I just bought a Ruger American Hunter in 6.5 Creedmore and I love it. The recoil is manageable over the 308 I use to shoot. I'm over 70 and it makes deer hunting a pleasure again.
I put together a Ruger American Compact in 6.5 Creedmoor with a muzzle brake for my girlfriend. One of the most accurate rifles I've ever shot - first handload I tested grouped into .332" @ 100 yards.
This reminds me of an ice cream commercial I saw years ago. The ice cream company talked about all the flavors of ice cream they made. When asked what their best seller was, they replied, Vanilla. Lot's of good old vanilla calibers that will likely long out live the latest and greatest.
The religion was created by it's fans, not it's haters. It's not surprising being the Fanboy you are, that you would have that backwards... You're just as bad as 30-06 and 308 fanboys.
@whodatking26 you should turn your question around and you'll get a better idea. Why do people get so excited and Rave about it when there's been flatter shooting cartridges out for a long time before it.
Ditto. Have Bergara B14 BMP. Looking at some hunting rifle options, however why switch calibers. My guess sales/marketing will drive the marketplace and for all the folks who shoot 6.5, I just don't see it going away anytime soon.
The 6.5 Creedmoor, and the 6 Creedmoor, really gained popularity too because they fit and feed from a box magazine for the semi-auto shooters. Opening up options for the long range shooters and hunters.
Exactly... I own an AR10 platform in 6.5 and it is amazing. Is it the most powerful laser cannon on earth? of course not. It shoots damn well out to 1000 yards though and even if I wouldn't hunt animals at that range.. it has plenty of energy for the two legged variety.
If I had to choose between those two with rifle & ammo availability & price being relatively equal, I'd pick the 6mm most definitely ( would be an ideal cartridge for what I hunt anyhow ). The 6.5 CM seems to me like a jack of all trades but master of none, caliber (tweener).
@@riverwalker2173 LOL you just described one of the most popular cartridges of all time..... the 308 Winchester.... and yet it is still magnificent. Tweener is pretty much the same as saying "sweet spot" which is a great thing. If you want power and range then 338 Norma mag would be amazing or Lapua or a 50 BMG... or price and ammo availability .22 rimfire... But here we are talking about compromises. 6CM is a great round but ammo availability and price is not even close to the 6.5 simply due to popularity and economy of scale.
@@jasminebebe3455 That’s spot on. I bought a POF Revolution DI a little over a year ago in .308. It’s sub Moa and it delivers energy downrange like nothing else in the AR15 platform. I thought hard and long about getting it in 6.5 Creedmoor, but ammo prices and “what’s practical “ dissuaded me. It shoots Norma Tactical at 1” and I’ve stocked up with over 1,200 rounds so far. I’m so impressed with this combo that I rarely even bother with anything else.
I think Hornady has done one thing to ensure the 6.5 CM's success that no other manufacturer of a non military recently developed cartridge in it's class has cared to consider: made it one of the most affordable and ubiquitous chamberings available. Anyone can come up with a cartridge to outperform the last guy by a little or a lot, but the strategy of making an efficient, game effective cartridge and keeping it affordable as a quality factory loading and letting all the rifle manufacturers chamber it in everything from high end customs to affordable lines like the savage axis and Ruger American was hard to beat! Honestly I think that was what caught everyone else off guard who were developing screaming demons and trying to keep them proprietary (and expensive) for as long as possible. Manufacturers from Nosler to Weatherby were trying to keep the bleeding edge of performance in precision shooting an exclusive cool kids club when Hornady decided to democratize it for the masses!
As much as I love the.260 Remington, the 6.5 Creedmoor is better. It’s a wonderfully balanced design and as much as it’s detractors will say it’s not any better that the.243 or whatever, it is. More precise SAAMI specs and the ability to shoot a wider variety of bullets, along with most ammunition manufacturers taking care to produce really good ammo are all big advantages.
@Roy-tp2iy in English please... what do you want them to do? There's a lot of factors that play into ammo manufacturing. There's pretty much one powder supplier and one primer company in the entire country... The US government up until recently prohibited foreign primers. So the manufacturers are feeling it too. They're probably barely breaking even.
I’ve always been an ‘old skool’ guy when it comes to calibers for hunting, .30-30, .45-70, .270 Win, and .30-06. All of these served me well over the decades, and I never bought into the Ultra Mags, Short Mags, and all the other new cartridges that were coming out. Lots of folks like them and that’s good, but I never saw the need as I don’t take 500+ yard shots. A month ago, when my ‘06 started making my old bones ache after a range session, I decided it was time for a lighter-recoiling hunting cartridge. I went with .243 Win. For deer & hogs it’s more than enough, it has a proven track record, ammo is easy to find and cheap, and I can shoot it all day with no discomfort. Awesome video Ron, thanks! 👍
Yep. Very valid point. For fun The modern load out equivalent of your setup might be 6mm Arc, 6.5 creedmoor, 7mm PRC, the 500sw magnum, and 30-30 because it's just too fun to run that lever action.
And all those '06 based calibers, and other military cartridges have many advantages of their own. Battle tested feeding, basically they were some of the earlier beltless magnum, etc... Th '06 was a magnum compared to the 08 capacity, or .303, and when you dive down to the 280, 270, 25-06, they are boomers.
The one thing old Ronny didn't take into consideration is how well the 6.5 Creedmoor adapts to the AR-10 platform. That alone is enough to keep the round in high demand for the foreseeable future.
@@The_Watchful_Eyesthat was an interesting lesson. I actually expected the common stuff to be gone because everyone has those calibers and the less common stuff to be available last. Turns out the stuff they don’t keep much of on the shelf goes quick and ammo manufacturers prioritize the most common calibers if there’s a disruption to the supply chain. It makes sense, guess I had to see it play out to realize it. Now I try to stock up on the hard to find stuff knowing the common stuff will almost always be available and will be first to come back if stores get wiped out
6.5 Creedmore is the right tool for me. I generally hunt mule deer and smaller game out to about 300 yards. Super accurate and easy on the shoulder. What’s not to love? You can always find a reason to buy something new. Right now, I have what I need. Keep up the great work.
+1, which is why a lot of us guys who shoot the Swede never moved in the first place. And there were some excellent custom rifles available cheep as top shooter went for the Creedmore.
Well said. It's all personal preference really in the end. No cartridge is better than another. Just diff calibers for different types of uses. Your use will be diff then mine. Nobody is wrong
I drop elk, deer, pronghorn with my 6.5 CM every year. I shot an elk at 380 yards last year and it was dead on the ground within 20 yards. I use the Barnes VOR-TX LR 127 grain for all of them.
Greetings from England. Been target shooting 6.5CRM for a couple of years now out to 1200 yds. Switching to this round has greatly improved my accuracy & I am now a dedicated fan. Readily available rifles in this caliber & reasonably cheap factory ammo means its here to stay.
@@becomeraptureready Very strict vetting process, no criminal convictions, psychological profiling, letter from your doctor, two references, good security, membership of a shooting club (with safe shooter certificate) & then regular attendance to that club. If shooting game, then a letter from a landowner giving permission to stalk/vermin control/calibers allowed/insurance required/etc. Plenty of guns shops in UK.
@@becomeraptureready Only rimfire semi autos, no centre fire semi autos allowed. Pistols have to have a long barrel & a bar/counterweight fitted at the bottom of the grip to be overall 24” long. So effectively considered a rifle & obviously can’t be concealed.
From South Africa. I bought into the hype of the 6.5 in 2022 Man am I happy! Sold my 30-06 as it no longer gets used. Shot a massive Wildebeast bull a month ago. Broadside shot with 140gr factory ammo at 350 meters, found the bullet just under the skin of the opposite shoulder
Howdy Ron. I'm a trucker who spends lots if time listening as i drive. I have Jordan Peterson, Joe Rogan, and Yourself all in my playlist. I really enjoy how you talk and break details down. Thanks
It really was one of the early modern cartridge design and Hornady just keeps em coming with the PRC series. One is for modern box fed semi auto rifles though and that is what makes the Creedmoor special.
