Whitetail Hunter's. 6.5 CM,7mm-08,308?

[ArkansasHunter]

What cartridge do you or would you prefer for shooting whitetails @ longer ranges maybe out to 3-400 yards? (I'm not a 1,000 yard shooter)

I own a 300 WM but it's brutal on the shoulder and bit of overkill.

I like what I hear about the 6.5 CM and it seems to have less drop and wind deflection however, I feel like the 7mm-08 will hit harder and expand faster still passing through. Even more so with the .308 Win? Correct me if I'm wrong.

I shot one last year with the 300 WM It blew up lungs, I pulled them out in little pieces but both entry and exit holes were tiny like it punched through paper.

Can someone help me, maybe give me some knowledge on the cartridge's or their opinion on which to pick. Any feedback would be great!

 

[Old Stony]

I've shot a number of whitetails with the .308 and 7mm/08 and both are very good rounds for it. It really doesn't take much to put down a whitetail, just some good bullet placement. I've been experimenting with a couple guns in the 6.5 CM and they are sure showing promise. I have one that seems to shoot the 140 gr. bullets quite nicely, but I'm working towards the 120's as the bullet of choice for me. Just finished putting together a Savage for the 6.5 with my nightvision on it for some hog hunting as well.
I really like the round and have high hopes for it....but any of the three you mentioned will be very effective.

 

[jmr40]

The 308 and 7-08 are ballistic twins. If you hand load the 7-08 tops out with 175 gr bullets whereas the 308 can still easily handle bullets up to 200 grains. It is possible to load bullets up to 215-220 gr in a 308, but 180-200 gr is about the practical limit. I give a VERY slight edge to the 308 if game larger than deer are a possibility, especially at close range.

With the best 140 gr loads a 7-08 has about 25 ft lbs more energy and 1" less drop at 500 yards than a 308 shooting the best 150 gr loads. I call that a tie on deer size game although the 7-08 does it with 1-2 ft lbs less recoil. Either of those would have about 1/2 the recoil of your 300 WM.

I have several 308's, but wouldn't feel the slightest handicap if they were 7-08's. I see that as a personal preference call.

I like 300 WM, but it is not needed for deer at 300-400 yards. 300-400 yards isn't really long range. In fact at those ranges even the 6.5 is enough gun for elk size game. The 300's usefulness is for game larger than deer at ranges over 400-500 yards.

Any of the 3 would serve your needs. If I were choosing it'd be the 6.5. Of course I already have 308 and while 7-08 is a fine cartridge it is simply too close in performance for me to justify owning both 7-08 and 308. The 6.5's trajectory will just about match 300 WM and be just as effective on deer or elk out farther than you plan to shoot. And do it with less recoil than any of them.

I can see a 6.5 CM in my future. I'm beginning to view my 308 as bigger than necessary.

 

[Mobuck]

I use 7mm08 and 308 for deer regularly. Either is adequate for any ethical range. I feel the 140 grain 7mm bullet is an excellent balance of weight and ballistic potential and seems to give slightly less recoil than the .308 150 grain(just my perspective) when fired through similar rifles.
I usually have my 7mm08 ready for use as a "guide gun" if we need to follow up a wounded deer. Loaded with 145 grain GrandSlams, it will shoot through a whitetail end to end if required to make such a shot to prevent an escape.
I've shot a LOT of stuff with a .308 but lately I've been using the 7mm08 more due to the lower perceived recoil.

 

[Wyosmith]

Any of them will do fine.
If you want something that is very effective and very light on recoil, try the 260 Remington

 

[eastbank]

i like the .260rem and the 7mm08 and shoot 129gr in the .260 and the 120gr in the 7mm08 at 2800-2900 fps with varget and have not lost a deer with either in over 40 shot, 35-240 yrds. most broadside double lung hits. eastbank.

 

[Boogershooter]

Try the reduced recoil loads for your 300wm. Puts you around 30-06 308 levels and you can stay with the gun you are familiar with.

 

[Art Eatman]

No reason for 7mm08 or .308 bullets of 140 or 150 grains to not be effective to 400 yards. Mostly, just learn the trajectories.

