Maybe I don’t hate the 6.5 CM

I agree with you. I fought hard not to join the Creed crowd for a long time, but when it came time to rebarrel my .243, my gunsmith (who happens to be a HOF benchrest shooter and highly respected gunsmith) talked me into going with the Creed. It shoots tiny groups and is a ton of fun to shoot. Get some RL26 and you can push the limits with it and 140 gr bullets. I got the 143 gr ELDX running 2954 fps with ragged hole groups, single digit ES, and no pressure. I got it over 3000 fps and ran out of case capacity before I found pressure. This load is only 50 fps slower than my 6.5-284 Norma with the same bullet!! So, with RL26, it puts the Creed on another level
Your gunsmith knows what he is talking about, a great gunsmith and one heck of a shooter, the only Benchrest HOF in your neck of the wods. I shot benchrest with him in the 80s.

Next time you see him, tell him Nez from Austin says Hi.
 
Back in the years when you had ammo choices, I bought a box of Berger Ammo with 135 classics loaded in lapua brass for $28. First 3 went half inch. Adjusted scope, chronographed another tight group. Then shot the remaining 14 rounds out to 500 yards banging steel all the way out. It was so easy.
Same here. That ammo is amazingly accurate.
 
Your gunsmith knows what he is talking about, a great gunsmith and one heck of a shooter, the only Benchrest HOF in your neck of the wods. I shot benchrest with him in the 80s.

Next time you see him, tell him Nez from Austin says Hi.
I definitely will tell him hello from you. I've got a 300 WSM he's going to rebarrel for me in the near future
 
I am positively thrilled with my very first 6.5mm Creedmoor. Everything is just so nice! I just love the way the 130 Hornady ELDM bullets fit into the 6.5 Creedmoor case with no protrusion below the dreaded donut zone and allow wonderful feeding from my Ruger M77 MKII, SA rifle having a 26" McGowen #5, 8 twist barrel. The last time at the range with 6-8 mph winds at 11:00 I managed to blow the black paint from 3 inch steel at 300 with 10 out of 10 rounds. Shooting at paper targets is so dull! The 30 grain event was loaded with SW4350. Moving on with relatively cheap 120 grain Barnes Match Burners an exciting display of accuracy occured with another 10 out of 10 hits on the tiny steel 300 yard targets with 47 grains of Ram Shot Hunter.

All this made me so happy!

I am using my large stock of CCI #41 small rifle primers acquired for AR15, 5.56X45 use, saving my large rifle primers for other rifles that are restricted to a smaller stash of large rifle primers. I remain confident that balancing my primer use will enable me to prevail through this years exciting shooting.

I used to write hype but now I don't. :p

I also have a 6mm Creedmoor, 8 twist, and it sends 87 VMaximum bullets down range quickly using Winchester StaBall powder. Long slender pointy 105 and 107 grain bullets are reserved for distant inanimate targets using Alliant Reloder 23 powder. Watching steel targets jiggle upon long range hits is exciting.
 
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I never realized how small the 6.5 manbun was.

Photo courtesy of swamplord
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Funny how it's at the heels of a 6.5-06 and 6.5-284 any they are great cartiridges and the 6.5 creedmore isn't??***! I like them
The only problem really with the 6.5CM is a bunch of the moron fan boys who jumped on it early and then tried to convince everyone it was some sort of miracle round you could kill Rhinos and Elephants with all day long at a mile.

Like a lot of other things, the only thing wrong with it is people.
 
For whitetail back east I used a .257 Roberts
Right there is my reason for building a 6.5 CM for my son. He loses more brass than he brings home and I was constantly frustrated trying to replace Roberts brass. I looked for a short action replacement and came up with the CM. Just a barrel swap and brass is everywhere. We have no need to shoot deer past 200 yards, and they don't seem to notice it's no longer a Roberts. I just ignore the hype and hate 'cause it works for me.
 
My "bad attitude" is due to having a gun shop trying to push one on me. I really hadn't thought about them much until that experience. Since then, I've had a bumpy relationship with the 6.5.
I know a farmer who uses one for groundhog hunting. He has a great place to shoot with plenty of open country. I enjoy his stories of long range success.
 
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I have (2) of them and they are both very accurate. One is a very inexpensive Ruger American Predator. Shoots half inch groups all day with three different factory loads. Blew my mind the first time I took it to the range. I saw where one guy said there is nothing wrong with the caliber except there were guys trying to sell it as the best thing since sliced cheese for everything on four legs. I totally agree with his assessment. Its a great cartridge as long as you shoot a good bullet and watch your velocities to make sure you have enough energy left for expansion. Congrats on your rifle.
 
So, I have had a long term aversion to owning a 6.5 creedmoor but decided to give one a try. I trade for an almost new Bergara B14 Ridge. This rifle is well balanced and well put together as I would expect from Bergara. Mounted my Vortex Viper 4-16x44 HS LR and headed to the range after a quick bore sight. Took a few to dial it in but after 20 rounds, I am really overall impressed. Low recoil, tight groups, the trigger is amazing and it was just a pleasure to shoot from the bench. I have been a .308/30-06 fan for my whole life. I may have found my new favorite.
If you like what the 6.5 CM can do, you outta see what the 6.5 PRC can do!
 
I put 3 in the same hole at 100 yards. It really is a well balanced rifle in what appears to be a really good caliber for certain applications
I have a Bergara ridge in 22-250. It's a 1:9 twist so I shoot 69 TMK out of it. Very accurate .5MOA. I've been very impressed with Bergara.
 
+ 1 for its not the round its the people. Overnight the creedmore made everyone an "out of the box 1000 yard shooter" and they're taking that mentality out with their first elk/deer tags and no instruction or education on ballistics or terminalperformance. I believe that and it wasn't doing anything that rounds already out on the market weren't already doing so it was a hard sell for anyone that has ever owned a .260 or 6.5-284.
I wanted to rebbarrel my shot out custom short action 300 WSM to a .260 AI and my gunsmith tried to talk me in to a creedmore, we settled on a 6.5 PRC, I have no regrets. That being said, I have a pretty good pile of R26 and may have to take a closer look at a creedmore if it really does work that well in it.
 
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