I'm in the same boat! I have a .308, setup in a match configuration... but it's my hunting rifle. So I want to get a new Barreled Action with a more match oriented chambering to drop into the chassis, but I don't want something too similar to .308, so 6.5 Creed is off the table... and Howa now chambers the 6 Creed, so it's the perfect option! I will admit that the .25 Creed is one hell of a 'wildcat', especially now that Hornady has that 134gr ELD-M. The case for the Creedmoors is simply just incredible... from .22 up to 6.5mm, it seems to tick all the boxes.
The 6.5 creedmoor has done so much for the modern shooter making the manufacturers lift there game I love the round and I don't think it's going away any time soon its already made a spot in the history books
There was a recent Hornady Podcast with Dave Emery, the designer of the 65 Creedmoor. He mentioned that the Creedmoor chamber was designed with tighter tolerances for certain dimensions (the freebore, in particular) that will make the average factory rifle more accurate. For example, the slop around the bullet in the freebore section of the 6.5 Creedmoor is 1/4 that of the 308.
I know several competitive shooters (PRS) who are going from their 6mm cartridges back to the 6.5. I don't think the 6.5 is going anywhere. I finally decided to see what the hype was about a few years ago. Now everyone in my house owns one. They are just a pleasure to shoot. I think the 6.5cm is here to stay!
Did they say why? My understanding is that the switch to 6mm was largely to reduce recoil so they could watch the impact location. Then again, it is harder to see the impact of a 6mm bullet than a 6.5mm one.
@@duckwildcodyjames4330 That makes sense. I understand that, in order to extend barrel life, some shooters transitioned form the 6mm Creedmoor to 6mm Cartridges with lower powder charges like the 6mm ARC, Dasher, or GT. There seemed to be a debate on whether the lower recoil of the 6mm cartridges compensated for the smaller "splash" on or near the target. Maintaining a good view of the target immediately after the shot is pointless if you can't see where your bullet went.
Claus, you folks over in Scandinavia must be having a good laugh at our expense - by which I mean in the 'States - since all of you have known the virtues of 6.5mm (.264-cal.) cartridges for close to 130 years! I wouldn't blame you if you said "What took you so long?" I'm part Scandinavian myself, half-Danish, by the way. The Norwegians helped invent the 6.5x55 way back when, and not just the Swedes. Got to give them credit as well. The 6.5x55 - especially when loaded to its full potential - can do pretty much anything 6.5 Creedmoor can do, and sometimes better. Many professional hunters and safari guides recommend the cartridge for their clients to use on plains game, alongside such old-standbys as 7x57 Mauser and 30-06. Conventional wisdom in certain quarters says that 6.5x55 is not powerful enough to take large or even dangerous game, but Europeans have taken everything from reindeer to moose to bear with it, if the reports I have seen are accurate. It punches above its weight, as the saying goes. 160-grain round-nose puts them down.
@@GeorgiaBoy1961 actually, i found it a bit "light" myself, especially for wildboar and big stags. However lots of people use it for moose and boars in Sweden. I am now shooting .300 Win. Mag. And Ron's favorite the .308 Win. 🙂
Ja the 6.5x55 is what the CM was designed to duplicate for AR and shorter bolt actions. the 260 rem just did not have enough neck to make use of the 140gr+ flying spikes that make the 6.5 shine. Worked fine on reindeer in `Island.
The 264 WM is a spectacular performer! I used to shoot cans, as a boy of 14, from 400 yards, center punching them every time! The barrels don’t last that long, but a spectacular performer! I was shooting my mentor’s rifle, which made it look easy, and I had no idea these were reasonably difficult shots, but that was the among the best times in my life. Thank you, Lou, where ever you are!
Nobody can afford the ammo though. It's $90 a box in Canada. For those that reload it's obviously acceptable. I can buy 6.5 Creed for 24 bucks a box. Sad these older great cartridges are becoming impossible to shoot.
@@mogulrider I do reload, but with the Obama creature that took over the whitehouse, the cost of primers went high; when the Biden creature got in, it was much worse! When I started, a pound of powder was roughly $10, a 1000 primer box was not quite $10. A box of 100 bullets was nearly $10+/-, depending on how fancy they were. I could buy 500 cast hard lead SWC bullets for my 44 magnum for $20. Fast forward to lately, 1000 primers have been going for $140 on gunbroker, none in stores, bullets vary greatly, but 500 wadcutters are around $80, powders have been over $30 a pound. When I started shooting 45 ACP in 1984, I could buy 100 rounds of USA ammo for $8 and change. Blazer had a 100 round tub about the same price, then it went up to $12 per hundred. I complained. The clerk asked if I reload. I said that I don’t shoot enough to reload. He said, “you don’t shoot enough BECAUSE you don’t reload.” He set me up with a set, and I’d load 500 at a time! Now, I don’t think it’s cost effective with primers being so high, the exception being $40 or more per box rifle cartridges. With say 9mm, I could buy it for about what I’d spend in money, time and effort. If I ever get a casting set and a lube/sizer, I’ll get back into it.
I always said, 6.5x55 doing all that and more than the 6.5 Creedmoor since 1894. My primary deer rifle is a custom 6.5x55 built on a M96 made in 1900. Love that little rifle.
Met a bench rest Target shooter at the range a few weeks ago while I was sighting in my hunting rifle. He was shooting two of his bench rifles, one in 7mm Rem Mag and the other in 6.5 CM. When I asked him which one was his favorite of the two he said "the 6.5 is definitely my favorite of the two right now; it gives me really tight groups with my handloads out to the 500 M that I am shooting, and its so fun to shoot." Just one anecdote, but I think there are enough rifles chambered in the round and enough people still enjoying the cartridge that I do not think its going to "fall".
I am fine with my 6.5 Savage Model 10 BA Stealth with an MDT chassis. It is extremely accurate out to the very end of the 1,000 yard range I have on my land. It kills everything I have shot out to 815 yards including elk.
I've always liked Savage rifles just as I like Sig handguns. When I purchased it I bought it for my wife, to get her into a competitive shooting league. She ended up with a lighter rifle, and I just fell in love with the model and the 6.5 caliber. I've upgraded from it but never leave in the safe very long. We have the major bonus of owning a plot of land that has a fully functional 0-1,000 yard range. So we get to practice quite a bit. I do the precision thing and she does the three gun comps. There are many major brands to choose from, what is the all in budget?@@charlesbukowski9836
Son in law has one of these. Loves it. I have 3, 6.5 x55's. I love those as well. I do load my own ammo, so I have a big advantage tuning my ammo to my guns.
Do you have any experience "hot rodding" the 6.5 swede out of a mauser action? It irritates me because most of the load data developed for the 6.5 swede is made with 100 year old actions in mind. Modern actions can handle significantly more pressure supposedly and that's when the case capacity of the swede outshines the creedmore. I hand load and I've run plenty of max pressure loads out of my 6.5 swede however I have come across load data from norma that involves high tech newer powders loaded to higher pressures pushing the 140 grain to 2900 which is obviously very good for the swede. Problem is they specifically do not advise to run this in a mauser action. That being said these guns were all proofed at 90k. There's no reason it really shouldn't work its obviously just nerve wrecking and potentially dangerous to do so. That being said I think those who publish loading manuals go out of their way to be extra cautious for liability reasons. Do you have any experience loading for a Swedish mauser action actually pushing it to the cartridges capability?
Really Ron we are living in "the good old days" The selection and quality and options have never been better. Availability of some things is a challenge and there has always been good and really cool stuff but information, tools, components, and variety have never been better! Sometimes I want one of everything and two or three of some of them. Love the Creedmoor too!
6.5 creedmoor will be here forever 😎 yes there are other options super options to be precise but you should shoot what you want and dont let other people tell you whats good and what not ✌️ have fun shoot and do it every day you can Mr.Spomer keep up the great work
The Howa 1500 in 6.5 Grendel is fantastic, as are 100 year-old rifles chambered for the venerable Swede, and rifles made last week for Creedmoor. They're all terrific.
