6.5cm vs 7mm-08??

[Farmboy876]

So I'm looking to build a short 16-18" ranch rifle that will be good in and out of a truck and deer blind, also for my 6 year old to shoot. I'm looking for low recoil and it will be used with a silencerco harvester. I already have a custom 26" 6.5 Creedmoor so I'm very familiar with the round, any suggestions?

 

[snox801]

I think you know the answer already. 6.5 creed would be perfect plus you have ammo already so no mix ups. 7mm-08 is nice but I think the creed would be better in your case.

 

[Farmboy876]

There's jut a part of me that want to "try" the 7-08. But I think I could stick with the 6.5

 

[WeiserBucks]

We all need another cartridge ! Do a 7-08 , you won't regret it . Especially since you already have a 6.5 C

 

[jimbires]

I've never messed with the 6.5 CM . I do like the 7-08 . for my girlfriend I'm using a 7-08 . I'm loading a 120gr nosler ballistic tip , with a slightly reduced load of H4895 , it works well . you should really be able to reduce the recoil with H4895 to get him started . then add powder as he gets used to it .

 

[MudRunner2005]

7mm-08. You already have a Creed. Why not diversify?

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

The 7mm/08 will do anything that little pipsqueak will do and much more...also there will never be a casing issue with any /08 base case, if there is reloading as we know it will be long over...

 

[FEENIX]

There's jut a part of me that want to "try" the 7-08. But I think I could stick with the 6.5

Keep it simple, both cartridge will serve you and your son well. Your son is only 6 and you know very well that this is not going to be the last time you are faced with this decision.

BTW, thanks for passing the hunting/shooting tradition to your son. I started both my sons (now 28 and 25) shooting at age 5 and legal hunting at age 10 with a Carl Gustaf 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser carbine using 140 grainers.

Good luck!

 

[Trm82]

I was just out this morning confirming my load for my 7-08 ridgline . The 7-08 is a great round. I'm shooting the 145lrx with RL17 at 2900 fps. I was getting 1/2 moa or less at 200 yards. Shoot it at 500 and group was 2.5". If I planned on shooting farther than that I will bring something bigger.
It will shoot 120s at 3200 fps also really good but the 145 will work just fine for what I need it to do.
I don't own a 6.5 but they are good to. The 7-08 seems to be very efficient

 

[Bigeclipse]

I do not own or never have shot the CM but I must say I like bigger calibers. Let me just get my two cents in before everyone bashes me. 6.5cm to the vitals will kill a deer just like 300 win mag. Everyone says 243 is a perfect Whitetail rifle. Here is my issue and it is from live experience with my wife. She has shot well over 30 deer in her life.
20 of which was with a 243. She has yet to lose a deer, however, on 5 occasions we had VERY VERY difficult tracking jobs. 1 was her fault (gut shot) the other 4....believe it or not...were either heart or double lung shots. The issues we had were the bullets sometimes did not bust through the offside shoulder depending on how the animal was facing. This lead to no exit with little to no blood. 3 deer traveled well over 100 yards on double lung shots! One was in the rain. Took us an hour to find it. The other 2 about 45 min. However, the last draw for her was this one time she shot a buck that was running. (I told her never shoot a running deer). Anyways...no blood nothing. I said you must have missed. She said...no way...definitely hit. So we looked...and looked....and looked. Did spiral patterns and everything. No blood. Called up a few buddies. After 3 hours we all basically gave up and walked back towards her stand. On the way back...my buddy looks at a large briar bush and says ill be a son of a bitch...theirs your buck. He could just make out the white of the tail. When we got close...sure enough it was her buck. The buck was hit in the heart ran 60 yards and jumped into a bush and died! There were no tracks, no blood, nothing! If he didn't see that tail...the deer would have been left for the crows. That being said...she decided to move up to a bigger gun. Since she has moved to the 7mm-08 every deer has been drop right there. Which actually now her complaint is it is boring because we do not get to do anymore tracking. She shoots 140grain accubonds going about 2800fps. The recoil is light. Since this I have even purchased myself one. It is a very flat shooting cartridge does everything a 308 will with a flatter trajectory. Just my two cents.

 

[velvetant]

Since you are already set up for the 6.5 Creedmoor and are familiar with it that's what I would go with.
I own 3 creeds at the moment with a forth in the works, this one will be a dedicated suppressor rifle. 2 are my 1000 yard rifles and one is a custom winchester Featherweight.
With that said the 7-08 is a great cartridge, I owned one in a very lightweight rifle and it was my go to gun until I had to sell some stuff off.
If I started all over today the 7-08 with those Berger high BC bullets would be my choice.
Can't go wrong with either caliber

 

[angus-5024]

16"-18" tube is a little short for a 6.5 CM, No?
I think I would opt for a 308, just to have the more efficient round in the short tube. 22" barrel I would start looking into the 7-08 and 6.5.
If barrel length wasn't a consideration I would go 6.5CM for sure.

 

[el matador]

I just picked up a 7-08 Remington Model Seven with a 20" barrel and I'm loving it so far. I was back and forth between the .260 and the 7mm, and ultimately chose the 7mm because its a bit more efficient with the short barrel. I loaded up some 100 grain Sierra HPs at 2600 fps to teach my lady to shoot. Its about like shooting a .223 and they shoot .6 moa. I've also tried the 120 Nosler Ballistic Tips but haven't found a good load yet. At ~3000 fps they are kind of feisty in a 6.5 lb gun. I like the versatility of this round though. It'll handle anything from 100 to 162 grains quite well.

 

[Bigeclipse]

16"-18" tube is a little short for a 6.5 CM, No?
I think I would opt for a 308, just to have the more efficient round in the short tube. 22" barrel I would start looking into the 7-08 and 6.5.
If barrel length wasn't a consideration I would go 6.5CM for sure.

Eh 20" is fine for the 7mm08. My wife's nosler 140 accubonds are going 2900fps and I did not work it up to max pressures. Would it be faster and more efficient in 22" yes but the guy said he wants a gun for his really young boy as well. The 308 will kick too much in my opinion.