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Good article that compares the 6.5 with several other calibers, including the .243.
Basically Ron Spomer concludes if you have a .243- no need to buy a 6.5, but the 6.5CM does edge it out. Better BC bullets, good for hunting and long range plinking (if desired). Generally faster twist 1:8 or 1:8.5 so better stability for long, heavy bullets. .243 is 1:10 (usually) so lighter bullets preferred.
I have a 6.5cm Rem 5R and it is a heavy sucker for a rifle- Maybe 12-15lb recoil (if that). I think a .243 might be around 10lbs recoil? My 6.5 Shoots factory Hornady ELDX rounds sub MOA. You can easily find a wide assortment of loaded ammunition, reloading components (except primers).
I actually don’t care about the weight of the rifle…I’m not backcountry hunting, after all. That helps the recoil picture, I suppose, but I’ll pick a better-shooting light rifle than a heavier one which doesn’t have the same performance. Hence some of my desire to keep that recoil down a bit.
My Ruger 77 is a varmint model. With the Leupold scope I have on it, it probably weighs 10 pounds. Which is OK, since I don't have to walk more than 100 yards to get to a deer blind where I hunt.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewMexicoCowboy
Those 100 grain soft points have worked well for me on deer in the .243.I have killed a lot of deer with that load. Although I have not been able to find ammo for my .243 this year.
Academy here in the Houston area has a ton of 6.5 Creedmoor ammo on the shelf. I haven't looked for .243, though. Here's their website if you want to try mail order. https://www.academy.com/search?searc...ock%27:%27Y%27
I generally agree, and I keep brass by habit - but why .243 specifically? I like the recoil, but it’s kind of at a minimum required power level. I’m not necessarily against that, being that I’m a fan of .38 revolvers, but I’d love for someone to flesh it out. If a 6.5mm cartridge is acceptable, recoil and all, and the ammo is again out there, what can I gain from a .243 that I don’t get from any other cartridge? And yes, I’m asking out of curiosity, and not some fanboy thing. I don’t 100% understand all the cartridges or why one or another might have a hidden advantage.
Well, I'm generalizing my local situation for ammo availability and maybe it's different where you are. But I have seen a decent variety of .243 ammo on the shelf here, more so than the various 6.5mm. Read that article it has a better discussion of the merits of each round.
I think at the end of the day either one would work fine for you. I sort of lean towards the .243 because it's been around longer and you are more likely to find a good used one at a decent price.
Good used options! Those cartridges are a bit much for me. .270 is my second choice, because of its great ballistics, and .243 is third because of the recoil. But .243 is approaching minimal power, and .270 is pushing my desired recoil. I am somewhat sensitive to it because I’m not a big guy, so full-power rifle cartridges do push me around quite a bit. .270 seems to clock in at around 21ft-lb of recoil impulse, vs. circa 9ft-lb for .243 and around 12-12.5 for 6.5 Creed. Plus the latter two fit in shorter actions which some guns take advantage of. 6.5CM just falls into a real sweet spot for me and how I shoot, which previously would have been filled perfectly by the aforementioned .257 Roberts which is practically obsolete, or 6.5 Swede which I think is at least obsolescent if not now practically obsolete here in the US.
Lastly, the more I read, the more I am impressed with the Howa 1500. I’ve watched multiple reviews from multiple sources, shooting multiple chamberings citing sub-MOA performance right out of the box with factory ammo. I think Howa will have a customer unless I find something used I just can’t live without.
Have you shot a .270? I don't think it would be obnoxious for recoil. I'd also look at the 7mm-08. It falls in the middle between the .243 and the .308; all use the same parent case. The Howa is 7.5 lbs and I doubt you'd find the recoil a problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcp123
I generally agree, and I keep brass by habit - but why .243 specifically? I like the recoil, but it’s kind of at a minimum required power level. I’m not necessarily against that, being that I’m a fan of .38 revolvers, but I’d love for someone to flesh it out. If a 6.5mm cartridge is acceptable, recoil and all, and the ammo is again out there, what can I gain from a .243 that I don’t get from any other cartridge? And yes, I’m asking out of curiosity, and not some fanboy thing. I don’t 100% understand all the cartridges or why one or another might have a hidden advantage.
