6.5creedmoor or 300wmg?

Rhambeaux

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Minuteman
Jul 16, 2017
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Hey, I'm new to forums, figured this would be a good place to get some opinions with reasons as to why.

ive been debating getting a 6.5creedmoor or a 300wmg.
I'd like to use it for 1,000 yards for target, but also will use it for hunting white tail.
Im veering towards the 6.5, supposedly it's an easy round to run long range.
Im also debating the 300wmg, It would be able to take down any game I choose to hunt and not be limited towards the softer game like white tail.
Realistically will not shoot a deer furthan than 100 yards, but I do plan on doing some paid hunts that I can take some long range shots on bigger animals and goats.

The 6.5 would have been a bergara bm-14 HMR
the 300wmg would probably be Remington 700 5R threaded barrel.
either way, I will put a brake.
i already have a vortex PST 6-24x50 that I will mount with seekins rings.

Which way should I go?? And feel free to suggest different rifles, but I also don't want to spend too much more on the rifle than what I already plan on.
 
I shoot a lot of both and they very good rounds. The down side to the 300wm is weight ,recoil. The 6.5 with the 143ELD-X would be a very hard hitting round and you can still get good velocity on a shorter hunting barrel. Don't get me wrong I shoot out local 1000 yard match with my 300wm but its a long barrel heavy rifle.
 
6.5 creedmoor is much better for whitetails. With 140 gr bullets it can kill an elk at a few hundred yards. Can shoot that round well beyond 1000 yards.
Remington is now offering 6.5 creedmoor rifles. Need a different trigger and bedding for best accuracy. Recent production remingtons have been really nice shooters. Worked on some 7 mm mags and 300 wins recently that shot under 3/8 moa once bedded. Make sure to clean the shipping grease out of the barrel. Think that has given people issues.
I use a 300 win with a 230 gr berger at 2760 for most western big game hunting. Have shot a 150" eastern whitetail with that rifle and it tore it up a lot more than a mule deer. Hit it about 2" above the heart and lost lots of meat.
 
Guy I shoot with has a 6.5 Creedmo and I use a 300 WM Mausingfield. We shoot out to 1500 yds up in the mtns and both go the distance. Doubt either of us will change. My argument for the 300 is the heavier bullets of the 300 give a better splash for spotting and are less affected by wind. Transonic for him is around 1400 yds and for me almost 2000 yds. His argument is the 6.5 is great under 1000 as well as over and of course little to no recoil. I find the recoil a non issue with either a can or good brake on a bit heavy rifle. Either will work, different strokes for different folks. Good luck.
 
I was planning on using the 143s, i think no matter which way I go, I will still think about if I made the right choice.
Ive also heard the 6.5 can easily take elk out to a few hundred yards, but no ones given an effective range of it on elk, just a few hundred yards

im also not worried about weight, I'll have a sling for when I have to trek, but being infantry, I don't mind a good ruck.
 
If you cannot decide on 6.5mm vs 7.62mm get a 7mm rifle.
180 gr berger hybrid bullets in a 7mm @ 2900 fps will kill an elk super easy at over 600 yards. Kills deer at 1000 yards if you can shoot that far.
One of the best factory options:
https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/mobile/product/27869/remington_700_lr_ss_m40_r5_7mm_26in
Pay a smith to thread and time a muzzle break. Cerakote it. Add a timney trigger or another high end trigger. Bed it.
This would be cheaper to shoot than a 300 win with way less recoil. Also better for deer if you like saving meat. Just did this setup for a friend but he went the Sendero route.
If going custom go 28 nosler with 195 bergers with the correct twist and throat.
 
I'm not a big fan of the 7mag, and I also don't reload...yet. My plans are to turtle back my back yard, build a nice shed and put a work bench to reload in, obviously all my powders and everything would be stored inside when I'm not reloading.
i don't mind recoil, but I also don't want to get hammered all day at the range.
Id like to stick to either 6.5 or 300wmg. Not going to go too custom, I'll save that for down the road
 
ide go 300 win mag......especially if you want to use if for hunting........will easily zip out to 1K+ and you will have a MUCH better bullet selection for hunting, especially for factory loaded ammo.
 
