6.5 Creedmoor

kjl412

Just wondering, I am looking to buy an all round bigger calibre rifle for both long distance target shooting and some deer stalking. From what I have heard 6.5 creedmoor seems to be a good option. Do you guys have any advice? Is 6.5 easy to come across or as readily available as some of the other bigger calibres? Any advice really appreciated. Thanks

tudderone

Before you do anything else, check out ammo availability. I've often read about various rounds, and fancied getting a rifle chambered in that calibre, 7.62x39 would be good for me as its cheap and good enough for the range i shoot at. Common as muck the world over but not at all common here.

alanmc

Most RFDs I use have 6.5 Creedmoor on the shelf. A lot of the online guys supply it as well.

See what your local has. I know the 6.5 CM divides opinion, but IMO it's here to stay.

Have you considered the ubiquitous .308? Much larger selection of ammo all round.

Either of these rounds will do you right for your needs. I'll caveat that by asking what sort of distances you intend to shoot.

kjl412

alanmc wrote: »

I'll caveat that by asking what sort of distances you intend to shoot.

For target shooting out to about 1000 yards. From what I’ve heard 6.5 CM is a bit easier to shoot at these distances. But I’d be happy to hear another opinion.

Feisar

Well since we are doing caveats, I never shot a Creed or shot further than 600 so take what I'm saying for what it's worth.

Yea the Creedmore beats the 308 ballistics wise hands down, supersonic out to 1200-1400 yards. Way better in the wind by all accounts/ballistic programmes as well.

You won't be able to shoot F Class TR with a Creed though.

Take it from someone that has lugged a Sako TRG around after deer, it's not a nice stalk. Add a moderator, scope and bipod and it gets heavy quick! - So while a cross discipline caliber is an easy find a cross discipline rifle is another story!

Out to 300 yards the .308 has the better kinetic energy, after that the 6.5 takes over with the better BC. So I suppose for all reasonable ranges the .308 could be considered the better deer round? I seen a post where a lad shot a big red with a creed and sort of used it as proof that it was a great deer rifle. Lads have shot and killed deer with .22LRs doesn't make them suitable tools.
Further to this there will be lads shooting animals at extreme distances using match bullets, not designed to expand harping on about shot placement. At that stage yer in the mire in some dark corner of the internet!

cookimonster

I'm not a Creedmore shooter nor even a target shooter but here's my two cents.

The calibre itself has a long history and is well proven in military, hunting and target applications. The chambering of the actual creedmore has gone from strength to strength and as has been noted here easily available in many gun dealers. I think at this stage it has gone beyond the fad and is well established, will it survive the test of time like some of the classics well we'll revisit this in another 30 years.

Most centre fire rifles given the right circumstances will reach out to long distances but some are more suitable then others. The venerable 30-06 was the darling of long range competition shooting but it lost ground to the 308 as it lost ground to the various 6.5 mm offerings out there. While on the other hand the likes of the iconic .270 Winchester never gained favour in the competition realms.

The right circumstances (leaving out the human interaction) can be divided into two parts- equipment and suitable ammonition. A true set up for target shooting often doesn't translate over to a hunting scenario (I can feel the wind rush of members as they type in to say 'my rig does both'). A heavy rifle with a large scope is not a pleasant thing to be carrying around the fields, woods or hills. Suitable target scopes may not be so suitable for low light or quick target acquisition. On the other hand a light feather weight rifle set up with corresponding scope may be quite unsuitable for use on the range.
Ammunition suitable for either practice again may not perform in both arenas and there is the possibility that the actual rifle will only accurately shoot one type of ammo and perform poorly with another - suitable target ammo versus hunting ammo.
Having said all that there are rifles/calibres that lend themselves to be used both successfully in the field and on the range under competition scenarios but these would be for particular disciplines. If it's more of a causal range shooting for your own enjoyment I would be looking at whether or not you can purchase cheaper/ accurate ammo to do so. I don't purchase overly expensive ammo but it would make me wince throwing rounds down range at €35/€40 plus per 20 rounds. I'm not sure as to the 6.5 costing but you can get relatively cheap ammo for the likes of the 308 compared to the .270/30-06. If you go the 308 route you also have a calibre that can be used on most large game throughput the World.

cookimonster

Feisar wrote: »

Well since we are doing caveats, I never shot a Creed or shot further than 600 .....

You beat me to it.....