I have a .243. I like it. I do most of my deer hunting with it. If I were buying brand new tomorrow I'd buy a 6.5 CM simply because it seems like there's ammo everywhere I go.
Edit: Sorry, I didn't see it was literally just mentioned
For North American hunters I think it's severely under appreciated. I haven't shot one but the Bergaras are really nice when I've fondled them in the shops.
For North American hunters I think it's severely under appreciated. I haven't shot one but the Bergaras are really nice when I've fondled them in the shops.
Bergera is one of the best current production rifles out there. Bergera rifles do cost more than brands like CZ and Savage, but properly cared for should last your lifetime and be passed on in good shape to a worthy heir if you have such, of course that can be said for any decent quality rifle.
The only downside to the 7-08, at least where I live, is that ammo is harder to find than .308.
In a lot of ways, really, reading this thread is reminding me that right now is "the good old days" when it comes to guns and hunting anyway.
Bergera is one of the best current production rifles out there. Bergera rifles do cost more than brands like CZ and Savage, but properly cared for should last your lifetime and be passed on in good shape to a worthy heir if you have such, of course that can be said for any decent quality rifle.
The only downside to the 7-08, at least where I live, is that ammo is harder to find than .308.
In a lot of ways, really, reading this thread is reminding me that right now is "the good old days" when it comes to guns and hunting anyway.
I agree with that. Manufacturing tolerances on a lot of rifles are much, much better than 2-3 decades ago. I frequent a hunting site (mainly western focused) and I read about guys building custom guns on uber expensive actions with expensive barrels costing upwards of $5,000 or more. Yes they shoot well, but a lot of them seem to shoot just as well as a mid range cost factory rifle.
I've got a low cost build underway- truing a 700 action with a Brux barrel and I can only pray it shoots as well as my Browning Hells Canyon Speed X-Bolt.
Just get a 270. Ammo is Cheap and plentiful. Low recoil, flat shooting. Low recoil loaded ammo available. Learn to reload and you can shoot bullets anywhere from 90 grains on up to 170.
I load 110 ttsx. Very accurate and extremely flat shouting at 3400 fps. Excellent on deer.
I can count in a progression what I used to harvest deer from first to last-
1. Bay State single shot 12 ga with 00buck. That's like a H&R single shot. I was a kid. It was BRUTAL.
2. 35 Remington in a Marlin 335- kicked hard. Used it for many years.
3. Remington 760 Gamemaster .30-06 pump with 180gr Core-Lokt- Harsh recoil. Noisy gun (fore end rattled)- buh-bye.
4. Remington 721 in .257 Roberts- (lots of deer). Very light recoil, 117gr CoreLokt soft nose bullets were more lethal than the .30-06. Very pleasant to use and carry.
5. Thompson Encore .338 Magnum. Effing brutal. Brutal squared. Buh-bye.
6. Tikka T3 Laminated stock- 7mm mag. Didn't group as well as I liked. Bagged one mule deer and sold it.
7. Mauser .257 Ackley- great round, mild recoil a tad faster than the 'Bob'.
8. 7mm magnum- (Hells Canyon). More pleasant than 1, 2, 3 and 5. Insanely accurate.
9. Remington 5R .308- used last year on does. mid level recoil, dropped several at 300+yards.
Not including my bow harvests, in total over 100 deer sized game in my life.
Out of all of them- the .257 Roberts was the most pleasant and really surprised me with the terminal performance of the 117 Core Lokt at normal whitetail ranges.
I might use my 6.5CM on does this year to see how it performs with a ELDX bullet.
Last edited by Threerun; 10-20-2022 at 05:24 PM..
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