Zeroed at 200 means roughly six inches low at 300 and about two feet low at 400.

I agree with Old Stony: Bullet placement.

6.5 CM would likely work, but I've no experience with it.

 

[tahunua001]

the 6.5 is more than enough for anything you could expect to hunt in Arkansas. I've been using the 6.5 grendel as of late for deer and elk. it drops deer on the spot without any serious meat loss, and elk... well I wouldn't use it again for that application although it was successful. the grendel is basically the same as the creedmore minus about 500 FPS at the muzzle. I wouldn't hesitate to use it for whitetail. however if you plan on ever using it on anything bigger the my vote would go to the 7mm-08.

 

[taylorce1]

Do you buy ammunition or do you reload?

If you don't reload I'd get the .308 and be done, if you reload I'd give the Creedmoor a shot. I tried the 7mm-08 and IMO it's kind of lacking something. It was okay, but I never found myself wanting to use it, I'd either grab my .243 , .270 or something larger.

There is very little difference between all three rounds ballistically at 400 yards, the Creedmoor will win past that distance though.

 

[Buzzcook]

If he reloads he can just make .308 level rounds for his win .300

 

[ArkansasHunter]

I do not reload as of now but I do plan to in the future

 

[Boogershooter]

I'm all for buying another rifle and trying it out, just trying to give a simple and cheaper answer. I've never shot the reduced recoil loads in the 300 but they are great in the youth sized 308's.

 

[Saltydog235]

Been killing wood goats and pigs with a 7mm08 for 15-20yrs now. I load a 150grn NBT in it. Accuracy is superb and critters take dirt naps when it barks. Also shoot a .308, same result as is with the .243. I'd like a .260 or 6.5CM but can't justify it with three others so similar in performance for my hunting.

 

[603Country]

I used a 270 for decades, but started borrowing the wife's 260. Before long I bought my own 260 (Tikka). It's a ballistic twin to the 6.5 Creedmore, and to me is sort of a '270 Lite'. I use a 120 gr NBT at about 2800 fps, and it does a fine job on deer, pigs and coyotes.

So, given the OP's 3 Calibers, if he reloads, the 6.5 would be my recommendation. Otherwise, go for the 308 due to ammo being available pretty much everywhere.

 

[Rmart30]

Get ya a 7mm08 of your preferred maker and grab a box of federal fusions and see if it likes them.
If ya want premiums and pass thrus get some Barnes 120 TTSX.

 

[979Texas]

All 3 calibers will work just fine. And I do agree with some of the other people on this thread about the .260 being a great option as well. But if I had to choose between those three calibers for whitetail only I would probably pick the 6.5 as it has plenty of power for deer and it should have a better trajectory than those other two calibers. But .260 is hard to beat.

 

[GeauxTide]

If you plan to reload, the 260 or Creedmoor will do nicely. For deer, a 100gr partition at 3135 is stout in the 260. Mine likes 120-125s the best. The practical difference in the 3 is recoil, which the 260 wins easily for us folks that have required cervical or lumbar repair.

 

[Jack O'Conner]

I've been headed to western South Dakota for many years to hunt the sharp eyed pronghorns there. This is a photo of my longest ever shot which measured 348 long strides. My .308 shooting FEDRAL 150 grain ammo provided penetration out the other side with massive damage to the chest organs.

I doubt if I'll ever have to shoot this far again since there are nearly always ways to get much closer.

.308 is a keeper1

Jack

 

[Worc]

It's an either or type of thing. Like said earlier, there's not much difference between them worth mentioning. For whitetails you don't need a tough bullet. Bullets like Remington Core Lokts are fine. and a step up would be SST, Accutip, BT, etc. You also don't need a heavy bullet and 120gr to 150 gr for these cartridges would be fine, especially out to 400 yards. The .308 will be the easiest to find ammo for with a bigger selection.

Here's a ballistic chart with all three plus the mentioned .260 Rem (blue). The Cred is the green one. All are factory loadings that are similar to one another.