guns should be setup in the spring and only double checked in the fall.   When you shoot in the spring there is no pressure to get it done fast and you can make adjustments to your gun or loads.   Go dent primers!!!!!!!!!

[452b264]

I dont know about you guys but I m taking the 308 win.

 

[308Nut]

I own both. Two of each. They’re both great. Both have advantages in given categories and neither make the other obsolete. Match your load to your circumstances with either and you’ll do alright. 
 

the biggest argument among 308 haters is that the 308 has waaay more windage than the CM. That’s very true if you’re not compensating at all and you’re running light bullets. My best CM load has 51” of 10MPH wind at a grand at my average hunting elevations and temps. My best 308 is 55” but comes with higher recoil yet also has over 200’# more energy. This is comparing the 147 versus the 208. Both heavy for caliber options. One of my favorite 308 loads has 62” of wind (176ATIP loaded fast) which is 11” further out than my CM load. Either way, it’s a missed target. Any long range shooter worth their salt would never not compensate for wind. It’s the misjudged that causes the errors. An error does NOT mean you’ll miss by 11” more inches versus the CM. Let’s say you judge 10MPH but it’s actually 7MPH. It’s a 3.3” difference not 11”. The gap is much closer than most shooters realize and a bad wind call is a bad wind call. Flatter trajectory is helpful but not critical since the advent of affordable range finders. Lower recoil is nice too but between the two isn’t a dealbreaker. 
 

308 Advantages = Phenomenal barrel life, higher impact energy.

6.5 CM Advantages = lower recoil, flatter trajectory, slightly better windage. 
 

308 offers manageable recoil and the CM offers reasonable barrel life. Windage difference is negligible unless using old bullet styles and lighter weights. For deer size game, both have adequate energy. 
 

pick one in a quality platform and use heavy for caliber bullets and it’s hard to fail with either. Personally I prefer the 308 but I don’t feel handicapped with the CM.