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Have you considered Ammo availability & price...?

Pre panic and pandemic 308 & 6.5 were similar in price, if I remember correctly. However, 308 has been pretty available, but not cheap.
If you roll your own, more power to you.

Maybe why the 6.5 rifle is such a "deal"??
 
Yeah 6.5 isn’t cheap to shoot if you don’t reload. I just PM’d another NESer who was looking for match 6.5 ammo. Hornady 140 gr ELD-M at $49.99 per box shipped. Oooof

Edit: sold out. Limit was 4 boxes
 
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andrew1220 said:
Yeah 6.5 isn’t cheap to shoot if you don’t reload. I just PM’d another NESer who was looking for match 6.5 ammo. Hornady 140 gr ELD-M at $49.99 per box shipped. Oooof
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This same vendor has Federal Gold Medal 175 gr Sierra matchking 308 ammo for $39.99 per box shipped. $10 per box cheaper than 6.5
 
6.5CM is better on trajectory, windage and recoil, these are objective facts. That said for 90% of uses either one will be fine. It’s a decision between a somewhat modern round and a solidly fudd round.
 
Holy duck that’s a big difference! 308 has much better availability. As a beginner, either round will do.
 
JRT said:
6.5CM is better on trajectory, windage and recoil, these are objective facts. That said for 90% of uses either one will be fine. It’s a decision between a somewhat modern round and a solidly fudd round.
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Which one is the solidly fudd round?

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I can see .30-06 being considered a fudd round, but .308? Add to that the ever increasing offering of 6.5 CM hunting ammo. At least to me, one is not more clearly fudd than the other. YRMV...
 
Mountain said:
Which one is the solidly fudd round?

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I can see .30-06 being considered a fudd round, but .308? Add to that the ever increasing offering of 6.5 CM hunting ammo. At least to me, one is not more clearly fudd than the other. YRMV...
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I’m just playing. 308 does have solidly fudd vibes though. It’s not the round but the defenders of the round. They often end up making fudd examples of why it’s not fudd.
 
Up to 300 yards, there is very little difference. However, beyond 300 the 6.5’s ballistics began to pull ahead and at very long ranges it’s significantly better (e.g. at 1000 yards with a 10 mph cross wind the 6.5 143 gr ELD-X will drift 70.1” while the 308 178gr ELD-X will drift 87.4”, almost one and a half feet more). So if you’re planning on trying some truly long range shooting, I'd go with the 6.5. If your not going beyond 300 yards, I'd go with the .308 given it’s generally cheaper and more available.
 
In good conditions up to something like 400 yards they are both similar, start getting into longer distances the Creedmoor pulls away. I believe in dealing with winds, rain, bullshit too, Creedmoor pulls away. It's the clear paper punching winner. If I was punching paper it'd be Creedmoor. If I was hunting deer it'd be Creedmoor.

If I had aspirations of Moose, Bear something bigger than deer, and my plan was to do it with that rifle - I'd go .308 because it's gonna hit harder and that's a Moose or Bear minute anyway. In an AR10 where you want to breakup concrete objects with 20+ round mags - .308/7.62.

Anyway - if this is primarily a paper puncher don't be a skinflint over ammo, it's not gonna be a high round rifle - Creedmoor wins in all aspects really. And eventually that round will cost about the same as .308 again.
 
Path-Finder said:
Ok so I'm looking at two guns both Rem 700's in the same model. One in 6.5 creedmoor and one in 308 win. I wanted a bolt gun with a heavy barrel for just plinking at my club and learning to shoot at longer ranges. Normally I'd just buy the 308 because it seems 6.5 is hard to find now but I have heard so many say the 6.5 is the way of the future. Oh and the 6.5 is $499 while the 308 is $849. FOR GOD'S SAKE HOW DO I CHOOSE?
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There must be something else different in the guns for such a price swing.
6.5 is nothing new
I Have a 109 yr old 6.5 rifle

Think like this : are you ever going to get to shoot past 600 yards regularly?
Are you going to reload?

If and when tou plan to shoot long distance are you going to be playing a particular game?
If so source out a platform “legal” for what you plan to do.

With so many different rifles out there its hard to choose. Personally I know im not getting out past 600 and only to 600 a few times a year if that so 308 and even 223 might better fit my needs?
 
Path-Finder said:
Yes I have considered availability. That's why I'm on the fence between the two. I know 308 is more available now but 6.5 is probably going to be everywhere in the future.
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Is it? I'm holding off on 6.5-everything whatever until the military selects its next round. Uneducated guess is that whatever THAT round is, suddenly every rifle will be available in that caliber, and ammo availability will drift in that direction. Sure 6.5-CM is the future... until it isn't.
 
