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help me decide deer rifle and caliber: 6.5 CrMo vs 270 Win and savage storm lightweight vs tikka t3x superlite

which rifle of the 4 below? details in post

  • savage lightweight storm in 270 Winchester (5.8 lbs, 20 inch barrel)

    Votes: 12 19.4%
  • savage lightweight storm in 6.5 Creedmoor (5.6 lbs, 20 inch barrel)

    Votes: 6 9.7%
  • Tikka T3X Superlite in 270 Winchester (6 lbs, 22 inch barrel)

    Votes: 21 33.9%
  • Tikka T3X Superlite in 6.5 Creedmoor (6 lbs, 24 inch barrel)

    Votes: 23 37.1%

  • Total voters
    62
6 of one, half-dozen of the other. 6.5CM has a shorter action. 24"bbl gets your a more complete powder burn. No whitetail shot inside 300 yards will be able to tell the difference between either, or, for that matter, a .308 or 7mm08, or .358Win, or .338WIN, or 7x57, or 8x57, or...
 
With the exception of the Remington 770, nobody is selling crap these days. Go to the gun shop and shoulder a bunch of different rifles. See what fits better, balances better, just all around feels better. If this is a working meat gun, go with stainless and synthetic. If you want a family heirloom, you can't beat blued steel and walnut.

We gun nuts love to argue the minutiae of different calibers, especially if we handload, and even more especially if we wildcat something esoteric. But, especially given the ongoing supply chain issues... .308, .30-07, 300WinMag, 7mmRemMag, and a small handfull of other common cartridges are less susceptible to availability issues than the more interesting cartridges.

The Swedes have been killing moose with the 6.5x55 since 1896 or so and the .257 Roberts was always a well-regarded deer and black bear round up until Internet gun bros decided that anything less than a 300WinMag was unethical; the 6.5CM will kill anything east of the Mississippi without issue.

I didn't realize that all the Tikkas are built on a long action, like the Savage Axis. In that gun I'd go with the .270 over the 6.5CM.

For a close-cover mountain rifle, inside of 300 yards, I'd go with something in .308 with a 20" or so barrel and a light synthetic or laminate stock, with the option to re-stock with something really lightweight in the future. Rem Model 7, Howa, Winchester, and Bergara would top my list. Savage is excellent, but a bit heavier than a 770. Add a stock and glass to https://www.brownells.com/rifle-par...blue-308-win-1-prod94592.aspx?avs|Make_3=Howa and you've got a tough gun to beat.

As a handloader, I'd bump that .308 up to .358Win. As a Mauser nut, I'd build up a small-ring Mauser in 9.3x57 or 9x57, depending on what barrels I could find.
 
I did vote for the Creedmoor.

I have a Christianson mesa fft in 6.5.
I foolishly sold my Swede 6.5x55 that I sporterized. Bought it from woolworths for like $75 packed in cosmoline.
Yes, I am an idiot.
I could of bought a new 6.5x55 but the Creed is the ballistic twin of my beloved Swede, with a cottage industry of its own that it was a no brainer.
You want to take deer mainly? The 6.5
always dropped them for me. Truly.

Today I brought home another Mesa fft in 7mm PRC. My Lil Cricket.

The Creed will do most of the work from coyotes to pronghorn and muleys. I could do some elk but thats where the 7 is better suited and able to drop the hammer and at distance. Muleys are the overlap.

I just didn't quite feel the Ridgeline with carbon barrel for me.
 
I did vote for the Creedmoor.

I have a Christianson mesa fft in 6.5.
I foolishly sold my Swede 6.5x55 that I sporterized. Bought it from woolworths for like $75 packed in cosmoline.
Yes, I am an idiot.
I could of bought a new 6.5x55 but the Creed is the ballistic twin of my beloved Swede, with a cottage industry of its own that it was a no brainer.
You want to take deer mainly? The 6.5
always dropped them for me. Truly.

Today I brought home another Mesa fft in 7mm PRC. My Lil Cricket.

The Creed will do most of the work from coyotes to pronghorn and muleys. I could do some elk but thats where the 7 is better suited and able to drop the hammer and at distance. Muleys are the overlap.