6.5 Creemore has it's place in a tool box. Its a versatile cartridge for smaller game and its great for target shooting. I personally am a fan of 30-06 and 308, as I usually hunt deer and moose.
I think the Creedmoor is legally a huge alternative around the globe where military cartridges like the 308 have now been banned for civilian use. It is smart but scary! So now Hornady wants you to buy a weapon that is inferior at all levels for military use or protection. So in America we tend to love are military cartridges they are durable, versatile and accurate. Even canada who runs the F1 Class competition have changed the rules to favor the 6.5 in 1,000 yard competition by banning any 308 cartridge above 155. That is a killer when the 175's are excellent for 1,000 yard competition.
Thanks for rubbing it in. The only rifle I’ve ever regretted selling was in 6.5 Swiss - it was far more accurate than I was at the time, so I figured it’d be better in the hands of someone who could use it.
I have to admit, I went in hard on 6.5 creedmoor. I first got a ruger american predator, like it so much I sprung for the ruger precision and I love it. I've acquired over 1000 rounds " just in case" for it. The thing just DOES NOT MISS
Fantastic. But the reality is the margin of improvement is really targets only. A lot of the long range bullets are unstable and have poor terminal ballistics. It isn't as though people didn't know what would work, they just didn't want the compromises on game. But given the majority of shooters don't hunt, the time had come for a do nothing practical rifle. Of course it can do whatever you want if one doesn't go full Kool Aid.
@@HondoTrailsidethey know exactly how to make the creedmoor perform in a hunting rifle. Even the little Grendel performs really well on deer. As far as being unstable, when a long bullet like that penetrates the target and becomes unstable it is pretty devastating.
I was late to the 6.5Cm bandwagon, only got into it because a friend needed some money and sold me his Savage 12FV for $125. Little did I know out of the box after a week of scrubbing it would put 5 rounds into 3/4" at 100 yards. A look at the ballistics convinced me to drop a Vortex 4x16x44 scope on it and do a little load development. It's down to 5 shot sub 3/8" groups (.330 best so far) with 129gr Hornady ELDx bullets. Sitting on a farms hedgerows 300-400 yard shots on deer are common and I've never had to take a second shot and to my surprise many were thru and thru, bullet performance was excellent and IMHO the 6.5Cm did a better job than a 308. I handload and with a normal 40gr charge of my favorite powder velocity's are in the 2800+ range, compared to my 270 at 55-58 grains that's almost 30% less powder and the 6.5Cm seems to drop those critters just as well. In other words it's cheaper to shoot. With 90 grainers it deadly on 'chucks and yotes, it barely recoils when doing it's job so follow up's on those smaller critters are a breeze. There will always be something bigger and better but it comes at a cost, the 6.5Cm is enough gun for anything up to deer sized game and I believe it produces better marksman with it's accuracy potential, low recoil and lower ammo cost meaning more shooting. What's not to like ?
My Savage Model 10 BA Stealth prefers the 143gr over the 129 but I love Hornady factory ammo...they do a better job than i can at hand loading and I shoot out to 1,000 yards pretty easily with it.
@@chippyjohn1 well, in America the Swede was, and still is,relatively obscure. Better? That’s a bold statement. All subjective and directly related to an individual’s situation. In the USA, unless you reload, I would disagree with better.
@@valsahr5836 You yanks think everything you do is better. 6.5X55 all the way. Just consider it was designed over 130 years ago, it took the US over 100 years to catch up and recognise the efficiency of 6.5mm. Nato wanted to go 6.5mm but because of the US they did not. Anyone that shoots larger volumes reload, avid hunters and target shooters don't buy factory ammunition.
@@riverwalker2173 most 'non standard' short or long action rounds are 40-60 a box around here for decent ammo. that said, since this comment I can find 6.5 prc and 300 prc.. I can't find 7 prc.. the problem with hunter fudds is they rarely take into consideration the popularity of things that fit in a magazine.. specially an AR platform magazine and Creedmoor does just that.
My old timer neighbor has been hunting with one rifle and one rifle only for the past 60 years, a .243. He has taken dozens of deer with it and dozens of Elk and Moose. I thought he was crazy for using that small of caliber for that size game. His response: "I will not take a shot past 250 yards and when I pull that trigger, I need a guarantee that the bullet lands in within an area smaller than my fist" He has never lost an animal in over 60 years of hunting.
@@barakabarakabarakamy uncle is the same way. Just before the Gun Control Act of 1968 was about to take effect, he mail-ordered a sporterized Mauser chambered in 6mm Remington to his door step. He also bought a keg of surplus powder, a pile of primers, and a crate of 6mm Nosler bullets. He worked up a load and that was it. He still uses that same rifle and reloading stockpile to this day. It doesn’t matter if he’s shooting elk or coyotes, they all get the same 55 year old Nosler Partition lol. In his hands, every single bullet is an animal harvested and in the freezer.
I've three rifles in 6.5x55, and it is hands down my favorite cartridge, with 7x57 being a close second. I also have three rifles in 7x57. They are both mild but effective and fun as heck to shoot. I shoot lots of other rifle cartridges too, from 5.56 through .458 WinMag and lots of stuff in between, but these two are my particular favorites. Oh, yeah, I reload, otherwise I wouldn't be shooting quite a few of my rifles.
I'm 60 and prefer the old rounds. .223, .243, .284, .270, .308, .3006, 7 remmag, .300wmag. That's it! I get the 6.5 Swede, great round. I do want a Win 3030 and 4570.
Great information Ron. As for I’ll keep my 30-30 and 308. And when my 8 year old outgrows his Grendel he’ll be getting a 7mm-08 simply bc it’s ballistics within my self determined ethical hunting distance is virtually identical to the creedmore but has a few heavier bullet selections.
The 7mm-08 is a good, balanced cartridge. The 6.5 Creedmoor was designed as a 1000 yard target cartridge, so it mainly gains on the 7mm-08 at very long ranges.
I have killed 🦌 with everything from the .300 weatherby down to the.223. I don't know why but I've always felt underguned with the .243 even though it always worked very well. After about four seasons with the 6.5 I have found it to be the Goldilock cartridge for me. It's just right. Too many people expect too much from a cartridge but like Jack O Conner said. "All any cartridge does is burn powder and launch bullet's. .
The 6.5 Creedmoor has always reminded me of the .243 Winchester just a little bigger, both shoot fast and flat. But people act like .243 is youth/womens cartridge and 6.5 is the right hand of God haha
I respect high quality information, especially from people who have experience from the field. I too am a 300 Mag guy, but 243 worked every time I did my part. Glad to hear about your 6.5 results, as I bought one thinking it was all my daughter could handle recoil wise, and it would be 'just enough' as she thought she was moving to aemi remote Canada at one point (she'd had to give her S&W and 30 Carbine up). The 6.5 Swede penterates game well, and O'Conner counted on the 270 with 150 gr bullets to deal with the odd Grizzly, if necessary. I could use less kick in my target sessions these days, but I bought the 6.5 for the reason stated. I hope the 147 grs do the job with deep penetration, if needed, and you stating that they do. Thanks.
I prefer the 7mm-08 over the 6.5 Creedmoor for a hunting cartridge. For plinking /target stuff the creed is great. It's good for hunting too, I've used it on deer but I still prefer the 7mm-08
Take a look at the ballistic comparison. More energy and flatter in same size bullets. Have 2 7mm-08s wanted to get a new rifle was looking at 6.5 and realized I already had two rifles better in that size.
The 6.5 Swede’s enemy is the industry’s refusal to make 6.5x55 +P ammo for use in modern actions. They continue to manufacture low pressure ammo for the few remaining old actions.
I wouldn't say "few" remaining old actions. There are an absolute ton of M96 and M38 rifles on the surplus market. I'm sure the ammo manufacturers don't want a hot round ending up in one of those.
