.308 vs .270? (Or 6.5CM)

[UpNorthMI]

No Kill like OVERKILL eh? Thing is anything you send comes right back at you in recoil . Very , very few can shoot a a big magnum (all positions as good as they can a 243 or similar ! After dragging a big heavy rifle around on the hill for an extended days culling , Getting the beasts onto the argo etc then taking off hand shots? Moving targets etc? downing muti animals ? Well its simply a lot harder . Ferried around on a 4x4 on an African plains game hunt of course with the big guns, maybe taking a couple of shots in a full day ? Go for it !
There is certainly a slot for the 7mm mag etc in specific UK deer areas , yet taking in all the full time deer cullers full time or part time i know personally as friends and clients 270, 6.5mm, 308, 243 make up a very vast majority . Known a few who kept the .30 win mag and dropped it because of the noise / cost and availability of ammo and also the 7mm rem mag ( I know two who have this latter one ) its not the one they usually bring along though especially when it has to be factory ammo ( its pretty serious money a box) . 9.6x62 ,375 for straight forward deer management ? Not surprised your FEO is twitchy when it comes to 9.6x62 and 375 ( as a dedicated deer rifle ) .
Many forces are giving owners of higher energy rifles a hard time at renewals and its likely this will get worse not better over the coming months / years of our newly elected vindictive government

I agree "large magnums" are not the everyday solution for most UK deer stalking, as I said I do most of my volume deer culling with .243 and particularly a .308. However a magnum rifle may only come with 1/2 lb more weight and can be loaded down in bullet weight to get a very effective long distance flat shooting, good knockdown round that is hand loaded for less than the cost of a factory .308 round. I carried my .338 WM on foot for the last 25 years for red stag shooting it allows me to take animals that I may think twice about if I was carrying my .308. I'm not suggesting they are for everyone but I never had to shoot a red stag twice with a .338 WM. I'm not suggesting that spending a morning on the range is a great idea for a magnum rifle but felt recoil while stalking is more than manageable for me.

As far as the police and high energy rifles, I'm not sure they really understand the issues, they are just worried about anyone having use of such firearms. As stalkers and shooters we should see a legitimate use for them and support their use even if you yourself don't shoot one.

When I drill holes in concrete I get the magnum hammer drill out, for most drilling the light battery drill works well, it's good to have a hammer drill for those tough jobs.

 

[6pt-sika]

I’ve got more than most anyone needs for deer . In Mannlicher Schoenauer stutzens 243 , 6.5x54MS , 270 , 7x57 , 308 and 06 . In custom barreled 6mm-06 , 6.5-06 , 6.5 Sherman Short Magnum and 26 Nosler . Then a Remington 700 5R fluted HB in 260 and a Savage Hog Hunter in 338 Federal both of these factory guns are suppressed . But the bottom line is I use one of them regularly and two others semi regularly . The 6.5x54MS gets used the most and it’s quite simple why . The little gun is LIGHT with superb accuracy and little if any recoil . I carry the 7x57 some as well for pretty much all the same reasons . The third gun is the 260 REM simply because I like the cartridge and when I do my part it’s a sub 1/4 MOA rifle . FWIW all those rifles still in my stable are quite accurate or they wouldn’t still be here . And to be honest I like them all . But the three mentioned I like a bit more than the others . Oh I failed to mention every one of these rifles shoots my handloads and most all of them have 3-7 different handloads that will fit my parameters .

 

[Araes]

Is it fair to say that 308s are (slightly) cheaper than 6.5? In terms of the rifles and the ammunition.

 

[billy_boyle_2010]

Is it fair to say that 308s are (slightly) cheaper than 6.5? In terms of the rifles and the ammunition.

There's certainly a lot more 308s avaliable - and likely not as trendy- so probably easier to find a cheaper one.

My speculation would be equal quality ammo would be a v similar price. But you may find it easier to buy cheaper old stock in 308?

 

[Bowland blades]

Is it fair to say that 308s are (slightly) cheaper than 6.5? In terms of the rifles and the ammunition.

The 308 is way cheaper to run ( but not because of ammo costs ) But because of the bore size and its vhit 140 and 150 type powders and fill capacity with steady but practical velocity .
The Bore lasts a good bit longer ( especially in FTR shooting ) where one shot is taken be each in line .
I quite liked shooting FTR with my old 308 , but it was too heavy to stalk with . In a stalking rifle i would drop the weight of the a lot and also the bullet weight load some add some Ttsx copper .

 

[6.5-06 TIKKA]

Go with the 6.5x55...less recoil and same powder as 270.
I have 308, 6.5x55, 6.5-06 and 6.5 CM......or 30-06 ?
Hope this helps....

 

[JTO]

One of them eventually starts to gather dust.

Then sell it! If you have both in the cabinet, it will soon be obvious which you prefer.

 

[bgkahuna]

I've noticed with my 6.5CM 130g ammo that I have quick a few "runners" when chest shooting large fallow and have been thinking about a .308 as a 2nd rifle for early season bucks and evenings when I want them dropping as quickly as possible . Anyone here thinking 308 does a better job at c100-150m than 6.5CM (which i enjoy using)?

 

[6.5-06 TIKKA]

Buy a 6.5x55 T3 tikka.
Cheap, reliable, same bullet heads and does the job well