I just didn't quite feel the Ridgeline with carbon barrel for me.
I’m going to assume you like the FFT then, that’s my next rifle, probably in .308 since I have so many extra components already for it to reload, I’m undecided on the Mesa or Ridgeline, the carbon barrel does nothing for me but I wouldn’t mind the larger brake on the Ridgeline for when I’m shooting off a bench, I never hunt with a brake on, when you buy the Mesa they give you a free thread protector as I’m sure you obviously know, the Ridgeline you have to buy it, my buddy bought a FFT Ridgeline in 7/08 and was super pissed he had to order a thread protector on a $2500 rifle lmao.
 
Being that you mentioned it being a mountain rifle, may be a little more than your looking given the price point of the rifles you suggested, but the Savage 110 Ultralight was a pleasure to carry and shoot this season. Got mine in 6.5CM. Factory blueprinted action, carbon fiber barrel... definitely shoots better than I do. Screenshot_20221205_212720_Gallery.jpg
 

1. Because it is the most common hunting calibers in the country. Find ammo for it in BFE will be much easier than a 6.5.

2. There is not much ballistic difference in the 150gr factory load for the 270, and the 143 factory load in 6.5. If you go to 130gr 270 the ballistics shine.

3. You can kill every animal in North America confidently with a 270. I damn sure wouldn’t try to shoot a brown bear or Elk with a 6.5.

4. Savage rifles are easy to work on. You can adjust the trigger yourself, even if you get lucky and find a non accu trigger. Aftermarket parts are easy to find. Barrel replacement and rechambering is fairly easy.

5. Savage is Murican! Tikka is almost Russian.


PS. Short actions are for pu####s!


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270 works there is no doubt.
I feel it came to be simply because they wanted to release something but didn't want to be just another 7.

I like when I hear, what can the 7 do the 270 can't?
Exactly so why did they even bother?
Just to be different and its made money.
It is a good round but did it fill a void?
Not really.
As for a one gun proposition many love 30 cals. in 06 or 308.
If I never shot anything over a whitetail heck, give me a .243 all day long.
 
I did not know DIY bolt gun builds were even a thing. You can essentially pair that with a stock, scope base and rings and you're ready to go? That's pretty cool. No need for a gunsmith?

The article I was reading mentioned that top-of-the-line stock would be something like the McMillan Hunters Edge and more budget-friendly would be Boyd's Hardwood Gunstocks. Apparently, the Weatherby Vanguard features the Howa 1500 action, so that would be another option. I really am not in the market for a gun and I hate this website. But thanks for planting the seed. This sounds like a fun project.
 
OP are you at all concerned with the price of ammo? I imagine you will be able to find better 270 ammo for a cheaper price point relative to the cost of any 6.5CM. Cheaper ammo means more time behind the gun which equals you becoming an all-around better, more confident killer.
 
I did not know DIY bolt gun builds were even a thing. You can essentially pair that with a stock, scope base and rings and you're ready to go? That's pretty cool. No need for a gunsmith?

The article I was reading mentioned that top-of-the-line stock would be something like the McMillan Hunters Edge and more budget-friendly would be Boyd's Hardwood Gunstocks. Apparently, the Weatherby Vanguard features the Howa 1500 action, so that would be another option. I really am not in the market for a gun and I hate this website. But thanks for planting the seed. This sounds like a fun project.
Yeah, pretty much. You'd want a torque driver to make sure your action screws are torqued correctly. And the upgrade to a wood or laminate stock would be to pillar- bed and glass-bed it. Both of which can be done by a 'smith if you're too leery to do it yourself. And there are some fine details to check; I don't want to go too far down the rabbit hole. But stock work is really pretty easy.

McMillin is excellent, but a bit Gucci and $$$ and in general is overkill for a 300-yard deer rifle. I have Boyd's stocks and am quite happy with them. There are other synthetic/ hand- laid stocks as well, offhand I want to say Bell & Carlson Medalist and MPI, but my memory might be failing me. Mind you that Howa's aftermarket is smaller than Remington's and Savage's.
 
Two things that figured in my last rifle purchase:
1. I hate big recoil
2. If I hunt with it, it tends to get beat up.

I had a Tikka 25-06. No smoother action for the price. Good quality gun.

But now, I have a T/C Encore in 6.5 CM

Why? It hammers deer with 120 grain Sig Sauer ammo. If you hit high shoulder, the deer has taken its last step on Earth.
If I beat the gun up in the woods or truck, I don’t really sulk about it for a week.