Feisar

cookimonster wrote: »

You beat me to it.....

If I'm only spouting stuff I've read I do like to let lads know. I have dragged a TRG stalking though, not fun.

cookimonster

I occasionally stalk with a lad that carries Ruger Precision Rifle, not my cup of tea, in fact at this stage I contemplating dropping the bipod and mod off one of the stalkers as the other one is a bare rifle and scope and it takes just as many deer as the tricked out one.

GooseB

Don't mean to put a downer on things but it might be worth considering the availability of lead free ammunition for anybody considering a new rifle. If the ECHA proposal is voted in then this may be all you can use in approximately 2.5 years time (6 months consultation period + 18 month transition period for centrefire calibres above .22" + allow for 6 months voting time/writing into law/etc.). You don't want to be investing in something now that in 2.5 years may not be so usable or needs a barrel swap perhaps. Just something to think about?

cookimonster

Have a good look at Field Sports Britian channel and a bit of perusal on the various UK web sites. The industry is gearing up for non lead bullets big time and so far there is very good feed back about thier performance.

https://rws-ammunition.com/en/products/centerfire-rifle-cartridges#

https://www-fieldsportschannel-tv.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.fieldsportschannel.tv/what-non-lead-bullets-can-you-buy/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#

GolfVI

If you have a look at the 6.5 Creedmoor ireland page on Facebook you’ll see plenty of deers taken with the creedmoor.

For target shooting the creedmoor is flatter shooting, less effected by wind and has less recoil than the .308.

I find ammo availability not a problem and most shops will stock it. Prices range from €20-€50 a box
Sako do a 50 round box for €70 which is great value.

The barrel life on a creedmoor is something to consider depending on how much shooting you will do and what you want to achieve.

ldc

my two pence worth,
I shoot both .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor on the range and for deer stalking.
I think that lads who have replied have already said it all. My personal preferences would be a .308 for deer stalking and a 6.5 creedmoor for range work,
Why? A range gun reaching out to 1000 yards plus regularly generally tends to be a heavier built firearm. A firearm for deer stalking i would suggest should be light. I have used a unique Alpine TPG1 in .308 etc for both but i can say its not a good idea at all for deer stalking weight wise. .308 has the better ammunition availability and has a larger selection readily available. Usually it is also cheaper but again you can also buy expensive .308 rounds should you wish to do so. A .308 is generally accepted widely for hunting deer sized game animals whereas a 6.5 creedmoor will not be accepted in some countries but not an issue if you do not plan to travel with the firearm. The energy from both calibres is very close using similar bullet weights. .308 ammunition is readily available in almost the world over. 6.5 creedmoor barrel life is shorter. 6.5 creedmoor will be more accurate at very long ranges and has less recoil so is easier to shoot accurately. i would suggest that the .308 would be a 800m max capability for range work. Again please bear in mind that my comments are made with generality in mind, one can get custom rifles built that well exceed general off the shelf repeatable capabilities. Optics for long range work tend to be large and heavy with high magnification. For deer hunting at sportsman ranges the opposite is true. The reasons of weight and optics for both disciplines do not lend themselves to one set up if you are serious about both.
Yup, if you want to do some range work and deer hunt also with one firearm either calibre will do the business out of a light rifle.
Hope this helps.

tudderone

cookimonster wrote: »

Have a good look at Field Sports Britian channel and a bit of perusal on the various UK web sites. The industry is gearing up for non lead bullets big time and so far there is very good feed back about thier performance.

https://rws-ammunition.com/en/products/centerfire-rifle-cartridges#

https://www-fieldsportschannel-tv.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.fieldsportschannel.tv/what-non-lead-bullets-can-you-buy/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#

At what cost though ? If you have an old swedish mauser or a lee enfield and you want to plink, you don't want to be paying 2 quid a bang :mad:

cookimonster

tudderone wrote: »

At what cost though ? If you have an old swedish mauser or a lee enfield and you want to plink, you don't want to be paying 2 quid a bang :mad:

As far as what I can make out the lead ban will have no discernible effect on target ammo.

BattleCorp

cookimonster wrote: »

As far as what I can make out the lead ban will have no discernible effect on target ammo.

You think?

tudderone

BattleCorp wrote: »

You think?

I wonder what the proportions are of hunting to target ammo produced ? Many more rounds of .22 lr were sent through tin cans then ever were fired at bunnies i would think.