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I've been looking for a new gun for my son and was really looking into the 7mm08. I have settled on the savage lightweight hunter but noticed it also came in 6.5 creedmoor. I figured the 6.5 would have a little less recoil but always read the 6.5's really needed longer barrels to shine where the 7mm was very efficient in even shorter barrels. the gun will never be used to hunt anything bigger than whitetails
6.5 creedmoor is fine, but for hunting i heard 7mm is better, more kinetic energy. 6.5CM is mostly used for competition, but if you hunt below whitetails 6.5 should be fine too.
20" is good for 2700fps+ with 140s in a 260 or 6.5 Creedmoor if you reload...and a number of folks report 2640fps with factory 140 Amax from 18-18.5" barrels.
I do reload and am not really looking for high performance long range cartridge just something that's not goin to kick the **** out of him but kill a deer out to 3 or 400 yrds.
Good bullets available for both.
I find more recoil with the 7mm-08 compared to my 260.
If I hunted it would be a 7mm-08 but I don't anymore and find the 260 perfectly fits my needs yet is still plenty capable if need be on game.
You can always use lighter bullets in the 7mm which would equal things out as for recoil.
But you cant use heavier bullets in the 6.5. Who knows someday he might want to take it
hunting for black bear. Both are fine cartridges but for hunting id opt for the 7mm.
This is a good comparison. I don't have a 7-08 but had always believed 140gr to be the limit for practical use. But I've seen a few posts here discussing 150-160gr bullets. I have to think with the right powder they would be fine. Especially since 165-168gr do so well in 308's without going to a max load.
As for 20" barrel? Why not what it loses in fps is more the made for by being easy fast handling. I have 2 20" barreled rifles now and love the speed and comfort.
If ya have any doubt look at the LRH with its full length barrel the longer barrel would have slightly less felt recoil and muzzle jump.
I'll bet your son will agree he's tougher than you think. If he's old enough to hunt with a rifle, he can handle a 7mm08. 6.5's have a little less recoil, but the only time the little bit of difference matters is long strings of shooting from from the bench or competition. Get that boy a rifle and get him in the field this fall so he can bag his buck! ! ! ! :-))
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How old/big is your son? My first deer rifle was a 270 Winchester when I was 11, and frankly, it was waaaaaaaaaaay too much gun. Granted I didn't feel it shooting at deer, but I did when practicing, which meant less practice, which meant less proficiency. Shot placement is more important than shot displacement, IMO.
6.5mms are grossly underrated by the "bigger diameter/heavier bullet is better" crowd, which largely ignores the 6.5's higher sectional density.
Plenty of folks use 260s and Creedmoors for medium and even large game, up to and including elk and bear. With proper bullet selection, there's nothing on North America that can't be ethically felled by a Creedmoor.
That said, if whitetails are the biggest it'll see...consider a 223 if its legal. Lots of folks don't think its enough for deer but deer don't wear SAPI plates or kevlar, and a quality hunting bullet (64gr PSP, 60gr Partition, Barnes TSX, etc.) into the vitals will cleanly fell even a large buck. I mean think about it, people shoot deer with 100gr broadheads all the time...
I have and load for both. I like the 7 08 just fine. That said on all the bullet testing we've done the creedmoor is where it's at. From a 100 gr Barnes to a 140 gr berger, it's bang flop.
With good shot placement from either rifles, the deer will be just as dead. It's not like the deer's going to shrug off the bullet shot from either rifle. sixonetonoffun brought up a good point about practice. A lighter recoiling rifle is more fun to shoot more in one sitting than a more powerful, heavier recoiling rifle for young kids.
One thing to consider is does onw caliber have a better selection of factory ammo? That would be one consideration for me
In my area 7-08 is vastly better than 6.5CM and 6.5CM is much better than 260 rem for factory ammo.Quote:
Originally Posted by john800
The vast majority of our hunting is done with drives after opening weekend. Which can be brutal. We take turns posting but running through swamps, woods and pucker brush like a hound really is a workout. One of.the guys in our party.carries a BSA 7rm with a 20.5" barrel the older I get the more I "Get it". That little cannon has taken more long 400yds and beyond deer and brush wolfs then I can keep count of.
There in lays my arguement for heavy hot rounds vs smaller high bc bullets. I just bought 200 175gr cor lokts for $32. I would pay 2 times that for anything in a 6.5 and first little branch or cattail it hits its.going go off.target long before the beefier bullets. Which will deform substantially and.stay on target longer.
Flame on. But real world hunting results are hard to ignore. LRH is of.course much more like paper chasing and.high bc bullets like hunting vld's are world apart from sp's, ab's.
We always post people with 270's 308's where shots will be @100--150yds max. Usually youngest in our party.
So when the choice was mine I went with sporter barreled 308's for my daughter's @14 yrs old. The recoils always been just enough to keep them focused. They learned quickly and frequently practice with sessions of 30 rounds each.
If the 708 has better selection for factory ammo i would go that route if you dont reload. Think about it this way you are talking about a 264 vs a 284 bullet, bc is zero factor inside the ranges it will be used in. The more i think about it the more i would talk you into a 708
The other reoccurring theme is that 7-08 and 6.5 are finicky to load for? Whats up with that?
I would go with the creedmoor. 140 vlds are wicked on deer. Best bc and very well designed.
If you didn't hand load I would say the 7mm but since you do creedmoor all the way
I would go Creedmoor for the simple fact that has already been stated: less recoil means more practice, which means a more skilled youth hunter. The Creedmoor has enough knock-down power and then some for a whitetail.
I don't mean to dilute this thread anymore than it already has, but why not consider a .243? It has a ton of versatility, from deer, to coyotes, to groundhogs/squirrels...and its a pretty popular round so factory ammo should be readily available.
I don't find 7mm-08 or .260Rem particularly difficult to load for. I have only loaded match bullets, but I'm assuming results would be similar with good hunting bullets.Quote:
Originally Posted by sixonetonoffun
I haven't found the 260 to be finicky at all so far. Using Nosler brass so have plenty capacity. But I haven't tried 140's yet.
Recoil keeps you focused? .270, .308 for under 150yds? I'm totally confused, see your first paragraph.Quote:
Originally Posted by sixonetonoffun
In the proper doses it can keep one focused. One rushed shot = 1 rosie cheekbone. Yes once and she hasn't done it a second time. I didn't notice all your comments till now. 80 acre field = 880 yards of open ground.
Great for posting. Driving towards open ground makes for.good shooting.
Sorry for not being specific the 175gr are for several 7mm rm's. The kids shoot 165gr Nosler pt's right about 2650. Just because we have some set aside for hunting. They plink with cheap.amax 168's @2500. Plenty of range for gophers and fast enough for turtles. Well at least mud turtles.
The long skinny 6.5 bullets are great for whitetails. My 6.5x284 has never had a deer take more than 4 steps after impact.
There is a reason the swede has killed more than its fair share of moose
Either cartridge can take almost all NA big game with minimal recoil. I don't think you can go wrong with either choice. More factory choices with 708 though.
I do not own a 6.5 yet (it is next on the list), but I do have a 7-08 and it is not finicky at all to load. I shoot Nosler 120 BTs and Hornady 139 SPs and it is very accurate with several powders. I expect to have a 6.5 CM and will load it with Hornady 129 SPs or SSTs.