I am looking at adding a rifle in what I would consider the intermediate range of cartridges.
I am looking seriously at Rem 700 rifle (because of options availability)
6.6 CM and .308W are topping my list.
I already load for .308W but I must admit I am a bit undewhelmed at the performance on game (this is possibly my fault with bad equipment / Ammo selection)
I do not currently load for 6.5CM but I do load for 6.5 G so I have some components.
so ...If you have both.. Which would you give up first and why. Please give some insight as this is giving me a headache and I need some experienced feedback.

I would go with the 308 Win., so many bullet choices.

I seriously doubt a medium size game animal would be able to tell the difference in being hit with either diameter projectile. There's nothing wrong with wanting add another option to your line-up, but I wouldn't expect miracles as far as terminal performance goes.

7mm-08
H-Varget
162 ELD-X

It does everything well.

If you’re disappointed by 308 on game, you’re shooting some big animals, shooting poorly, or choosing bullets very poorly.

Interesting you mention 7-08
I have a nice little Swede Mauser sported in 7-08 that I am loading for as I type.
I might consider a R700 in 7-08 also and have plenty of components to boot!
You seem to have a pat answer for the question at hand Fireman....Wanna elaborate ?

He’s built several, put many hundreds of rounds through them (if not more), and thoroughly tested them both at the range as well as on game.

QSYB
I have 2 lever actions in 308 that I hunt with
a Browning BLR and a Savage 99.
about 3 yrs ago I shot a cull buck @ 80 yds w .308 Rem Core Lokt and he only flinched and walked away.
I knew it was a solid shot with a good hit
looked for hours for the buck ...no luck
Saw the same animal several months later and you could see daylight thru his neck .. clean thru shot !

So : I know there are a lot of variables in that story but it really put me off .308 and I just don't have faith in it.

Sounds like a bad experience, an incident. .308 at those ranges beats any other caliber we’re talking about at reasonable distances.

I would also pick the 7-08. Awesome on game with 140s and even better with 162 at extended ranges.

100% agree with this.

That’s probably the bullet. It ain’t cause it’s 308, I’d bet my paycheck on it

Keep in mind that if you attempt a neck shot and do not hit neck bone, they will react as mentioned. If that .308 Core-Lokt would have went through both shoulders the cull buck would have been DRT.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

Neck shot threads on here have gone nuts before and i hope this one doesnt, but a neck shot has very little room for error. A cannon wont kill a deer if shot in neck at wrong spot.

Spot on. If you’re not pleased with a .308 on whitetail, then you won’t be pleased with anything.

I’ll back up the 7-08 recommendation, though.

Thousands of rounds.

If someone told me to pick one short action combo to marry to, that's it. Coyotes, hogs, deer, from 20 yards to 600. Steel out to 1500 yards. It's what my rental rifle is, and lots of people have enjoyed shooting it. A 162 gr, at 2600 to 2700 fps kills with authority, beats the wind, and will reach very far away.

I agree, on the .308 comments. There's nothing wrong with it. Your story seems like a one in a thousand scenario. Just a shot that missed the mark by a tiny margin. No fault of the .308. But, if you want another rifle, I am not someone to try and stop you.

.308 is so "yesteryear"

get the 6.5 Creedmoor, tons of loadings and cool bullets. if you want to stay somewhat old school, you cant beat the 7mm-08

In my opinion if you are not happy with the performance on game with a .308 caliber projectile, why do you think you would be happier with a .264 caliber one? Now if you just want a new rifle that is an entirely different matter.

A couple things- A precision neck shot with a BLR or Sav 99 combined with Rem Cor Lok ammo, is not the best combo for a precise shot. Choose a better aiming point. A 308 is more than plenty for a perfect Texas hunting round. I have killed MANY things with 30 caliber, from 300 blk out to 308, and all work great with good shot placement.

Caliber choice is up to you. Get a rifle that fits you and fits your needs. Then work up a good shooting load out of it, and practice with it to get precise. If you reload, there's no point in shooting Rem Cor Lok ammo.

They others have cleared this up for you, but it was 100% shot placement. However, I used to use 150gr Corelokt in my .308 and probably killed 50-60 deer with that combination. The last year I used them, I shot three different WT does with it at ranges of 65, 88, and 137 yards. The shortest tracking job, (all heart/lung) shots, was 75 yards. Now, the tracking was pretty easy due to excellent blood trails but it had been my experience with that load that 90% of the time they didn't make 20 yards. All the shots were right where they should have been, none of the animals were spooked. Were these three a fluke? Maybe, maybe not. The year after, I bought a new box of Corelokt and went to the range. Best 3-shot group was 1.75" (worst 2.75") in a gun that was previously .75" or better. I chronographed the next 5 rounds and got an ES of ~130, with only one of the rounds meeting the claimed FPS on the box. Back to town, bought 150gr Winchester Silvertips, back to shooting .75".

Remington will never get another dime of my money, I had the same experience with 100gr. .243 loads.

Sounds to me like u have 2 options:

1. To make the 308 work. When I started shooting more seriously, I read often that 308 was very easy and versatile to load for. My small experience has shown this to be correct.

2. Use this opportunity as an excuse to get you a custom rifle. I've sipped a little bit of fireman's 7-08/7-08ai koolaid. U know what? Tastes pretty good. Seriously though, the arguements he makes are really good for the versatility of caliber. I still highly am considering 7ai for my next custom.

Option 2. I really like it being a it contrarian caliber yet seems very reasonable if u reload. I use to thi k fireforming a set of brass was a big deal but I fireform now with my 308 brass. Foreforming is just a great excuse to shoot.

OP, shot placement rather than caliber is the culprit in the results you detailed. If you are having difficulty with cleanly harvesting deer with a 308, and your shooting skills are adequate, studying the anatomy of your quarry in depth will solve the issue. Whether neck, head, shoulder, or behind the shoulder, there is a particular anatomical object under the hide that is the actual target... if you miss it, chances are things may not turn out well.
As far as a new rifle purchase, either of your choices are ideal. Get the one you want most and have fun with it!

I have not bought any Remington green and yellow ammo since the early 80s when I had a "140gr Coreloct" 7mm08 completely fragment on the shoulder of a 160lb buck, lucky the followup shot center of neck as he was running straight away broke the neck but did not fully penetrate the neck. Later found out the early 7mm-08 loads were on the box with that bullet but had a different bullet loaded in them Hornady 139gr but not the interlock bullet. .

That is what lead me to the partition bullets which I used exclusively for about 10 years and still use in some calibers today.

Like others the 308 is a great hunting round as are many others shot placement and a bullet up to the task are not to be over looked with any cartridge.

I cannot say that over the years of the hundreds of hogs, deer and other big game with over 30 different cartridges large and small that any except for one elk would not have been dead any quicker or more cleanly with the 7mm-08 I bought in 1982. You could also say the same if I had bought a 308 back then.

At normal hunting ranges that make up 98% of all kills, a deer won't know the difference between a 25cal, 264cal, 284cal, or 308cal bullet, assuming the right bullet is chosen. Long range kills make up a miniscule piece of the puzzle. Proper bullets are the key, and shot placement, of course. I've killed nearly 250 head of big game with 7mm partition, accubond, and ballistic tip bullets, and haven't noted what I'd call a failure yet. Some of my shots weren't so hot though........