6.5 Creedmoor was good enough for the grandson this season. Muley was just over 200 yds. Whitetail and pig were about 100 yards. Nothing moved more than a few feet, if at all. The son got a muley at 275 yds with his 7mm08.
There is a wide selection of calibers that all work really well, it just comes down to preference. I'm still using an old .308 Stevens bolt or a 6.8 SPC in an AR. Both do the job if I do mine. The 6.5, 6.8, and 7mm08 have noticeably less recoil if that makes a difference to you. I still favor a 30 cal bullet but these smaller, faster, higher BC bullets are really tempting.
If your looking for an AR platform you're really pretty limited to the 6.5 Grendel or the 6.8 SPC II. The .224 Valkyrie is another option but I don't know much about it.
Also watch what ammo is readily available. 6.8 SPC ammo and components are pretty thin right now.
