Ruger American Predator caliber choice

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I'm looking for some advice on caliber choice I'm looking a getting a Ruger Predator just for a Target rifle Right now most of my shooting will be under 200 yards but i dont want to limited my self
anyway I do reload but keep going back and forth with 223 or 6.5 creedmore I think the Logical choice is the 223 but keep thinking would i be better off with the 6.5
thanks

 

[VoodooMountain]

For under 300 yards the creedmoor offers you no real advantage on paper for target shooting.

The 223 is cheaper, plentiful, accurate, and will be on store shelves in 10 years.

 

[homers]

6.5 CM

 

[Everready73]

If you don't want to limit yourself 6.5 is the way to go. I don't think the cartridge is going anywhere and it can get you out a lot further than 223 if you ever wanted to. Lots of March grade ammo. Downside is cost compared to 223. 223 is good for 500-600 max Imo

Is there ever a change it would be used for hunting? I know I would prefer 6.5 for deer and up for sure

 

[Girodin]

For paper under 200 yards, I'd get the .223.

 

[Captcurt]

I had a Predator in Creedmoor. It would shoot Sub-MOA with 4 different loads and was more accurate than anything in my stable except my Rem 700 243. I used it to eradicate a herd of whitetails that was going through $1000-$2000 worth of cattle feed a month. Worked swell.

I have shot the Creedmoor out to 500 yards and have taken deer out to 350. Don't think I would do that with a 223.

 

[W.R.Buchanan]

I just saw a write up over as Castboolits about this rifle in .450 Bushmaster. It comes with a serious Muzzle Brake. and the guy was running 300 gr boolits at 2400 fps!!!
This is way above .45-70 power.
Something to think about?
Randy

 

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I just saw a write up over as Castboolits about this rifle in .450 Bushmaster. It comes with a serious Muzzle Brake. and the guy was running 300 gr boolits at 2400 fps!!!
This is way above .45-70 power.
Something to think about?
Randy

I seen that too but I'm just looking at the 223 or 6.5

 

[witchhunter]

The 223 is a great caliber to shoot at 200 yards. But as a reloader, why limit yourself to that? If it was an 8 twist, you could get better long range bullets, but the 6.5 will do anything the .223 will and then some. That being said, I love .223 bolt actions, they aren't too loud, too expensive to shoot and have almost no recoil. Brass is cheap and you can load them with 40 grain Vmax for an explosive varmint bullet or a 60 grainer for deer. You can even load them to Hornet velocity for small game. Decide what you will use it for mostly and go with that.

 

[LUCKYDAWG13]

The 223 is a great caliber to shoot at 200 yards. But as a reloader, why limit yourself to that? If it was an 8 twist, you could get better long range bullets, but the 6.5 will do anything the .223 will and then some. That being said, I love .223 bolt actions, they aren't too loud, too expensive to shoot and have almost no recoil. Brass is cheap and you can load them with 40 grain Vmax for an explosive varmint bullet or a 60 grainer for deer. You can even load them to Hornet velocity for small game. Decide what you will use it for mostly and go with that.

Both barrels are 1/8 twist and 22" long and I see that starline makes brass for both of them now I do load for the 223 so if I add the 6.5 I will also need to get dies and brass too but IDK i jut keep going back and forth and like you said why limit myself

 

[jmr40]

I have predators in 6.5 and 308 as well as a compact in 223. The 308 is the most accurate by a hair, but all 3 are the most accurate rifles in my safes. I bought the 223 Compact as soon as they were introduced and later added a full size stock to it. If the Ranch rifle had been offered I'd have gone that way.

For punching paper out well past 300 yards or varmint hunting the 223 is the answer. I don't load for 223. I can get 1.5 MOA in mine with cheap FMJ ammo. I've been buying Fiocchi 50 gr Ballistic Tip ammo from Cabelas that shoots amazingly well. It is $25/100 rounds. I couldn't load anything more accurate and at that price I'd rather buy it than spend the time loading. To get anything that accurate in larger calibers would cost me $40-$50 for 20 rounds. It is worth my time to load those.

But the 6.5 is certainly more versatile. Hornady sells match grade factory loads in 6.5 for about $30/box of 20. I load 143 gr Hornady ELD-X bullets for mine and it shoots about .75 MOA out to 300 yards. That is as far as I've had a chance to shoot it so far. Those bullets are right around $30/100 which is very reasonable for match grade hunting bullets. With the better bullets and loads it'll stay supersonic out to around a mile. The 6.5 is getting a little big for varmints, but would work. But if you ever decide to big game hunt it'll do anything a 270 will do with about 30% less recoil. The 270 has an edge at under 200-300 yards, but not enough to matter. Once the range increases the 6.5 has the edge. And in a rifle that will be 7.5 lbs or so scoped.

It sounds like you're leaning 6.5. The obvious answer is both. I went 223 1st, bought the 308 2nd and the 6.5 splits the difference perfectly. I wouldn't sell any of mine.