Why all the 6.5 Creedmoor Hate?

[Ray B]

I think the bit about hating the 6.5 because it was used to kill JFK is nonsense. Any hate of the 6.5 Creedmoor is most likely a reaction to the BS that the gun writers fill pages with in response to advertising income for their magazine. In terms of performance it is very similar to the 260 Rem, which also uses a .264" bullet but the 260 has a twist more designed for normal for caliber bullet weights where as the Creedmoor has a faster twist that is designed for long for caliber bullets of high BC primarily designed for long range target shooting. If your main target is going to be a deer at normal ranges you're probably better off with a 260 Rem.

 

[Inline6]

@Dukeisok don't let what people say get to you. You know it works keep using it. Some people will complain no matter what it is their nature.

Does it do anything better than any other cartridge? No and yes, no in the fact that it does the same as the rest. Yes in the fact it was designed for accuracy, the shorter case allows for longer bullets to be seated out and still fit in the mag. 30° should help with accuracy. Have been using it way before it was the cool kid on the block. Records are being set with the short fat cases. Innovation is what keeps us moving forward setting records.

 

[Paul G]

Uh, someone forgot to send the memo to the 6 elk I've killed in the last 3 seasons using the 6.5 CM that they died from an underperforming cartridge.
How do I know the CM will perform just fine? Because I killed all the previous elk over the past 20 years using a 6.5x55.
Second verse, same as the first.

Let me get this straight you shot an animal with a rifle and it died?

 

[Mike B.]

It's because everyone that uses one is a flat brimmer driving a Toyota tacoma wearing Sitka gear

I use its slightly faster brother, the 6.5 prc and I love it. I'd take that gun hunting over anything I have in the gun safe and I have a lot of options in the gun safe. Easy on the recoil, with a suppressor, it's a slice of heaven shooting it. Only thing I wouldn't use it on in the US is brown bear.

 

[Newboomer]

It's because everyone that uses one is a flat brimmer driving a Toyota tacoma wearing Sitka gear

I use its slightly faster brother, the 6.5 prc and I love it. I'd take that gun hunting over anything I have in the gun safe and I have a lot of options in the gun safe. Easy on the recoil, with a suppressor, it's a slice of heaven shooting it. Only thing I wouldn't use it on in the US is brown bear.

I have a Ruger M77 Hawkeye 6.5 CR and took it to Africa on my last hunt for pg. I collected springbok and impala at ranges from 80 to 286 yds. One shot kills with Hornady 143gr ELD-X and 37.5gr of 4064. It really flattened them in their tracks. Good medicine for small and medium pg.

 

[Jeff505]

Ok, I should not have posted this, I have no dog in this fight, just a few bourbons, any cartridge that has good results is a winner.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I hate people telling me it hits harder at range than a 300 win mag.

 

[Ray B]

Ok, I should not have posted this, I have no dog in this fight, just a few bourbons, any cartridge that has good results is a winner.

If the event was as simple as some guy with an Italian carcano shooting the president the details would have been released years ago. Fifty - nine years and still no specifics leads me to believe that there was a lot more to it than our government is saying. Including that carbine that Walter Cronkite paraded around with may not have even been the murder weapon and Oswald may have been the patsy just like the fellow that got charged with killing Martin Luther King Jr.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

It's the name. When I first heard it it screamed unicorn and rainbow even before I heard the man bun reference. That completed the imagery and it just won't undo. Just like sippy cup, when it fits it sticks.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Having said that, I know nothing about the poor round and balistics in general, heck I am the guy who started the thread on best looking rounds because that's about the limit of my knowledge. Maybe we should start another thread on rounds with the coolest name - I'll make a plug for Holland and Holland Magnum, no caramel custard on that one.

 

[mark-hunter]

ust curious, but why is the 6.5 Creedmoor so reviled?

I am not biased against 6.5 CM, but I dont have it. I dont have any 6.5 mm. The reason: I personally (mea culpa) consider 6.5 mm marginal for big continental game. But thats just me.

Also, I divide all calibers and cartridges in only two categories of like and dislike:
1. Cartridges which are not easy (impossible) to find in local guns shop. (dislike)
2. Common cartridges available in local gun shop. (like)

Today, 6.5 CM is almost vanilla caliber, commercial ammo very much available everywhere. Thus, it has pottential.
If I ever buy 6.5 mm, then CM is in strong consideration.

 

[SaintPanzer]

I know the Creedmoor cannot do anything that other cartridges didn't already do, except that the marketing and factory support have rocketed it to popularity so that it available and easy.

For me, and in my opinion, this is the answer. It does nothing that others do not do, yet it has a marketing campaign that leads people to believe it is a do-it-all replacement for everything. An honest assessment is that it works as well as others, but has limitations, but this seems to get lost in the cheerleading. For your purposes it is fine, but I'm not going to spend money on "new" when I have already invested in others that do the same thing.

