Here's some numbers for you.
.270, 130 gr. bullet, muzzle velocity 3100 fps. 7.0 # rifle = 20.7 ft./lbs energy (Recoil)
6.5 Creedmoor, 143 gr. bullet, muzzle velocity 2800 fps, 7.0# rifle = 15.9 ft./lbs energy (Recoil)

FWIW, at 800 yards, the 143gr. 6.5 Creeeedmoor bullet is traveling faster than the 130gr. .270 bullet that started out 300 fps faster at the muzzle. And the Creedmoors recoil is 76% of the .270.
Heavier bullet, less powder, less recoil, what's not to like??

Cheaper to shoot, especially for someone just getting into it.

I think because he is looking for a caliber that covers a lot of animals up to Elk size, being he is on a budget and this is his only bolt action hunting rifle and he is very new to the sport. This just keeps things simple ammo availability wise, although there is getting to be more and more CM available on the shelves. I agree with your sentiment toward the CM as far as being a pleasure to shoot and more than capable of killing hogs and deer. I have one myself in a Tika CTR. I just wouldn't choose it for a Elk hunt but wouldn't hesitate to send a 150 grain from a 270 it's way. And I'm not wanting to start a new topic of whether the CM could kill an elk, lol because I think it could with good bullet placement.

I would not shoot anything under 180 gr bullet for elk, preferably 200 gr. And I wouldn't be carrying a heavy rifle for hunting either. For one all round inexpensive but accurate rifle the Axis in good old 30-06 is hard to beat. Buy light loads off the shelf for light recoil, 180 - 220 gr loads for elk and bear. Easy to find factory ammo. Can even get 55 gr accelerators for varmints and turkeys!

Thank you patriot07,

I appreciate the response. I never really considered the 6.5 Creedmor. I really don't want a rifle with a lot of recoil. My first time shooin rifle. I seriously wish there somewhere to test these rifles. I did test the 243 savage, and the recoil was decent, but something to get use to. And yes, I do plan to practice.

What do you mean by medium contour?

Thanks DH3, I will heavily cosnider the short action bolt. I see your point, just a lot of information to process. So I will just take notes. All the guys where I work favor the 270 or 308, I never hear talking of 6.5

But back to decision board. Thanks

Again, I'm back to also mentioning the 7mm-08, and ammo from dallas custom reloads, with a 162 gr bullet.

Yes, I would take it elk hunting.

If you think the 243 axis recoil is "decent, something to get used to", then it would be good to shoot with a more experienced person. I kind of wonder if you are not getting gun shouldered well. 6.5, 308, 7-08, 270, 30-06, all kick more, some way more, others only slight more, in same axis platform. I am on board with most all the suggestions on here, all can/will get job done, everyone has their favorites. I have shot/killed deer with all listed calibers but 7-08. I've been planning on a "elk hunt" for a few years, hasn't happened yet. Buy what fits you best now in your learning, not what you might need years down the road. Trying to fit all boxes, Best for medium game, best for small game, best for large game, best for long distance shooting, least recoil, etc. are all complicating the issue.
You have gotten good advice from people on here, slightly different opinions based on their past experience and what they interpret as your wants/needs. This is being way overthought when looking at big picture, as many calibers can/will suit your needs, There is no perfect rifle thats fits everyone, more of a individual perfect rifle for each person.
This is a learning process, as long as you pick one of the listed suggestions, you will be fine. If you don't like it, you can get another one few years down the road. Even if its not your favorite, I doubt youll HATE it. If recoil is issue, get reduced recoil loads, or add weight to stock, not hard problem.
Medium contour barrel, adds weight, less felt recoil. However, the thin sporter barrels work fine, not a big deal, it shouldn't make/break your decision.

Make a decision, stop over thinking it. Enjoy yourself, and practice ALOT. Get into the woods and learn to Hunt, shooting is the easy part. Finding deer, now there's where the learning really starts.

People make things too complicated.