You are correct with American made ammo, but European ammo you purchase 6.5x55 SE which is a higher pressure Swede and sold in the states. Although it is still below 60,000psi I believe.
And those still kill like the black death, should one not handload. Seyfried wrote some articles on it, and said his old school 6.5x54 was good for everything other than Grizzly. This from a guy who was a Keith disciple.
Hi Ron, G'day from Aus., spot on, ADF at 17, started reloading after rookies, loved going to the range (military & civilian) & talking with the older diggers (especially the reloaders), love the science of creating your own (some say rolling you're own) with what's avail., to increase performance be it velocity, energy, trajectory, etc., the 7mm Mauser & 6.5mm Swede by far the most efficient cartridges of the time & to this day, with same pressures, modern powders, same twist rate & bullet weight & barrel lenght will out do any modern equivalents, this is comparing in bolt actions & single shots for comparing perfomance not AR platforms where I think the 6.5 excells, I prefer the 6.5 Swede to the .243 Win due to heavier projectiles & faster twist rate, they all do the job within their limits, bucket list, the 6.5 grendel is on it, small action light outfit for goats in rough country, walk in walk out, I should've followed my passion, man after my iwn heart, keep them vids comin', wan't to set up for reloading again after movin' a few times, always a pleasure to listen to & keep you're bestie 4 legged next to ya, wouldn't live without one 🍻😎😂 Keep the wind in you face, the 🌅 to your back & your powder dry, old soldiers never die, they just go over the hill, see you on the next one or the next light/life 👍😎😘 Oh' home on the range 😂
One specific thing that helps the 6.5 creedmoor hang in there pretty well is the fact that it's optimized for AR10/SR25 constraints. The AR10 "can" be chambered in larger cartridges like the WSM's but few companies do it, and even fewer do it well, however nearly every company that makes an AR10 offers it in 6.5 creedmoor (and some are starting to offer 6creedmoor more often too) Personally my favorite AR10 cartridge is the 7mm-08, im a big fan of 7mm as a bullet diameter just for a little more frontal area compared to a 6.5 and you can still load excellent high BC bullets and get respectable velocities and carry a good amount of energy a long way. To me it's the perfect goldilocks cartridge specifically for the AR10: it can be loaded almost as heavy as a .308 for some real "oomph" and still offers excellent BC's similar to the 6.5 creedmoor. At 500yds with my 7mm-08 I've still got ample velocity for good expansion and have just barely dropped under 1500ft/lbs with a 162gr ELD-X, and if i want to shoot a match the 162gr ELD-M will stay supersonic well past 1000yds at my velocities. For a long time i didn't really know much at all about ballistics and bullet diameters and BC's, and i thought the .308 was the end-all be-all. Then as i started to get into the weeds and learn more about "long action vs short" and learned more about BC's and what velocities were realistic with certain cartridge and bullet combinations and what rifles had proper twist rates for certain bullets and much much more i ended up deciding on 7mm as my preferred bullet diameter for a LOT of things, and it has a lot going for it. It's big enough to hunt basically any animal in north america ethically, and at proper velocities its bullet weights are going to be carrying enough "energy" for clean hunting kills on basically anything in north america. 7mm bullets sit in a good spot for their bullet weight/shape to BC ratio, and most 7mm bullets aren't prohibitively heavy or long enough to severely impact smart case designs. Look at 7mm PRC VS 300PRC. if you compare BC and velocity on paper the 7 absolutely smokes the 300 (the 300 will carry more energy for a very long distance due to sheer weight, that's a fact) but the 7PRC launches a bullet with a higher BC than the 300 and does it faster AND does it with noticeably less recoil because it's a lighter bullet being pushed by less powder. Ballistically the 7PRC is truly incredible: great ballistic trajectory, lower recoil than a lot of other high performance long range cartridges, excellent amount of energy for clean and ethical kills on large game at any "reasonable" range, and not prohibitively heavy or expensive. That's why, for my two "full power" rifles I i ended up going with 7mm-08 in an AR10 and a 7PRC in a bolt action, and i did not start out thinking i was going to care about 7mm's at ALL. And 6.5 creedmoor and 6.5PRC are also excellent cartridges (i absolutely dont mean this to say it's for women or weak people, but it might sound like it) my younger sister shoots a 6.5 creedmoor and she absolutely hammers deer with it, she loves that rifle and if i needed to use it for hunting I'd feel very well equipped to hunt all but the absolute biggest game in North America. If i had a bull moose or a boar grizzly charging me would i want something bigger? Yeah I'd want a howitzer, but for hunting any animal im likely to hunt in any location the 6.5 creedmoor would probably get the job done fine.
@@johnnash5118 oh yeah, there's a lot that i didn't specifically mention. The list of things I didn't even know I didn't know could be very long. I'll also confess that sectional density isn't something I really understand in depth, and (for the most part) isn't something I worry about too much because I tend to favor long high BC bullets that tend to also have higher sectional densities. And material can skew what sectional density actually means because a bullet with a lower SD can penetrate more depending on construction (example: a TTSX with a lower SD than an ELD-X will still penetrate further because the TTSX is solid copper and holds together basically perfectly)
@@Gkvello22 .30 cals will be better for big animals like moose and large bears, and in a couple states the minimum bullet diameter that is legal to hunt bison is .30 cal, but as far as having enough "energy" and (slightly more important to me) enough velocity to expand properly and deliver that energy on target the bigger 7's have plenty of both both at any reasonable distance. I still think .30's have their place, for pure payload on target I'd still take a 300PRC or a 300 Norma Magnum, but for a great mix of ballistic efficiency and "power" it's pretty hard to beat a well-designed 7mm
@@Kross8761 i live in a state where it must be bigger than .22x so i certainly understand the logic. Sadly our “big game” is black bear and i don’t even hunt (yet) so if i were to hunt it would be deer. I appreciate your information
You're spot on with the comment about the Grendel. I stepped up from .30-30 to .270 as my whitetail round of choice about ten years ago and never looked back. But, when it comes to late season here in Virginia where you can tag two a day, once the herds start grouping back up post-rut I can shoulder and multi-target running deer at 250 yards with a semi-auto Grendel and never lose a sight picture. My Grendel shoots flatter than my 9mm PCC with barely any recoil.
No way, I love the 6.5 Creedmoor. It does everything you need it to, great gun for learning if you’re new to shooting also. I actually prefer it over the 308
I am fine with my 6.5 Savage Model 10 BA Stealth with an MDT chassis. It is extremely accurate out to the very end of the 1,000 yard range I have on my land. It kills everything I have shot out to 815 yards including elk.
I've got one 6.5 Creedmoor (a Savage Axis) just because I got it at a really good deal, but honestly for real hunting use I'm unlikely to move away from my 7mm-08. Its my go to and what I've killed by far the most game with. I will occasionally use a muzzleloader and if I ever get to hunt in straight-wall only state I'll likely pickup a .350 Legend, but for general use 7mm-08 just works for me.
Those really good deals gets your attention. I bought a Thompson Center bolt action cheap but it's a Shooter and a T.C. encore barrel both in 6.5 CM . Good Luck for this upcoming Deer Season.
I've been using the .308/7.62 NATO since the Army and can't get away from it. Saved my brother from a charging bear he couldn't hit-to-kill with his .44 Magnum. I shot a 7mm-08 and was impressed with its flat shooting ability. I shot silhouettes with it one day out to 500 meters and it was good at it.
Thank you for this video. Many good options out there. I had hopes 6 ARC would get more military contracts because that usually lowers the price. Will be tough to overthrow the 6.5CM when factoring: Energy on Target + Recoil Management + Barrel Life
The guys culling hogs in Texas really did push the popularity of the 6.5 grendel. With a copper bullet it will punch through 180 lbs+ pigs at 200 yards. It is an amazing little cartridge…even out of a 16” barrel. The creedmoor is a jack of all trades…a master of none but still better than a master of one. In the same camp as the 308…you know…just better. ;)
Been shootimg the 6.5CM for about 3 years now. Man, was i impressed the first outing with it. Came from a .308 that i'd been hunting with for the last 25 years. It's tried and true but never achieved the less than 1/2 MOA groups at 100yrds with it like i do now with the 6.5. I'll keep using it for many years to come.
