Why did you buy a 6.5 Creedmoore?

[cajunchefray]

I’m always amazed at the visceral hatred some have for the 6.5CM. I’m ambivalent regarding this cartridge; it is a cartridge great for some areas and lacking in other areas…just like 99% of all cartridges. Personally, I’m happy with mine just like I am happy with my 308s, 243, 222, 45-70, 30-06, etc, etc.

Had it been developed by someone else as a medium game hunting cartridge with long range shooting ballistics, and named something different like 265 Rigby, 6.5x49 Mauser, 265 Winchester, etc., I wonder - would it elicit the same emotional response when discussed?

Interesting take and agreed.
I’m still in the.277 crowd, but willing to explore the.264 crowd.

Realistically, Hornady has successfully marketed a number of good new cartridges, and the 6.5 Creedmoor is at the apex of successful cartridge design and sound marketing.
All for the good of shooting sports, and adding to the rifle economy. That is important for all riflemen.
Suppliers need success.

As an old school guy, I would prefer the 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser for my next rifle.

But, if a proper, old school classic rifle, walnut and blue steel 6.5 Creedmoor showed up at a good price, I would buy it in a heartbeat.
A well balanced cartridge, and I can buy ammo locally.

 

[Neophyte]

Have been shooting a 6.5CM since 2009.

Accuracy is very good.

Accomplishment:

T box hits at 1300 yards.
Many sub .25moa groups
Won several matches with it

One shot kills on:

Duiker
Impala
Blesbok
Ostrich
Whitetail
Hog
Black Wildebeest
Eland
Giraffe

Other than the Duiker, my 11 year old son took that list. It is a capable cartridge that most people don't give it enough credit.

YMMV

What bullet did you use on the wildebeest and eland and what was the range?

 

[Canadaboy]

I bought one because the guy I foolishly sold my .270 to wanted a 6.5 CM. So I bought the 6.5 and traded it to him to get my .270 back

 

[Inline6]

What bullet did you use on the wildebeest and eland and what was the range?

Golden was 60 yards
Black was 170
Eland was 220

129SST @ 2850

 

[Neophyte]

Golden was 60 yards
Black was 170
Eland was 220

129SST @ 2850

Thank you.

 

[amschind]

well. the 6.5 creed more is ballistically speaking superior to the 308 above 600 yards.
no question about that.

6.5 is offering less of recoil, less drop and drift (not so much) in real field conditions.
it is a better choice than the 308 to shoot steel plates at long range....
great to practice on target with a sniper rifle type thinking you Chris Kyle....
Btw Chris Kyle personal rifle was a 308 !

hunting wise... for any game from 0 to 500 yards the 308 is definitely a better choice.
whatever all the expert say the 308 hit way harder than a 6.5.
308 with a 165/168 TMK or LR Accubond is a killer. if you want to shoot a big moose or big elk in timber you go up to 180.... the 7/08 if you reload is the one to pick up.

I think you make broadly good points, but I think that there are several different questions bring asked here.

1) many folks like the 6.5 CM because it's popular, even though its strengths overlap with their use case less than a 7.62x51. .308 Win is a better choice for them, and this is the question that I think you're answering.

2) as soon as a hunter owns guns in multiple calibers, the 6.5 dominates the whitetail, varmints and hogs out to 300 yards category, which covers the vast majority of hunting in the US. One gun with one load that's low recoil and kills everything smaller than an elk out to the Hunter's max range is hard to beat. I think this is the stated reason for the caliber's popularity, though #1 may be more important in practice.

3) the .308 isn't ideal as a "one hunting rifle to rule them all". It's close, but a .338-06 expands the top end to 250 grain bullets while allowing lighter bullets close in power and recoil to the .308. I think that it's possible to build an even more universal NA hunting rifle in the form of a .300 BRANDNAME Short Magnum, but that's even more involved and esoteric than the .338, so we'll exclude that for the "everyman" population that we're considering.

Edit: I just read more and realized that guy was a troll. Sorry.

 

[benchracer]

I am curious, I wonder just how many of the 6.5 Creedmoore fans bought it because a 6.5X55 wasn't readily available and the Creedmoore was?
I will be first to raise my hand, I wanted a 6.5X55, and none were available and if you found one it was out of my price range.
PLEASE let's not get into the love/hate discussions. I am curious, and bet I'm not the only one who bought it because it was readily available and the 6.5X55 wasn't.
Thanks!

My situation is almost the exact inverse of the OP's take. I don't own a 6.5 Creedmoor because I own two 6.5x55's. Because of the rarity of off-the-shelf 6.5x55 rifles in the US, I had mine built. My Swedes are perfect for me because I am a rifle crank and a dedicated handloader.

For someone starting with a clean sheet of paper, perhaps looking for a first deer rifle, the 6.5 Creedmoor makes perfect sense. In fact, alongside the 7-08, that is what I recommend to anyone who asks what to buy for their first centerfire hunting rifle. It has every virtue a person could want in a beginning rifle:

1. It is accurate with factory ammunition.
2. Light recoil, even in a light rifle.
3. Quality hunting AND match ammunition are easily available off-the-shelf.
4. Offers terminal and ballistic performance of a kind the shooter will never outgrow and rewards efforts to master it.

If the 6.5x55 is the 6.5 Swede, the 6.5 Creedmoor is the 6.5 American. Considering how resistant the American market has historically been to 6.5mm cartridges and their virtues, the success of the 6.5 Creedmoor ought to be seen as a victory by rifle aficionados.

