Help me pick a calibre 243 or 6.5 Creedmoor or other

T

thepolinator

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I am looking at purchasing another rifle. The purpose of the rifle is going to be as a loaner rifle primarily for whitetail deer. I anticipate that this rifle would only be used by smaller framed people and new hunters. It would be a bonus if the rifle is suitable for larger game, but its not really what I am looking for. I am unfamiliar with calibres in the 6-6.5 mm range and was hoping you guys could provide me with some input.

I know both calibre's will do the job, have relatively decent trajectories and are on the lighter recoil side. As I have no experience with these caliber's I am unsure which one would be better suited to this application, especially with a new hunter.

Can you guys recommend me a calibre, is there a better one for this application that I am not considering and how does the recoil on these rifles compare to other calibres such as 7mm-08, 7x57 or 308?

Thanks all
 
The 243 was an excellent choice for many when it first came out. It still is. My father had various rifles but later in life went to a .243 for the light recoil and flat trajectory... I recently have done the same... I shot my first moose with a 243 in the early 60's... and now a .243 is my only center fire rifle.
 
guntech said:
The 243 was an excellent choice for many when it first came out. It still is. My father had various rifles but later in life went to a .243 for the light recoil and flat trajectory... I recently have done the same... I shot my first moose with a 243 in the early 60's... and now a .243 is my only center fire rifle.
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WHAT ? no 7mm-08 Rem any more Denny ? :p RJ
 
6.5cm will recoil a little less than the 7-08, and noticeably less than the 308. Anybody who can handle a 243 will be able to shoot a 6.5cm. It's the right choice these days over the 243
 
Deer and larger 6.5 Creedmoor or deer and smaller .243 or 6mm creedmoor.
I settled on the 7mm-08 for most of my hunting, and as long as it is possible to reload and 7mm bullets and .308 cases are made I'll keep mine. If something happened and I needed to replace it I'd go 6.5 Creedmoor. Recoil is slightly less on paper but my shoulder can't tell, the 6mm's are noticeably less to me.
 
r.j.medals2 said:
All around 7mm-08 is what i use.
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This is my “open country” caliber of choice. I know a few guys that use it for elk out to 400 yards with great success. I’m not that confident in my shooting, but it shows what it CAN do. If you are looking for a “loaner”, 7-08 makes sense as it can do pretty much anything, and recoil is very minimal.

If you have to stick to the two other choices, and deer was the primary target, I’d go .243 just for the old school factor. 6.5CM might be the new flavour of choice cartridge, but I’m not drinking the koolaid yet.
 
I have and use a Ruger American Compact in 243. It was just going to be a bad weather and loaner until I started shooting and using it and now it seems to be the rifle I grab just to take a walk about.
There will lots of ideas here but the Ruger works for me.
The weigh in at 6 lbs. and come it 243, 7-08, 6.5 CM and 308.

David
 
6.5 CM
It's so easy to find an accurate load.
Plus ,95 to160 g bullets,you're good for anything, from a grouse to a moose.. ha ha
 
The .243 will work great for your purposes.
Lots of factory ammo choices. A bit less recoil that may be a benefit for smaller framed or newer shooters.
That would be my first pick.

Order of recoil from low to high if rifle weights are similar and typical bullets for cartridge are used:
243, 6.5 cm, 7x57/7mm-08, 308
 
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6.55x55, 6.5creedmore, 6.5prc or 260rem might just be my next deer rifle. Whatever I can find what I like in them choices. I wouldnt feel undergunned with .243 but id likely go .25cal or bigger unless perfect rifle in .243 came along
 
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thepolinator said:
I am looking at purchasing another rifle.

.....

Can you guys recommend me a calibre, is there a better one for this application that I am not considering and how does the recoil on these rifles compare to other calibres such as 7mm-08, 7x57 or 308?

Thanks all
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There was a Remington 260 in the EE a few days ago. It is a 6.5-08.
 
For whitetail, I would recommend 7mm-08 or if you're lucky enough to find one, a quality newer production rifle chambered in 7x57. 7mm has provided the most consistent and favourable performance for me. Now, if you're in Ontario, 6.5 is a good bet.
 
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Congratulations to Liquid_snake. You are the FIRST person I have ever heard say 6.5 sucks.
I've been reading hundred of posts and tests and have never read that before.
Someone should tell the whitetail buck I killed "dead right there" my 6.5 Creedmoor sucked. Admittedly, it is the only animal I have ever shot with a 6.5 Creedmoor, so maybe I got lucky.
Proper bullet selection for the game hunted, proper shot placement at reasonable range and bang, dead animal. To make such a powerful statement, please elaborate and tell us more.
 
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