6.5CM vs 270 WIN vs 308 Best all around hunting/entry long range rifle?

[Maestro]

I'm still pretty torn between 308 and 6.5. 6.5 seems to be the more accurate round but when comparing ammo prices the 308 is the better choice. I can find federal smk 168 grain for 18$ a box which seems like a hell of a deal when compared to around 24$ a box of the cheapest 6.5cm i could find. 140g hornady american gunner. The federal berger boxes are around 29$ a box.

600-700 yards is about the farthest distance I have been able to find anywhere near me where I could shoot. I don't know if investing in a 6.5 and taking the hit on accurate target ammunition would be worth it if I can never really stretch it out.

Pretty sure that within 600-700 yards, the 308 and 6.5 are darn near identical and you'd be splitting hairs to say one is better than the other. Pick which caliber you like, can afford to shoot more and go. If you're primarily hunting, I do believe the 308 would be a better choice due to bullet choice (For both hand loading AND factory). And the extra few hundred FPE the 308 has certainly won't hurt you. But if you want a 6.5, go for it, it'll probably be my next Whitetail gun.

Also I wouldn't say that the 6.5 is a more accurate round, it all depends on the gun. You could maybe say that the 6.5 is more likely to be built in an accurate gun/match rifles etc.

 

[surgeon260]

My opinion is based on the fact that I hunt elk almost exclusively on foot on public land in Colorado, which means I am hiking a long piece at high altitude in rugged terrain to get a shot at an elk. A marginal hit on an elk means that animal is going to run, potentially very far, adding many hours to my meat packing efforts. If your elk hunting conditions are less extreme, or if you have the opportunity to hunt on private land where trucks or ATVs are in play, then disregard my opinion entirely.

For the elk hunting I do, I would feel undergunned with any of the three cartridges you mentioned. Can those three cartridges kill an elk in ideal conditions out to 400 yards? Absolutely. But for the amount of effort required for me to get a shot at an elk, and given the potential added work required given a marginal shot, I personally prefer a bigger safety margin in terms of energy on target. What if the animal is at an odd angle and you have to shoot through heavy bone, or what if the animal is bedded down in heavy brush and branches? I personally would not feel comfortable with a 6.5 Creed in those conditions. I have witnessed the effects of a 6.5-284 impacting elk shoulder, and the animal ran over half a mile straight up a goddamn mountain. Bull elk are big, tough animals.

So I think it comes down to the type of shots you are willing to limit yourself to. If you are comfortable passing on certain shots and waiting for the perfect broadside, then the 6.5 Creed is a great choice, primarily due to the inherent precision and shootability. But if you are a hunter like me and you want to harvest an animal in potentially imperfect conditions because you put a lot of effort into getting a shot, my opinion is that I want more energy on target than your three options can provide.

My personal stable of elk rifles consists of:
-7RM with two different loads: 175 Partitions @ 2950 in the mag, spare mag of Berger 180s at 3025 (for those long shots)
-.300 Norma Improved with two different loads: 200 Partitions @ 3150 in the mag, spare mag of Berger 230s @ 3050 (for those long shots)

I think a .30-06, 7RM, or even a .338 Federal would be better suited than the cartridges you listed, and all would double as good long range target rounds (maybe not the Federal). With a little practice, you can easily master the recoil of any of those cartridges. Or throw a can on the end of your rifle and they will all become pussy cats.

YMMV.

 

[MosesTheTank]

Pretty sure that within 600-700 yards, the 308 and 6.5 are darn near identical and you'd be splitting hairs to say one is better than the other. Pick which caliber you like, can afford to shoot more and go. If you're primarily hunting, I do believe the 308 would be a better choice due to bullet choice (For both hand loading AND factory). And the extra few hundred FPE the 308 has certainly won't hurt you. But if you want a 6.5, go for it, it'll probably be my next Whitetail gun.

Also I wouldn't say that the 6.5 is a more accurate round, it all depends on the gun. You could maybe say that the 6.5 is more likely to be built in an accurate gun/match rifles etc.

