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Ruger Precision Rifle 6.5 or 308

14K views 19 replies 18 participants last post by  laremm  
#1 ·
Hi all,

I'm considering a Ruger Precision rifle and my local shop has a .308 in stock. I understand that the 6.5 is now all the rage and many are moving to it. I have shot 30-06 out of a Ruger American rifle so that is my only reference point recoil wise. I'm looking for a rifle like the RPR that won't beat up my shoulder, is a pleasure to shoot and takes standard mags rather then propriety mags.

That said can I get some pros and cons of going with the RPR chambered .308 vs getting one in 6.5 ? Does 308 have more recoil etc...
 
#2 ·
I just traded for a Savage T10 in 6.5 Creedmore, because I have never owned that cailber or a Savage and wanted to try it. I have tried it. If you want to shoot long range and spend a dollar a shot, 6.5 is the way to go, sort of. The latest reatest craze is the 6mm Creedmore, the 6.5 is soooo last Tuesday!

You can tell I am not that impressed with the 6.5. The ony reason is because of the cost of the round, and I have already tried to trade my rifle for a .308. I hae no intention of shooting 1000 yards and I know with a good .308, I can hit whatever I want out to 600. No if your into competition, then cost means nothing to you and you should shoot whatever you want. But if you are just shooting for fun and son't like to spend that kind of money, .308 is still the way to go.
 
#10 ·
I just traded for a Savage T10 in 6.5 Creedmore, because I have never owned that cailber or a Savage and wanted to try it. I have tried it. If you want to shoot long range and spend a dollar a shot, 6.5 is the way to go, sort of. The latest reatest craze is the 6mm Creedmore, the 6.5 is soooo last Tuesday!
You can tell I am not that impressed with the 6.5. The ony reason is because of the cost of the round, and I have already tried to trade my rifle for a .308. I hae no intention of shooting 1000 yards and I know with a good .308, I can hit whatever I want out to 600. No if your into competition, then cost means nothing to you and you should shoot whatever you want. But if you are just shooting for fun and son't like to spend that kind of money, .308 is still the way to go.
I'm with F451 as far as caliber goes...the 6.5 Creedmore is definitely the 'craze' right now...but it all depends on what you really want out of your round.
I'd take a shorter distance with a heavier caliber and deliver better energy on target as my preference. I'm sticking to under 800' for target distance.
It also depends on the weight of the rifle itself...felt recoil is that which is not absorbed by anything else, and with the right rifle, the .308 cartridge is not bad!
 
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#5 · (Edited)
That said can I get some pros and cons of going with the RPR chambered .308 vs getting one in 6.5 ? Does 308 have more recoil etc...
I’ve never shot the RPR chambered in .308, buy I do shoot one chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. The recoil is lite, it compares to my .22-250 IMO. If you compare it to other .308’s it’s less, but keep in mind you’re dealing with an 11 LB rifle before optics etc so they may be relatively the same.


If you want to shoot long range and spend a dollar a shot, 6.5 is the way to go, sort of.
It’s actually more than a dollar a shot, more like $1.60 if you purchase premium ammunition. If you reload you can knock it down to .52 cents a shot still using ELD-M’s. I’ll stick with liter bullets with BC’s the .30 caliber can’t match.
 
#6 ·
What do you want to do with it? Do you like shooting paper? Steel? Long range - +1000 yards? Medium range - ~500 yds or making small holes at 100 yards? I like hand loading and enjoy quarter inch groups at 100 yards - its a sense of accomplishment and I enjoy the science of it. Either caliber is capable of outstanding 100 yard groups. However, not with the stock barrel - which is actually pretty good out of the box, but is not consistent enough for me - and not without custom loads. I shoot my 6.5 out to 650 yards and its very consistent with the Krieger barrel and my custom loads. I have not shot a 308 in a long time, but the 6.5 recoil is super easy to take. Getting back on target quickly sucks for both calibers, and that's why 6mm is popular with PRS, etc. These days, if you're looking for an economical load, try a .22. My 6.5 costs me about 45 cents, reusing brass. But amortize the cost of the equipment over the total number of cartridges I build per year, and it's significantly more (custom dies, annealing equipment, gauges, trimmer, arbor press, scale, etc...). Good luck.
 
