6.5CM or 300WM for Once In A Lifetime Hunt?

[Tim8654]

I may be odd man out on this one but have been in the same dilemma myself with two superbly shooting LR rifles, a 6.5x284 and a 300WM. I hunt medium game; whitetails, mulies, and antelopes almost exclusively and generally limit my shots 1000 yards(except for varmints and the occasional antelope). There is no question in my case that the 6.5x284 is my darling. Lighter, pleasant to shoot, and downright deadly in terms of accuracy. But like yourself, I was initially concerned about the killing power at longer ranges. Now after 7 years and dozens of game and a bunch of coyotes taken between 500 and 1200 yards with both rifles I have made some observations. I don't consider them gospel, just my personal experience. Firstly, at long range, the heavier 30 caliber, high BC bullets(210/215's) rarely expand on medium game and pencil through. The smaller 6.5 bullets will still expand tending to offset any energy/caliber difference between the two. I have had more medium game DRT with my 6.5x284 then my 300WM. Second, bullet placement trumps any difference in caliber. A bullet hole only .04" bigger in the wrong place gives a comparable bad result. For these reasons I have settled on my 6.5x284 for my LR medium game and reserve my 300WM if larger game is on the menu. The lighter 6.5's like the CM and 260 I would set my max range on medium game a couple of hundred yards less then the 6.5x284 but given that +90% of the reasonable opportunities at game I have shot is under 800 yards, I would still use the smaller 6.5 if I was more confident, and the rifle was a handier hunting weapon.
Just my thoughts.

Thanks for the reply. My long range hunting experience is really limited to coyote - 55 grain ballistic tips from an AR - when living out west. In Virginia its been whitetail with slugs and arrows and lots of steel and paper with the rifles. So, I don't have any historical knowledge of terminal performance for either the 6.5 or 300. I did consider taking the Savage 220 for the hogs but travel space and weight is a factor.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

Thanks for the reply. My long range hunting experience is really limited to coyote - 55 grain ballistic tips from an AR - when living out west. In Virginia its been whitetail with slugs and arrows and lots of steel and paper with the rifles. So, I don't have any historical knowledge of terminal performance for either the 6.5 or 300. I did consider taking the Savage 220 for the hogs but travel space and weight is a factor.

I dont have any long range terminal performance on the 6.5 Creed but i can tell you all the Northern NH whitetail we have taken which have been 220 yards and under its works well. Nothing goes out of sight. I also took a large black bear with it. My dad did take a nice Nebraska buck at 500 but he hit it in the back of the neck running straight away from him so that doesn't give much for long range performance.

 

[liltank]

300 WinMag...Better for hogs, and also works just fine on whitetail deer.

Yep

 

[MudRunner2005]

Yep

What's up Tank? Been a while.

 

[liltank]

What's up Tank? Been a while.

Busy in life. I agree with the 300 suggestion. I read the name of the post and already had my decision made. Why screw around on a hunt of a lifetime. Gotten into some adventure riding. That's been my new fascination. Have an 08' DR650. It's been a good time. Sorry OP! The family and I have been doing some camping. Good times bro!!

 

[MudRunner2005]

Busy in life. I agree with the 300 suggestion. I read the name of the post and already had my decision made. Why screw around on a hunt of a lifetime. Gotten into some adventure riding. That's been my new fascination. Have an 08' DR650. It's been a good time. Sorry OP! The family and I have been doing some camping. Good times bro!!

That's good. Adventure riding can be fun.

 

[WildRose]

I'm of the opinion that the 300wm is never the wrong answer. Yes there seems to be some real magic to the 6.5's that makes them perform above and beyond what a bullet of that size and weight should and they have been used successfully on even large and dangrous game the world over.

That being said, with the likelihood of big hogs being on the menu I'd stick with the 300wm. A big boar has a cartilage armor plate running from behind the shoulders across the chest up to the jowels that can absorb a whole lot of energy. Some we've killed have had multiple rifle bullets buried in it that obviously never got to the vitals and pigs in general just simply do not die easily and will almost never go straight down unless you interrupt the CNS with a spine or head shot.

I've seen 400+lbs boars absorb a perfect heart/lung shot from an 06 or 7mmRM and still run over 500yds or still have enough fight in them to tear up a pack of catch dogs.

