Help me decide, .308 or 6.5CM?

[markd290]

So I've been trying to decide on my first proper long range rifle for a while now and after some debating back and forth I've settled on the Tikka T3 Tac A1. Scope wise I'm also pretty much settled on the Vortex PST Gen 2 5-25. The only thing left for me to decide on now is .308 or 6.5CM. Obviously 6.5CM is a better round, but I'm trying to decide if the extra ammo cost is worth it. I don't reload at the moment, but I'd like to get into it in the next 6-12 months, so for at least a while I'll be stuck with factory ammo. For .308 I can find GGG 175gr match locally for about £19-£20 a box, while 6.5CM Hornady 140gr is £32 a box minimum, if not £35. Would you go for more trigger time or the better round? Once I start reloading, what can I expect to get the cost per round of 6.5CM down to? What would you do?

[20series]

Depending on the distances you'll regularly be shooting if you're not reloading yet I'd go 308. But to get the best out of any rifle you generally need to load your own it's a you're very lucky and find a factory load that works in your rifle.

Alan

[Ovenpaa]

Obviously 6.5CM is a better round

Why?

[Christel]

Long range? 600 or 1200?

If it is 1000 upwards I would not go for either.

[TJC]

You seem very focussed on cost. If that’s true how do you feel about shelling out about £1,000 every 2500 rounds or so for a new 6.5 CM barrel ? The .308 would probably prove far more cost effective over time if you also factor in barrel life and quality barrel replacements.

I know what you mean by the 6.5 being a better round but think of it this way, the .308 is less forgiving - it forces you to get wind and fundamentals right. You get away with less and over time that will help you become a good shooter.

[Dellboy]

if your buying ammo surely 308 if loading maybe 6.5 47 (but there are better people on here to advise)

[waterford103]

I shoot both , Tikka .308 , Remmy 6.5cm , my go to rifle is the 6.5 , I shoot it better , my groups with it are astonishing for me and the felt recoil is less , yes I'm getting recoil shy , 70 and two recent lots of heart surgery will do that.

[Triffid]

I shoot a Howa varmint in 308 and a Ruger Precision Rifle in 6.5cm. My normal ranges are 600 and 1000 yards at Bisley. The Howa wears a Fox scope and needs a 20MOA rail to get out to 1000x. The RPR has a Sightron SIII.

I don't currently reload for the 308 as the NRA sells GGG ammo with the 155gn SMK at £16/20 which is only marginally above my real cost to replicate - 43p for the bullet, 24p for the powder and 4p for the primer. The Howa 'likes' the GGG ammunition, so it's really not worth my time to reload for it . . . I could of course go with a cheaper bullet but I'm saving that up for when the NRA runs out of the GGG.

I do reload for the 6.5cm however. Cost per bang is about the same as the 308 but as you have found, factory ammo in 6.5cm is twice the price of the GGG 308, so there's a big saving for me.

Accuracy-wise I don't find much in it at 600x. However at 1000x I'm noticeably better with the 6.5. This probably relates to my shooting skills and wind reading more than the rifle/ammo. The 6.5 relies less on shooter skills as TJC points out.

Have you thought of 6.5x55? That could get you to the best of both worlds.

Triffid

[Christel]

Have you thought of 6.5x55? That could get you to the best of both worlds.

Triffid

[waterford103]

Have you thought of 6.5x55? That could get you to the best of both worlds.

Triffid

Or a 260 rem ?

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