.243 vs .308 vs 6.5 Creedmore.

[Bushwack44]

Speaking strictly in regards to performance of the caliber using the same rifle set-up (and for target shooting 600-800 yards), what reason(s) are there to choose a 6.5 Creedmore over a .243 or .308?

I ask because over the past few months, 6.5 has been spoken of as if its the next best thing since sliced bread. I've read various articles on each caliber and it seems newer shooters praise the 6.5 while seasoned shooters see no significant gain to switch from .308 or .243. My feeble mind doesn't grasp what makes the 6.5 vastly superior to the other calibers that it is getting so much praise.

[ar15barrels]

6.5 is not vastly superior.
It just has a nice balance of recoil to ballistic performance to barrel life.

243 (or other 6mm's) shoot flatter and recoil less than 6.5's, but wear barrels faster.
308 does not shoot as flat as the 6.5's and it recoils more, but has a better barrel life.

So, pick by what's important to you.
If that's ultimate barrel life, then pick a 308.
If that's ultimate ballistic performance and low recoil, pick a 6mm.
The 6.5's are the hapy medium between those two ends of the scales.

[jandmtv]

While I agree with Randall, there is another aspect he didn't speak of. Factory ammo.

242 is damn near impossible to find affordable/good factory match ammo for since most ammo makers think of it as primarily a hunting round.

308 match factory ammo is abundant, but the good stuff is very expensive.

6.5CM match ammo from Hornady (the 140 ELD's to be exact) can be had for under $25 per box. And its easy to find these days. I got a case of 200 for $230 delivered just last month.

6.5 is just a really good round that deserves all the hype its gotten. If it weren't for the greatly shorter barrel life of the 6mm, I would have gone that route since I reload. 308 just can't compare to either 6.5 or 6mm.

Again, all of the above matters only if you don't reload. If you do, and don't mind the shorter barrel life....go with the 243.

[FourT6and2]

Yeah, factory match 6.5 Creedmoor is affordable and easy to get. Factory match 308 is more expensive. I don't know enough about 242 to comment. But I'm assuming it's harder to find factory match 242 ammo at a comparable price.

If you hand-load, then doesn't matter. But most new shooters getting into long(er) range shooting are going to place a high weight on affordability and availability of factory ammo.

[killshot44]

The 6.5CM is a good all-round performer, particularly for the PRS competitors.
But because good is never enough, some are necking them down to a 6Creedmoor for higher velocities with 105/107/115 grain bullets.

[bsumoba]

I am going to answer this questions assuming the question is being asked strictly for performance, not factoring in factory ammo and also assuming you are handloading to get the most performance out of the gun to do target shooting out to 800+ yards...

In tactical (PRS style) shooting, the 6.5 as mentioned, is a good compromise for recoil, ballistics, and barrel life. Although, I would argue there has been a push towards the lighter recoiling 6mm cartridges like the 6mm Creedmoor, 6x47 Lapua, 6XC, etc. Competitive shooters are just not going to worry a whole lot about barrel life and treat them like tires, so they steer towards a lighter recoiling system that makes it easier to get back on target after a shot or to spot misses and splash. Many stick with the 6.5 because the ballistics are better as you go out further (800+), but 600-800 yards and less, there probably is not a whole lot of advantage in reality when shooting at bigger 1-3 MOA targets. I'll throw in a caveat that the new Tubb 115 rebated bullet is showing ballistic numbers that are getting close to 6.5mm 140gr hybrid BC's. This might steer people towards cartridges like the 6XC, 243 or 6SLR. Who knows...

I stick with the 6.5 creedmoor, primarily because I have the dies, bullets, and I have been shooting the cartridge for over 3 years now. Recoil is still minimal with the brake and it is just a tad bit better at distance than the 6mm. I would never go to a 7mm for tactical. Too much recoil.

Now, target shooting I think is a little different. If you are just paper punching and shooting for score or for groups, I think the 6.5 cartridges actually becomes that middle child that is now getting little attention and for good reason. All the other calibers surrounding it have positives that just cannot be ignored.

The 6mm at distance gets pushed around more. However, at mid range (300-600 yards) and long range distances with calm days , the 6 Dasher seems to be the darling cartridge. It is a very low recoil, inherently accurate cartridge, and it one of the cheaper cartridges to shoot (you are using a cheaper 6mm bullet and 33-33.5gr Varget only). You also get good brass, and barrel life is actually decent. Some have noted 1,500-3,000 rounds if it is not abused a whole lot. It is very difficult to outshoot a Dasher with a 6.5mm at midrange for target shooting. John Whidden would argue that his 243 is doing just fine (he basically has been dominating highpower the last few years with his 243 at Camp Perry).