Get that rifle in 308 or 7-08 and go have fun. Be sure to practice if possible outside the shooting range, like out in the field. Try a couple of ammo brands and pick one to stick with. No need to get too fancy. If you buy the combo rifle consider at some point in the future you may likely want to upgrade the scope.

Practice so you can hit consistently inside, toward the center of a coffee cup saucer or desert plate.

You can upgrade that rifle as you go:

- recoil pad
- scope and rings
- trigger
- maybe new stock

Take care of it and your grandchildren will have a nice rifle some day.


Update: that trophy version would be a good selection with the Nikon scope and 270 would be just fine.

Everybody has made points that are valid. The bottom line is that it will be easy to choose something that will be adequate for most purposes, but you'll just have to accept the fact that it won't be optimal for ALL purposes. I'm of the opinion that bigger is usually better, but that is based on my own perspective and I don't think there are two guys posting here who have identical perspectives.

Something as small as .243 Winchester will kill anything in Texas if you're using well chosen ammo and your aim is good. There's nothing wrong with .270, .308, 6.5 Creedmoor, or any of the other cartridges mentioned so far. I do think that JG's suggestion of the 7mm-08 is probably the best idea out there, though.

In the end, it matters much more how you like the rifle itself than the cartridge you choose.

Have fun.

Just my 2 cents. Sounds like you have some friends at work. Ask them to take you to the range, see if they have different calibers 270, 3006, 708 whatever. Get the feel recoil weight. Don't try to be dead eye dick just shoot.
Again just

OP, you have indicated that you live close to the American Shooting Center on Westheimer Parkway in Houston. The cost to zero one rifle there is close to $20, each time you visit.
You can drive a little further and go to the Hot Wells Shooting Center off 290 between Barker Cypress and Skinner Road and zero a rifle for $10, each time you visit.
The Hot Wells site is far less crowded than the ASC site, the benches are better equipped and the seating is more comfortable.
No, I do not own Hot Wells or know any of the personnel..I DO know what makes for a pleasant shooting experience..just sayin.

Medium contour - thicker barrel than the pencil thin barrels on most hunting rifles.

I'd go 6.5 Creedmoor or 308 if you don't care about hunting elk due to the availability of high-quality factory ammo. I'd go 7-08 if you really are set on the elk thing, but you'll have to go to Chad for ammo, which is a great option. You could buy it and drop it off with him and let him work up a load and load a bunch of ammo for you - all of the hard work done by someone else and you get a rifle that will shoot with ammo that's tailored to the gun. Any of those 3 cartridges will kill anything in Texas, and the 7-08 will kill a bunch of other stuff too.

Thanks DH3 for the calculations. I am agree with you and others a short action rifle will work.

Hope this doesn't sound silly, but what does "less powder" mean?

Thanks patriot07,

I have no plans to hunting elk. Just hog and deer hunting.

Powder is the explosive substance in a rifle cartridge that causes the explosion that drives the bullet down the barrel. It is a form of Nitroglycerine or "Nitro" powder.
A "Max" load of 4350 powder in a 6.5 Creedmoor is 43 grains. For a .270 it is 62.0 grains. In other words a .270 needs about 33% MORE powder to drive it's 130 grain bullet than a Creedmoor requires to drive it's 143 grain bullet.
If you ever decide to reload cartridges for your rifle, you could reload many more cartridges per pound of powder for the Creedmoor than you could a .270.
There is the old argument that if you went hunting and forgot to bring your ammo, you could more easily find .270 ammo locally, than the 6.5 Creedmoor. I have made the same argument, myself. I am not sure that that argument is valid today. Walmart sells .270 rifles; they ALSO sell 6.5 Creedmoor rifles. Walmart's are nearly everywhere, so who is to say that you might just find Creedmoor ammo MORE READILY available than .270, since the Creedmoor is more modern and the .270 is "old hat".

I prefer Hotwells as well. ASC gets expensive for more than one person/gun. It is the only place that I can shoot past 100yd, though.

