I am working on a build for my wife. I had her look at different rifles, actions, stocks, ect. Let me say she has pretty good taste. So far we are looking at a KMW Sentinel and badger action. What I need help with is caliber. She is use to shooting a 223, but thought about getting her into a 6.5 CM to shoot longer ranges with me. What is everyone's thought about it. She wants a light recoil rifle. Thanks for any advice.
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Help me with caliber
- Thread starter Whit
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Why not split the difference and do a 6mm? Cheaper bullets than 6.5, recoil in between the two, and better ballistics than both. Lots of good 6mm options too.
I would go with a .243. Go with a fast twist and you can shoot heavier bullets out of it that will excel at long range, and you can still shoot lighter bullets for varmints if you want. I use a .243 for ringing steel, hunting coyotes and the occasional deer. Everybody needs at least one! Any of the 6mm cartridges would be a great choice.
105 hybrid at 3100-3200 vs 140 hybrid at 2800-2900 the 105 is flatter and has less wind drift.
Nonsense. If 6mm was the way to go for that case, they would have made it a 6 instead of a 6.5. But they didn't because a 6 would not fill near the gap that the 6.5 does. The 6mm creedmoor is for folks that like to tinker and experiment for the sake of doing so. It happens around good cartridges all the time, they get a small cult following, then they become a ghost to the rest of the world. 100gr Amax w/ varget on the light end, 140 anything and h4350 for range. No 242 gonna match it across the board
Have you shot both at distance? Because I have and it's a noticeable difference. There's reasons so many long range competitors are going with 6mm's.
I have them all (not all but close). Get her a 6.5CM, one less caliber to reload. But you should get her a suppressor - less recoil, less noise, more enjoyable.
Yes I have shot them both at distance. That's why I have three creedmoors. Before settling I also shot a few 260's, 6.5x284, 6br, and 6.5x47 lapua. Still have the creedmoors. Covinience and overall broad base multi use performance won out
Of the 2 I would go 6.5 Creedmoor but I would not write off the 6mms.
I have 6.5 Creedmoors, 6.5x47, 6.5 SAUM, 6 Creedmoor, 6XC, and a 243. The only one that requiress a bit of tinkering is 6.5 SAUM. All my 6s are very easy to load for and produce great results on paper, steel, and game.
The 6mm are tons of fun and with a tiny bit of reading you won't have any problems loading them with great success right off the bat.
6.5 Creed is no slouch and if you already have rifles in that clambering build another and rock on!
I have 6.5 Creedmoors, 6.5x47, 6.5 SAUM, 6 Creedmoor, 6XC, and a 243. The only one that requiress a bit of tinkering is 6.5 SAUM. All my 6s are very easy to load for and produce great results on paper, steel, and game.
The 6mm are tons of fun and with a tiny bit of reading you won't have any problems loading them with great success right off the bat.
6.5 Creed is no slouch and if you already have rifles in that clambering build another and rock on!
Yeah, you wouldn't be just the slight bit biased either huh? Did you actually own the other rifles you tested or but a couple rounds through some?
I actually misread your post and responded thinking you wrote shooters were getting AWAY from 6s.
But it still turned out pretty funny.
Carry on.
All owned by guys I regularly shoot with. I don't get "biased" based on anything but what I've seen. It's not one of my kids, just a superior cartridge in MY opinion. He said his wife shoots a 223. He said he was looking at a 6.5 creedmoor. That leads me to believe he may not want to get into any kind of wildcat or non factory cartridge.
243 or 7mm-08 gets my vote for the lady. Great ballistics for both and pretty easy on recoil.
Sierracharlie out....
Sierracharlie out....
As a huge proponent of 7mm08 and all 7mms in general, I gotta disagree there.
On saturday I was out for the first time with BOTH my short action 6mm and 7mm together. Essentially a 243 with 105s@3150 and 7mm08 with 175s@2700.
It is startling how much recoil the 7mm08 has when loaded with heavy long range target bullets, especially when compared to a 243.
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It's hard to say since all we know about the requirements are that it's for a female and that she is used to shooting a .223 and wants something that is soft shooting. Will this be used for hunting, competitions, range use? If you went with a heavy barrel with a brake and a KMW stock it would be hard to imagine a 6.5 not being soft shooting enough. If you had a similar build already then you could ask her if the amount of recoil was okay for her. If it is, then you know anything 6.5 and down will be fine, so it would come down to your preference of heavier bullets, better barrel life, and factory ammo of the 6.5 versus the flatter trajectory, lower priced projectiles, and less wind drift of the 6.
He should have.
Or any of the other 6mm cartridges that are currently in vogue.
For a woman accustomed to a 223 that specifically wants low recoil, there's no better choice.
Touché I don't actually own a 7-08 but have heard the recoil is manageable but that obviously doesn't apply to all. However I have many many rounds through a few 243s and have 100% confidence in the round. ESPECIALLY with 105s.
So make my vote for the 243, after all it's what my wife shoots.
Sierracharlie out....
No worries! 7mm08 is often marketed towards women and youth hunters due to reduced recoil - and that's true....IF loaded with the ~130-140gr bullets at "factory ammo pressure". Put 160-175gr bullets in there and wick it up to more typical hand loader speeds and they recoil pretty strong.
Good to know! The people I know that shoot 7mm-08 only shoot factory ammo so that explains a lot.
Sierracharlie out....
