help me pick my next rifle

[Dmathews87]

The lack of recoil of the 6.5 is probably my favorite aspect. I even have brakes on mine, putting them both somewhere in the single digit ft/lbs of recoil. The specific brakes I have can be tuned to reduce or entirely eliminate muzzle rise as well making it easy to spot your own shots through the scope.

what i havent mentioned is that my daughter has started hunting with me (shes 5) and at some point i want her to be able to 'shoot' and by shoot i mean she just pulls the trigger while i do the other 99%. now obviously something like a 243 will do better for her at some point and i also have my 30-30 that isnt too bad that we currently take when we go together...just something in back of my mind as well...ultimately its daddy's gun so im gonna pick what i want lol

 

[Just_Hangin_N_GA]

For your hunting distance, the 308 round is perfect. Before transitioning to pretty much bow only I used my old Remington 308. I purchased this riffle in the Piggly Wiggly parking lot after work when I was 16, in 1985. This gun has never let me down and I love the round so much that I bought my son a Ruger 308. It is all personal preference but it definitely will do what you are looking for and more.
Just a side note... I have a couple Winchester model 94 30-30 lever action rifles with no scopes that are super fun for throw back hunting.... the good old days!!
Good luck in your search.

 

[Dmathews87]

For your hunting distance, the 308 round is perfect. Before transitioning to pretty much bow only I used my old Remington 308. I purchased this riffle in the Piggly Wiggly parking lot after work when I was 16, in 1985. This gun has never let me down and I love the round so much that I bought my son a Ruger 308. It is all personal preference but it definitely will do what you are looking for and more.
Just a side note... I have a couple Winchester model 94 30-30 lever action rifles with no scopes that are super fun for throw back hunting.... the good old days!!
Good luck in your search.

awesome story lol. I have a 1970s (forget exactly what date) marlin 30-30. no scope. 100% one of my favorite guns.

 

[woodsdog2]

I know im about to open a can of worms here,but lets do it.....in the market for a new bolt action. I have pretty much already decided i want a 270 for an all around do everything round, however through research and going down the rabbit hole im also considering 308 or 6.5 creed as both of these are more readily available, aside for ammo for the 6.5. ballistic wise from what i can gather the 270 wins with its velocity and flatter trajectory. Im only hunting whitetail here in Se La and would keep most shots within 100-150 yards...offer me your opinions and insight please

Always go short action! Especially if you’re only using this for whitetails. .308, .260rem. 7mm-08, .243, gets my votes. .308 for sure gonna be able to find ammo anywhere.

 

[RagnarRGR]

Personally, I'd go with 308. I've shot deer with 308, 30-06, 270, 350 Legend, and 450 Bushmaster to name a few. I keep going back to the 308 because ammo is easier to get, wider choices for factory loads, the short action facilitates a lighter gun, and the 308 isn't as sensitive to barrel length. I purchased a new deer gun last year and went with 308. Hunted with it this year and used a suppressor, don't see me changing anytime soon.

As far as ammo, Federal makes a load with 168 grain Berger Hybrid Hunters that is phenomenal. I've shot it to 300 yards so far and produced just under a 2" group with a variable cross wind. Like you, my longest shot hunting is 100-125 yards. I shot a coyote, two doe, and a 4.5 year old 8 pt with that load this year... 17 yards was the longest tracking job. Also, once you find a load with 165 grain bullet or heavier that your gun likes, you can also use it for western hunts.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

 

[bowhunthard88]

So much subjectiveness lol! I personally choose a .308win or a .22-250rem for most of my local deer hunting. There are MANY different rifle choices on the market, so did you have a price point? I would suggest looking at a Weatherby Vanguard or a Howa 1500 if you're looking mid-price point. The Christensen Arms Mesa or the Kimber Hunter Pro are solid options at around $1300... Obviously you can buy less expensive, and you can buy more expensive! I will note, if I could get my hands on another Barrett Fieldcraft...!

