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7mm08 Rem or 6,5 Creedmoor

Schleifalot

Schleifalot

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 14, 2006
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Bavarian Forrest, Germany
Help, I need your swarm experience

I own a 308 win Tikka CTR

Now I want to expand my range with a light recoil caliber still able to kill an animal with up to 80kg out to 600m (alpine hunting at my 50th birthday, marmot or chamois)


My two calibers in the closer pick are 7mm08 and 6,5 CM

What should I choose

It should be a Tikka again (great experience with three rifles so far) in a PSE multi purpose stock

The 7mm08 is only in 20 inch available, the 6,5CM in 20 and 24 inch. Muzzle threading is obligatory for silencers.

Is the 7mm too close to the 308 in performance? My load is supersonic to about 900m (178grs eldx at 300m elevation). A 7mm with a 150grs eldx would be supersonic out to 1100m

Does the 6,5cm outperform the 7mm08 rangewise? Huntingwise?

I am reloading, so factory ammo is no problem
 
I have both 20 and 24 inch Tikka CTR in 6.5 Creedmoor ,
143 Eldx factory Hornady 20” muzzle velocity 2546 FPS - getting subsonic at around 1300yards.

And 24” gets 2665 at muzzle and hitting subsonic right after 1400, With 1430fps and 650ft/lbs at 1000 yard
And I’m @ 273 ft elevator pressure 30.1 Hg, 59F
 
Six of one, half dozen of the other. Especially if you reload. Maybe a slight edge to the 7 for hunting and to the 6.5 really long range.

If I was purely hunting I’d do the 7mm-08 because I’ve always been impressed with the combination of great ballistics and excellent killing power with minimal recoil in that cartridge. But because i don’t reload and I’ve got enough hunting rifles, my real long range rig that I’m putting together this year will be in 6.5 Creed because there is SO MUCH component development going on for that round right now. Factory loads with near 0.7 bc bullets is insane. But I’ll still hunt with my 7s and 308s in short action platforms.
 
No discernible difference between those 2, 7mm can be slightly heavier, 6.5mm can be slightly faster, animals wont know the difference.
 
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Re-barrel the 308 to 7SAW, look up West Texas Ordnance they can fix you up. Barrel length& twist are up to you, not the factory. With the heavy bullets you can edge the 6.5CM at long range ballisticaly with more kinetic energy at any range.
Performance similar to 7-08AI without all the fire forming!
 
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20" 7-08 is not going be shooting as flat as the 6.5 can. Hunting might benefit from this though I am not a hunter.
 
In my opinion, you'll be happy either way. Get it early enough to shoot it a lot before your hunting trip.:)
 
wapiti16b said:
Re-barrel the 308 to 7SAW, look up West Texas Ordnance they can fix you up. Barrel length& twist are up to you, not the factory. With the heavy bullets you can edge the 6.5CM at long range ballisticaly with more kinetic energy at any range.
Performance similar to 7-08AI without all the fire forming!
Click to expand...
this. Clayton and the WTO team are awesome to work with. all the barrels he has done for me hammer and the 7SAW has some definate advantage for competition shooting and hunting. plus the 7mm is cool
 
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The 7-08 tends to use slightly slower powders than the .308, so it would benefit from a longer barrel.
Here in the states, many 7-08's are sold with 18 inch barrels as brush guns.
For your stated distances, the 7-08 in 20: will work just fine as will the 6.5.
What it comes down to is whether you want factory ammo or reload.
Most of the factory ammo stateside for the 7mm is around the 139 or 140 grain mark.
The 150 ELD X would be an excellent choice, but you are likely limited in factory offerings.
Honestly, the two are so close, buy the one with the barrel length or profile you prefer.
Just remember, the 7 mm was first!
 