OP: I think you need to stop overthinking and over researching and go get a .308 in that Savage 11/111 Trophy Hunter package with the Nikon 3-9 scope and go shoot. Cheap ammo, stopping power for any size WT or hog in Texas, short action. That way everyone on THF who "hates" long actions/30-06/270 is happy and you have a package that satisfies your needs. Jokes about the hating long action aside, you will be fine with just about anything that has been posted in this longer-than-needed thread: 243, 6.5 Creedmoor, 270, 7mm-08, 308, 30-06. Really, all you have left is a decision to make, which only you can make for yourself; it's a personal choice/opinion deal now.

It's been said many times on THF that the 7mm-08 is the best all-around Texas hunting round. The 270 has killed many deer and elk since 1925; the 30-06 Nazis, deer, elk, bear, and others too, since 1906. Craig Boddington once said the 308 is 95% 30-06 (this from Leupold's Big Game Profiles DVD set I have) and it is also a venerable military cartridge. And on the lighter end, the 243 has been the first deer cartridge for many a hunter and the Creedmoor is a new kid on the block, making a worthy name for itself.

Fact check: Nitrocellulose is the common base for smokeless powders, not nitroglycerin. Double base powders contain some nitroglycerin as well as nitrocellulose. Also, it does not explode, it deflagrates, which means it burns very rapidly and converts to hot, high pressure gases.

Black powder explodes, smokeless powder deflagrates.

Note to OP. Some powders (double based) contain trace amounts of nitroglycerine. Examples: Red Dot, Green Dot. Others (4350 for example) use nitrocellulose to provide the deflagration (Plain English: extreme rapid burning producing hot gas that drives the projectile (bullet)
down the barrel at supersonic speeds).
The attached picture shows a couple of my reloaded cartridges. The one on the left is a .270 Winchester with a 130 grain bullet. The one on the right is a 6.5 Creedmoor with a 143 grain bullet
It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that it would take more powder to fill up the .270 than the 6.5. Additionally, you can see why the Creedmoor can utilize a "short" action, while the .270 requires a long action.
The Creedmoor is one of several short, fat cartridges that have proven to be more efficient than older cartridges that require more powder to provide similar performance.
I have no bone to pick with the .270 fans, I own a Pre-64 Winchester .270 in my collection. I can tell you with certainty that the .270 will be more painful to shoot than the Creedmoor. When you are hunting, it should make little difference because you only need one shot to do the job. When you are practicing is when the recoil becomes an issue.

Thanks DH3 for pictures.

So what is your opinions on 6.5 creedmoor vs 308 rifle?

Y’all are wearing this poor guy out. Remember he’s a beginner who has honestly told us he has no knowledge and a budget. The science behind powder is WAY off topic for his needs. He has also expressed his opinion on recoil which many seasoned shooters agree with. For my taste the .270 is not a pleasure to shoot from the bench but is an excellent hunting cartridge. It sounds sounds like he wants to get some bench time in to learn fundamentals and see if he’s going to enjoy the sport and join us. Why are we steering him to the .270?

My vote is pick a short action caliber in a savage of your choice. .243-6.5 Creedmoor-7-08-.308

More directly the 6.5 or 7-08 will give you enough killing power without the recoil of the .308 or as some say questionable capabilities of the .243.

Remember, all of these are opinions, most are good opinions from seasoned shooters/hunters.

Thank you. Does the 308 have greater recoil then 6.5 or 7-08?

As to your first sentence, I am certain it is the other way around.

I have recommended the Creedmoor, many times. It has less recoil, delivers a 143 grain bullet with flat trajectory for clean kills on deer/hogs.
I have also recommended that you buy a Savage Axis rifle ($300) 6.5 Creedmoor caliber and the Hot Wells Shooting Center..ALL TO SAVE YOU SOME SERIOUS MONEY.
If you are new to the game, you need to PRACTICE, what I have recommended will allow you to do just that. If that does not satisfy your original request....I GIVE UP!

Yes the .308 has more recoil than the others listed.




NP I believe you may be right but I’m trying to help.