Why did you buy a 6.5 Creedmoore?

[F. Vaccaro]

I am curious, I wonder just how many of the 6.5 Creedmoore fans bought it because a 6.5X55 wasn't readily available and the Creedmoore was?
I will be first to raise my hand, I wanted a 6.5X55, and none were available and if you found one it was out of my price range.
PLEASE let's not get into the love/hate discussions. I am curious, and bet I'm not the only one who bought it because it was readily available and the 6.5X55 wasn't.
Thanks!

 

[One Day...]

I do not own one, but I would venture to propose:

For some:

1) great long range match cartridge (very legitimate);​

2) great low recoil, mid-range, medium game hunting cartridge, and OK heavy game short range cartridge (with heavy bullet) i.e. modern iteration of the 6.5x54 Mannlicher, 6.5x55 Swede, 6.5x57 Mauser, etc. (very legitimate);​

​

For a lot more:

3) intensive Hornady marketing (both very legitimate for the above, and a lot less legitimate because its suggested use on elk should be clarified as only a close range affair);​

4) slick big-box retailers salesmanship (often frankly illegitimate because the cartridge cannot deliver on game at long range the results it delivers on paper, and this "detail" generally flies way outside the envelop of the usual gun-counter clerk);​

5) fashion;​

6) deplorable current confusion between hunting and game-sniping;​

etc.​

Great paper puncher, but indeed no better on game than the Swede (which is no faint praise when used appropriately), or in modern days the unappreciated .260 Rem which likely was just a bit too early for its time and which would have likely fared better with a metric designation.

 

[shootist~]

Because I considered it a modern version of the 6.5x55 (and still do). I was already a fan of, and own several 6.5x55 military mausers.

 

[ActionBob]

Because I was growing my hair out to make a stylish man bunn and needed a proper rifle to accessorize the look

 

[Alistair]

For me, it was a case of @One Day... 's point 1.

I wanted a Precision Rifle in a suitable mid-caliber cartridge.

That cartridge needed to be relatively low recoil, but still supersonic out to 1200yds, which is as far as I could expect to shoot at my range.

It also needed to be readily available in the rifles I was looking at (a Tikka TacA1 primarily) and have readily available match grade components. It should also be cheap to make as a reloader and relatively easy on barrels as round counts were reasonably high.

That narrowed it down to .308win, or 6.5CM. The 6.5 has a marginally better BC, marginally less recoil, better bullet availability, and is a lot easier to keep supersonic to 1200yds, so that was that.

6.5x55 was not even in consideration, although 7mmRM or 6.5PRC might have been.

I was very happy with the cartridge to be honest. Marketing aside, it's not some magical cartridge that does everything amazingly, nor is it intrinsically any better than any other 6.5 for game, but for my application it was a very good fit.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

I am curious, I wonder just how many of the 6.5 Creedmoore fans bought it because a 6.5X55 wasn't readily available and the Creedmoore was?
I will be first to raise my hand, I wanted a 6.5X55, and none were available and if you found one it was out of my price range.
PLEASE let's not get into the love/hate discussions. I am curious, and bet I'm not the only one who bought it because it was readily available and the 6.5X55 wasn't.
Thanks!

Just because all the rage and the BC. The 6.5 Creedmore is like anything Taylor Swift touches right now. People are going to buy it but a year from now you ask yourself why.

 

[Hunting Hitman]

I own 4 6.5 Creedmoor rifles. 2 are camp guns and 2 are personal tack drivers. Lots more companies and people loading for the Creedmoor over the 6.5 x 55.

HH

 

[KY Hunting Guy]

I bought 2. One was for a 300 yard and in Deer rifle for my 10 year old son (at that time), and one was because of a smoking deal on a rifle I really wanted but the deal was just in that caliber. My son has taken a good dear with it. One shot bang flop at 215 yards. Light recoil and good accuracy help it out.

 

[NDWoods]

I first tried it because I heard it was a better 1k cartridge than 308. I shot it a lot, agreed, and also noticed it was easier to stay on scope. Tikka T3X TacA1 for the win.

The next test was to try it on game and the 127 Barnes did a great job in a custom and SIG Cross bolt gun..

The next test was to try it in an AR platform for medium range and high volume hog hunting. It did great with a Daniel Defense DDM5.

