6.5CM vs .308Win

[LifeAndLiberty]

If you can hunt and shoot, none of it matters. But when fellas are worried about whether or not they should squeeze a damn coffee bag or shave their balls, or the price of a sticker, you have to wonder.

The same argument can be made about all the gear we discuss on this page, not just about the ballistic differences between two cartridges.

From the fella who asked about squeezing the coffee bag. I'll leave the ball shaving to you.

 

[KurtR]

I don't buy factory...i roll my own. With milsurp 308 brass being a portion of the price of lapua 6.5 cm brass. Plus you can get milsurp 8lbs powder for what you pay for 2lbs of commercial powder. At the distances I shoot.....less than 300 meters.....milsurp works just fine. Now bullet and primer cost are the same. However, you can practice with milsurp fun on the super cheap.

Thats why I said like components. The milsurp brass had to much difference and affected consistency. If under 300 is all you shoot than I agree that the 308 would be cheaper.

 

[Ndbowhunter]

Imr 7383, 139gr ppu, Hornady brass, cci #34,

Pretty damn cheap creedmoor ammo.

 

[luke moffat]

I had a .308 for my daughter and she shot it fine, but then I jumped on a 6.5 CM and she shoots that fine too. But now I'm thinking about ditching the 6.5 altogether and going with the .270. A lot cheaper to reload, and better ballistics.

I don't find my 270 any cheaper to load for than my 6.5. What components are you using in the 270 that is cheaper than the same components in 6.5? I know my 270 loads are already cost 25% more powder for one.

 

[5MilesBack]

I don't find my 270 any cheaper to load for than my 6.5. What components are you using in the 270 that is cheaper than the same components in 6.5? I know my 270 loads are already cost 25% more powder for one.

Brass is the biggest one. I hate Hornady brass so for the 6.5 I'm limited to expensive brass right off the bat. And the 6.5 dies are also twice as much.

 

[KurtR]

The hornady dies are 35 dollars

 

[Mtslackcountry]

Brass is the biggest one. I hate Hornady brass so for the 6.5 I'm limited to expensive brass right off the bat. And the 6.5 dies are also twice as much.

You can buy prime Match ammo at $26 a box. They use Norma brass. When your done shooting you have norma brass for cheap as hell.

 

[5MilesBack]

The hornady dies are 35 dollars

I don't use Hornady dies.

You can buy prime Match ammo at $26 a box. They use Norma brass. When your done shooting you have norma brass for cheap as hell.

I don't view $26 for 20 pieces of brass as "cheap as hell".

 

[Ndbowhunter]

26$ for 20 pieces of brass??

You rolling ammo for free??

Probably paying 18cents a shot in powder in 6.5 creedmoor

Say 25 cents for a bullet for any decent bullet seems the norm.

3 cents for primer.

Thats 84 cents for a piece of brass. Get even 10 reloads and your at 8.4 cents per round in brass cost.

I don't see how 270 is cheaper in any appreciable way. 5% maybe??

 

[KurtR]

I don't use Hornady dies.



I don't view $26 for 20 pieces of brass as "cheap as hell".

What dies do you use. I have Hornady, rcbs, Lee,whiden, and Redding and the Hornady will be as consistent as any of them.

 

[Muledeerfanatic]

I use hornady brass and dies for my creed. They work great and the ammo is pretty damn cheap.

 

[AKMAN]

Sounds like a lot of folks are getting spooled up about this one!
I love how RELATIVELY affordable it is to shoot a 6.5C. Historically I didn't shoot many rifles that didn't burn north of 65 grains of powder and all the way up to 100+ grains for RUMs and the Accumarks.

After that, it takes some long-ish range hunting to start reaping performance on BC/SD alone.
I do love the margin of error in range/wind estimation a high BC affords. Sheep hunting can have range and wind, so sign me up. Especially in a light and short rifle.
Combined with low recoil, we'd likely have a lot better shooters if more people left the 300 WM at home when chasing deer.

 

[thopkins22]

5/100" does not equal a much larger and more devastating wound channel.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I just ordered Redding dies and 100 rounds of Hornady brass from Midsouth, and I didn't find it inordinately expensive. Ammo ends up being pretty cheap. The expensive part is buying supplies for a new cartridge and working up a load.

I just bought a 6.5 CM as a do it all rifle. I'm pretty confident I can kill anything in the lower 48 with it, no problem.

 

[hodgeman]

For what it's worth... since the OP is talking about the 6.5CM as a hunting rifle....where does ammo cost even come into it? Most guys won't fire their hunting rifle more than 4 or 5 boxes a year at most.

For that mater, this is Rokslide....domain of $800 backpacks, $500 coolers, $150 pants and $1500+ rifles....$30 box of ammo might be cheapest thing we ever talk about around here.

Match shooting is a different deal with 1000s or rounds per year, but those calculations have no place in the discussion of a hunting rifle.

I know on the list of hunting expenses I pay on a yearly basis...ammo is right near the bottom. Probably more than "boot laces", but not by much.

 

[16Bore]

For what it's worth... since the OP is talking about the 6.5CM as a hunting rifle....where does ammo cost even come into it? Most guys won't fire their hunting rifle more than 4 or 5 boxes a year at most.

For that mater, this is Rokslide....domain of $800 backpacks, $500 coolers, $150 pants and $1500+ rifles....$30 box of ammo might be cheapest thing we ever talk about around here.

Match shooting is a different deal with 1000s or rounds per year, but those calculations have no place in the discussion of a hunting rifle.

I know on the list of hunting expenses I pay on a yearly basis...ammo is right near the bottom. Probably more than "boot laces", but not by much.

Winner winner, chicken dinner.....

Once you head down the handloading rabbit hole it's hard to see your way out. Then you've really got to convince yourself that the minimal gains you're seeing at distances you'll likely not shoot anything but steel don't amount to anything but Internet chatter.


And don't forget the $15 stickers on that list.

80% return on 20% effort. Learn it, live it, love it. Or skullphuck making coffee...

 

[Shooter19802003]

For what it's worth... since the OP is talking about the 6.5CM as a hunting rifle....where does ammo cost even come into it? Most guys won't fire their hunting rifle more than 4 or 5 boxes a year at most.

See....that is where the rub lays with me. Maybe I'm in the minority. I like to practice. I hear all these guys talk about long range crap as the day is long. You don't accomplish those skills by shooting 100
Rounds a year. So....are you just shooting and Hoping for the best? I shoot a lot. Which is another reason I'm switching from my 375 to the 6.5. The 375 is expensive and after 50 rounds a day at the range gets kinda old. I prolly put 500 +/- rounds a year through my 375. Hard to shoot in the field if all you do is put 1box through your gun from the bench annually. Which is prolly why guys shoot long range. No hunting skills needed at all. Just plug in some numbers, dial and shoot.

 

[AdamW]

Which is prolly why guys shoot long range. No hunting skills needed at all. Just plug in some numbers, dial and shoot.

...and that's where you lost me.

 

[Ndbowhunter]

What's all this coffee reference about?

 

[5MilesBack]

Some of you guys are actually kind of comical. I'll play.......who says bowhunting is expensive? Just tie a string to a limb and whittle a stick and knapp a piece of flint and tie it on and you're good to go. LOL. That's not expensive is it?