#7 ·
I cant comment at all on 6.5 Creedmore as I have never used it... I do have a RPR in .308 and use it for fringe country hunting out to about 600 yards. Its been a great rifle and given zero trouble it gets treated in a none to careful fashion and is covered in dings and scratches from use. Its as far from a range princess as a rifle can get and still zero trouble. I don't run a brake and still do not find the recoil much at all they are a fairly heavy rifle so it wont kick much regardless of which calibre you decide. The cheek piece and the stock have a large amount of adjustment I would be surprised to hear that someone couldn't make it comfortable to shoot. There is also heaps of aftermarket stuff for them they can be easily set up for how you want to shoot them and the type of shooting you want to do. I tend to stick to calibres that are common as dirt like .308 ,. 30-06 etc simply for availability.
 
#8 ·
My RPR 308 a heavy target rifle so recoil is mild in comparison to hunting 30-06 rig. Choosing 308 v 6.5 c depends on what range you can shoot out too as under 700 yards 308 will match 6.5 over that 6.5c will show its extra legs.
 
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#12 ·
I just bought an Gen III RPR in 308 today from Buds. They have about 10 in stock for $1,258. Sportsman Outdoor SuperStore has a limited number of Gen II rifles for $1,219. I love the RPR in 308, wonder shooting rifle. I have a Rem 700 in 6.5 (I gave into the craze), but it is at an gunsmith getting an accurizing treatment... irrelevant, just wanted to nip that in the bud. I don't think you could go wrong with either, but I prefer the 308.
 
#16 ·
I enjoy my RPR in 6.5 CM, this is my first long range rifle. The challenge I have is finding a 1000 yard range to shoot on where I live in Easton, PA. I did get to stretch the legs in Vermont back in September when the National Guard opened their ranges up to the public. Due to a training conflict, a real world deployment, we could only shoot to 600M. By the third shot I was ringing steel. The guy next to us with his custom rifle (guessing @ $15.0K with his glass) took notice of the bargain Ruger's capabilities. This was my first time shooting past 300M. 6.5CM is easy on the shoulder and I reload my own.
 
#17 ·
I'm one of those lucky individuals who own both. I purchased a gen 2 Precision in 6.5 Creedmoor two summers ago and picked up a gen 3 Precision in 308 this spring. I liked everything about the Creedmoor except for the length. With a 24" barrel that makes for a very long rifle. I always wanted a 308 bolt gun and debated between the Precision or Gunsite Scout, ultimately settling on the Precision. With a 20" barrel and folding stock it is super compact. I removed the muzzle break from mine and replaced it with a thread protector removing another 1.5" from the overall length. I don't shoot competitive and the longest range near me is only 300 yards so I really haven't been able to test the reach of either rifle. I will say that as of right now 308 ammo is not easy to find in south central Texas so I have not put a lot of rounds through my 308 RPR. But the shelves are full of 6.5 Creedmoor!!!
 
#18 ·
I love my RPR 308 with the 24" barrel and the muzzle brake, . I think it's the right lenght for squeeze out all the power of the round expecially whith heavy bullets of 180grs, but now the shooting range where I usually go has closed and it will open next spring (the shooting field in winter is a ski slope) and now it's difficult to find a place to shoot over 300m. Here in Italy , fortunately we can find a bunch of round of every caliber on the shelves of gunshops except the 50 BMG that is still forbidden because the government considers it a caliber only for machine guns. The only ime I shot that caliber happened when I did my military service in a Browning machine gun .
 
#20 ·
I was on another board and asked why the Ruger 308 was a 20 inch barrel and the 6.5 24 inches. Here was the answer

"
The barrel length has to do with diminishing returns on velocity. Shorter barrels are actually more accurate in a given profile because they vibrate less. Longer barrels create more velocity, which is helpful in long range shooting.

The powder burning, and therefore expanding is what pushes the bullet. The longer the bullet is getting pushed, the faster it goes. Until the powder burns out, that is. The 6.5 creed and .308 essentially use the same cartridge so about the same amount of powder. The 6.5 is a smaller bore. That means the volume of the barrel is less than that of the .308, so the powder will continue to expand and push the bullet over a longer distance in the smaller bore. Than means with a similar charge, the optimal length of barrel will be longer with the 6.5 than with the .308."

6.5 cm at 1 mile