Hey all! I’m trying to decide if I should buy a Tikka 6.5 creedmoor for hunting and some range use. I have a grendel and a 308 Remington 700 AACSD and I’m wondering if getting a creedmoor would be splitting hairs. I am not a huge ballistics person but I am starting to get into it because I’ve learned the hard way it’s necessary.

Remington 700: it’s heavy at 12.4lbs and shoots 1moa. I had the McMillan stock bedded and it’s a nice shooting rifle. Seems a little overkill for deer though. Ammo is cheaper than Grendel and creedmoor atm.

Grendel: lighter (10lbs), ar15 platform, and shoots .8 MOA. I would like something with more power for deer and possible bigger game in the future (maybe elk). I can’t find ammo anywhere in stores so it’s online and shipping costs.

If I were to get the Tikka creedmoor, it would shoot possibly .5moa from what I’m reading, it would be lighter (learned my lesson from the previous two rifles), and I can find ammo in any store. Con, the ammo is all $1 or more a round.

If I’m hunting under 300 yards, is it wasteful for me to get a creedmoor when I have the other two options? I know the creedmoor is way more capable at 1000 yards than 308 but no way would I hunt at those distances. Please feel free to post real world ballistic data. A lot of places make the creedmoor sound like the end all be all or a puny round. Thank you kindly for your help.

6.5CM is very popular right now and very capable as a hunting round. All indications are it will continue to be popular. Probably comparable to .270 Win 50 years ago. There wasn't a store that sold ammo that didn't stock .270 Win. My local hardware store has 6.5CM and no 30-30.

It's "just as good or better" as a 308 both ballistically and energy wise. The huge benefit is the miniscule recoil and sound. I was shocked at how much easier it is to shoot a 6.5CM.

I'm a fan, so much so I replace both my precision rifle and my long range hunting rifles.

Around Texas Convenience Stores in Deer Country you can find 30/30, 30.06, 308 & 270 ...   Not seeing 6.5 Creedmoor either on the shelves or even stocked but out of stock in most places.

It IS becoming more popular, but it's still a long way from "You can find it Everywhere" status - yet.

Bigger_Hammer

That’s what I’m thinking as well. I like the 308 it’s a cool rifle but I would like something lighter for hunting. In my area, you can find creedmoor at Ace hardware and tractor supply. The only reason why I’d stay with 308 right now is: I already have it and it’s cheaper to practice with. I really like the idea of creemoor, less recoil and better for longer ranges.

6.5 for hunting = just remember & bring your own ammo.

It's not a caliber I'd necessarily expect to find laying around everywhere in EOTWAWKI, but it's a nice shooting round.

Bigger_Hammer

Understood. I’ve found that to be more the case with my Grendel and partially the reason I won’t be shooting it as much. The 308 definitely has availability going for it

The .308 will do every thing a Creedmore will do, only better. Save your money.

That’s my understanding for anything under 600.

Thank you for the responses. It’s a difficult decision because the 308 can do what I need it to but it sure would be nice to have a better and lighter rifle 😂

Sounds like the main positive difference between 308 and 6.5 creedmoor is the recoil. Similar ballistics, maybe slight edge going to 308 at shorter distances, but not as fun to shoot.

there's the truth.

The tikka is a good rifle in either caliber. If you have a bunch of 308 buy a tikka in 308 and call it good. Maybe sell the old rifle and buy nice glass for the new rifle. If you aren’t sitting on a bunch of 308 I wouldn’t hesitate to buy the Creedmoor.

At the ranges you are talking about it won’t matter much which you choose.

Personally I’d buy the 6.5 Creedmoore and replace the .308 with a.300 Win Mag or a  .338 win mag for larger game. But then again I have several .308’s still around. A few years ago I replaced my.300 win mag with a 7mm Rem Mag. Now that better bullets are available I kinda miss the.300. I have no problem hunting deer with my my 6.5 Grendel.

TL;DR if most of your shots are <400 yards on medium or so size game you’re probably not going to leverage or even notice the difference of switching to a 6.5CM

Just build a light .308 if you want something more practical than either gun you have and you won’t have to dive into a new caliber. Not to mention you can find some NICE .308 rifles lightly used for a deep discount because of people migrating to 6.5cm.  

In typical configurations, a .308 has more energy at hunting distances.  Mismatched comparisons aside, typical 140-147gr 6.5CM doesn’t surpass the energy of similarly constructed 165-178gr .308 until about 400-500 yards with somewhere around 1400-1500 ft-lb.

A) Yes, the 6.5cm will have less wind drift at all distances, but it’s not like wind drift is typically severe for hunting applications inside of 400 yards anyways.  For example, a 6.5cm 140gr ELDM vs a .308 178g ELDX has ~3” of drift difference at 400 yards in a 10mph cross wind.

B) Yes, the 6.5cm will have more sectional density even at ranges where the .308 has an energy advantage… but low drag hunting bullet from either cartridge still has 1400+ FPE inside 400 yards.  That’s way more than enough for medium-large game.

Thank you all for your insight and knowledge. I’m leaning to just stick with the 308 for now, as much as I would always like a new rifle. I guess another option would be to rebarrel the Remington 700 aacsd into a 6.5 creedmoor. Or would that be a waste with a Remington 700?

Put a quality brake on the 308. Recoil will be greatly reduced. I used Kahntrol. Huge difference in recoil.

OP Brownells has the carbon fiber barreled Howa action on sale if you just need to scratch a build itch. It would be a great light weight heart of a build.

OP if you want a new rifle, get one. For your uses stated there is no NEED for a 6.5CM, but as everyone has said it would be an excellent addition to your collection.

Switchlug and 308 plus 6.5 barrels, i am turning my 20inch 308 tac a1 adding a capability for a 24inch 6.5 as we speak.
I am lucky to shoot 200-600yd max one range and 300-1100max other range I have found the 308 to be lacking at 1100yd ranges, great for 600yd to 800yd but beyond I opted for a higher BC  
YMMV, Regards, PeterNNH

Your trying to justify a want.

Nothing the Tikka will do your Rem can't.

Your Grendel is too heavy. Not enough Horsepower to justify that pork-chop for Deer woods. But Grendel has plenty of ass for Whitetail and Black Bear.

Just get the Tikka if you can swing it. Great guns.