I love my 6.5 Grendel for deer or smaller due to its lighter recoil and the fact it fits a AR Magazine. The 6.5 CM never impressed me enough to abandon my .308 Win when I need something with a little more authority down range.
I think when you start with 308, and you’re only planning on hunting with it, then 6.5c seems like a waste of time. But I started with 6.5c and wanted to shoot 308 as a cheap alt… boy was I disappointed by M80. The good 308 ammo is just as pricy as 6.5c, but 6.5c is cutting through wind so much more efficiently.
The further distance/yards the xtra stopping power decreases on .308 We’re they swap with 6.5 shining out to 800yds and beyond. I do own Both. In bolt and AR platform. simply no comparison 800 and further It’s not even a comparison. Any ballistic app will show this. As stated love both but L.R matches I only take ONE. 6.5CM with 153 A-tip at 2822 FPS. Not a typo on velocity either obtainable with no psi sighs All in the powder. 6.5 still sells more in (rifle variety) than any other caliber as of 4-6-23. And to think was once a HATTER!! Of said caliber. Lol. Good day.
The 6.5 Creedmoor was designed as a 1000yard target cartridge, so the emphasis was placed on long range accuracy. Part of the reason it became so popular was that its chamber design tends to produce good accuracy in typical production rifles. Suddenly a lot of shooters were able to consistently hit targets that they had always missed before. That, combined with lower recoil than a 308, is largely why it became so popular. The 6.5 Grendel is an excellent cartridge for deer. Its main issue is that some handloaders try to hotrod it to the point where AR15 bolt life becomes an issue.
I like the 6.5 but haven't got one because I already have 308.. 243..270.. it doesn't offer me what I don't already have. But as a one and done cartridge around here I recommend it.
I reload and shoot 14 different cartridges. 6.5 creedmoor is just 1 of them. I don't understand why anyone hates any cartridge. No one is forcing you to buy anything you don't want. Learn to enjoy all of them.
My favorite 'specialty caliber' everyone had to have 6.5 CM Shooters hunters and reloaders have shown it's do-all capacity. Hell, even special operators in ghillie attire are in on the game. Recently short barrel AR-10 in 6.5 CM outperform competition. It's a special caliber for all, Ron. Great 👍 video thanks 🏁
It was amazing to watch the growth in popularity of the 6.5 Creedmoor. I cannot think of a cartridge that has become so “commonly accepted” in the last 40 years. I was surprised that you didn’t compare/comment on the 260 Remington (though it has all but fallen into obscurity).
@@philp411 Exactly....... this is the thing that makes the 6.5 special in it's own little way. There are crap loads of more powerful cartridges but basically none that fit in a 308 magazine with heavy for caliber bullets and is extremely commercially available. 260 came very close but just missed the mark by a hair. In a bolt gun where you can run a slightly longer overall length the 260 is probably ever so slightly superior..... but not in my AR10
I did a lot of research trying to decide on a cartridge for my first rifle, which I want to use primarily for hunting pigs out here in California. I decided on 6.5 PRC. If I lived in a state which allowed suppressors, I'd probably go with 6.8 Western.
@@42N8_1 it's fine if you reload. There's great BC bullets in that caliber and it can put more energy downrange than a lot of similar cartridges. There's a reason the US military is going with something close to it.
@@42N8_1 I agree. You bought a caliber that will be supported for a long time to come. I'm taking a 6.5PRC to South Africa next year to see how it performs.
@@42N8_1I kind of want to get a rifle in 6.8 western just so I can complain about ammo when I'm older, like next week. It's a good cartridge but it did fall flat.
I don't think the Creedmor is going anywhere. The only thing that really slowed it down was the big ammo shortage and the manufacturers seeming to ignore anything that wasn't a NATO cartridge. Even today it seems that every new rifle released always starts with the 308 and the 6.5 Creedmor being the first two options offered. The new larger magnum type cartridges have their place, but most woods hunters have realized they don't need the extra recoil and expense. I still have my 260 Rem and 6.5x55 as well. Never felt under-gunned with either in the whitetail woods. Love the 7mm-08 too. And the 270, 25-06, 280 rem and so on and so on.
Some of us who were already shooting the 260 Rem and 6.5x55 saw right through Hornady’s marketing wizardry and stayed with what we had. There’s an old saying that certainly applies to all the new cartridges being introduced, “Throw enough 💩against the wall and some of it is bound to stick.”
And if you had that caliber prior to the release of the Creedmoor, it makes perfect sense for you to stay with it. I didn't have anything in this weight class so I went with the Creedmoor because I was teaching teenage girls had a shoot with it. It's perfect for that.
@@posterestantejames there’s a good handful of other cartridges that fit the bill beautifully for what you chose the Creedmoor to do. I don’t hold it against anyone who choses a Creedmoor. What I don’t like is how Hornady acted like they reinvented the wheel and launched the second coming of Christ.
The Swedes got it right 130 years ago. Remington did an awful job of marketing the 260. But the 6.5CM addresses the weaknesses of both these cartridges and throws in a few tricks of its own. The 260 SAAMI is too short to allow loading high BC projectiles without pushing into its case volume advantage. The Swede is a long action and you can't get full-load factory ammo for it due to the liability of old metallurgy. The 6.5CM is more efficient than both. It is a short action that is inherently accurate due to its tighter chamber (see SAAMI specs). And good factory ammo - including match ammo - is everywhere for it. For reloaders, we can get small rifle primer brass in 6.5CM which allows higher pressure loads and better performance. The 6.5CM has a lot going for it - it's like the 350 Chev of calibers (there are parts everywhere for it) - so it's not just marketing hype.
Something that I have not seen mentioned anywhere yet (hint, hint), is the advancement in technologies of firearm, and powder, bullets design, which has made many of these new cartridges possible and improved performance of older cartridges. Most notable for hunting is the newer bullets, lead core still works and has been improved but it is no longer the champion it once was. Long range shooters will be more interested in powder and both are happy with new firearms available. I have the 6mm Rem and love it, so not getting rid of it.
The factory killed the 260 with lack of marketing and bullet offerings imo. I have no clue why the 260 and 7-08 arent more popular than they are. Cant get a better overall hunting round for deer
The outperformance is minimal and offers no real word advantage. If you handload and love your 6.5×55 you already own, keep that and love it, but if you are buying a new rifle in the US 6.5 creedmoor makes more sense. Both are great cartridges though.
@@mattc5647 define minimal. Vihtavuori loads gain 100 fps between standard "Swedish Mauser" and SE/SKAN specifications, and CIP standard loads are hotter than SAAMI to start with, probably 50-100 fps.
Ron don’t forget the 25-06 is a great deer hunting round up to and including Elk with the great bullets of today. And it is better than a need more at all practical hunting ranges. Screw on a 1/7 twist barrel and use the 130 to 135 grain high bc bullets now being produced it leaves the need more in the dust period.
@@Nick-sx6jm your not using the right bullets then. A good bonded bullet or all copper bullet like a 115 TSX and it’ll take elk without question! But it’s would be a backup for me when I own all the great Elk calibers including a 300 rum and several 338 win mags. My Uncle used a 25-06 extensively on elk for 40 years with a 120 grain rem core lock bullet and brought home more Elk with it than most 10 people will get in a lifetime!
@dougkahler7152 I just would never use it for elk when there are so many better options out there. Also, dont like copper bullets at all. Wanted to like them and tried them in 257wby, 340wby, and 7x61. Ended up losing a bear and nearly losing a few deer because of poor performance even with perfect shot placement.
I'm a 6mm guy at heart, so it works perfectly for me. I've run a .243 for a long time and as a dedicated hunting rifle that's able to run 55 Grain Nosler Ballistic Tips right up to 100 grain bonded bullets for bigger game. I've never felt like i needed anything else here in Eastern Australia. The only thing i ever felt i was missing was a dedicated high BC target round because i dont handload. Now i don't have to worry anymore, i have the 6.5 CM for target and the .243 for hunting. 6mm all round gets the job done.
