Nomercy pretty much nailed it, I didn't catch in your post that your 6.5 was in AR base. I like the 7-08 a little better than the 6.5 for a number of reasons but really, all in all they will perform on whitetail pretty much the same. The 7-08 has just a tad more impact but not enough really to go out and get a whole new upper for drives. Granted since it has a heavy barrel it's not really well suited for drives unless you practice offhand shooting with it. Some people, me included, like a heavier rifle for offhand. I tend to steady up just a bit quicker and settle into the target.