Better to be sure than pretty sure. My preferred way of being sure is to work up a an accurate load, chrono it, then put that data into a Kestrel and run it out to distance. There is no guessing involved. A gazillion other shooters do something similar. I am afforded the luxury of having more than a few 308s and 6.5s and gobs of factory loads on hand and even more hand loads to test things out. But for a comparison all of that is not necessary. A quick and highly reliable way of knowing what is happening down range is to go to JBM and run some numbers. You can use the data right off of the box. No purchase required. If you are new to this game you may be surprised at how predictable all this stuff is. After doing this for a while I am sure that 308 and 6.5 are not identical. Here is a comparison of FGMM 175 and WInchester Match 6.5 140s, which uses the below Horandy BTHP:

Input Data
Manufacturer:	Sierra	Description:	HPBT MatchKing™
Caliber:	0.308 in	Weight:	175.0 gr
Ballistic Coefficients:	0.485 [0-1800], 0.496 [1800-2800], 0.505 [2800-5000] G1 (ASM)
Muzzle Velocity:	2600.0 ft/s	Distance to Chronograph:	10.0 ft

Calculated Table Range Drop Drop Windage Windage Velocity Mach Energy Time Lead Lead (yd) (MOA) (MOA) (MOA) (MOA) (ft/s) (none) (ft•lbs) (s) (MOA) (MOA) 0 *** *** *** *** 2606.2 2.334 2638.8 0 *** *** 100 0 0 0.7 0.7 2424.5 2.172 2283.7 0.119 20.1 20.1 200 -2.1 -2.1 1.5 1.5 2250.1 2.015 1967 0.248 20.8 20.8 300 -5 -5 2.3 2.3 2082.8 1.866 1685.4 0.386 21.6 21.6 400 -8.4 -8.4 3.2 3.2 1923 1.722 1436.7 0.536 22.5 22.5 500 -12.2 -12.2 4.1 4.1 1770.5 1.586 1217.9 0.699 23.5 23.5 600 -16.5 -16.5 5.2 5.2 1624.6 1.455 1025.4 0.876 24.5 24.5

Input Data
Manufacturer:	Hornady	Description:	BTHP Match™
Caliber:	0.264 in	Weight:	140.0 gr
Ballistic Coefficient:	0.580 G1 (ASM)
Muzzle Velocity:	2710.0 ft/s	Distance to Chronograph:	10.0 ft

Calculated Table Range Drop Drop Windage Windage Velocity Mach Energy Time Lead Lead (yd) (MOA) (MOA) (MOA) (MOA) (ft/s) (none) (ft•lbs) (s) (MOA) (MOA) 0 *** *** *** *** 2715.4 2.432 2291.8 0 *** *** 100 0 0 0.6 0.6 2555.8 2.289 2030.2 0.114 19.1 19.1 200 -1.8 -1.8 1.2 1.2 2401.7 2.151 1792.7 0.235 19.7 19.7 300 -4.4 -4.4 1.8 1.8 2252.9 2.018 1577.5 0.364 20.4 20.4 400 -7.3 -7.3 2.5 2.5 2109.3 1.889 1382.8 0.502 21.1 21.1 500 -10.5 -10.5 3.2 3.2 1971.1 1.765 1207.5 0.649 21.8 21.8 600 -14.1 -14.1 4 4 1838.6 1.647 1050.7 0.806 22.6 22.6 Delta Range Drop Drop Windage Windage Velocity Mach Energy Time Lead Lead (yd) (MOA) (MOA) (MOA) (MOA) (ft/s) (none) (ft•lbs) (s) (MOA) (MOA) 0 *** *** *** *** 109.2 0.098 -347 0 *** *** 100 0 0 -0.1 -0.1 131.3 0.117 -253.5 -0.005 -1 -1 200 0.3 0.3 -0.3 -0.3 151.6 0.136 -174.3 -0.013 -1.1 -1.1 300 0.6 0.6 -0.5 -0.5 170.1 0.152 -107.9 -0.022 -1.2 -1.2 400 1.1 1.1 -0.7 -0.7 186.3 0.167 -53.9 -0.034 -1.4 -1.4 500 1.7 1.7 -0.9 -0.9 200.6 0.179 -10.4 -0.05 -1.7 -1.7 600 2.4 2.4 -1.2 -1.2 214 0.192 25.3 -0.07 -1.9 -1.9 Keying in on the drop and wind delta in inches: Range Drop Windage (yd) inches inches 0 *** *** 100 0 0.1 200 0.6 0.6 300 1.8 1.5 400 4.4 2.8 500 8.5 4.5 600 14.4 7.2 They are not close at all. We can mix and match bullets all we want, but you will have to give up BC for speed, etc. Just go to JBM and play around. While not the OPs question, my 0.02 on what is best for elk, I 100% agree 300 Win Mag and 7MM Rem Mag, or something similar. I have used both with great success. There are some good 300 Win Mag factory loads out there but not many for the 7MM Rem Mag. For the price of buying several boxes to experiment with you are better off getting a reloading kit and working up a load yourself. After all of the time, expense, and effort of an elk hunt is it worth skimping on a few bucks of ammo and components? I don't think that makes any sense.

