Deer rifle..

[Delfuego]

6.5 Creedmoor is a better choice. If you want "more" 7mag never disappoints, but is a long action.

I agree with the Tikka recommendation too. They make good stuff at a good price.

I cant believe 6.5 Cream-more is still considered new...

I'm under the impression that 6.5 Creedmoor has been around long enough that it is an established, common round at this point.

[Irving]

Everyone I know who likes guns, but guns aren't their hobby, has never even heard of 6.5 Creed. They all ask if they should buy a 30-06 or .308.

[whitewalrus]

Everyone I know who likes guns, but guns aren't their hobby, has never even heard of 6.5 Creed. They all ask if they should buy a 30-06 or .308.

Think the 30-06 is the most commonly recommended cartridge for big game hunting for quite a long time. 308 is just the more modern version. Both have large factory ammo selections, rifles chambered in it, and can be found anywhere.

My preference is for the shorter action and lighter gun when hunting. You carry it all day to shoot it once.


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[Frac]

I also have a Tikka in 7mm-08. If you?re not a long range Instagram bro hunter, it would also do the trick for deer and elk.

[Little Dutch]

One other thought, and it's not necessarily a good reason to pick a hunting cartridge. I switched from .30-06 to .308 twenty years ago because everyone I hunted with was using .308. On the off chance one of us forgot hunting ammo, it wasn't the end of the hunt. It actually came up once recently.

[ray1970]

Don?t miss the boat on a good opportunity. While there are a lot of calibers out there suitable for deer and elk it?s way better to buy something suitable for deer and then justify your elk rifle to the wife later as an excuse to buy another firearm.

[theGinsue]

The 6.5 Creedmore is an amazing cartridge and should work well with any big game in CO you choose to hunt.

I don't own any firearms in the 6.5CM caliber so all of my knowledge on the cartridge is scholastic and from talking with others - no first hand experience.

I started big game hunting (MO whitetails) back in 1989. While I have some right-handed (RH) bolt action rifles, I'm a lefty and wanted my hunting rifle to be left-handed (LH) bolt. When I got my first hunting rifle I went with the blued LH Ruger M77 in .30-06. I was told by my dad that the .30-06 was the "best overall cartridge for big game hunting in North America" (The 6.5CM didn't come out until around 2007). While an excellent rifle, it's heavy and I wanted a lighter "all weather" rifle (stainless/synthetic stock) which Ruger doesn't make in LH. After speaking with the CEO and the head of marketing of Ruger back around 2010, they told me they had no intention of ever building a stainless LH hunting rifle. Ruger just lost my business for bolt rifles.

In 2017, a member of the site had an amazing deal on a LH Tikka T3 Lite (stainless, good scope & synthetic stock) in .308. I couldn't pass it up and have been using this rifle as my primary every year since. It's so much lighter than my Ruger and I've found that Tikka makes a quality firearm and the .308 actually shoots better/flatter than my .30-06.

Ultimately, whatever you choose you'll want to ensure it's a rifle YOU are comfortable with. From the size and weight to how it shoots and the ballistics & knockdown power. Just like various manufacturers and calibers, every hunter is different and you'll want what works best for you.

Good luck.

[Hoser]

Bullet selection goes a long way in the killing critter dept.

Use a good bonded core bullet like a Swift A-Frame or Nosler Accubond and you can break bones and still have an exit wound.

[Sawin]

For what it's worth, and forgive my tardiness, but 7mm-08 is flatter and faster than .308... and a touch larger than 6.5creedmoor. Think .308 necked down to 7mm... that's what 7mm-08 is. (.284 caliber) - lots of bullet options out there and will take deer and elk wonderfully. I like the Barnes TTSX solid copper bullets for elk.

[Sawin]

Bullet selection goes a long way in the killing critter dept.

Use a good bonded core bullet like a Swift A-Frame or Nosler Accubond and you can break bones and still have an exit wound.

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