fdkay said:
The 7-08 tends to use slightly slower powders than the .308, so it would benefit from a longer barrel.
Here in the states, many 7-08's are sold with 18 inch barrels as brush guns.
For your stated distances, the 7-08 in 20: will work just fine as will the 6.5.
What it comes down to is whether you want factory ammo or reload.
Most of the factory ammo stateside for the 7mm is around the 139 or 140 grain mark.
The 150 ELD X would be an excellent choice, but you are likely limited in factory offerings.
Honestly, the two are so close, buy the one with the barrel length or profile you prefer.
Just remember, the 7 mm was first!
Click to expand...
using Varget in my 27" 7SAW. 2800 FPS and still speeding up, with the 162ELDm, SD of 8.

couldnt get the velocity with H4350 or RL16
 
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b6graham said:
using Varget in my 27" 7SAW. 2800 FPS and still speeding up, with the 162ELDm, SD of 8.

couldnt get the velocity with H4350 or RL16
Click to expand...
Since he is in Germany, a niche, custom cartridge doesn't seem to be on his radar.
 
Thanks for your great input so far.

At the moment I am leaning more to the 6,5CM. The speed you can get is incredible for a non magnum.

Today the german importer wrote me, there is no long version of the 7mm08 available. The 6.5 is in stock in 20 and 24 inch
 
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My 22" 7mm-08 with a PVA barrel is pushing 140gr noslers 2900 fps with ram shot big game. Very pleased with the performance of the rifle.

But you can't go wrong with either caliber.
 
Amending my earlier post: they're so close, if you're not reloading and can get the 6.5 in a 24" barrel and the 7-08 only in 20", I'd go 6.5 Creed.
 
The 7mm08 is a favourite of mine. I've done lots of hunting with one and even shot comps with it for years.
I now have a 6.5x47 Lapua for comps, but still carry a 7mm08 hunting.
In New Zealand I believe the 7mm08 is the best seller for alpine Tahr hunting.

Having said that, the Creedmoor should also do everything you want.
 
80kg is easy peasy for a 65CM at the ranges you’re referring to.
I’m in the same boat, have a hunting build I’m putting together-but it’s a Savage so my plan is to run the current 65 sporter barrel for mule deer/antelope/coues deer size game on down, and procure a 7-08 barrel for elk. The higher SD of the 7mm bullets is better suited for heavier game.
I’m not looking for either to be a magic bullet, but 600m is the limit of how far I hunt. If I were looking longer range possibility I’d go with cartridges with more oomph.
 
wapiti16b said:
Re-barrel the 308 to 7SAW, look up West Texas Ordnance they can fix you up. Barrel length& twist are up to you, not the factory. With the heavy bullets you can edge the 6.5CM at long range ballisticaly with more kinetic energy at any range.
Performance similar to 7-08AI without all the fire forming!
Click to expand...

Having owned numerous AI cartridges over the years there is nothing to fire forming an for an AI, you literally shoot a factory round to form it. All of my AI rifles shoot standard ammo almost (within .25" ) as accurate as the formed AI ammo.
 
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Working up my newly finished 7mm-08 21" PVA barrel 46gr of H4350 with a 162 ELDM averaging just under 2700fps. Zero pressure signs, but I'm using ARC mags loaded pretty long. Hope to use it to play in a few matches and kill some stuff.

Compared to my FIL's 6 Creed it requires 50% less wind correction and doesn't give up a whole lot in elevation. Does have more recoil.
 
wapiti16b said:
serevince how do you like the ARC magazines and what chassis/bottom metal are you using?
Click to expand...

KRG Bravo. ARC mags seem fine. Only about 30 rounds through them so far and not running it hard. Pretty much had to go that route. The 162 ELDMs are long. The ARC mag allows the longest possible mag fed OAL.
 
The Tikka is a long action.
Save weight in the chamber area and go 7mm Remington magnum.
Original magnum bottom "metal" is cheap on the used market.
With a suppressor there is no difference in recoil between a 7-08 and 7mag in a hunting situation.

In Germany the 7x64 is also an excellent option with no need to change the bolt head.
 
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