 

[Dmathews87]

So much subjectiveness lol! I personally choose a .308win or a .22-250rem for most of my local deer hunting. There are MANY different rifle choices on the market, so did you have a price point? I would suggest looking at a Weatherby Vanguard or a Howa 1500 if you're looking mid-price point. The Christensen Arms Mesa or the Kimber Hunter Pro are solid options at around $1300... Obviously you can buy less expensive, and you can buy more expensive! I will note, if I could get my hands on another Barrett Fieldcraft...!

probably going to spend 700-800. brand wise i had pretty much narrowed to bergara, CVA, and Tika. I keep hearing the newer Remingtons just arent what they used to be. Ill check out weatherby for sure, theres a place near by that has some in stock.

 

[brydan]

It’s interesting the comments about lack of 6.5CM availability, that’s the opposite of my experience in both WI and VA. The only time I saw it picked over at all was when I stopped at Fleet Farm the night before rifle season opened, but that was the case for almost every popular cartridge.

The 6.5 CM ammo availability is one of those things that keeps getting repeated because the round isn't that old (16 years) but that issue is dead and gone as far as I've seen too. Every year it's occupying more and more real estate on ammo shelves. I'm a reloader but If I was limited to shooting factory ammo it would be my first choice hands down. Accurate, low recoil, lots of ammo options, effective on game, there's a lot to like there.

 

[sconnieVLP]

probably going to spend 700-800. brand wise i had pretty much narrowed to bergara, CVA, and Tika. I keep hearing the newer Remingtons just arent what they used to be. Ill check out weatherby for sure, theres a place near by that has some in stock.

You can’t go wrong with either a Bergara or a Tikka. In that price range you could do a B-14 Hunter or a T3X Lite. I prefer Bergaras, mostly due to using an R700 clone action.

Because Bergara:

 

[raisins]

probably going to spend 700-800. brand wise i had pretty much narrowed to bergara, CVA, and Tika. I keep hearing the newer Remingtons just arent what they used to be. Ill check out weatherby for sure, theres a place near by that has some in stock.

Yep, Remington, I hear, is in a weird place.

I picked up a Tikka Superlite from sportsmans warehouse (that model is only sold there and cabelas/bass pro) in 6.5 CM. You can get the other models anywhere, but Tikka has a special deal with those retailers for their fluted barrel model.

The accuracy claims, for mine, and guarantee were no joke. It is incredibly accurate for a rifle under $1,000.

 

[Dmathews87]

Yep, Remington, I hear, is in a weird place.

I picked up a Tikka Superlite from sportsmans warehouse (that model is only sold there and cabelas/bass pro) in 6.5 CM. You can get the other models anywhere, but Tikka has a special deal with those retailers for their fluted barrel model.

The accuracy claims, for mine, and guarantee were no joke. It is incredibly accurate for a rifle under $1,000.

we have a sportsman warehouse here (well, 45 minutes away here), thats actually where i was planning on purchasing my new toy!

 

[raisins]

we have a sportsman warehouse here (well, 45 minutes away here), thats actually where i was planning on purchasing my new toy!

I got mine for like $919.

I got an alternative price from a well known around here, local shop that has good prices. The cheapest they'd go on the stainless t3x lite (regular barrel, so heavier) was like $800. So, I figured $100 or so more for a fluted barrel was worth it (I wasn't getting hosed).

I like the sportsmans black stock better than the camo one at cabelas because that film dip isn't going to hold up long term.

The 6.5 CM with that fluted barrel was 5.9 lbs bare WITH a 24.3" barrel (and the barrel is skinny but not pencil skinny). That longer barrel is almost as handy in the woods (a 20" barrel in a woods gun is overrated I think...how often do people get the last inches of barrel hung up in a pine tree?) but also gives more velocity and lower decibels. I'm glad I didn't get a heavier caliber in such a light rifle. The fluting and adding a scope puts the balance point right between your hands. Everyone that handles it comments on how well it moves and balances, especially for a longer barrel.