Every episode I watch of yours I thoroughly enjoy. Im learning so much. Have one old 3006 for deer hunting and im no expert so i love every piece of info you share. Thank you
@@frosty0419 The .338 does not have a very big following in Southern Africa. The most popular calibre in SA is the .30-06 followed closely by the .308Win, the .270Win and the .243Win for plains and general hunting. The 9,3x62 and .375H&H are at the top for medium/heavy calibres.
I suspect there will be a rise and fall with just about every cartridge given enough time. With that said, going to Cabelas and looking at the ammo shelves, there is more 6.5 Creedmoor than about anything else. Lots of offerings, all well stocked. It seems to be the current predominant option.
@@bobjohnson1633 I am seeing fall off in many areas. Look at what NEW guns are coming out and what their chambering options are. or even current offerings from modern manufacturers. Look at what is selling. There are plenty of good 30-30 and many other rifles out there, already owned. And they will keep doing a fine job. But when people are looking to buy a NEW rifle, well they are choosing other things.
@@bobjohnson1633They are a great choice, I have one. I got it from my dad, my Grand father hunted with one and was quite successful. I also have a 30-30.
@@Nick-sx6jm, 30-30 is still very popular in my area. With the exception of fields, most deer hunting is done under 100 yards. 30-30 works great in those conditions.
Well Ron when the 6. 5 creedmoor came out you were up there saying how good it was taking it can any game in the field and good it was in long range I believe you and now you putting down Thanks A lot.
I was slow with the 6.5 hunted (back in the day) with a really pretty mod 70 in 264 had to have a 6.5 needmore. My thing with it is its very accurate and pretty easy on barrels which for those of us that shoot alot.
A lot of NRL shooters are coming around full circle and going back to the 6.5 Creedmoor. Accurate, fast or slow velocities, very low recoil for follow up shots, cheap, easily handles wind for the relevant distances, and just clears the power factor.
it really is a perfect balanced cartridge ... look at it all around,,, I was looking at 7WSM but why? ill never shoot to 1500 in REALITY 1000 is max even then 700/800 is the practical range of these mid tier calibers for us mortals using these wonder loads
6.8 is a modern high efficiency cartridge same as the creedmoor, it’s just a bit bigger in every way including the recoil. So you just have to ask yourself what is right for you and the ranges you hunt, plenty of new cartridges out that are all essentially doing the same thing just in slightly different sizes leaving you to pick the range and recoil balance that’s right for you. All of them are great options, I want a 6.8 because I use my larger rifles primarily for hunting and I don’t mind a bit of recoil. Wife also has a 6.5 creedmoor so i already have one under my care lol
I use my 6.5 for white tail and smaller game. I'm looking at a 6.8 because I can and I want a good bear rifle in the woods, that's different from what everyone else in my family has. I'm also curious about it's abilities in Africa and South America for hunting.
The creedmoor will have lower recoil. But if you're okay with the Western recoil, it will definitely outperform the creedmoor for hunting game. It doesn't sound like it's all that hard to deal with the recoil from it though.
hey Ron, I agree with you, and don't hate the 6.5 creed. I just wish that you would always enter the caveat that if you handload, the 6.5swede, 260 rem etc will outperform the creed. good cartridge but it's not magic and the oldies are still phenomenal cartridges. the swede claim to fame came using long heavy bullets! 160 gr I believe.
6.5 Creedmoor is a sweet round. That being said I remember 10 years ago when all of the WSM stuff was all the rage. Good luck finding ammo for all of those .270 WSM rifles at your local gun and ammo store. Mt favorite rifle is a Winchester 70 in .257 Roberts, but I haven't found ammo for it at a brick and mortar store in a decade.
@@aquadonkey.good question. I bought my rifle during the pandemic and I could not find 6.5PRC anywhere. Obviously now looking back is easy but back then it wasn’t. I don’t mind what people shoot and many calibers have their time and place. I like my rig and is a tack driver, fun to shoot long range and can still put meat on the table when needed. Happy shooting!
@@aquadonkey. Lower recoil, availability, and for the average hunter, who shouldn't be taking shots past 400 yards, the PRC offers no benefit. The PRC is an awesome carriage but more isn't always better if we're being honest with ourselves about how we're going to use it.
I wouldn't be surprised by a fall, but I feel it will fall from incredibly popular to just popular. It is too common, too produced and too supported to just go away overnight. I just think they are reaching peak market saturation.
Just picked up a Howa SuperLite in 6.5cm for my son. I'm shocked by how light it is, and Daddy's seriously contemplating getting himself one of these afterward as well. Waiting to see it's effect on a Muley first, before ditching the .308Win 1st. I'm liking the idea of it being easier on the shoulder, after having had arthro-scopic on my shooting side for a labral tear before.
Daddy finally got some time to finish sighting in that 6.5cm. That recoil is nice! You can handle that with or without the butt of the rifle firmly tucked into the shoulder pocket. Unfortunately there was some crosswind that day, so I didn't get to see just how impressive the groups CAN be, but still there were very respectable groups, even with the wind. I'm thinking this cartridge will lead to a lot of better shooters since it's less recoil, so there'll be less instance of people "punching the trigger" pre-flinching.
It does everything I ask of it for coyote and deer hunting as well as long range target shooting. Accuracy is exceptional, barrel life is great, recoil is non-existent, and reloading for it is very easy on my wallet. Still loving mine after many years of use.
I own and shoot, 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser, .260 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor, and 6.5-284 Norma. They have pretty much the same effect on game, lights out. Speed and accuracy go to the 6.5-284 Norma.
I bought a old Swedish 6.5x55 as a young man and fell in love with the cartridge. Later on Winchester offered the Model 70 Featherweight in 6.5x55 with a 1in 7.87 twist. Bought one brand new in 1992. The rifle is absolutely awesome and will shoot any 6.5 bullet accurately. My brother bought a Remington Model 700 in .260 Remington when it first came out. It got better velocity with factory ammo, but was not as accurate as my Model 70. All of my hand loads equaled or exceeded my brothers 260 hand loads and were more accurate. I settled on the 140 grain Nosler Partition at 2800 fps. I have never needed another load. It does everything a 6.5 could ever be bc asked to do. I have never needed another 6.5 cartridge.
The 6.5 is much ado about something that already existed. The 6.5 -08 A Square ( 260 Rem) does everything the CM does and is far cheaper. I neck down a .308, trim, load, and bullet I want, and viola, cheaper, just as accurate, just a fast. etc.
Excellent analysis, sir. It seems there are a lot of rounds in the same class as the 6.5 CM, but I get the feeling that the majority of folks are building their inventory around the more ubiquitous rounds. 223, 308, 9mm, 45ACP, etc. Some of that owing to what ammo manufacturers are making most readily available. Seems that 6.5 CM has made its way into that category. Most of those other similar rounds you mentioned I’d never even heard of, but then again, I’m not a ballistics snob who’s trying to eek out another few FPS. Based on the support it’s gotten thus far from shooters and manufacturers (plus a few other factors), I’d guess the 6.5 CM will probably stick around for a while, if for no other reason than stubborn people like me don’t like new things. 😆 The 30-06 has been in service for over a century, and it’s still got just as loyal a following as it ever has. The 6.5 CM doesn’t have nearly the legendary status, but it’s solid enough to hold up I think.
I dont think it will ever go away. Its a well designed cartridge thats accurate, effective on medium game, easy on the shoulder, and pretty easy to reload.
@@SoloRenegade My 308s still get a lot of action for shooting steel and hunting, but my 6mm guns are much easier to shoot at longer ranges. The 308 is also a lot cheaper to shoot.
