Single rifle caliber choice - 6.5 x 55 or a .308??

[Roelander]

I know this will probably be down to personal choice but I thought I would ask what everyone thought about choosing a 'popular' single caliber for shooting mostly Fallow and Roe with the occasional Red.

I am just getting back into stalking again and I used to use a .308 back in the 90's. I only used something this big back then because I was involved with Deer farming and park management where large Reds were the norm.

I quite fancy the 6.5 x 55 and from everyone tells me so far, it's a nice round to shoot and is a good middle of the road choice. What do you all think, is there another choice I should look at?

 

[sharkey]

270

Cheers Sharkey

 

[Paul at Fechan]

both or either but in honesty the .308 with a greater diameter of bullet and larger upper end weight carries more authority to to beast

 

[sikadog]

6.5 x55 if you want to try mine you are welcome.

 

[palo]

I use a 6.5x55 and a 308 and both are excellent.
You could always split the difference and get a 7mm08.

 

[HOWDAH]

After 33 years of rifles, i have now all my estate deer rifles at .308, gone are the .270's 6.5x55's etc.....

You want a .308 go buy a Tika T3 , shoots fine out of the box, get a X8 fixed scope, and you will be where it took me decades to work out for deer stalking.

 

[The deer man]

Both are good but as you are going for Fallow and Roe the 6.5x55 may be better, just because it's a bit smoother to shoot, less meat damage (although that depends on your 308 load) and still perfectly adequate for Reds. I use both and a 7mm-08 for all these deer but do find the 7mm the favorite.

 

[Acm]

I vote .308 , and just to clear up the meat damage argument , you'll do less damage with a .308 150 grn bullet than you will a 80grn .243 bullet . In my experience . I've been using my .308 on roe , but have also shot fallow and red . A good friend of mines about to get a 6.5 and I'm really looking forward to having a go !

 

[caorach]

My advice is to visit the local gun shops in the areas where you shoot and ask to see the ammo they have in 309 and 6.5, and the prices. Getting a reliable supply of ammo, or reloading gear, means you don't spend half your time driving around the country looking for ammo when you could be out stalking.

 

[Acm]

My advice is to visit the local gun shops in the areas where you shoot and ask to see the ammo they have in 309 and 6.5, and the prices. Getting a reliable supply of ammo, or reloading gear, means you don't spend half your time driving around the country looking for ammo when you could be out stalking.

Without trying to sound rude , any gunshop that doesn't stock .308 ammo wouldn't be worth visiting again . You can get it all over the world .

 

[pendle]

I vote .308 , and just to clear up the meat damage argument , you'll do less damage with a .308 150 grn bullet than you will a 80grn .243 bullet . In my experience . I've been using my .308 on roe , but have also shot fallow and red . A good friend of mines about to get a 6.5 and I'm really looking forward to having a go !

My 6.5x55 Does far less damage with a 159 grain sp sako on roe than my 243 on with 100 grain winchester sp does

 

[Roelander]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Oh boy, it's never an easy one is it! I totally agree the 308 is a very versatile round and very common. If my memory is right, a 150grn bullet does a proper job but with less damage than a lighter, faster round. I just fancy trying the 6.5 as everyone who has one swears by them, very accurate, nice to shoot and a good sized round without being too hyper.

How common is the 6.5 in a shop these days for ammo and how does the barrel fair?

 

[Acm]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Oh boy, it's never an easy one is it! I totally agree the 308 is a very versatile round and very common. If my memory is right, a 150grn bullet does a proper job but with less damage than a lighter, faster round. I just fancy trying the 6.5 as everyone who has one swears by them, very accurate, nice to shoot and a good sized round without being too hyper.

How common is the 6.5 in a shop these days for ammo and how does the barrel fair?

We all swear by our gear buddy !

 

[pendle]

I have never had any problems with getting it 6.5 that is

 

[223]

go for a 308 mate , i use a 180 grain softpoint on all species from muntjac to big fallows it causes less damage than my 243 by a mile and knocks them over really good.
heavy and slow is the answer for less meat damage and good knockdown, forget all this o it drops to much etc etc, most deer are shot under 200 yards anyway !!!!

