When Mule Deer and Antelope are on my target, I only use a 6.5cm now. Out to 500 yards (which covers 95% of my hunting) it is light and pleasant to shoot and easy to load for. When Elk are a possibility, I carry my .270 wby instead. I am only comfortable on live game out to about 600 yards.
sale me on the 6.5 creedmore
- Thread starter CHRIS MCBRIDE
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Buckys
Well-Known Member
IMO, the 6.5CM is one of the best whitetail cartridges for the 99% of deer hunters (or in gun manufacture parlance, Total Available Market) who never even shoot out to 300 yards. And so are the 270win and 7mm08.
Also, I think it is a much better option for that application than the 243win for getting youth started deer hunting, primarily because there are lots of compact platforms in 6.5CM and you are shooting 120-140gr ammo vs. 90-100gr in the 243 which increases the tolerances for young, less experienced hunters in training.
Also, I think it is a much better option for that application than the 243win for getting youth started deer hunting, primarily because there are lots of compact platforms in 6.5CM and you are shooting 120-140gr ammo vs. 90-100gr in the 243 which increases the tolerances for young, less experienced hunters in training.
D
Deleted member 115751
Guest
Like you I had not owned a 6.5CM rifle before. My personal favorite is the 270 Win but I also own rifles chambered in 22-250 Rem, 243 Win, 308 Win, 7 mm Rem Mag and 300 Win Mag. I was considering adding a 25-06 Remington to my collection but found a good deal on a 6.5 CM from Howa so I bought that instead. The 25-06 is close to a 6.5 mm diameter bullet but where the 6.5 CM has the advantage is in the rifling twist. With a 1-in-8 twist a rifle chambered in 6.5 CM can stabilize much heavier bullets than a 25-06 rifle which usually comes with a 1-in-10 twist. So that's another reason I chose the Creedmor. Apart from the deal I got for the rifle it also gives me more choices for bullet weights. I was only able to find one vendor online that had a Winchester Model 70 Extreme Weather chambered in 25-06 and they wanted almost $1200 for the rifle. For nearly the same amount of money I purchased a Howa 1500 long range and a Bergara Wilderness Range chambered in 6.5 CM. My favorite gun maker right now is Bergara and as far as I can tell they don't even offer something in 25-06 Rem. All the indicators pointed to the 6.5 CM as the better value and that's probably because as other readers have already noted there are a ton rifles out there chambered in it. Also, this gentleman from GunBlue490 on youtube made a very convincing video that indicated the 6.5 CM is likely here to stay. Check out his channel. He has a wealth of old school knowledge on cartridges and rifles and he is more than happy to pass it along.
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lancetkenyon
Well-Known Member
That is crazy. Mine is insanely accurate, I have 10+ firings on some brass, super easy to form brass, great round that equals .260 Rem. What were your issues?
I do agree with Hornady bullets.
We shot the 140 HVLD in the old barrel @ 2850 for targets and 2920fps for hunting. In the new 22" barrel, I switched to the 130 Berger AR Hyb @ 2925 suppressed, and it has hammered game.
Shot ranges for photos below: 532, 637, 454, 391, 250ish
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central iowa guy
Member
I too thought twice about the creedmoor. However I have 4 now. Its probably the easiest round to find anywhere. I reload a lots of different calibers....243, 22-250, 222, 30-06, 300 wby, 356 win, have for 40 years. The 6.5cm with its bullet selection out there and the hype has opened up a bunch doors to new shooters in my family. I have son in laws that have never shot before but have heard of the 6.5 cm. It has snagged them into the shooting world thanks to the hype. When i reload i now have an audience that asks a zillion questions. They can hit targets further out then they ever imagined. Its been the easiest rifle to tune while reloading. My wife and i practice with it out to 1000. She now shoots her 6.5 prc to a mile. Successfully. If the 6.5 cm gets us new shooters into the sport i guess really......how bad is it. There are better rifles for LR hunting, my family members now talk ballistics....unheard at the Thanksgiving table 5 years ago. We need all shooters to keep our gun rights and to keep buying hunting licenses. Hate to say it but license sales are down . We can't let that happen. My 2 cents
So if you are a gun enthusiast you should own one. They have their place snd fill a nice nitch, but if you are looking for one gun to do everything the 6.5 ain't it. For a one gun work horse I recommend the 300 win mag or the 300 PRC.
regarding the 6.5 creedmoor it is an improvement on the 243 for a youth gun. Acceptable recoil, more energy and mass, and tighter twist to handle heavier high BC bullets for long range. But like the 243, applications for elk and bear are limited. Don't think that because someone killed an elk at 900 yards and posted in on YouTube that the 6.5 is the ideal carriage for that use.
I will let my younger kids shoot deer and elk with the 6.5 only until they can handle a breaker and suppressed 300 win mag loaded light. And I limit them to 400 yards, and back them up with a win mag if we both have a tag. Lots of iffs there. My 10 year old son shoots a heavy breaked creed, but my 13 year old daughter shoots a heavy braked 300 win mag with a 165 or 180 grain bullet. To each there own, but I prefer enough mass and penetration to get the job done even on a steeply angled animal or less than ideal impact such as shoulder or Humerous. I have seen 140 accubonds not penetrate through the humerus and into the lungs
Les in Wyoming
Well-Known Member
It seems like it is a bit better than a .243. It may take time to see how long it remains popular and is established. It seems like there are good cartridges that end up forgotten. Probably because of lack of marketing or the military did not pick them up. The 7mm-08 was once considered a wonder cartridge. It is truly a a great round for its ballistics. But you don't hear much about it anymore.
This is really what it boils down to. Hornady made it better suited for the high BC bullets AND they marketed the crap out of it, unlike Remington did with the 260.
The only real advantage it has over the 260 Remington and the 6.5x47 Lapua is availability of quality factory Ammo and rifles with the proper twist rate for the heavier 6.5 projectiles.
Why would you do this instead of the 260AI?
HaroldNRAEndowment
Well-Known Member
There are 2 basic specifications that edge towards the Creedmoor. The shoulder length is shorter to accommodate longer higher ballistic coefficient bullets which fitting in a short action is part of the picture. The body wall, on the Creedmoor, does not have as much taper so the case volume, is increased per equal lengths, but is about 1 grain difference edging in favor of the 260 Rem due to the shorter shoulder length. The second is marketing in terms of bullets and reloading data. Both compare equally for hunting until one reaches out beyond 500 yards.
Also, when the cartridge was first developed they were thinking about match competition. In the beginning they were claiming on the average the 6.5 Creedmoor was running more efficient with less pressure. I am not sure if this was achieved. One of the well known match contestants said while using the 260 Remington, he would not immediately switch to the 6.5 Creedmoor, but once his barrel burnout, then he would make the switch.
So why is the 264WM a "barrel burner" but the 7 mag that shares the same parent case not?
epoletna
Well-Known Member
I own three of them, and I have had a hard time finding a load that shoots well for me. That's not entirely bad -- I get to shoot more, anyway.
I actually started off avoiding the 6.5 CM for a long time because the hype irritated me. In my lifetime I have seen the .243 replace the .257 and the best caliber out there, and then the 6.5 CM replace something else -- probably the .308.
Two things are clear: rifle makers are finally learning how to select the best rifling twist, and they're heavily investing in advertising personnel.
I actually started off avoiding the 6.5 CM for a long time because the hype irritated me. In my lifetime I have seen the .243 replace the .257 and the best caliber out there, and then the 6.5 CM replace something else -- probably the .308.
Two things are clear: rifle makers are finally learning how to select the best rifling twist, and they're heavily investing in advertising personnel.
And then "sells pitch."
