Hey y'all, I'm looking at picking up a hunting rifle relatively soon. Im not sure what ranges I'll be hunting from but given that I'm a fairly inexperienced shooter hunting deer in Colorado I cant imagine theyll be too far.
My question is on caliber choice. Id like to do 6.5 Grendel, as it seems to be a good round with a cheap CPR (around the same as .308 for low quality rounds) and the ballistics seem to be better than .308. Is it really worth it or is .308 a more economical choice?
Also if I do go for 6.5 Grendel, is there much benefit to going bolt action over semi auto/AR platform? Id love to have a bolt action but idk if it actually makes sense...
Ahhh, as a retired LE sniper and afficionado of rifles in general (I share Matthew Quigley's opinion of handguns), second only to my 50+ year love affair with shotguns (my mom used to say I was born with a 12 gauge pump in my hand, which must have been an incredibly painful birth), this is a subject near & dear to my heart.
Of course, your questions are kind of like asking if blondes, brunettes, or redheads make the best girlfriends/wives. The answer is, "there is no right answer".
Before you buy, you have to ask yourself and honestly answer some basic questions:
What is the primary intended purpose of of your rifle-to-be? (plinking, small game, varmints/predators, medium game (deer, antelope, black bear) or heavy game (elk, moose, big bear).
What is the terrain/distances you anticipate using it in (heavy cover with shots under 100 yards, open country where shots over 200 yards are routine)? For simplicity sake in a big game rifle, I break this into most shots less than or greater than 200 yards.
What are your preferred calibers (see above)? Do you hand load, or will you use factory ammo. Are cost/availability important factors?
Optics (see all of the above). Get the best glass you can afford, if the choice is putting more money into the rifle or optics, IMO optics wins hands down. A relatively inexpensive but accurate platform like a Savage 110 with excellent glass will out-perform a custom rifle with cheap glass all day/every day.
What kind of action do you want? I'm not going to dive into the AR vs bolt debate. I own both types, and each has their purposes. As an old school rifleman & sniper, I much prefer the bolt actions in my safes (calibers range from 17HMR to 338 Winchester Magnum) for a number of reasons, but if the AR platform hits your switch and you can get the accuracy you want out of the platform you can afford, go for it.
Once you ask yourself and answer these questions, you can fine down your options...