6.5 Creedmoor: is it just a fad, or is it here to stay?

[Basher]

Figured I’d kick this off so we can stop derailing the Remington 700 thread.

So, which is it? Cast your vote in the poll and let us know why you chose what you did!

My vote: the Creedmoor ain’t goin’ nowhere. It’s been around for 16 years now, shows VERY strong sales numbers, and is a solid performer. It’s a ballistic twin of the original 6.5mm, the 6.5x55 Swede, save for pushing the heavy for caliber 160gr RN stuff. It fits in a true short action (rather than the intermediate or long that the Swede requires), and essentially matches the Swede’s ballistics on less powder. For almost any non-dangerous North American game, it will fill your tag and then some. I’m a strong supporter of the .308WIN and don’t actually own a 6.5CM right now, but my vote is it’s here to stay.

 

[DadSmith]

If 6.5 Creedmoor had been out when I started investing in a hunting/defense rifle I'd have went with the Creedmoor over the 308-win.
I'm to heavily invested in 308-win to change now.
Besides the 6.5 Creedmoor does not take over until around 700yds so I'm okay with the 308-win.

 

[indyjohn]

If 6.5 Creedmoor had been out when I started investing in a hunting/defense rifle I'd have went with the Creedmoor over the 308-win.
I'm to heavily invested in 308-win to change now.
Besides the 6.5 Creedmoor does not take over until around 700yds so I'm okay with the 308-win.

Same here. I would have liked to had a platform where you didn't have to work so hard to get beyond 700 meters.

 

[DadSmith]

Same here. I would have liked to had a platform where you didn't have to work so hard to get beyond 700 meters.

Have you tried the 155gr Sierra Palma?
I've been interested in it but I've never tried it yet.

 

[Mgderf]

I have a 6.5 Creedmoor in a Howa 1500 action bedded into an American Built Arms chassis.
Shoots better than I do but I still haven't had it out past 200 yards.

 

[Vv83]

I do think it’s here to stay. I prefer the PRC but think for most the population the creed is an excellent hunting and target round with cheap components to reload

 

[Hawkeye7br]

Some people will call it a fad, but if shooting steel or playing games in the PRS field, the calibers that recoil less than .308 rule the roost. The 6 Dasher or 6 BRA are extremely popular. 6br probably ranks close to 6x47 Lapua or 6 Creedmoor. The 6.5x 47 Lapua has less case capacity than 6.5 Creedmoor, and it was developed specifically for 300m shooting. At the last 500y handgun match I shot, I ran 28 straight targets with a 6.5x47 Lapua at 300-500y, with a bolt pistol balanced on my leg with an 8x optic. The abundance of factory ammo tell me the 6.5 Creedmoor is here to stay. The fact that it can take common game animals is a bonus.

 

[MrSmitty]

Being a poor fudd, I, personally, do not like the 6.5 CM. That said I've never owned one, or shot one....I've been wanting a LH .308 bolt gun for years, now that I have one, I'm not changing...plus even Commiemart carries .308.....I voted get off my lawn, but I meant to vote, it's a fad (of course in 1982 I saw a CD player, and said we'd never get rid of cassettes) YMMV

 

[Leo]

No doubt, the 6.5 Creedmore is a very good cartridge. As long as the competitive shooting community embraces it, we should see it around.

In the 70's the .222 Remington was a big favorite for the Varmint rifle guys. They are pretty few and far between these days, but that was 50 plus years ago.

I also remember the 7mm-308 being the "IN" cartridge. That was maybe 40 years ago.

Other than the Standard military calibers, most others stay around as long as reloaders will keep loading ammo. We can start naming rounds that we know and love that are next to impossible to actually purchase ammo, even if they were popular at one time.

 

[indyjohn]

Have you tried the 155gr Sierra Palma?
I've been interested in it but I've never tried it yet.

 

[Gingerbeardman]

The only reason I went .308 instead of 6.5 cm is.... The 308 was found at the right price first! For distance I think they're both great. The shooting world sure seems to have embraced it wholeheartedly, I think you'll see it for years to come.

 

[Leo]

Like the 30-06 of a former generation, the .308 is pretty much a do anything acceptably round. Lots of ammo available, and if you reload, there are lots of options. I think a .308 has a place in anyone's collection, especially if you only have one rifle bigger than a .223..

 

[patience0830]

2 Creedmoors in the house. They work. .308 battle rifle for SHTF in reserve.

 

[Squid556]

Being a 308 guy, I like and respect the 6.5 CM. And by all means its honestly a little more optimised than 308.

What sets the 308 for me is its still THE standard. NATO / worldwide compatibility and support. When ammo got hard to find, 6.5 dried up but 308 lasted longer and came back quicker. Ballistics at the ranges I shoot (750 and in) doesnt really make one enough better than the other.

I don't see 6.5 CM going anywhere for a while. We will probably enjoy another couple decades of its wild popularity. Likely until hybrid cases and higher pressures introduce flatter shooting and more powerful rounds (277 Sig fury) Which will dwindle many traditional rifle rounds, 308 included.

I speculate after widespread adoption of high pressure hybrid case cartridges, 6.5 CM will become lesser popular than 308 simply because of the massive amount of legacy firearms still chambered it that round.

 

[Aszerigan]

I've never owned a 6.5 Creedmoor, but I just ordered a Fix chambered in it. I don't mind 308 but I'll take the 25% reduction in recoil, as well as using less components when reloading. Ammo availability is moot since I haven't personally bought factory ammo in 20 years. It's also nice to use SRPs instead of LRPs if you want to.

My eyes aren't good enough to shoot 1k yards without glass I can't afford, but for our property, my 22-250 will smoke any predator or nuisance on four legs, so I'm hoping the 6.5 will do that even more efficiently. The other thing is shooting more than 10-15 rounds of 308 from my bolt guns is exhausting. I'm not 25 anymore, and don't care for being pushed around.

I love my 14lb 22-250 build, but if I can get better ballistics with only slightly more recoil in a rifle HALF the weight - yes, please.

 

[two70]

The 6.5 CM will eventually be replaced by the next big thing but that may well take 50+ years. Something new will come along to captivate the long range competition crowd eventually. There's certainly been enough attempts at it that something else is bound to become all the rage sooner or later. Ironically, it'll likely be the hunting crowd that keeps the 6.5 CM going long term even though hunters benefit little from the cartridge.

 

[DadSmith]

I've always considered the 6.5 Creedmoor a modernized 6.5x55mm Swedish.
It does what the 6.5x55mm does in a smaller case, and COL.

I don't mind bringing out cartridges like this.
I'd like to see a modern take on the 7.62x25mm for handguns some day.

 

[Aszerigan]

I'd like to see a modern take on the 7.62x25mm for handguns some day.

It's already out - the 30 Super Carry... kinda.

 

[Basher]

It's already out - the 30 Super Carry.

The .30SC seems neat, but that ain’t it. He’s looking for a 7.5 FK BRNO.

And as already mentioned, long live the .308WIN, but this thread isn’t about The King…

 

[two70]

I've always considered the 6.5 Creedmoor a modernized 6.5x55mm Swedish.
It does what the 6.5x55mm does in a smaller case, and COL.

I don't mind bringing out cartridges like this.
I'd like to see a modern take on the 7.62x25mm for handguns some day.

The .260 Remington was a modernized 6.5x55. The Creedmoor is a (very) slightly modified .260 Remington. In fact the .260 has superior ballistics out to about 700 yards.