Same exact rifle and the 308 is $350 more ? Which particular models are they because if they are the 700 VTR ( triangular barrel i think ), avoid it.

The $350 saved can buy you some 6.5 ammo too.
 
Why the F would anyone want a 700 especially modern production one. No thanks. The 6.5CM model for $500 is concerning that it may be someone dumping a problem child.

inside ~600 yards the 6.5Cm offers almost no benefit over .308. Less recoil that’s about it. One must push the cartridge at least past 600 to really start seeing a difference.
 
Path-Finder said:
the 6.5 is $499 while the 308 is $849
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Consider this, $350 is enough to get you started with loading your own ammo. It's a fun and challenging activity. My 6.5CM cost me about $0.65/round and it's tuned to my rifle. The rifle is capable of sub 1 MOA but I can easily do 1/2 MOA. I think if I use a shooting sled, I might do even better.
I still pick up a box of 6.5CM here and there. Mostly to trade for something I might need when the next shortage hits...

Loading allows me to load and shoot calibers you just can't find in stores nowadays like 6.5 CM, 300 PRC, and 6 ARC.

The basic setup with an electronic powder dispenser(manual measuring of powder is silly in 2022) will run about $600. Considering the difference in rifle price, your setup will cost you just $250. 6.5 CM runs about $35-$40 for a box of 20 for the good ammo. That means that you will break even in less than 200 rounds. After that, you'll be paying pennies, not dollars for your ammo!
 
Sammy said:
Consider this, $350 is enough to get you started with loading your own ammo. It's a fun and challenging activity. My 6.5CM cost me about $0.65/round and it's tuned to my rifle. The rifle is capable of sub 1 MOA but I can easily do 1/2 MOA. I think if I use a shooting sled, I might do even better.
I still pick up a box of 6.5CM here and there. Mostly to trade for something I might need when the next shortage hits...

Loading allows me to load and shoot calibers you just can't find in stores nowadays like 6.5 CM, 300 PRC, and 6 ARC.

The basic setup with an electronic powder dispenser(manual measuring of powder is silly in 2022) will run about $600. Considering the difference in rifle price, your setup will cost you just $250. 6.5 CM runs about $35-$40 for a box of 20 for the good ammo. That means that you will break even in less than 200 rounds. After that, you'll be paying pennies, not dollars for your ammo!
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Path-Finder said:
I wanted a bolt gun with a heavy barrel for just plinking at my club and learning to shoot at longer ranges.
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I got out of 7.62 NATO/.308WIN this past year because of how stupid ammo prices are. I doubt they're ever going to go back to 2019 prices because of how obsolescent the cartridge is for the military. And for me, investing in handloading made no sense because the rifles I used dented up cases a lot.

If you're handloading for a bolt gun, you have a bigger brass and bullet variety with 0.308" than 6.5mm/0.2644". But you have more recoil and a less-flat trajectory.

7.62 NATO was a stupid idea in the 1950s for an infantry rifle - that's what I learned when I owned the guns chambered in it. For me, 6.5CM, no question.
 
Sammy said:
The question was about 6.5 CM and 308 rifles. 6.5CM was $350 cheaper. $350 gets you a lot of ammo or training... is all I'm saying...
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Oh, apologies, I didn't notice. All the 6.5 slobbering clouded my vision.

$350 gets you 8 boxes of ammo. I wouldn't say that's a lot.
 
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Path-Finder said:
Ok so I'm looking at two guns both Rem 700's in the same model. One in 6.5 creedmoor and one in 308 win. I wanted a bolt gun with a heavy barrel for just plinking at my club and learning to shoot at longer ranges. Normally I'd just buy the 308 because it seems 6.5 is hard to find now but I have heard so many say the 6.5 is the way of the future. Oh and the 6.5 is $499 while the 308 is $849. FOR GOD'S SAKE HOW DO I CHOOSE?
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Before you spin your hair up, post the links for the rifles. They should be the same except for the barrel. The 308 is probably in a HS stock for the price difference.

Edit: just saw how you'll be 300 yards or less, go 308. You'll find plenty of ammo, and cheaper to boot. Heck, I would do 223.
 
Tallahassee said:
Edit: just saw how you'll be 300 yards or less, go 308. You'll find plenty of ammo, and cheaper to boot. Heck, I would do 223.
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+1 for .223/5.56 for under 300. Shit, for under 500. Cheaper, less recoil, plenty of brass and bullets in normal times.
 
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