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Is a 6.5cm and a 6.5prc too close for range rifles?
- Thread starter Lrdchaos
- Start date
Do it. 65PRC is a whole different animal. If you have that kind of range available, a 65CM will be cheaper and easier out to 1000 and the PRC can be for beyond that. .308 is…well, not cool enough to warrant a new “just for fun” rifle. It’s fine, even to 1000 in the right places, but it’s just fine, like a girlfriend who is totally pissed is just fine.
.308 is probably cheaper, it will probably teach you more about managing recoil, and you will need to read wind better, but if you are just shooting a few hundred yards, won't make much difference.
Build a bad ass 223 bolt gun. Most fun you can have with your pants on.
I have a couple .223 and .308 bolt guns. Yes, reading wind is more critical (a plus for a "trainer" IMO), and the .308 will require a bit more recoil management (another plus since it is so close to the PRC). However both of those cartridges are less expensive to buy ammo for as well as reload for (generally). A major plus for the .223 is that you can break new shooters in with one. I had my petite M-I-L breaking clays at 200, and my F-I-L shooting sub MOA for five shots at 400 with mine. Both left with huge smiles.
I also have a 6.5x47L and 6.5CM. I really love those cartridges, but am personally set up where those are not practice rigs.
I also have a 6.5x47L and 6.5CM. I really love those cartridges, but am personally set up where those are not practice rigs.
If you do not reload then that changes my suggestions to something that is easy to find off the shelf. Your 6.5 creed is more than capable. For more fun go .223 bolt gun. To learn more about setup/recoil management/wind adjustments at range and become a better marksman go .308. If you want a big stick that will be costly to feed go .338 Lapua. Or start down the rabbit hole of reloading and let the fun begin!
Have you considered reloading? It opens up your options by a couple orders of magnitude.
Creed is pretty similar to prc, a good choice is 6br as suggested above. Or you could go the other way with a larger cartridge like 300 prc or 7rm
What rifle are you considering? Or could you just buy another barrel and use a savage style barrel nut with your current rifle?
Creed is pretty similar to prc, a good choice is 6br as suggested above. Or you could go the other way with a larger cartridge like 300 prc or 7rm
What rifle are you considering? Or could you just buy another barrel and use a savage style barrel nut with your current rifle?
If its just a second rifle for the range buy what you want and just enjoy it. I have a custom 223. It's a blast and unbelievably accurate. I have a few 308s. They are great rifles and I won't sell at a loss for the latest and greatest cartridge that will probably be replaced by this time next year by the "next greatest cartridge" ever made. If you don't reload stick with something you can readily get ammo for. If you decide to start reloading great but that's a whole nother adventure your jumping into. Get ready to spend to get started.
I absolutely second the 223 bolt action. I have a few and have built a ton......from mild to wild. My most shot rifle by far (mostly by others) is a rem700 I built on a shoestring budget with a MC3 stock and Wilson Arms barrel blank. It is literally my AK of bolt rifles. It could probably fall out of my truck on the highway and my most hurt feeling would be the need to re-zero it.
Nothing special (223 wylde) and ammo is churned dillon 650 fodder with TAC and RMR 69grainers. Brass is bulk processed lake city that I small base size and giraud it. Holds .5-.7moa (real numbers) to 600yds. Plenty accurate for practice and new shooters.
Ern
Nothing special (223 wylde) and ammo is churned dillon 650 fodder with TAC and RMR 69grainers. Brass is bulk processed lake city that I small base size and giraud it. Holds .5-.7moa (real numbers) to 600yds. Plenty accurate for practice and new shooters.
Ern
My advice, ask a friend(s) who has/have rifles in .308, 6.5 CM and .223 if you could meet them at the range and shoot a few rounds. Purchase some ammo and try em at the range. A first impression may not be the best impression, but a very bad first impression will help you avoid an expensive mistake.
(Buy more ammo then you need and leave the rest with the owner(s) of the rifles, a six pack of cokes and a nice supper would be a good thing to throw in. A hundred bucks spent here might save a thousand bucks later.)
(Buy more ammo then you need and leave the rest with the owner(s) of the rifles, a six pack of cokes and a nice supper would be a good thing to throw in. A hundred bucks spent here might save a thousand bucks later.)
I really like Wiillk's advice.
that said, I'm in the "get a .223" crowd as I love a .223 for under 600 with match ammo, 400 and in with bulk plinker stuff
Takes longer to heat up the barrel/suppressor, more shots, cheaper, less recoil, can shoot longer without getting tired.
that said, I'm in the "get a .223" crowd as I love a .223 for under 600 with match ammo, 400 and in with bulk plinker stuff
Takes longer to heat up the barrel/suppressor, more shots, cheaper, less recoil, can shoot longer without getting tired.
my vote is for 6mm CM. Low recoil and fits in nicely with a 6.5 PRC as a small and large.
One of my very favorite rifles is a Rem700 5R in .223. Great trainer, learn so much and is 10X as much fun 22LR that people consider a good trainer. Some nice MK262 ammo will take you to 1,000 yards while tapping steal. So much fun.
PB
Everyone here is arguing about what you should get and in sitting here thinking, "Why not get them all???" Life is too short to have just two rifles... unless you're talking switch barrel systems!!!
The correct number of rifles is n+2, where n = your current number of rifles...do it.
for some of us the "real" correct number is D-1. D = the number of rifles that is one more than would cause a divorce. Remember, if mama is unhappy, everyone is unhappy. However, as gun crazy as Brenda Lea is, if I was careful my real number would probably n+3
My vote is .223 wylde chambered bolt rifle. Suppress it. 18" barrel, 10-14lbs total. Off the shelf ammo goes from mild varmint/hunting to wild copper alloy/steel penetrator. Hard to beat. Spend as much or little as you want on it. There's a reason the PX has so few up for sale
P.S. Show us what you decide on. Fun to see where your decisions will go after the advise/bs.
P.S. Show us what you decide on. Fun to see where your decisions will go after the advise/bs.
Because not reloading really limits your options. Ammo availability, expense, and whether your rifle likes it are huge obstacles. There’s only a handful of cases that have match ammo available. Most of those have major availability issues. I personally wouldn’t build a rifle to shoot factory ammo. If I did it would have to be something where the chamber design was optimized for particular match ammo.
OP I would explore a .223 chamber using something that is somewhat readily available. Maybe PM @padom about factory fodder. He knows a bit about that case.
Reloading is a HUGE commitment of time and money and requires a significant learning curve in order to get to get really proficient. Components are really no more or less hard to come by than factory ammo.
I have, I guess, had really good luck with factory ammo for my needs. Is it good enough to win at 1000 benchrest? I suspect its SDs are too high. But it’s good enough to win at PRS type matches, which in my region, reach out to 1200 yards or so. More importantly, it’s good enough to save me hours of fiddling around with loading: testing variables in multiple range trips, coming on here to argue about which method is best for determine “OCW”, measuring “distance to the lands”, setting up a chronograph and pretending to be a statistician, and shooting “groups” which builds bad habits and is boring as hell.
Factory ammo gets a bad reputation from people who think Aguila is precision rifle ammo. A barrel tuner can help if your rifle really “won’t shoot” quality ammunition. To suggest that the solution to considering a 6.5 CM or .308 (or 6CM or .223) is to start reloading ignores the fact that very good ammunition is available in either of those chamberings and any reputable barrel shop will cut a chamber “for factory ammo” that will shoot VERY well.
Also, someplace like Clays Cartridge Co. will do a total reloading work up and make custom ammo for anything you can’t get over the counter…if you really have to have hand made ammo And don’t want to make it yourself.
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