 

[6pt-sika]

For me the 6.5x55 would be the obviouse choice !

Handloaded with the Nosler 125 Partition , the Hornady 129 SST or Hornady 140 SST it should be plenty for even Reds !

At the moment I own both calibers . But if my 308 were not on a Mannlisher Schoenauer MC61 I wouldn't have the cartridge . Got it just because I like the older Mannlicher Schoenauer rifles .

 

[geoshot]

go for a 308 mate , i use a 180 grain softpoint on all species from muntjac to big fallows it causes less damage than my 243 by a mile and knocks them over really good.
heavy and slow is the answer for less meat damage and good knockdown, forget all this o it drops to much etc etc, most deer are shot under 200 yards anyway !!!!

Well said there 223, plus, at most deer-stalking ranges and with roe and fallow as targets the much vaunted "advantages" of the 6.5x55 - long-range performance, sectional density/penetrating power - won't make much or any difference at all, indeed penetration with inadequate expansion may be a problem (search this site, you'll find plenty of discussion).
Anyone who can't handle the recoil of a .308 shouldn't be rifle shooting, so as for the 6.5 x55 being "easier on the shoulder"...............

However, the choice is yours, I personally would heartily recommend the .308 out of the two you mention for the species you listed - follow Caorach's advice perhaps and try before you buy.
Either the 6.5 or the .308 will do the job, it'll boil down to personal preference in the end.

Best of luck whatever you chose!

 

[Staftly]

I'll put a cat amongst the pigeons as it were. Why not consider Remington 260. Plus points to name a few;
*short action therefore cuts own on overall weight.
*Basically is the same case as 308, 708, 243, 22-250 to name a few, simply necked up or down. So, if you fancy a change, a rebarrel can be done with ease without the need to rework other components, bolt face etc.
*Soft shooting.
*6.5mm therefore good selection of heads with high BCs.
*proven stopping power, not just from the experiences of others, I can say that from my own experiences. I've taken in excess of 25 red stage over the last five years, all of which clean fast kills. Loaded with 85 grainers, minimal carcass damage to the likes of Roe.
*factory ammo is now becoming more and more available as interest grows in this calibre.

I could go on for a long time. I've shot many calibres, and can say this is the closest I've come to a single gun that fits all situations. I did consider the swede myself at one time, the rem260 is basically a more efficient and modern cartridge. The only other calibre that tempts me currently is the 6.5x47 lapua. Have a look at 6mmbr.com to see all about this calibre, although this site it aimed primarily at target shooting, it gives you a good appreciation of this calibres abilities. I think there is also an article that compares 6.5x47 against the 260 on this site that is quite interesting.

Good luck, it's difficult, a lot is down to personal choice, I've been at the same crossroads myself. Luckily I've found my holy grail and I'm 100% satisfied.

 

[Moray Outfitting]

Best way to avoid going completely round the twist is to make sure you look on 'this process' as part of the fun of shooting. Otherwise it can be the road to madness.

Calibres are calibres and bullets are bullets is a good phrase to keep in mind.

Confidence in your choice counts for a great deal - the spin off is part of the reason that many people are so vehement about their choice!

There are a few elements to consider for your needs - particularly ammo side of things. Simply there are more 308 factory round choices than 6.5 and 260 for example is even more narrow. Some gunshops still look on 6.5 as something rare and mysterious - sad, annoying, but true.

Fortunately most deer are ballistic theory dullards and seem to rarely keep abreast of the latest developments - or should that be marketing fad - and a well placed good bullet from within similar calibre groups will do the job very well. A super high ballistic co-efficient miss tends to be far less effective than published data suggests

Enjoy the search - and I know it gets a bit repetitive from me, but do lets us know how things go.



Enjoy!

 

[bewsher500]

I read something a while back that stuck.

choose a bullet(s) you want to use (it implied weight rather than style or BC) and the speeds you need to achieve (anything 2750-3000 is fine for ANY stalking round)

then choose a rifle that shoots that range of weights at that velocity range well.

lot of people going to custom barrel and twist rates because the bullet of choice is "heavy for calibre" or "light for calibre"