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Thread: 6.5CM vs 308

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Failure2Stop View Post
    Unsure of exactly what you mean, but most comparisons are between .308 175gr SMK at 2600 ft/s and .264 140gr Berger Hybrid at 2730 ft/s.
    You can drop the MV on the .264 Berger Hybrid down to 2450 ft/s and still out-perform the .308 175gr SMK where it matters.
    That’s what I was wondering, which bullets and velocities were being compared. The SMK load is an old bullet vs a premium modern bullet in the 6.5, it’s actually what I had been using for PRS. Thank you again for the information.


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  2. #22
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    I built my AR10 in 308 because that’s what I was familiar with. I run Federal LE308TT2 (168gr Trophy Bonded Tip) in both my Tikka Bolt gun and the semi, to great effect. But I only intended it to be a 500</= yard tool.

    I haven’t taken it up directly against a 6.5CM during my Florida hog hunts. But, using the above ammo (and a Saker 762), I have had multiple guides think it was a larger cartridge (300 wsm, 30’06, etc) due to how hard it struck those big hogs.... typically flipping the entire animal directly into a DRT nap. So I’ve got no practical reason to change for my use case. I doubt I would feel the need to change if I were using 6.5CM, either.

    I would love to build a 6.5CM rig, but just can’t justify the additional cost of the rig, plus ammo right now.

    I actually came from the high sectional density crowd, as my first hunting rifle was a Remington 700 in 270 Win. Never had a 300+lb hog move more than a foot with any 130gr bonded/homogenous round I used.

    As others have said, bullet construction plays an enormous role.... but also in 308.

    Lastly, the 270 made the wind much less of a factor and it just shot flatter. We all know that the 6.5CM significantly outpaces the lowly 270 in every area of precision and is auto loader compatible as well.


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  3. #23
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    I'm already well invested in .308 and and have yet to be disappointed. Plus I don't feel any real change in recoil between the two. Shooting both side by side, it used the same 500 yard hold up to 500 yards, so I saw no valid reason for myself to get on board as .308 has never once stopped working for me. Cheaper ammo, easier to find ammo too if in a pinch, and I've already got the time vetting loads and an a very big ammo pile in the tens of thousands.

    I'm not a sniper, so I won't pretend to be one.I don't PRS nor want to. I don't hunt either but that's a personal choice. And neither am I ever planning on taking a .308 or the other to "war" for that matter as well, that's being ridiculous for home defense. For up to 500 yards, .308 never stopped working for terminal effects on humans and with the advantages of better bullet technologies out there, it's still being validated for my intended uses of it.

    As for terminal, both will do it just as effectively within reasonable distances to be honest. The rest is just subjective.

  4. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pappabear View Post
    Which is more deadly? 6.5CM with 140 grain fodder vs 308 with 168 fodder? Or whatever is a fair comparison. Wonder what Military experts say or ballistic experts say? I'm sure this has been beaten up somewhere but I couldn't find it.

    I believe both are great, but is there a winner winner chicken dinner?

    I know shot placement is key but other than that..?

    PB
    Referencing this article for the Army's primary rationale for switching:
    https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-...und-next-year/

    Top Special Operations forces snipers will replace their 7.62 sniper rifles with the 6.5 Creedmoor, which doubles their hit probability at 1,000m, increases their effective range by nearly half, reduces wind drift by a third, and has less recoil.
    Assuming similar bullet type, and equal shot placement...

    • Within typical hunting ranges--let's arbitrarily say within 500m--no significant difference. The slightly larger caliber advantage of the .308 is counter-balanced by the greater SD and penetration of the 6.5. Both are equally effective, and I've observed this firsthand.
    • At long ranges--let's arbitrarily say distances of 1000m++--it's no contest. You can't take what you can't hit, and the 6.5 drastically improves hit probability. Of course most hunters are not--and should not be--taking shots at large game at this distance. I've never even taken a SHOT at any living thing at this distance, so my comments here are based strictly on the military's findings. Snipers of course, are a whole different category, and you can see why the 6.5 is so effective for their use cases.
    • At intermediate ranges--let's say 500m - 1000m--I've never taken ANY intermediate or large game, all I've taken at these distances are prairie dogs or targets. Looking at the terminal ballistics, I doubt it makes a significant difference at the closer ranges, unless you're sensitive to recoil. As you move to the longer ranges especially beyond 800m, the advantages of the 6.5 that the military found start to assert themselves, and hit probability increases drastically.


    I love both these cartridges and was mainly a .308 guy for years including in my hunting rifles. But I've been trying to pare back my stable of rifles to the essentials, and get better quality gear that I'll actually use. Having 2 cartridges that can do the same thing, made little sense for me. In the end I went with 6.5 as it gives the most flexibility in a cartridge I can use for everything from hunting to long-range shooting, with the bonus of lighter recoil. I have 2 Tikka T3x rifles setup in 6.5--one rocking an XLR element chassis and a switch-barrel setup by West Texas Ordnance, so I can still get barrels for .308-family calibers if needed--and the other one is stock. But both are chambered in 6.5 CM. For folks who want to go with one primary cartridge in this intermediate caliber like I did, the 6.5 is a good all-around option.
    Last edited by maximus83; 07-20-20 at 15:42. Reason: broken link

  5. #25
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    308 as I'm not going past 750yds. If I were, there are plenty of new better bc 308 bullets that will stretch it well and I don't need the longer barrel to achieve what the 6.5 does.