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Recoil comes down to bullet weight, a 243 or 6cm shooting a 105 or 115 will have less recoil than a 6.5CM shooting a 140 with similar charges. The 6.5cm is a light recoiling round, but it does not defy physics. I mentioned 243 or 6cm because it wasn't on the list, 6x47L is also a great round with little recoil. If you want to stick with a caliber you currently have to avoid another caliber, that's completely understandable. Put a effective brake on a 6.5cm and it will be fairly manageable even for the recoil intolerant.
You are simply one of those people who refuse to admit when they are wrong. Separate your opinion from actual facts.....it will serve you better for building a stronger argument in the future.
6 Creed w/105 hybrids or 115 VLDs
242 Win w/105 hybrids or 115 VLDs
6.5 Creed w/130 VLDs or if you want lighter recoil at 120 Match Bt, 123 Amax or 100 Amax.
How far out will she be shooting the rifle?
Only paper and steel?
Any varmints or deer sized game?
242 Win w/105 hybrids or 115 VLDs
6.5 Creed w/130 VLDs or if you want lighter recoil at 120 Match Bt, 123 Amax or 100 Amax.
How far out will she be shooting the rifle?
Only paper and steel?
Any varmints or deer sized game?
Well, this isn't necessarily true. At what range?
Velocity is temporary, BC is forever.
I wasn't attacking you personally by offering my opinion to the OP, not sure why you would want to throw the "mr physics" comment out when I am bringing up logic and facts, or physics in this case.
What is the BC on the 100gr 6.5s vs the 6mm 105-115 bullets, which range in the mid to high .500s.
Not exactly correct. BC varies with velocity, so as a bullet sheds speed the BC of the bullet is also decreased slightly.
OIC you edited to add the 1,100 qualifier. Why? I said it depends on range, so why say explain my post for under a certain yardage?
For wind drift, my ballistics calc is showing less drift on the 140 6.5 after 600 yards or so with 3150fps and 2850fps respectively.
You must be referring to "variable" G1 BC's as G1 BC's don't accurately portray longrange target bullet drag models.
G7 BC's are MUCH more consistent from 3000fps down to the speed of sound.
So much so that the G7 BC does not need to be adjusted based on velocity.
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This is just not correct, not at all. May I suggest you get a Sierra loading manual, and spend some time studying BC, and velocity. Often BC will actually INCREASE as a given projectile slows down. BC is not static. As for the actual question at hand, what ranges is she planning to shoot, and for what end? Hunting, target, both?
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Getting back to the op....
.243 is a nice choice.
I am pretty recoil sensitive since I do not shoot regularly but I have hunted quite a bit.
This thread sounds like me when I started! I had a .223 and it was nice but not enough power to drop deer reliably in the boiler room.
I moved up to .243 and it was perfect. Low recoil mixed with decent stopping power.... lots of projectiles to choose from.
This means that once your wife gets used to it then you can reload to the heavier if needed... your call but the .243 might be a decent starting point and if she loves it then once that Barrel is dead you have the start of a custom 6.5.
.243 is a nice choice.
I am pretty recoil sensitive since I do not shoot regularly but I have hunted quite a bit.
This thread sounds like me when I started! I had a .223 and it was nice but not enough power to drop deer reliably in the boiler room.
I moved up to .243 and it was perfect. Low recoil mixed with decent stopping power.... lots of projectiles to choose from.
This means that once your wife gets used to it then you can reload to the heavier if needed... your call but the .243 might be a decent starting point and if she loves it then once that Barrel is dead you have the start of a custom 6.5.
If the choise is 6.5CM or 223, its easily 6.5CM.
Recoil is very similar, especially if shooting with a heavier bolt gun and eventually she'll want to go out further with it and you'll be set with the 6.5.
Recoil is very similar, especially if shooting with a heavier bolt gun and eventually she'll want to go out further with it and you'll be set with the 6.5.
Is there factory ammo?
Let me narrow in down a little. I want to be able to buy match grade ammo for it. I don't reload yet. I will in the future, just not sure when. Thanks for all the input. Keep it coming.
At present, you can find ammo for 6CM, not sure about the other 6mm wildcats, but some of the boutique ammo shops could probably fix you up:
6mm Creedmoor
I've seen at least one other shop offering 6CM match ammo, but that's the first one that popped up to give you a frame of reference. It appears to run around the same price as .308 FGMM (when you can't find a deal on the Federal).
To the op,
If you poll the competive women shooters on this forum that routinely shoot steel matches, you will get answers from 6XC to 308. My wife and her friends usually shoot 243's or 6.5 varieties. They all have 1 thing in common. The rifles are theirs. They were build for them and they fit them. They are not their husbands rifles. This makes a huge difference in perceived recoil.
My wife is tiny and went from a heavy 223 to a 6 creedmore and now shoots a 6.5 and 308 in matches. Her comment is get one that fits..get plenty of ammo, get some training so her position is solid and go shoot. Any of the calibers will work.
If you poll the competive women shooters on this forum that routinely shoot steel matches, you will get answers from 6XC to 308. My wife and her friends usually shoot 243's or 6.5 varieties. They all have 1 thing in common. The rifles are theirs. They were build for them and they fit them. They are not their husbands rifles. This makes a huge difference in perceived recoil.
My wife is tiny and went from a heavy 223 to a 6 creedmore and now shoots a 6.5 and 308 in matches. Her comment is get one that fits..get plenty of ammo, get some training so her position is solid and go shoot. Any of the calibers will work.