If you can only take one rifle the 300wm would be the wisest choice as long as you have faith in your ability to shoot it and put the bullet where it needs to be.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

Use a bullet that is designed for hunting, not a target bullet that has been given a hunting label. Bullets that are designed for hunting go through animals, not part way in. High frangible bullets on tough animals makes for bad results.

Steve

 

[WildRose]

Use a bullet that is designed for hunting, not a target bullet that has been given a hunting label. Bullets that are designed for hunting go through animals, not part way in. High frangible bullets on tough animals makes for bad results.

Steve

Really good point. The last thing you want to shoot at a big boar is a bullet that goes to pieces.

 

[TXAoudadKlr]

That being said, with the likelihood of big hogs being on the menu I'd stick with the 300wm. A big boar has a cartilage armor plate running from behind the shoulders across the chest up to the jowels that can absorb a whole lot of energy. Some we've killed have had multiple rifle bullets buried in it that obviously never got to the vitals and pigs in general just simply do not die easily and will almost never go straight down unless you interrupt the CNS with a spine or head shot.

Had a little one take quite a beating last season before I planted one in the brain. But really you've seen big ones get shot and the rounds failed to make it into the chest cavity, that's kind of amazing.

Anyways back on track, both are good choices but I'd opt for the 300WM

 

[WildRose]

Had a little one take quite a beating last season before I planted one in the brain. But really you've seen big ones get shot and the rounds failed to make it into the chest cavity, that's kind of amazing.

Anyways back on track, both are good choices but I'd opt for the 300WM

I've seen some big ones run off the map that seemed to be hit very well but where hit on the shoulder/leg and forward. We never recovered them so I can't say.

I have found a lot of lead in the shield of old boars that had been there obviously for years.

I have killed a couple of them that still had seeping abscesses from rounds that buried up in the shield and never made it into the chest.

I've also killed several that had everything in the chest turned to mush but just refused to die that either ran hundreds of yards before giving out or put up a very good fight with dogs before finally expiring.

One of the bigger boars I ever killed soaked up two loads of buck shot at close range along with five 240gr 44mg jhp's in his chest and still managed to shred two dogs.

Big hogs come with their own armor and just have a tremendous will to fight rather than die.

I've also killed some very large hogs with brain shots from a .204 Ruger and .220 swift at up to 300yds. You just have to put it into the CNS to put them down hard and whenever you can avoid the shoulder/chest shots.

 

[TXAoudadKlr]

I've seen some big ones run off the map that seemed to be hit very well but where hit on the shoulder/leg and forward. We never recovered them so I can't say.

I have found a lot of lead in the shield of old boars that had been there obviously for years.

I have killed a couple of them that still had seeping abscesses from rounds that buried up in the shield and never made it into the chest.

I've also killed several that had everything in the chest turned to mush but just refused to die that either ran hundreds of yards before giving out or put up a very good fight with dogs before finally expiring.

One of the bigger boars I ever killed soaked up two loads of buck shot at close range along with five 240gr 44mg jhp's in his chest and still managed to shred two dogs.

Big hogs come with their own armor and just have a tremendous will to fight rather than die.

I've also killed some very large hogs with brain shots from a .204 Ruger and .220 swift at up to 300yds. You just have to put it into the CNS to put them down hard and whenever you can avoid the shoulder/chest shots.

My buddy was telling me a few days ago about a boar his dad had killed and while they were skinning it, they hit something metallic to which they found 3 broad heads in that armoured part around the shoulder. The arrow shafts had be broken off.

 

[WildRose]

My buddy was telling me a few days ago about a boar his dad had killed and while they were skinning it, they hit something metallic to which they found 3 broad heads in that armoured part around the shoulder. The arrow shafts had be broken off.

I've seen a few of them and probably would have seen more if we had more bow hunters.

That shield is amazingly tough and it's why taxidermists charge so much for doing big boars. They have to scrape it out completely to prepare it for mounting.

 

[Tim8654]

Thanks for everyone's advice.

I ended up taking the 300WM shooting the 200 grain ELD-X's and got two hogs that dropped in their tracks.

Also had some time to shoot steel out there and made a first round hit at just shy of 1000 yards. The range work before the trip brought my confidence up with a rifle that often takes a backseat to smaller calibers.

Thanks again everyone.