 

[GASSR20]

Yup. I also agree that 7mm RM, 300WM, or 30-06 are ideal elk options. The ones you listed would be great for whitetails. Check out this link: Myth Busting Big Game Calibers. It's a great article/data set that I keep in my favorite links and always refer back to when I'm faced with these type questions. It dials back the range a bit and keeps your head out of the clouds. Read the whole thing and understand the assumptions/limitations leading to the results. In doing so, I think you'll narrow down your options much easier due to setting realistic expectations and criteria on killing big game. You'll realize that deer don't take much, while average elk take more, and large elk/moose take even more. Sounds obvious, but large elk/moose are often as large or larger than bovine cows. That's stout.

A lot of guys on here will tell you what they do based on the fact that they hit paper/steel at X distance, but have never actually killed anything. They just assume that if they hit something with the numbers they read on the internet they're good or maybe they're just lucky. I'm not knocking them, but there are probably more shooters on here than actual hunters. I try to separate the two disciplines to some degree in order to optimize the experience, so an "all -around" rifle is tough to do unless you keep your game size to cow elk and down. Anyway, check out that link.

 

[TorF]

There's a lot of good info on this site from New Zealand:

https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase.html

 

[spaniel]

I'm sorry. Having a good amount of elk experience, if this is in your use set, just forget anything 6.5mm. Can it kill them? Of course. So can a 223. The fact is these at large, tough animals that live in difficult country which makes recovery difficult if they travel. A decade ago I shot a bull elk at 683 yards 3 times in the boiler room with a 300WM, and the bullets performed perfectly. He stood there like nothing had happened, then casually walked off behind cover where I couldn't shoot anymore. Five minutes later, he fell over.

I've lost count of the stories of 6.5s and 7mms that don't get the job done. Though the 7s are probably OK at closer ranges.

I do believe real elk rounds begin with ".3" if "long range" is in the equation, though a lot of elk are killed at 300 yards and less with 270s. This year I hit my bull with a 338 Edge at 715 yards and it was the hammer of Thor. I shot a satellite bull; there was another hunter only 200 yards from the herd, he put four 7mmMag rounds through the herd bull before he finally went down.

I see no reason to carry anything under 7mm at any range for elk. And I'd rather carry a slower 30cal round than a faster 7mm round.

 

[icu812]

I've noticed spotting at the range the last couple of years that I can almost always tell when someone is shooting a .308 over a 6 or 6.5. It just hits the steel harder. I grew up hunting with .270's and 30-06's and since I've gotten into PRS style shooting I've taken a couple different short action 6.5 builds deer hunting and they just don't hit the deer as hard. They get the job done but you can definitely tell their not hammers.

 

[Upstate43]

They are not close at all. We can mix and match bullets all we want, but you will have to give up BC for speed, etc. Just go to JBM and play around.

While not the OPs question, my 0.02 on what is best for elk, I 100% agree 300 Win Mag and 7MM Rem Mag, or something similar. I have used both with great success. There are some good 300 Win Mag factory loads out there but not many for the 7MM Rem Mag. For the price of buying several boxes to experiment with you are better off getting a reloading kit and working up a load yourself.

After all of the time, expense, and effort of an elk hunt is it worth skimping on a few bucks of ammo and components? I don't think that makes any sense.[/TD]

6.5 CM and .308 aren't identical at 600 yards, but their differences also aren't as great as some people make them out to be. An extra 2" in bullet drop and extra 1" in windage adjustment is not a world of difference when it comes to hunting and it can easily be adjusted for.

As well, you're comparing the ballistics of 2 match-grade cartridges, but you're not looking at their momentum. The .308 is capable of taking somewhat bigger game, even at distance, compared to the 6.5 CM. For all of its ballistic advantages, 6.5 CM does lack some of the punch that is inherent to the bigger cartridge. I encourage interested hunters to read up on Matuna's Optimal Game weight formula. It's not a hard, scientific rule but it does give a general idea of how a cartridge will perform at various distances.