I like a minimum number of calibers, so after my testing I dropped all 308 and replaced it with 6.5 Creedmoor.

No ragrets LOL

 

[nomspc]

I’ve used the 6.5X55 on muskox and caribou, so I knew the ballistics work. A few years ago, I got a screaming deal on a used like new Barrett Fieldcraft in 6.5 CM with an 18” barrel. I leave a can on it and use it for all my Florida hunting; mostly pigs and the occasional alligator or deer. Very light, quiet and accurate. If that rifle had been chambered in .308, I still would have bought it and been happy.

 

[double rifle newbie]

wanted a very light mountain gun specifically for goats/sheep. there was a gap in my gun collection between 223 and 30-06. additionally i am a lefty so this also makes it tougher to find exactly what i want. i used to be one of the guys at the range that wouldcroll their eyes when i see a creedmoor.

well, i started looking into the caliber a little more and decided that if i could possibly find one, it would fill the gap in my arsenal. a couple years ago sportsmans warehouse ran a great deal on a tikka ultralight in lefty. l

now i have my goat/sheep gun.

im not a guy that shys away from recoil so the reduced recoil in the creedmoor had no bearing on thr purchase. i have a 338 wm, 9.3x74r double, 416rm, and 450ne double and love/shoot/reload them all. could i use my 338 as a goat/sheep gun? yep and most likely will in alaska because u never know when a griz will show up. ive gotten the ibex/chamois/mouflon bug and this rifle is perfect for this.

my humble 2 cents

 

[Andrew62]

Availability of ammo, light recoil. I had great success with one of my 6.5cm using 120 grain Barnes TTSX on some plains game animals.

 

[RR 314]

I don’t. . Then again, I did buy a 6.5 PRC for my son and he likes it.

 

[Bill J H]

To start with, I have a Ruger Hawkeye Hunter in 308WIN: I love the action, the fit and finish of the gun, and it is very accurate.

Long range shooting doesn't really get my blood up, although I can take a fair poke with the right set up. I'm retired and have a good deal of time on my hands, allowing me routinely bang steel (usually no more than 400 yds) and do a great deal of hog/deer/predator hunting with shots seldom over 300, and usually under 200. Hence, I didn't buy my 6.5 for long range reasons.

Rather, I bought my Ruger Hawkeye Hunter 6.5CM for a few reasons.

First, it almost exactly matches all the specs of my 308 with the exception that its barrel is 2" longer. I have matching Swarovski 3-9s on them, which further makes them a pair.

Second, although the guns are not at the opposite ends of the ballistic spectrum, the 6.5 allows me to load from 90 - 130 gr loads. I like to tinker with different loads; it can shoot like a souped-up 243 or a slightly less-than robust 270.

Lastly, one can never own too many guns and it was a great addition to my safes

 

[trg]

I have one a Christensen mpr I just thought it would be a great 300 yard and in deer rifle and would be great for my grandchildren with its adjustable stock and it is very accurate

 

[CZDiesel]

It’s baffling to me that it was ever even promoted as the 260 Remington seriously predated it, uses the same parent cartridge, and has bot more case capacity and terminal performance…

 

[gbflyer]

Light recoil, plentiful components, doesn’t dump a ton of powder for reloading. The long skinny bullet penetrates deep.

 

[Buffalo1]

Three reasons:
1. accuracy
2. low recoil, especially with a muzzle brake
3. wide selection of ammo (brands and bullet weights)

 

[meigsbucks]

I picked up a little Savage 16. Stainless, Tupperware stock, 20” barrel. Price was right and thought I’d give it try for general deer hunting. First 100yd group was 3/4” with Hornady Whitetail ammo.

 

[John the Electrician]

I had zero interest in buying one.

I had been looking for quite some time to try and find a Dakota African Traveler in a PG and DG two barrel set up. Those are about as rare as hens teeth and cost a small fortune.

So, the day after a minor surgery, I’m sitting on my couch with a head full of Vicodin and the “Good Gun Deals This Week” thread pops up.

It’s a 6.5 Creed/.300WM combo in a Blazer R8; priced less than $5k.

I now own a 6.5. I recently added a .375 HH barrel. Thanks to Tra3 and BeeMa for all the peer pressure (help).

John