6mm Creedmoor/6.5mm Creedmoor/6.5PRC

[Qwikdraw45]

I've owned and shot a 6.5 Creedmoor bolt action in the past. With a permanently torn rotator cuff, I'm not sure if I could still shoot one. Maybe in a Springfield M1A. That being said, has anyone shot the 6.5 PRC, and how does the recoil compare? If not, is anyone shooting the 6mm CM, since that might be a better alternative.

I don't hunt anymore, but like to have something that would at least be suitable for whitetail/black bear if SHTF. The farthest out that I can shoot now is 100yds. , with a possibility of a 300yd. range in the future.

Opinions? (yeah, from NES, riiiiiiight!)

 

[Deleted member 67409]

Deer/black bear stopping rifle cartridge for under 100 yards with mild recoil? Depends on the action you want to use.

*.223, depending on your state's legality, but you're worried about SHTF
*.243, the classic youth hunting round
*7.62x39 is very mild
*.30-30
*.32-20 if you're willing to go old school

I haven't owned or shot a 6.5, just throwing in some ideas. I would imagine a 6.5 out of a heavy gun like a M1A would be rather mild.

 

[gerrycaruso]

.243 Winchester has been around for a long time so is well established. If you don't reload, .243 ammo may be easier to find than the others.

 

[wahsben]

A 6.5 Creedmoor with a muzzle brake shouldn't be too hard on your shoulder. A .243/6mm would be easy on the shoulder but it might be a little light for black bear although some of the 6mm and possibly newer .243's may have a faster twist so that you can shoot heavier bullets. 6.5 PRC will have the most recoil but with a good muzzle brake it probably wouldn't be too bad and it certainly would work well on deer and black bear. The 6.5 Creedmoor is very popular now so it's easy to find ammo for it. Also the weight of the rifle/scope will affect how much recoil you feel.

 

[FiremanBob]

A good muzzle brake will make a huge difference.

 

[Qwikdraw45]

A 6.5 Creedmoor with a muzzle brake shouldn't be too hard on your shoulder. A .243/6mm would be easy on the shoulder but it might be a little light for black bear although some of the 6mm and possibly newer .243's may have a faster twist so that you can shoot heavier bullets. 6.5 PRC will have the most recoil but with a good muzzle brake it probably wouldn't be too bad and it certainly would work well on deer and black bear. The 6.5 Creedmoor is very popular now so it's easy to find ammo for it. Also the weight of the rifle/scope will affect how much recoil you feel.

On the light end, I was thinking 6mm CM, since it has the faster twist and factory loads tend to be heavier (as compared to .243). If it was in the budget, I'd probably go for the 6.5 CM M1A. Weight of the rifle is no object [even when I hunted, I preferred to carry a heavy rifle to mitigate recoil (think 30-06)]. 6.5CM seems to be everywhere now, from LGS's to Big Box stores.

 

[wahsben]

On the light end, I was thinking 6mm CM, since it has the faster twist and factory loads tend to be heavier (as compared to .243). If it was in the budget, I'd probably go for the 6.5 CM M1A. Weight of the rifle is no object [even when I hunted, I preferred to carry a heavy rifle to mitigate recoil (think 30-06)]. 6.5CM seems to be everywhere now, from LGS's to Big Box stores.

Personally I don't think you can go wrong with a 6.5 Creedmoor but the other rounds are good too.

 

[northny]

Do you reload? That provides a lot of options. I have a mild load for 110 HPs in 308 Win that is extremely accurate. And extremely mild.

Items to consider with factory ammo

A good recoil pad helps.

A heavier rifle has less felt recoil than a lighter rifle. So a heavy barrel varmint rifle with a 26” barrel in a laminate stock will be much more comfortable than a light weight 16” barrel in a plastic stock with the same cartridge

A lighter weight bullet will have less felt recoil than a heavier one in same caliber.

I have a .243 Win varmint rifle in a laminated stock. I shoot 87 grain Barnes TTSX and it is deadly on deer with minimal meat damage. Very light recoil. (I got this combination from a guy who did deer reduction hunts on farms. He would kill 2-3 deer each weekend. He killed more deer in a year than I do in a decade. He was right. )

For your questions. In a similar weight rifle the 6 CM and 6.5 CM will be very similar in felt recoil. The 6.5 PRC is more a magnum version of the Creedmore for hunting and will be a noticeable step up in recoil.

My 6.5 CM with 140 grain bullet has a little more felt recoil than .243 with 87 grain. I’ve taken two deer wth it 6.5 CM using Hornady ELDX . About 180 yards. Both times bullet recovered

I’ve taken two deer with 243 using 87 grain TTSX. Both about 200 yards Both passed through deer. Both near instantaneous kills. I’d rate this combo slightly better.

 

[groundscrapers]

I run 6.5 creed, 6 creed, 6 br, 6xc, and 6.5 prc so I can give you the heads up on any of em.

6.5 creed will have the widest amount of ammo available and similar recoil to them all. 6Br has less recoil but is like running a 50bmg when it comes to ammo costs. 6.5 prc is starting to take off but not nearly as wide as a creedmoor and uses a different bolt face so if you decide you don't like it you can't just swap barrels like you can with a creed to a standard short caliber.

 

[Mountain]

Over the years I've ripped up both of my shoulders. Last one (right) I had fixed a couple years ago. Shot lefty for a while before surgery and during recovery. Can you have yours repaired? Mine took some anchor screws to do it but it's stronger than ever now.

A good shoulder pad will probably help more than dropping down from 6.5 CM. This is what I used once given the green light from the doc but while my shoulder was still a bit raw: D3O Rifle Harness - Boyt Harness Company The D30 pad material is pliable normally but hardens up upon impact. Trusted Impact Protection | D3O

Another option is to put a limbsaver butt pad on the 6.5 plus a nice brake. You might be AOK with that, even without a shoulder pad. I swear that I don't have a man bun and that I'm not fixated on 6.5 Creedmoor, but it's pretty smooth out of an AR. Mine is smooth shooting even without a brake. Many more options for an AR in this caliber than what you will find for a M1A, and at a generally lower cost.

If you absolutely want a reason to get another rifle and one that is a super smooth shooter, why not 300 BLK? Good for SHTF and bears too: Is the .300 AAC Blackout Enough for Bears?

 

[frenchman]

With a 4star Alamo cowl brake, you should get the 6.5 CM recoil to .223 level. The Fat Bastard brake is on par in recoil reduction.