 

[375Ruger416]

I had zero interest in buying one.

I had been looking for quite some time to try and find a Dakota African Traveler in a PG and DG two barrel set up. Those are about as rare as hens teeth and cost a small fortune.

So, the day after a minor surgery, I’m sitting on my couch with a head full of Vicodin and the “Good Gun Deals This Week” thread pops up.

It’s a 6.5 Creed/.300WM combo in a Blazer R8; priced less than $5k.

I now own a 6.5. I recently added a .375 HH barrel. Thanks to Tra3 and BeeMa for all the peer pressure (help).

John

Now that’s a great combo!

 

[375Ruger416]

yup,

BeeMa was pushing on me too! dang it, i bought the r8 as well.

Me three!

 

[HACT07]

Ok I’m pretty set on the 6.5. Now just barrel length. I’m going with a browning hells canyon so 22 inch barrel will carry like a 24 with the break and a 26 with carry like a 28 with the break on the end.

I don’t want to lose to much with the 22 inch barrel??

 

[Inline6]

Ok I’m pretty set on the 6.5. Now just barrel length. I’m going with a browning hells canyon so 22 inch barrel will carry like a 24 with the break and a 26 with carry like a 28 with the break on the end.

I don’t want to lose to much with the 22 inch barrel??

Try the hornady superperformace line with the 129SST. Out of a 20" barrel we are getting 2850. That killed very well.

 

[tydaws]

Ok I’m pretty set on the 6.5. Now just barrel length. I’m going with a browning hells canyon so 22 inch barrel will carry like a 24 with the break and a 26 with carry like a 28 with the break on the end.

I don’t want to lose to much with the 22 inch barrel??

I had mine built with a 20" barrel. I run the 143 ELDX over RL 16 with Lapua SRP cases & CCI 450 primers with an AB Raptor 4 suppressor and get an honest 2750 fps, verified with both a MagnetoSpeed & LabRadar unit.

 

[colorado]

Why did you buy a 6.5 Creedmoor? Cause you felt your 243 was overkill.

 

[Bill J H]

I thought I'd do a quick, unscientific, analysis of the thread; might not be perfect, but it is within MOA:

Interestingly, very few responders actually answered what the OP asked (ME INCLUDED).

Replies (some were responders making more than one reply)
92

How many responders own one and like it and/or have a positive opinion of it:
39 (most of these articulated multiple reasons for their opinion)

How many responders own one but DO NOT like it:
0

How many responders do not own one and have a negative opinion about it:
5 - 10 (Some of these described manbun, over-hype, needs to grow up, etc., etc., etc.)

How many responders do not own one and have a positive opinion about it:
8

Well, there are the numbers to make of what one wants...

 

[Tra3]

Why did you buy a 6.5 Creedmoor? Cause you felt your 243 was overkill.

The .243 was the kid gun of my youth. Dads bought a .243 to take their kids hunting in Montana. The kid would then graduate to a larger caliber of his/her choosing.

The 6.5CM takes that role today. It is probably the most approachable hunting caliber that is available everywhere. I’ll say that the 6.5 seems to work better than the .243, so while I get your humor, it is misplaced. I’d say about any hunter can become a good shot with one of these two.

I do recall one family that used a .30-06 as the starter gun for 12 year olds. That was not a wise decision.

 

[John the Electrician]

The .243 was the kid gun of my youth. Dads bought a .243 to take their kids hunting in Montana. The kid would then graduate to a larger caliber of his/her choosing.

The 6.5CM takes that role today. It is probably the most approachable hunting caliber that is available everywhere. I’ll say that the 6.5 seems to work better than the .243, so while I get your humor, it is misplaced. I’d say about any hunter can become a good shot with one of these two.

I do recall one family that used a .30-06 as the starter gun for 12 year olds. That was not a wise decision.

20 gauge Mossburg bolt action was the family shotgun used with slugs for deer by the 12 year old kids in my family.

Kicked fast and sharply. NOT great for a kid to get introduced to deer hunting, not by any stretch.

Now, in the defense of the situation, it’s what we had. Money was not flush back then and we lived in shotgun only country.

Today, we hunt land where a .243 is an option AND a much better option, for sure. A 6.5 CM would be a great cartridge for an introduction rifle as well.

John

 

[sniper7]

Great caliber, lots of friends use them. I won one at a banquet but sold it as I really don’t need another caliber

 

[Tradmark]

I bought a .308 and 6.5 in the same rifle to start long distance shooting with. I had .308’s and .06 for hunting rifles 25 years. I had previously hated it due to its popularity and fan boys. I got one for my youngest kiddo of hunting age at the time. Over the next two years i found the 6.5 to be imminently easier to hit over 500 yards with and also watched my son’s kill everything it shot well. Barnes lrx are wonderful hinting bullets. Finally i decided why not own my own and i use it all the time now. We have 6 in the household now. Not much to not like unless u think its gonna be magic.

 

[D.M.V]

I own both the swede and cm. I bought mine in a Ruger precision rifle and just felt like building up another gun. Didn't really need it. I'm a pretty seasoned reloader and really I just have all these guns mostly for playing with loads. I also have a really nice upper in cm I built for my ar10/sr25 size ar. Seeing what kinda accuracy I could get out of the gas operation. Still haven't done much work with it yet. Still playing with alternate loads in the bolt gun that's not a 140gn pill being pushed by 4350