 

[heretic]

For your given ranges I don't think the deer are going to notice any ballistic difference between .308, .270, or 6.5 CM. They're all fantastic deer cartridges for that range.

I just recently built a 7mm-08 since my 6.8 Western is just absolutely overkill for my big timber southern MO hunts. It has performed flawlessly for me thus far and it's what I would personally choose over your other contenders. That being said I fully acknowledge I have a bias and your needs don't fit mine.

The ammo availability argument has always been a moot point for me. If it's just a hunting rifle and you're not doing any serious load development or target shooting a few boxes of a given cartridge should last you years. If you're in a big box store the night before gun season looking for ammo then in my view you've already failed.

When you start talking about recoil, and the possibility of a smaller stature shooter, imo the 6.5 CM stands above the crowd.

 

[Zero One Actual]

Sig Cross in 308. Vortex LHT optic. Done.

 

[Dmathews87]

man, yall gave the 308 alot of love might have to reconsider lol.

 

[bowhunthard88]

.308win is the only caliber that I own that I have several purpose built firearms in the same caliber... Not that I'm saying it's in any way superior to another, but yeah, lotta love!

 

[bowhunthard88]

man, yall gave the 308 alot of love might have to reconsider lol.

Whatever you decide on, get as good of an optic as you can afford...

 

[raisins]

Whatever you decide on, get as good of an optic as you can afford...

this area

Rifle Scope Field Evaluations

rokslide.com

is very enlightening

the evaluator does a test where he drops scoped rifles first 18 inches onto a foam pad and then checks zero, he moves on to 3 foot drops onto the foam pad

the 3 foot drops might be a bit much, but 1.5 feet onto a foam pad should be nothing

spoiler alert: almost all scopes, even high dollar ones, easily lose zero

it's so bad it is almost depressing....scope makers (like phone and computer and software makers) seem to be focusing on looks and features and not functionality and dependability

the leupold i bought did horrible on this test....i'm going to bumped it around this spring and see if it holds zero....if not i'll be getting 1 of the 2 brands that held zero in those tests (night force or trijicon)

EDIT: just gently hunting with my rifle and driving with it in a padded case and laying it down in the field....it has moved point of impact about 1.5 inches to the right at 100 yards....in a few weeks time

 

[bowhunthard88]

this area

Rifle Scope Field Evaluations

rokslide.com

is very enlightening

the evaluator does a test where he drops scoped rifles first 18 inches onto a foam pad and then checks zero, he moves on to 3 foot drops onto the foam pad

the 3 foot drops might be a bit much, but 1.5 feet onto a foam pad should be nothing

spoiler alert: almost all scopes, even high dollar ones, easily lose zero

it's so bad it is almost depressing....scope makers (like phone and computer and software makers) seem to be focusing on looks and features and not functionality and dependability

the leupold i bought did horrible on this test....i'm going to bumped it around this spring and see if it holds zero....if not i'll be getting 1 of the 2 brands that held zero in those tests (night force or trijicon)

This is important, but even more important (to me), is the repeatability/consistency of adjustments along with return to zero (with adjustments, not necessarily a zero-stop turret). I will "shoot the box" with every one of my scopes to verify this, and you might be surprised at the ones that pass and the ones that fail! I've been shuffling the low man on the totem pole out, for optics, throughout my optics upgrade process for quite a few years now.

 

[raisins]

This is important, but even more important (to me), is the repeatability/consistency of adjustments along with return to zero (with adjustments, not necessarily a zero-stop turret). I will "shoot the box" with every one of my scopes to verify this, and you might be surprised at the ones that pass and the ones that fail! I've been shuffling the low man on the totem pole out, for optics, throughout my optics upgrade process for quite a few years now.

he tests that too...a lot of the high dollar scopes also don't track or return to zero worth dog poop

i don't shoot over 300 yards, so i'm a set it and forget it guy....so adjustable turrets don't matter to me