Does any of this matter for taking elk at 400 yards and in? Probably not, so long as the shot placement is good and right ammo is used. If the OP wants a versatile cartridge that is effective for taking animals bigger than elk, I'd look at .308 or another cartridge all together.

Boy 308220, you must loathe bow hunters.

Bows do not kill as effectively as rifles. I know some people do not like hearing that and we can play all sorts of mental gymnastics in comparing an expert bow shot to a crappy rifle shot. But shot placement, animal type/size, and all other variables being equal, a properly selected rifle bullet is much more effective at killing a game animal than an arrow.

I have a dog trained to recover wounded game for other hunters. 99% of the calls I respond to are for bow hunters; the remaining 1% are a combination of rifles and muzzle-loaders. There are good bow hunters out there, but it's a lot tougher for them to get a shot that will quickly put the animal down.

 

[MachoKing]

I'm sorry. Having a good amount of elk experience, if this is in your use set, just forget anything 6.5mm. Can it kill them? Of course. So can a 223. The fact is these at large, tough animals that live in difficult country which makes recovery difficult if they travel. A decade ago I shot a bull elk at 683 yards 3 times in the boiler room with a 300WM, and the bullets performed perfectly. He stood there like nothing had happened, then casually walked off behind cover where I couldn't shoot anymore. Five minutes later, he fell over.

I've lost count of the stories of 6.5s and 7mms that don't get the job done. Though the 7s are probably OK at closer ranges.

I do believe real elk rounds begin with ".3" if "long range" is in the equation, though a lot of elk are killed at 300 yards and less with 270s. This year I hit my bull with a 338 Edge at 715 yards and it was the hammer of Thor. I shot a satellite bull; there was another hunter only 200 yards from the herd, he put four 7mmMag rounds through the herd bull before he finally went down.

I see no reason to carry anything under 7mm at any range for elk. And I'd rather carry a slower 30cal round than a faster 7mm round.

My whimpy little 7 Mag sure puts them down. Plenty of elk get wounded with ALL calibers, and the fact that the most popular hunting caliber is the 30-06, I'd guess that the majority of those are with a .30 cal. A good shot will kill the animal, every time. Put it through the largest part of the front shoulder and boom, dead elk. They're not wearing Kevlar. A friend of mine has plenty of experience shooting everything from a 280ai down to a 6.5x47 at elk, and they fold over like a lawn chair. In my opinion, bullet selection is a lot more important than the chambering.

 

[Baron26]

There's a lot of good info on this site from New Zealand:

https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase.html

Thanks for the link...good info. For elk, I’m in the 300WM camp.

 

[MosesTheTank]

6.5 CM and .308 aren't identical at 600 yards, but their differences also aren't as great as some people make them out to be(1). An extra 2" in bullet drop and extra 1" in windage adjustment (2) is not a world of difference when it comes to hunting and it can easily be adjusted for.

As well, you're comparing the ballistics of 2 match-grade cartridges, but you're not looking at their momentum(3a). The .308 is capable of taking somewhat bigger game, even at distance, compared to the 6.5 CM. For all of its ballistic advantages, 6.5 CM does lack some of the punch that is inherent to the bigger cartridge(3b). I encourage interested hunters to read up on Matuna's Optimal Game weight formula. It's not a hard, scientific rule but it does give a general idea of how a cartridge will perform at various distances.

Does any of this matter for taking elk at 400 yards and in? Probably not, so long as the shot placement is good and right ammo is used. If the OP wants a versatile cartridge that is effective for taking animals bigger than elk, I'd look at .308 or another cartridge all together.

1. I do not make differences out to be anything. I am presenting the math. At 600 yards the math is pretty easy. The math in your rebuttal is off by vast margins and are greater than you represent, which I calculate below.

2. The difference is 14.4" of elevation and 7.2" of drop, not 2" and 1", respectively. Your representation is off by 86%. Perhaps you read the MOA delta and not the inches delta. To correct this:
At 600 yards 1 MOA = 6"
308 = -16.5 MOA = -16.5* 6 = 99".
6.5 = -14.1 MOA = -14.1*6 = 84.6"
99 - 84.6 = 14.4"

3. Momentum is mass x velocity. The table I posted shows 1024 ft lbs for the 308 and 1050 for the 6.5. That means the 6.5 CM has 26 ft lbs more than the 308. Perhaps you reversed signs in doing your math?