If I want flexibility, availability, and effectiveness for both hunting and targets, I have my .30-06. It's been answering the mail on all those things for over a hundred years, and I don't see a reason to change.

If I want to use a 6.5mm, the Swede could (does) work, but Gunny Highway put The Swede in his place back in the 80s, so I'm not in the market. Instead, I use my Mannlicher Schönauer 1903, keep it at reasonable ranges, and it is very effective for hunting. I also have a 1910 which is in .375, but the limitations on that cartridge are such that it can't do half what the '03 does. But it does have it's uses.

Where I do most of my hunting, I have no need to go larger than the '06, but if I did, the H&H version of the .375 would be my choice.

All that said, I find myself frequently in a situation where I can try all kinds of new chamberings. I could easily get a 7X64, or even a 7X57 or an 8X57. Others will occur to you. But I can't think of one that will do something the '06 won't, and focusing on one chambering makes my ammunition collection simple.

 

[Forrest Halley]

The 6.5 Creedmoor strikes me like a person that doesn't know where their home state is on the map with an INY shirt on.

 

[Puddle]

Let me get this straight you shot an animal with a rifle and it died?

It gets worse.
In the second season I used factory cup-n-core ammunition and the dang elk still fell over dead.
However, sanity returned last season when I switched back to handloads of bonded bullets.

Whew! that was close...

 

[Luederitz]

For hunting in Africa, in some countries 6,5mm calibers are illegal for medium game, e.g. Namibia:

NAPHA - Namibia Professional Hunting Association: Hunting Laws & Rifle Importation

The fundamental purpose of the Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA) is to enhance and maintain, by effective management, an organizational infrastructure that can serve professional hunting members, clients and other interest groups.

www.napha-namibia.com

As per the Nature Conservation Ordinance No 4 of 1975:

No person shall use a revolver, pistol or automatic firearm when hunting game or use a firearm of which the bullet has an energy at the muzzle of the barrel which is lower than the following when hunting a species of game indicated there under:

Small Game:
(e.g. Dik-Dik; Steenbok; Duiker; Springbok)
Minimum caliber: .243 (or equivalent caliber in mm)
Energy: 1350 Joule

Medium Game:
(e.g. Hartebeest; Oryx; Wildebeest; Kudu; Eland and all exotic species)
Minimum caliber: .270 (or equivalent caliber in mm)
Energy: 2700 Joule

Dangerous Game:
(e.g. Elephant; Hippo; Rhino; Buffalo; Lion)
Minimum caliber: .375 (or equivalent caliber in mm)
Energy: 5400 Joule

No solid point cartridge is allowed to be used as per the Nature Conservation Ordinance No 4 of 1975 on any other species than pachyderms (Elephant, Hippo, Rhino).
-------------
Why should I travel around half of the world for trophy hunt without not using the largest caliber I can handle? Why discussing calibers which are illegal in some preferred trophy hunt countries?

 

[Hunting Hitman]

The argument that
“The 6.5 CM doesn’t do anything that another previous caliber can do”
Is a valid point.

However many of us have more than a 375 H&H in the gun cabinet/safe (I have 3 of them) and that’s all you need to hunt the planet. Variety as they say is the spice of life…and with this group of world class enablers I find myself buying more and more rifles and calibers to give it a try on game. Love being part of such a diverse group of ideas and opinions and wouldn’t change that for anything.

HH

 

[Daggaboy375]

Man! Did I screw up.

I should have read the fashion pages before I bought my 6.5 CM.

Unfortunately I just researched the ballistics, wanted lower recoil, and excellent component availability.

Boringly accurate.

Does anyone know who has the best prices on Birkenstocks? With socks of course.

DB

 

[375Fox]

Uh, someone forgot to send the memo to the 6 elk I've killed in the last 3 seasons using the 6.5 CM that they died from an underperforming cartridge.
How do I know the CM will perform just fine? Because I killed all the previous elk over the past 20 years using a 6.5x55.
Second verse, same as the first.

Why do choose to use the 6.5 creedmoor for elk? I can see some valid reasons if you have a difficult time handling recoil, but there are more appropriate cartridges. Do you put any restrictions on your shots while hunting with this cartridge?

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

It's the name. When I first heard it it screamed unicorn and rainbow even before I heard the man bun reference. That completed the imagery and it just won't undo. Just like sippy cup, when it fits it sticks.

I always thought the fact that they named it “Creedmoor” was disrespectful (maybe not the right word I’m looking for but it’s definitely annoying) to the actual Creedmoor history. When you take everything into consideration I mean.

Also never liked the metric designation for (any) American cartridge.

 

[CJW]

I'm not buying until the 6.5 CMSSM comes out. Then we'll have a winner.