6.5 Creedmoor: All Around Round?

[thermaler]

6.5s will NEVER be as popular in the US as other "standards", due to a number of factors that involve historical precedence in this country (military use of 30 calibers, Jeff Cooper's regaling of the 270, OMFG its a Euro metric caliber GTFO, etc.)

Case in point: the classic recommendation of a 308 over ________ (insert more modern cartridge design with better ballistics here) for a new shooter.Never say never! I think eventually the SD/BC superiority of the bullet will assert itself in a "Chevy" cartridge that will gain widespread acceptance in the US market. : )

[limige]

Maybe but theres a lot of banter of which 6.5 is best. I laugh when people complain about seating vlds to the rifling and have trouble in the other 6.5's. Or short brass life or velocity (Grendal)....theres a reason the hornandy engineers designed a new 6.5 from the ground up. Better brass and barrel life, good efficiency compared to the other 6.5's and still maintain powder capacity and neck length in a short action cartridge. Even allowing bullets to be seated long or short with no issues.

[Vince]

I think the big hinderence worth the 6.5 calibers, in America, is the, "If a little bit is good more is better" attitude of the typical American.
I say that as a 6.5x284 Norma and .338 Win Mag shooter.

[JASmith]

6.5s will NEVER be as popular in the US as other "standards", due to a number of factors that involve historical precedence in this country (military use of 30 calibers, Jeff Cooper's regaling of the 270, OMFG its a Euro metric caliber GTFO, etc.) Case in point: the classic recommendation of a 308 over ________ (insert more modern cartridge design with better ballistics here) for a new shooter. Turning back to the OP, the Creedmoor is an excellent choice as an all-round cartridge for North American hunting -- especially if one handloads. At the light end are the 85-90 grain bullets that will give 243-like recoil and lots of fun for casual shooting and varmints all the way through to the 140gr Lapua Naturalis or 155-160 grain roundnoses that can be (and have been) used for Moose. This span of capability helps explain the popularity of the 6.5 in Europe.

Also, take a good look at the Hornady 120 gr GMX Superformance load for the Creedmoor. This is not too much for deer and antelope and a good choice for elk (see http://shootersnotes.com/ideal-bullet-weight/ or the calculator at http://shootersnotes.com/calculator/suggested-bullet-weight/). The recoil is also mild enough that the hunter won't be as distracted as would be the case when using a .308 Winchester with 165 - 180 grain bullets.

These characteristics would make almost any 6.5 with a case volume anywhere from that of the Grendel through to that of 260 Remington an excellent choice for the beginning hunter who already has some experience with the .223 Remington. The Grendel enjoys lightweight rifles and is an excellent choice if one wants to use the AR15 as the hunting platform out to a few hundred yards while the Creedmoor is superb as a long-range round with very flat trajectories in bolt-action rifles. Both do fine near the muzzle as long as the bullets are built for the velocity.

[Steelhead]

I had the same dilemma a while back, 6.5CM vs 260 rem.
Die choices and brass steered me to 260.

[teebirdhyzer]

I have built a .260 and two rifles in 6.5 Creed. All are great and all are super accurate. The .260 is nice because I can just buy winchester .243 brass and neck up and trim. The Hornady brass for the Creedmoor is great...I have fired one batch going on 5 times and it still has tight primer pockets and shows no signs of giving up. I don't think you can go wrong with either, but I think the coolness factor goes to the Creedmoor. That's why I chose it for my latest build already have one each in .260 and Creed.