If you plan to elk hunt at extended ranges the 300 win is a killer. Have shattered both legs and lungs liquid at 637 yards and round existed and went through a 5" juniper limb.

Jeff over at LongRangeOnly can give you some awesome advice on 300 win mag

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That's what I'm thinking mcameron... would u have a particular rifle in mind? I'm a big fan of Remington, I wish the bergara I had picked out had a 300wmg version.

or do u think the Remington 700 long range 5R threaded is a good choice?
 
honestly i think any of the big names will be fine....ive heard the 5Rs are pretty good.....im currently running a 700LR in 300 win mag and pretty happy with it (shooting 1MOA)........ive heard Tikkas are also pretty good as well...

i personally like Remingtons simply for the amount of aftermarket support
 
I have a remington 700 xcr tactical long range 300 win mag that shoots 1/2 moa with factory ammo. Custom loads always under 3/8.
The 5r rifles are great, but personally prefer a 26" barrel. I think the x-pro triggers are terrible though.

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Nice, I originally wanted to go with the 300wmg because of the power it would have st the longer ranges. Opens up a lot more options. But I kind of got hung up on the 6.5 creedmoor because of the precision aspect, but I don't want to have to worry about if it has enough energy to take down bigger game at the longer ranges.
Anything within 80 yards I try to take with my bow, and the 300wmg is a big step up for 100 yards lol.
 
If your looking to hunt elk at 400 plus yards, defiantly go with the 300wm. I'd also be taking a hard look at a Christensen Arms rifle over the Begera. The Christensen Arms rifle will have the 1000 yard capability your looking for. As mentioned above, longrangeonly.com is a good place to research hunting with the 300wm and good reviews of Christensen Arms rifles.
 
I'm still having some debates With myself over the caliber to go with. Realistically I won't hunt anything over a whitetail very often, just future plans way down the road. At the same time, I don't see myself making it to the range very often either, I'd have to do most shootings on our property and every not and then take time off work (24/7 call oilfield) to go to the "long range" ranges which are a few hours from home. I like the idea of both calibers, I keep leaning towards the 300, then second guess myself and say the 6.5 is plenty to shoot paper and white tail, and I could always get a 300wmg down the road.
Either way it'll be a few years before the wife lets me drop 2500+ on another gun lol.

Im leaning towards the 300wmg because it's what I originally planned on getting before the 6.5 came into my options, and it'll be one and done. I don't plan on competing in long range shots, just shooting for myself.

Yotehunter, does the XCR have a brake or threaded? Hard to tell with the pictures online and there's not much info that I can find on it


Thanks!
 
If I was you I would look at the % you plan on shooting. If 95% paper or steel at range go 6.5 CM. If the majority hunting large game go .300 wmg.

I personally wouldn't want to pay to shoot that magnum and I know that anything I'll ever want to kill the creedmoor will work.

I shoot to much and want cheaper ammo (even though I reload).


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The xcr does NOT come threaded. The recoil is not bad but I have a ATACR F1 5-25x 56mm and a Harris bipod that weighs 19-20 oz on mine. Left mine unbreaked because of dust kick up.
Factory threading will not time with your muzzle break. When in comes to breaks it still has to be timed unless you have ports 360 degrees or a supressor. Ports 360 degrees are terrible out west. Not that much $ to have a gunsmith cut and time a break. Most charge $125-150 to cut and time. They charge around $75 to time a break. Make sure the smith can do it without cutting down the barrel. You want that full 26". With 210+ grain bullets and slower powders the longer the barrel the better. Can see 25-50 fps loss per inch. Most custom rifles for coues, bear, and elk hunting in AZ will have 26-28" barrels. We have to shoot across canyons 50% of the time.

I have lots of rifles with breaks. Only one left that is not timed. That is a short barreled ar15. All rifles shot better after timing the breaks. Cleaning was also way easier.
 
Yea I've shot an unbreaked 300winmag (browning a bolt) and I didn't find the recoil was terrible. I mean it's a magnum, idk what people were expecting, hell I've got a cheap @$$ 270 that would give it a run for the money on recoil.
I was going to have the brake timed, I've got a local gunsmith buddy that does all the good stuff, ideally once everything is said and done, the wife can shoot it as well. It'd be nice to dial her in and let her shoot a few hundred yards (she shoots the 270 mentioned earlier lol)

im not sure the difference in the 5R threaded, the xcr and a sendero threaded, idk which one would be the more accurate, or is it all the same?
 