The 7mm cartridge with the 180 hybrid and VLD are just ballistically superior than the 6.5mm bullets. The 6.5x284 used to be the go-to cartridge, but the competitive barrel life sucked and when the 180gr hybrid and VLD came out, that about sealed the fate of the 6.5mm in F-Class style target shooting. So, better ballistic bullet and with better barrel life, the 7mm cartridge such as the straight 284, 284 Shehane, 284 Walker/Improved, 7 RSAUM, etc are now the compromise for long distance, (800-1000 yard), F-Class or target shooting. You can go to the 30 cal and use a bullet such as the 230gr hybrids in a 300 WSM which is ballistically more superior, but has too much recoil for most. The recoil of a 7mm is not too bad at all.

[vintagearms]

Yeah, factory match 6.5 Creedmoor is affordable and easy to get. Factory match 308 is more expensive.

If you hand-load, then doesn't matter. But most new shooters getting into long(er) range shooting are going to place a high weight on affordability and availability of factory ammo.

I haven't found factory 6.5 CM ammo any less than 1.25 a round where .308 FGMM can be found for 1.00 a round.

[LynnJr]

If you don't reload your not going to win matches so that's a moot point.
Lapua makes brass for all three cartridges so they are equal there.
On your choice of custom bullets the 6.5 has the fewest options then comes the 30 and the 6 mm has the most choices.
Barrel wise all is equal.
The 243 would get the nod followed by the 308 only if the distance was limited to 600 yards then the Creedmoor last.

[JMP]

The 243 would get the nod followed by the 308 only if the distance was limited to 600 yards then the Creedmoor last.

You do not normally hear Lynn saying that the 308 is better than anything. The 6.5 Creedmoor must be horrible in his eyes.

The thing about the 6/6.5/30 is to look at the BC of the bullets. The 308 lacks powder capacity to push a high BC 30 cal bullet. The a very well scaled, high BC 6.5, is easily shot from a short action cartridge at 2,800fps.

This is why the 6.5 Creedmoor is becoming the new .308 for recreational target shooting. It gets more velocity than a 308 and has a higher BC bullet. But, they all do well at 600 yards.

[FLIGHT762]

If I was 30 years younger, I would switch over to 6.5 Creedmore. I have 4 precision rifles in 308 Win. with a lifetime supply of brass and bullets. The Creedmore showed up too late for me.

[G-Man WC]

You could always repurpose one of the 308's if it has an old tired barrel.
I'm sure one of our resident smiths (Kendog4570 - ar15barrels)
would be happy to screw on a new barrel for you.
With less recoil, it maybe just the ticket to jump start a new fascination.
-g

[killshot44]

Flight, I recently annealed 500 Lapua .308 Small Primer brass for a guy who'd cut and die-formed them into 6Creedmoor cases, he needed them annealed before fireforming.(as one should)
Said he was a long-time .308 Across The Course shooter who decided to switch. Something about some "young cusses that need a lesson" or something.😏

It's never TOO late. Plus making brass can be fun. A couple places will form your brass for you if you don't want to spend $ on dies.

Shooters are always after the next greatest thing. The experimental parts are as much fun as shooting well; granted that's if you have the time and a nearby range to do so. Many don't. Or worse, can't reload for their own good reasons.

Five or six years ago the Rem .260 was the It Girl. In PRS you'd see fewer and fewer .308s in the top 10 of the match scores. Seems like there's more variety now.

As always, factory offerings are a limiting factor. I think the 6.5CM will stick around.

[BigArroyo]

What about 260 ??

[jandmtv]

What about 260 ??

The 260 Rem is very close to the 6.5cm. The case is a bit longer so you can fit more powder and get higher velocity. But in a short action rifle the OAL becomes an issue if you plan on mag feeding it. And barrel life is a tad worse than 6.5CM. And almost no factory match ammo exists for the 260.

[LynnJr]

You do not normally hear Lynn saying that the 308 is better than anything. The 6.5 Creedmoor must be horrible in his eyes.

The thing about the 6/6.5/30 is to look at the BC of the bullets. The 308 lacks powder capacity to push a high BC 30 cal bullet. The a very well scaled, high BC 6.5, is easily shot from a short action cartridge at 2,800fps.

This is why the 6.5 Creedmoor is becoming the new .308 for recreational target shooting. It gets more velocity than a 308 and has a higher BC bullet. But, they all do well at 600 yards.

The 6.5 Creedmoor is not horrible but it also isn't any better than a dozen other rounds.
With the new Lapua brass out it will obsolete the other cartridges in the same case volume.
The 308 has a well proven track record for accuracy out to 600 yards but after that it gets used only because the rules dictate it.
The 243 is about 100 fps faster than a 6 Dasher but requires 10-14 grains more powder to achieve it.
More powder equals more fouling less accuracy and shorter barrel life all else being equal.