I have no idea what match grade cartridges has do do with anything. But if you present a case that hunting specific cartridges will yield a different result I will run those numbers too. With few exceptions I only hunt with match grade cartridges. Placement is paramount and you cannot have good placement without doing (correct) math.

 

[Edds]

I think a 270 Winchester loaded with 150gr Nosler Partition bullets would be a good 400 yard Elk Rifle.

 

[TimeWillTell]

1. I do not make differences out to be anything. I am presenting the math. At 600 yards the math is pretty easy. The math in your rebuttal is off by vast margins and are greater than you represent, which I calculate below.

2. The difference is 14.4" of elevation and 7.2" of drop, not 2" and 1", respectively. Your representation is off by 86%. Perhaps you read the MOA delta and not the inches delta. To correct this:
At 600 yards 1 MOA = 6"
308 = -16.5 MOA = -16.5* 6 = 99".
6.5 = -14.1 MOA = -14.1*6 = 84.6"
99 - 84.6 = 14.4"

3. Momentum is mass x velocity. The table I posted shows 1024 ft lbs for the 308 and 1050 for the 6.5. That means the 6.5 CM has 26 ft lbs more than the 308. Perhaps you reversed signs in doing your math?

I have no idea what match grade cartridges has do do with anything. But if you present a case that hunting specific cartridges will yield a different result I will run those numbers too. With few exceptions I only hunt with match grade cartridges. Placement is paramount and you cannot have good placement without doing (correct) math.

I saw this stuff earlier and was just waiting to get to a computer to respond but you took care of it for me! All this talk about punch and momentum makes my head spin as the reality is the 308 makes a bigger hole, otherwise it's a wash or 6.5 Creedmoor beats it. As target placement is so important, idk how people discount the 6.5 Creedmoor (or similar). And that only the entrance hole. If we start adding in sectional density, this thread may explode.

 

[Upstate43]

1. I do not make differences out to be anything. I am presenting the math. At 600 yards the math is pretty easy. The math in your rebuttal is off by vast margins and are greater than you represent, which I calculate below.

2. The difference is 14.4" of elevation and 7.2" of drop, not 2" and 1", respectively. Your representation is off by 86%. Perhaps you read the MOA delta and not the inches delta. To correct this:
At 600 yards 1 MOA = 6"
308 = -16.5 MOA = -16.5* 6 = 99".
6.5 = -14.1 MOA = -14.1*6 = 84.6"
99 - 84.6 = 14.4"

I misread the tables you had in your previous posts, so my inaccurate comments about 2" and 1" for elevation and drop are noted.

Still, the ballistic differences you are noting between 175gr .308 and 140 gr 6.5 CM at 600 yards are easily compensated for. Assuming a MRAD scope (.1 MRAD per click), we're dealing with 6-7 more clicks in elevation adjustment and 3 more clicks in windage adjustment. So yes, 6.5 CM has a ballistic advantage at that distance, but .308 is more than capable of hitting similar-sized targets without much more drama.

3. Momentum is mass x velocity. The table I posted shows 1024 ft lbs for the 308 and 1050 for the 6.5. That means the 6.5 CM has 26 ft lbs more than the 308. Perhaps you reversed signs in doing your math?

Momentum = mass * velocity. The energy figures you posted in your table are not derived from that equation; rather, they are derived from: 1/2(mass)(velocity)^2. 6.5 CM does carry a slight energy advantage at 600 yards, but .308 carries a slight momentum advantage (due to its greater mass). And again, referring to Matunas' Optimal Game Weight formula (velcoity^3 * mass^2), the heavier .308 cartridges are generally noted for better long range terminal performance on large-bodied animals relative to 6.5 CM.

I bring all this up to point out that simple velocity and energy figures do not paint the full picture when it comes to taking game. Momentum and bullet construction play a role as well, which is why the topic of match grade bullets is relevant.

 

[bigscarymonster]

Something that hasn't been addressed yet is whether you really want to have one rifle for both elk and long range shooting. I'm no elk hunting expert, but I've at least shot a few. The big theme of my elk hunts is that I tend to put quite a few miles on my legs at high altitude each day. My precision rifle probably weighs 14 to 15 pounds scoped. That's a lot of weight to carry around for 8 to 10 hours at 10,000 feet. I'd rather have a less expensive rifle that weighs 8 pounds or less, in a bigger hitting caliber to smack elk out to 300 or 400 yards and then save for a long range rifle for paper and/or steel.