The 5r has a 24" barrel and is threaded.
Sendero and XCR are 26" barrels and are fluted. XCR 3 larger flutes and Sendero has 6 small ones.
All 3 are 416 stainless.
XCR come factory coated trinyte.
The stock is a bell & carlson on the xcr with a more conventional grip size.
The 5r and Sendero are HS percision with wide grips.
The newest HS percision stocks have been more matte and a lighter graphite which is a good thing.
Both stocks are very durable and would base the that choice off ergonomics. I like the rear hook on the B&C. The B&C is lighter weight by a few ounces.

All 3 are equally accurate. The newer remingtons with the barcode on the action below the bolt are better done compared to the actions the previous 15 years. Guessing more CNC machine work has minimized flaws. Getting less than 1/2 moa out of all the newest ones.
 
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Well I'll probably go with the 5R threaded gen2 being that that was my original choice before the 6.5 came to mind lol.
adulting is getting in the way and prolonging the rifle but should be able to complete everything well before my hunting trip. Also I believe the gen2 5R is fluted as well
 
I've looked hard at the 6.5 (.260rem actually) vs the 300wm vs bigger, and quite honestly I've come to the conclusion that you ideally need both. The 300wm gives you more down range energy, with the penalty being recoil and weight.

i personally chose to do the 300wm first, because I wanted to explore a magnum caliber, and eventually hunt deer past 600yard for crop damage permits. I'd like to shoot a mile too, and the 300wm makes it much closer than the .260 with the numbers I've run. With that being said, my next rifle will be a .260. I like the lighter recoil and less expensive ammo costs for paper punching and closer range hunting (sub 5-600).

basically I broke my precision needs into sections. I have a 5.56 SPR that I use for sub 300yard deer hunting. I have the 300wm for anything past that, and when I get the .260 it'll take the 300-600 yard range for hunting, while the 300wm takes 700+. Obviously paper punching ranges heavily overlap, but hunting takes the priority when deciding ranges because it's where down range energy matters most.

For my 300wm I got a Remington 700 long range. I ended up replacing the stock on mine with an AI chassis, but if you want to leave it stock I liked the b&c stock. I would definitely get it threaded though, in fact mine just got sent off to be threaded. With a heavy gun 300wm recoil isn't bad, but for ease of shooting with magnum calibers get a brake. On brakes, you don't necessarily have to get a gunsmith to time one, there are many self timing brakes, such as the APA little Bastard gen2, area 419 hellfire, their new sidewinder (specifically for magnums) and the insite arms heathen just to name a few.

Ultimately it's up to you, but if you plan on mostly paper punching under 1200yards, don't hand load, and/or don't plan on hunting past 5-600 yards id say .260/6.5. If you plan on longer range, shooting to a mile, I would lean 300wm. I personally would prefer 300wm for the bigger animals (elk, moose, etc) but 6.5mm has killed plenty of both I'm sure. it's just a matter of what you feel is adequate.
 
Just did a break install install on a 338 federal this afternoon with
https://precisionarmament.com/product/accu-washer-system/
and
https://precisionarmament.com/product/m11-muzzle-brake/
The repeatability taking the break on and off was very good. Still sets the break forward from the crown so additional carbon buildup will occur.

The "self timing" breaks are a jam nut style system so you still have to reset to reference each time the break is removed. Still sets your threads forward with additional carbon buildup.

All these improved systems are much better compared to the older style of breaks.
 
To each their own, but I wouldn't even give a second thought to the 300 win. The 6.5 cm is a great choice for both hunting and targets. I have shot both the 260 and 6.5 cm for matches and hunting.
The 300 will need a brake for 95% of shooters to handle it well. Braked rifles are obnoxious at the range and require good hearing protection even when hunting. Hunting guides are not a fan of braked rifles either. No one likes to lose their hearing.

A 6.5 will kill deer and elk just as dead as the 300. It is also easier and less expensive to shoot. It is also reasonable to shoot without a brake if needed for hunting.


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