@@CorwinBos exactly, people aren't going to stop shooting their guns just because some self-important nobody claims it's "done". .308 is still military issue and cheap as a result. And as long as .308 guns exist in quantity, 6.5 crdmr will be popular as a drop-in replacement. I have both .308 and 6.5crdmr guns for this exact reason. And what need do I have to shoot beyond 1200m anyways?
@@SoloRenegade I agree 100%. M80 ball is great cheap blaster ammo, whether you bought it or loaded it yourself. And thats something that the Creedmoors will never be able to beat largely because there isnt such a thing as a 6.5mm FMJBT bullet thats cheap. Ive taken my 308 to a 1000, 6 CM to 1200. If I need to go longer, thats what my 300 PRC is for :)
@@CorwinBos "largely because there isnt such a thing as a 6.5mm FMJBT bullet thats cheap." unless the military decides to use it at some point. " Ive taken my 308 to a 1000, 6 CM to 1200. If I need to go longer, thats what my 300 PRC is for :)" exactly, we choose something larger if we want to go further. but larger is more expensive, less ammo, and heavier, for performance that is rarely needed.
Already had the 6.5 284 but bought the 6.5 creedmore anyway ,no regrets less recoil,less powder,great results.I only hunt wolves here in idaho and dont use either of them 😂
Ron likes to talk about all kinds of crazy cartridges, but 99 percent of them can be eliminated from consideration by simply going to your local gun shop and looking at what ammo is available. If there is none on the shelf, you may as well eliminate it from consideration. The smart choice is going to be a caliber that has significant ammo in stock, probably 308, 30-06, 270, 243 etc.
I just bought a Ruger American Hunter in 6.5 Creedmore and I love it. The recoil is manageable over the 308 I use to shoot. I'm over 70 and it makes deer hunting a pleasure again.
I put together a Ruger American Compact in 6.5 Creedmoor with a muzzle brake for my girlfriend. One of the most accurate rifles I've ever shot - first handload I tested grouped into .332" @ 100 yards.
*CREEDMOOR*
This. It's fun to practice with instead of being a chore
@@bryanbiltoft8141Apollo 🥊
This reminds me of an ice cream commercial I saw years ago. The ice cream company talked about all the flavors of ice cream they made. When asked what their best seller was, they replied, Vanilla. Lot's of good old vanilla calibers that will likely long out live the latest and greatest.
Alan, that is a very good way to look at it.
7mm08 !
308 Win gang checking in
The original 6.5 checking in, the mighty Swede.
@@Paul-45-70 I respect my elders, the 6.5 Swede
The fact that an entire religion has popped up around hating this cartridge cemented my love of it.
The religion was created by it's fans, not it's haters. It's not surprising being the Fanboy you are, that you would have that backwards... You're just as bad as 30-06 and 308 fanboys.
Why are people so worked up over the 6.5? I dont get why people lose there minds over someone liking it.
@whodatking26 you should turn your question around and you'll get a better idea. Why do people get so excited and Rave about it when there's been flatter shooting cartridges out for a long time before it.
@@kanehoward7050 how old are you?
I went to a 6.5 creedmoor 5 years ago (Bergara) with Leupold CDS and absolutely love it. Flat, fast & low recoiling. 👏👍
Ditto. Have Bergara B14 BMP. Looking at some hunting rifle options, however why switch calibers. My guess sales/marketing will drive the marketplace and for all the folks who shoot 6.5, I just don't see it going away anytime soon.
I got a 6.5 cm in the b14 ridge
@@jameschristy9966how do you like the Bergara? I am seeing a lot of bad reviews
The 6.5 Creedmoor, and the 6 Creedmoor, really gained popularity too because they fit and feed from a box magazine for the semi-auto shooters. Opening up options for the long range shooters and hunters.
I think the semi autos is where they make the most sense.
Exactly... I own an AR10 platform in 6.5 and it is amazing. Is it the most powerful laser cannon on earth? of course not. It shoots damn well out to 1000 yards though and even if I wouldn't hunt animals at that range.. it has plenty of energy for the two legged variety.
If I had to choose between those two with rifle & ammo availability & price being relatively equal, I'd pick the 6mm most definitely ( would be an ideal cartridge for what I hunt anyhow ). The 6.5 CM seems to me like a jack of all trades but master of none, caliber (tweener).
@@riverwalker2173 LOL you just described one of the most popular cartridges of all time..... the 308 Winchester.... and yet it is still magnificent. Tweener is pretty much the same as saying "sweet spot" which is a great thing. If you want power and range then 338 Norma mag would be amazing or Lapua or a 50 BMG... or price and ammo availability .22 rimfire... But here we are talking about compromises. 6CM is a great round but ammo availability and price is not even close to the 6.5 simply due to popularity and economy of scale.
@@jasminebebe3455 That’s spot on. I bought a POF Revolution DI a little over a year ago in .308. It’s sub Moa and it delivers energy downrange like nothing else in the AR15 platform. I thought hard and long about getting it in 6.5 Creedmoor, but ammo prices and “what’s practical “ dissuaded me. It shoots Norma Tactical at 1” and I’ve stocked up with over 1,200 rounds so far. I’m so impressed with this combo that I rarely even bother with anything else.
I think Hornady has done one thing to ensure the 6.5 CM's success that no other manufacturer of a non military recently developed cartridge in it's class has cared to consider: made it one of the most affordable and ubiquitous chamberings available. Anyone can come up with a cartridge to outperform the last guy by a little or a lot, but the strategy of making an efficient, game effective cartridge and keeping it affordable as a quality factory loading and letting all the rifle manufacturers chamber it in everything from high end customs to affordable lines like the savage axis and Ruger American was hard to beat! Honestly I think that was what caught everyone else off guard who were developing screaming demons and trying to keep them proprietary (and expensive) for as long as possible. Manufacturers from Nosler to Weatherby were trying to keep the bleeding edge of performance in precision shooting an exclusive cool kids club when Hornady decided to democratize it for the masses!
As much as I love the.260 Remington, the 6.5 Creedmoor is better. It’s a wonderfully balanced design and as much as it’s detractors will say it’s not any better that the.243 or whatever, it is. More precise SAAMI specs and the ability to shoot a wider variety of bullets, along with most ammunition manufacturers taking care to produce really good ammo are all big advantages.
All ammo is what them want higher prices ,ammo needs to come down ,reloading components really need to come down.
@Roy-tp2iy in English please... what do you want them to do? There's a lot of factors that play into ammo manufacturing. There's pretty much one powder supplier and one primer company in the entire country... The US government up until recently prohibited foreign primers. So the manufacturers are feeling it too. They're probably barely breaking even.
You said it better than anyone I have heard. Think your right.
All true!
I've been extremely happy with the 6.5 Creedmoor. It does everything I need it to do with efficiency and superb accuracy.
I’ve always been an ‘old skool’ guy when it comes to calibers for hunting, .30-30, .45-70, .270 Win, and .30-06. All of these served me well over the decades, and I never bought into the Ultra Mags, Short Mags, and all the other new cartridges that were coming out. Lots of folks like them and that’s good, but I never saw the need as I don’t take 500+ yard shots. A month ago, when my ‘06 started making my old bones ache after a range session, I decided it was time for a lighter-recoiling hunting cartridge. I went with .243 Win. For deer & hogs it’s more than enough, it has a proven track record, ammo is easy to find and cheap, and I can shoot it all day with no discomfort.
Awesome video Ron, thanks! 👍
Yep. Very valid point.
For fun The modern load out equivalent of your setup might be 6mm Arc, 6.5 creedmoor, 7mm PRC, the 500sw magnum, and 30-30 because it's just too fun to run that lever action.
And all those '06 based calibers, and other military cartridges have many advantages of their own. Battle tested feeding, basically they were some of the earlier beltless magnum, etc... Th '06 was a magnum compared to the 08 capacity, or .303, and when you dive down to the 280, 270, 25-06, they are boomers.
Have you tried the creedmoor? You would probably like it a lot as far as performance and recoil.
I’m sure the .243 is a great deer cartridge. Not sure I’d trust it on hog.
270 for me over 40 years. I live in Alaska and been knocking down everything I shoot at.