    If I'm going past 1k then I'm not looking at 6.5cm but the ARC or 30-06 as I can load that up and use the new BC 30cal bullets to do whatever is needed. Recoil doesn't bother me and weight isn't a consideration.

  6. #26
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    I just got in to the 6.5 game. I was looking to get into precision shooting and was leaning toward a 308 at first. Talked to some folks who felt 6.5 is the way to go. So, jumped in with a 6.5. I can't compare it to a 308, but at a recent class, guys with the 6.5 were hitting out at 1k, the one guy with a 308, had trouble at 800. Just my one experience, yours may differ. I ended up hitting at 700 on my first experience with long range shooting. Couldn't be happier.
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  7. #27
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    I own both & I think the 6.5 CM is much more accurate than the .308. But I only have access to 400yd & less, the .308 accuracy may only come in past the 400yd I have to shoot.

  8. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by 545Warman View Post
    I own both & I think the 6.5 CM is much more accurate than the .308. But I only have access to 400yd & less, the .308 accuracy may only come in past the 400yd I have to shoot.
    A good 308 is just as accurate as anything else. If your 6.5 is "much" more accurate than this Id be very surprised.

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  9. #29
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    I've taken my Savage 308 straight out to 1,000 after achieving a 200 yard zero. I was using very dialed in hand loads with a long, high bc, 168gr berger bullet. I also had a good spotter and coach. I suggested we step up to 400 then 600...to which he replied "why do you want to waste your bullets?" come up X MOA and voila, I was on target. I spent some time in the pit under the targets while my wife squeezed off a few shots. Even she, having never shot anything past 100 yards, was nailing the 1000 yard target easily as well. And I can tell you the 308 is still supersonic at 1,000, I heard the ballistic crack with my own ears.

    I get it, the 6.5CM, 6.5 anything really, is going to be more accurate than a 308. Especially at longer distances. But the knock down power of the 308 will be better than the 6.5 creedmore at more realistic distances; say in the 100-300 yard max range.

    I've spoken at length with snipers and SWAT members, the average sniper shot taken in a situation in Texas is 60 yards. Yes, 60 yards. I don't think anyone has taken a sniper shot at a bad guy over 200 yards in this state. It's not good practice and the officers are trained to avoid that.
    A place like Afghanistan is a different story.

    If you want to apply the 308 vs 6.5 to hunting, then the scenario stays similar. Hunting distances, again here in Texas, average 120 yards. The 308 will hit a little harder then the 6.5 cm at that range. It's not ethical to try to shoot animals with either of those rounds at the 700 yard distance mentioned above where the 6.5cm starts to outshine the 308. And neither should be used at extreme long range distances for hunting.

    If you really want to hunt humanely at extreme distances, then we should not be talking about the 308 or the 6.5 anything. That's where we need to get into the 338's. I had a 338/378 Wby Magnum, (little bigger case than the Lapua) and that thing was still cooking at the 1,000 yard range. I had it as a moose gun in Alaska, but I sold it when the hunting opportunities up there slipped away from me over time. But IIRC , my 250gr hand loads were still making ~1500fps at the 1k mark.

    To break it all down:
    308 is better for 99.9% north american hunting/sniping
    6.5 cm is better for elr match/competition
    Last edited by matemike; 03-19-21 at 23:02.
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  10. #30
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    I was thinking about this subject and wondering how the 30-06 compares, which led to "what about the 6.5 PRC?".

    Recoil is important to consider: high to low recoil is 30-06 > 6.5 PRC > 308 Win > 6.5 CM.

    Here are the results comparing Hornady Precision Hunter ELD-X factory ammo at 1000 yards with a 5 mph wind - 178gr for the 30s and 143gr for the 6.5s:

    6.5 CM, 143 ELD-X, SD .293, 2700 FPS
    1000 yds Drop 354, Drift 32.7, 745 FPE

    6.5 PRC, 143 ELD-X, SD .293, 2960 FPS
    1000 yds Drop 289.5, Drift 28.3, 937 FPE

    308 Win, 178 ELD-X, SD .268, 2620 FPS
    1000 yds Drop 402.7, Drift 40.1 738 FPE

    30-06, 178 ELD-X, SD .268, 2720 FPS
    1000 yds Drop 370.6, Drift 37.9 807 FPE

    Not hard to pick a winner on paper, is it?

    In my opinion, the 6.5 CM (or 260 Rem) is probably as close to a perfect deer/antelope round as possible. SOCOM favoring the 6.5 CM as a sniper round can't be ignored either.

    Edit/Postscript - The 6.5x55 can easily be loaded to CM/260 velocities in a modern rifle.

    Andy
    Last edited by AndyLate; 05-01-21 at 09:29.

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