Why choose 308?

[Steak n eggs]

6.5 creedmore has never been close to the best selling rifle cartridge let alone best selling over all cartridge. It’s just been an upcoming round in the past few years.

if we were discussing 300 yards max... the .308 is going to have negligible drop or drift compared to the 6.5 but it’s going to have more energy... the 6.5C doesn’t start to takeover the .308 until outside of 500 yards and even then the .308 retains a small advantage in energy.

[want2ride]

6.5 creedmore has never been close to the best selling rifle cartridge let alone best selling over all cartridge. It’s just been an upcoming round in the past few years.

if we were discussing 300 yards max... the .308 is going to have negligible drop or drift compared to the 6.5 but it’s going to have more energy... the 6.5C doesn’t start to takeover the .308 until outside of 500 yards and even then the .308 retains a small advantage in energy.

I was reading another website and a Savage rep said that the 6.5 Creedmoor was the best selling center fire cartridge over the last few years. Do I have a source? No, I think it was on Snipershide that I read it, but I am not sure. It was last summer.

[Steak n eggs]

I have no idea what exactly they were discussing but I’d be surprised if it was in the top 10 rifle cartridges... .223 would definitely be at the top.

[want2ride]

Where did you get your data, or is it just a guess?

[SageRat Shooter]

I have no data either... just observation... It makes sense though.... As I used to be able to find H4350 without any problem for loading my 30-06. Fast forward to present day and the last 3 years.... H4350 is now called "UNobtainium".

And when I ask why no one can find, get, or order any for me, the response is "The 6.5 Creedmoor match shooters are buying it all up". and if they're sponsored, then it goes straight to them. I don't know how much fact there is the statement, but it sure is difficult to find more than a pound or two anywhere.

[Deadshot2]

I have no data either... just observation... It makes sense though.... As I used to be able to find H4350 without any problem for loading my 30-06. Fast forward to present day and the last 3 years.... H4350 is now called "UNobtainium".

And when I ask why no one can find, get, or order any for me, the response is "The 6.5 Creedmoor match shooters are buying it all up". and if they're sponsored, then it goes straight to them. I don't know how much fact there is the statement, but it sure is difficult to find more than a pound or two anywhere.

If one were to look into the smokeless powder manufacturing process and how much lead time there is in getting a batch of powder into containers and on the shelves there would be no more mystery to where all the powder is. Powders are "batch built" and with all the different products, some are only made at certain times of the year, maybe only on certain years.

If the manufacturer guesses wrong on how much powder they will be able to sell in a given period of time the whole system gets turned on it's head.

You mentioned buying H-4350 for your 30-06. For many years that was about the only use for it. As hand loaders started using it for other calibers, many of them newcomers to the scene, the bottles started disappearing from the shelves at a faster rate than forecasts predicted. Due to the nature of powder manufacturer the retailers couldn't just order more as the factories may have the next run scheduled for 18-20 months down the road.

This is just the problem with one powder that suddenly became popular. Now multiply it by all the different powders we've had a hard time getting of late.


Oh yeah, I believe Military production is taking more precedent than any competitors.

[Stumpkiller]

According to Chuck Hawks

USA (Averaged 2015 sales rank)

1. .223 Remington
2. .308 Winchester
3. .30-06 Springfield
4. .30-30 Winchester
5. .270 Winchester
6. .243 Winchester
7. 7mm Remington Magnum
8. .300 Winchester Magnum
9. 7.62x39mm Soviet
10. .22-250 Remington

[Steak n eggs]

^^^^^^ Sounds about right.

[Deadshot2]

According to Chuck Hawks

What's strange about "Chuck's List" is that I rarely see about half those calibers at the range where I shoot at least 1 day per week. The first three are popular as are the last three, especially #9 with all the AK47 owners around.

Very common at our local ranges are the 6.5 Creedmoor and almost an equal number of 6.5X47.

More than just a few Blogs and Magazine writers are calling the 6.5 Creedmoor the "Hottest Cartridge Today" so I'd say "Chucks List" is a little out of date.

FWIW, the only people locally that seem to shoot #4, 5, or 6 are the hunters that drag their rifles out in the early fall and bring them to the range to sight them in for hunting season.

[BB68]

Not everyone goes to the range. Nor would I put any stock into a written infomercial. Until my kid wanted a gun for Christmas I had never heard of a Creedmoor. Also consider that was a 2015 list.

[want2ride]

According to Chuck Hawks

I guess I could see if that was annual ammunition sold, but I can almost guarantee that there are many, many times more 6.5 Creedmoor rifles sold than 30-30's. I just couldn't see that as a rifles sold list. If I am wrong, I am wrong... but it really doesn't seem like it could be right.

[Steak n eggs]

There might be more current creedmore rifles being sold in the past year, but the 30-30 has been a staple for well more than a half century. The rifles are already out there... but that has little to do with ammunition sold. As said before, not everyone goes to the range, I would argue that most rifle guys across the country do not go to ranges. I would argue that more guys going to the ranges are the ones interested in sport and competition which is also the same segment that the creedmore is growing in... while 2015 is the only data we have, I’d be surprised if creedmore were to still have made the current list, especially if the 22-250 is the gatekeeper to the list.