There is a guy on YouTube who “enhances”his T/C Encore and goes through it step by step. Basically bedding the plastic stock, stiffening the for end, and a trigger change. The rifle shot well before the changes, great after them.

In your poll, I’d go with the Tikka in 6.5
 
Here's the contenders. I didn't post Tikka's factory site because their website is surprisingly confusing junk. This is for whitetail only and will be for a WV mountain rifle that might also stretch its legs in open fields up to 300 yards occasionally. But most shots will likely be 50 to 200 yards.

Expected loads will be 120 grain nosler partition in the 6.5 and 130 grain nosler partition in the 270 winchester



The Savage is lighter (5.6 lbs) but with a 20 inch barrel. The Tikka is about 1/2 a pound heavier (at 6 lbs) than the Savage, has a fluted barrel, and longer barrel lengths that vary by cartridge. The 6.5 CM has a 24 inch barrel and the 270 has a 22 inch barrel. Both are stainless synthetic.

Please vote and offer your reasoning if you'd like. Thanks.

PS. I'm coming from a 24 inch 25-06 Ruger that is standard profile blued barrel and wood stock (i.e. heavy for the mountains). The scope for either the Savage or Tikka will be something like 2 to 8 power with a mid-priced glass from a known maker (probably get like 400 buck scope from Vortex or Leupold or something). I'm a decent shot, but shoot lighter recoiling rifles more accurately. Off a bench, I can usually hold 1 inch groups at 100 yards with accurate rifle/ammo.
I will add another option for your consideration: The T3x compact. 20" barrel, 6.2 pounds. Blued action. I own one of these, much easier to handle than the full size version, shoots the same, if not better since the stock fits better. There are seven different options. Good luck with your search.
 
I love my 6.5x55. I hand loading for it and can get it to run with about anything speed and accuracy wise. I’m pushing 135gr Berger classic at 2925 using 49.9gr of RL23 out of a custom throated 26” Criterion barrel with an average of .3” at 200 3shot groups. It is like hitting a deer with a lightning bolt (that’s why I call it Zeus ) and you definitely can not shoot where you want to eat. It’s behind the shoulder or you’re only getting half a deer with of meat. Almost too much in that regard.

i have a 270 also and it shoots great as well but the extra recoil isn’t worth it now that I have control of my ballistics for the Swede. Hand load the 6.5 and sling lightning.
 
I have a couple Savage rifles and being old school, they are blued/walnut. I like their triggers and both shoot very well, better than I can. I bought the .270 for an elk hunt that I learned after signing up was rifle only. Disappointed it was a No Archery Ranch I bought the rifle. I would recommend the Savage .270 to anyone. I filled a lot of nuisance tags w/it.Resized_20221231_073628_6672.jpeg
 
I've hunted with both a .270 and a 7mm-08, my buddy shoots a 6.5 Creedmoor. The 7mm-08 actually beets the 6.5 out to about 500 yards then after that is where the 6.5 shines.

The hard thing with the 7mm-08 is finding ammo, the 6.5 is easier to find shells for and a variety.
Not sure if you have a tikka already or not, but what bugs me about them is that you have to use their scope bases.
 
I’m 6.5 creedmoor all the way. Low recoil. Ammo is not difficult to find. I bought a Bergara B-14 ridge. It’s a little heavy but very accurate. I shoot the Hornady Precision Hunter 143g ELD-X. Great blood trail when they do run. It is a deer slaying machine!


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I’m 6.5 creedmoor all the way. Low recoil. Ammo is not difficult to find. I bought a Bergara B-14 ridge. It’s a little heavy but very accurate. I shoot the Hornady Precision Hunter 143g ELD-X. Great blood trail when they do run. It is a deer slaying machine!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah, all the hate of the cartridge makes me want to get it...lol.....i had no idea it was disliked until i started looking into it

i know a decent amount about sectional density, ballistic coefficient, et.....so i shouldn't fall into skinny jean land

I always wanted a 260 remington (kinda a short action 25-06 that uses powder more efficiently) but it never caught on and wasn't available in many rifles

the 6.5 CM is basically the 260 rem minus a few FPS

i'm planning to get it in that tikka superlite and put a leupold on it
 
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