 

[ThePretzel]

It really depends on what kind of elk hunting you do, I would say. Most of my elk hunting is in the mountains back in somewhat heavy timber, and the longest shot I can remember having the opportunity to take was 250 yards across a valley. Most shots where I've done the vast majority of my hunting are almost certainly within 200 yards and most likely within 100. For that kind of elk hunting in close ranges I'd say that any of the 3 will work just fine for hunting and 6.5 Creedmoor will probably be the best option for long range since it combines the mass availability (I see more 6.5 Creedmoor ammo than .270 these days) with good ballistics and low recoil.

While I wouldn't consider the .270 to be a heavy recoiling round, it's not something I'd want to shoot all day long to practice. Even shooting 6.5 Creedmoor in a light enough rifle will get to you by 100 rounds or so of practice (I shot a stock Ruger American Predator and my shoulder was pretty done around 75, but then again I don't think the stock recoil pad helped much there). 6.5 Creedmoor with a heavier rifle/better recoil pad or a muzzle break is something you can shoot all day long though. My Savage 12FV weighs about 11 pounds with my scope, no muzzle break, and the recoil is small enough that I could spot shots on a low magnification and shoot all day without feeling sore at all. Recoil does play a factor if you want to practice and shoot for extended periods of time with long range shooting. Out of the top 100 PRS Open shooters in 2016, only 2 of them used a caliber larger than 6.5mm (one used 7mm SAW and one used 7MICRO).

 

[Bravo6]

I currently have a .270 that I've taken some Whitetail with. I'm thinking about switching to a 6.5 Creedmoor via a Tikka CTR. The only issue I have is, flat out, killing power. Not saying the 6.5 CM can't handle Whitetail, because it absolutely can. I am saying though that the .270 (At least what I shoot) hits with 2900-3000 FPE, carries over 2000 FPE out to 300 yards, and carries enough to kill an Elk further than you'd want to shoot. The 6.5 CM doesn't have anywhere close when it comes to energy. It starts with 900 less FPE (I'm calculating off of a factory Hornaday ELD X 143), only carries over 2000 FPE to 130 yards, and carries Elk killing power just about to 400. Now I get the 6.5 CM is super accurate and you don't need 2000 FPE for Whitetail and occasional elk, and has quality ammo options and it's easy to shoot so owners usually have a lot of practice with it, but like I said, if I was buying it for Elk/Whitetail hunting only, I'd maybe consider a caliber with slightly more oomph than a 6.5 CM. Now the .308 carries negligibly more energy than a 6.5 CM (200 or so) and quite a bit less than a good 270 load, plus it has worse trajectory and wind performance. Its only advantages in my book are ammo availability which again doesn't really bother me as I can get quality 270 right next to 308 at any outdoor store or even Walmart. All in all, the 270 actually could be a great medium-long range hunting round; great BCs, good energy, shoots pretty flat, and has less recoil than most .300s. It just got left out for whatever reason, and because of that, it's pretty rare to see a long range hunting rifle or target shooter rocking a .277 caliber. From my amateur view, I think the .270 technically has better properties in every way than a .308 except what, barrel life? (If we're not talking ammo these days since it became a precision and military caliber).

All that said, the 6.5 CM has and is making a formidable standing in both target and hunting, I'm probably going to join the 6.5 CM band wagon soon myself. If you go with a 6.5 CM you'll have no regrets.

That 6.5 CM in the Tikka CTR is probably the best shooting rifle I've ever tried. Maybe I'm weak, but I just love having a slightly lighter rifel like the Tikka T3x Lite if I'm hiking in the bush, but that CTR is a perfect rifle.

 

[stello1001]

Resurrection!!!

 

[Healy]

7mm creedmoor

 

[Bravo6]

Reason I was looking at this thread was I have been shooting Tikkas in 6.5 and just bought a Sako 85 in .270, intriguing analysis on this thread between the two cartridges.

 

[stello1001]

17 CM

 

[Georgiaoutlaw]

The 308 or 6.5 would be my choice. 270 offers minimal ballistic improvement for an enormous recoil increase.

6.5 is going to fight the wind better. 308 will deliver better energy at short range.

Excuse me sir but I’ve got my first 6.5 savage hunted for years with 3006 & went to ruger 308 several years ago now I’ve got a savage 6.5 will be shooting 125gr winchester factory Ammo ur opinion should I sight in high at 50yds for a possible 200yd zero I’m limited to only 50yds at this time how should I zero it thanks in advance