Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
My best 1000 yard cold bore group, was shot with the .308. It bested my 8 twist 28” 7mm shooting 180 bergers. It certainly isn’t ballistically superior to the latter (and neither is the 6.5Cr), the results just incorporated all the factors that day, and the pure numbers don’t often bear out as results in the field shooting.
With all of them, the results are more dependent on the particular rifle and most definitely the shooter than the chambering. Often we debate numbers in circles, and don’t actually go do it much. Guys like iron cat above clearly do. I’ll put more weight on how the particular rifle or barrel shoots than the chambering of it. You’ll find the differences between good chamberings are one of the less important variables.
You can pick .308 loads that fly so close to the 6.5 Cr to all but negate any difference, especially at hunting ranges. What the 6.5 gains in BC the .30 largely offsets with its greater efficiency at turning pressure into velocity. For instance at peak pressure there’s 4600lbs of force on the base of a .308 bullet, compared to 3400lbs for a 6.5 at 62,000psi. The 6.5 has to make that up with the BC, as it launches a given weight slower as a result. Within all hunting ranges, the .30 will shoot the same bullet weight flatter than the 6.5 due to this.
Like any sport, the differences between gear are usually the least important factor. For me, the ease of ordering cases of .308 Gold Match and ubiquitous FMJ options when everything else seems to be in rolling shortages is the main factor in my choice. And being able to have everything from semis to euro doubles and combo guns chambering the same thing is great too. My attraction to a 6.5 is recoil, but the .308 has so little as well I can’t say I’m really tempted to switch for that. I’ve shot both and can’t tell a meaningful difference, personally.
All the above is about target shooting, not hunting, except the last bit on trajectory. Most here aren’t long range target shooters, but I take it there as inevitably 6.5 talk stretches to where the charts show a difference. For hunting, there is utterly no difference so take your pick, you’ll just find a lot more ammo options in .308 if you buy factory ammo. If you can feel the 3-4 ft-lb difference in recoil, and many can, I respect that too.
With all of them, the results are more dependent on the particular rifle and most definitely the shooter than the chambering. Often we debate numbers in circles, and don’t actually go do it much. Guys like iron cat above clearly do. I’ll put more weight on how the particular rifle or barrel shoots than the chambering of it. You’ll find the differences between good chamberings are one of the less important variables.
You can pick .308 loads that fly so close to the 6.5 Cr to all but negate any difference, especially at hunting ranges. What the 6.5 gains in BC the .30 largely offsets with its greater efficiency at turning pressure into velocity. For instance at peak pressure there’s 4600lbs of force on the base of a .308 bullet, compared to 3400lbs for a 6.5 at 62,000psi. The 6.5 has to make that up with the BC, as it launches a given weight slower as a result. Within all hunting ranges, the .30 will shoot the same bullet weight flatter than the 6.5 due to this.
Like any sport, the differences between gear are usually the least important factor. For me, the ease of ordering cases of .308 Gold Match and ubiquitous FMJ options when everything else seems to be in rolling shortages is the main factor in my choice. And being able to have everything from semis to euro doubles and combo guns chambering the same thing is great too. My attraction to a 6.5 is recoil, but the .308 has so little as well I can’t say I’m really tempted to switch for that. I’ve shot both and can’t tell a meaningful difference, personally.
All the above is about target shooting, not hunting, except the last bit on trajectory. Most here aren’t long range target shooters, but I take it there as inevitably 6.5 talk stretches to where the charts show a difference. For hunting, there is utterly no difference so take your pick, you’ll just find a lot more ammo options in .308 if you buy factory ammo. If you can feel the 3-4 ft-lb difference in recoil, and many can, I respect that too.
MINT single shot Ruger Hawkeye in 256 Win.Mag. with scope, original scope mount, two boxes of factory ammo and the original manual for the Hawkeye. Got in just under the wire with that before our PM
closed the door on handguns.