The one thing old Ronny didn't take into consideration is how well the 6.5 Creedmoor adapts to the AR-10 platform. That alone is enough to keep the round in high demand for the foreseeable future.
I was about to make the point as well. 6.5 Creedmoor AR-10 rocks.
he misses allot of stuff we all know instinctively
@@The_Watchful_Eyesthat was an interesting lesson. I actually expected the common stuff to be gone because everyone has those calibers and the less common stuff to be available last. Turns out the stuff they don’t keep much of on the shelf goes quick and ammo manufacturers prioritize the most common calibers if there’s a disruption to the supply chain. It makes sense, guess I had to see it play out to realize it. Now I try to stock up on the hard to find stuff knowing the common stuff will almost always be available and will be first to come back if stores get wiped out
That’s the only reason
exactly, and this isn't his first time proving his ignorance on this issue.
I have a 6.5 Creedmoor, 6mm Creedmoor, and 6.8 Western. I love these fast twist barrels … accuracy and precision!
Love my 6.5CM! I’ve taken two bull elk, two muley bucks and a black bear with mine
6.5 Creedmore is the right tool for me. I generally hunt mule deer and smaller game out to about 300 yards. Super accurate and easy on the shoulder. What’s not to love? You can always find a reason to buy something new. Right now, I have what I need. Keep up the great work.
+1, which is why a lot of us guys who shoot the Swede never moved in the first place. And there were some excellent custom rifles available cheep as top shooter went for the Creedmore.
Well said. It's all personal preference really in the end. No cartridge is better than another. Just diff calibers for different types of uses. Your use will be diff then mine. Nobody is wrong
*CreedMOOR*
I drop elk, deer, pronghorn with my 6.5 CM every year. I shot an elk at 380 yards last year and it was dead on the ground within 20 yards. I use the Barnes VOR-TX LR 127 grain for all of them.
@@bryanbiltoft8141 NEED MORE CREEDMORE
Greetings from England. Been target shooting 6.5CRM for a couple of years now out to 1200 yds. Switching to this round has greatly improved my accuracy & I am now a dedicated fan. Readily available rifles in this caliber & reasonably cheap factory ammo means its here to stay.
You can get a rifle in England? Whats that process look like? From Canada here.
@@becomeraptureready Very strict vetting process, no criminal convictions, psychological profiling, letter from your doctor, two references, good security, membership of a shooting club (with safe shooter certificate) & then regular attendance to that club. If shooting game, then a letter from a landowner giving permission to stalk/vermin control/calibers allowed/insurance required/etc. Plenty of guns shops in UK.
@@francis4845 Are you able to get semi auto rifles? Are you able to get handguns?
@@becomeraptureready Only rimfire semi autos, no centre fire semi autos allowed. Pistols have to have a long barrel & a bar/counterweight fitted at the bottom of the grip to be overall 24” long. So effectively considered a rifle & obviously can’t be concealed.
@@francis4845
Oh my. That sounds horrible. Kudos to you for going through all that nonsense.
From South Africa. I bought into the hype of the 6.5 in 2022
Man am I happy! Sold my 30-06 as it no longer gets used. Shot a massive Wildebeast bull a month ago. Broadside shot with 140gr factory ammo at 350 meters, found the bullet just under the skin of the opposite shoulder
I Love my 6.5 Creedmoor don’t leave Home without It !!!
this guys got a slinged rifle walking around Walmart
Howdy Ron.
I'm a trucker who spends lots if time listening as i drive. I have Jordan Peterson, Joe Rogan, and Yourself all in my playlist.
I really enjoy how you talk and break details down. Thanks
Thank you Ron, great educator. I appreciate the way you bring in the science and the history. You are the Man.
Thank you sir.
Agreed!
Ron, I absolutely love your channel. I feel like I'm hanging out with my cool Uncle Ron who loves guns and hunting. Please never stop making videos.
Story time with Ron at the end of a range day sitting around a camp fire would be really awesome!
I love my 6.5 Creedmoor, but it's great to see continuing progress and lots of options.
It really was one of the early modern cartridge design and Hornady just keeps em coming with the PRC series. One is for modern box fed semi auto rifles though and that is what makes the Creedmoor special.
Never had a 6.5, but when looking for something to fit my needs, I chose the 6mm Creedmoor. I really like it.
I'm in the same boat! I have a .308, setup in a match configuration... but it's my hunting rifle. So I want to get a new Barreled Action with a more match oriented chambering to drop into the chassis, but I don't want something too similar to .308, so 6.5 Creed is off the table... and Howa now chambers the 6 Creed, so it's the perfect option!
I will admit that the .25 Creed is one hell of a 'wildcat', especially now that Hornady has that 134gr ELD-M.
The case for the Creedmoors is simply just incredible... from .22 up to 6.5mm, it seems to tick all the boxes.
The 6.5 creedmoor has done so much for the modern shooter making the manufacturers lift there game I love the round and I don't think it's going away any time soon its already made a spot in the history books
There was a recent Hornady Podcast with Dave Emery, the designer of the 65 Creedmoor. He mentioned that the Creedmoor chamber was designed with tighter tolerances for certain dimensions (the freebore, in particular) that will make the average factory rifle more accurate. For example, the slop around the bullet in the freebore section of the 6.5 Creedmoor is 1/4 that of the 308.
very good accurate for the lighter kicking gun. you can buy a cheep gun and still put bullets on top of each other
I know several competitive shooters (PRS) who are going from their 6mm cartridges back to the 6.5. I don't think the 6.5 is going anywhere. I finally decided to see what the hype was about a few years ago. Now everyone in my house owns one. They are just a pleasure to shoot. I think the 6.5cm is here to stay!
Did they say why? My understanding is that the switch to 6mm was largely to reduce recoil so they could watch the impact location. Then again, it is harder to see the impact of a 6mm bullet than a 6.5mm one.
@@jfess1911I heard that the barrels only last for like 1000 shots on the 6mm where as they can get like 3-4000 for a 6.5, just one factor.
@@duckwildcodyjames4330 That makes sense. I understand that, in order to extend barrel life, some shooters transitioned form the 6mm Creedmoor to 6mm Cartridges with lower powder charges like the 6mm ARC, Dasher, or GT. There seemed to be a debate on whether the lower recoil of the 6mm cartridges compensated for the smaller "splash" on or near the target. Maintaining a good view of the target immediately after the shot is pointless if you can't see where your bullet went.
Here in Scandinavia, the 6,5x55 is still the most popular. I have been shooting it myself for many years with the 140gr. Nosler Accubond
Claus, you folks over in Scandinavia must be having a good laugh at our expense - by which I mean in the 'States - since all of you have known the virtues of 6.5mm (.264-cal.) cartridges for close to 130 years! I wouldn't blame you if you said "What took you so long?" I'm part Scandinavian myself, half-Danish, by the way. The Norwegians helped invent the 6.5x55 way back when, and not just the Swedes. Got to give them credit as well.
The 6.5x55 - especially when loaded to its full potential - can do pretty much anything 6.5 Creedmoor can do, and sometimes better. Many professional hunters and safari guides recommend the cartridge for their clients to use on plains game, alongside such old-standbys as 7x57 Mauser and 30-06.
Conventional wisdom in certain quarters says that 6.5x55 is not powerful enough to take large or even dangerous game, but Europeans have taken everything from reindeer to moose to bear with it, if the reports I have seen are accurate. It punches above its weight, as the saying goes. 160-grain round-nose puts them down.
@@GeorgiaBoy1961 actually, i found it a bit "light" myself, especially for wildboar and big stags. However lots of people use it for moose and boars in Sweden. I am now shooting .300 Win. Mag. And Ron's favorite the .308 Win. 🙂
Ja the 6.5x55 is what the CM was designed to duplicate for AR and shorter bolt actions. the 260 rem just did not have enough neck to make use of the 140gr+ flying spikes that make the 6.5 shine. Worked fine on reindeer in `Island.
The 264 WM is a spectacular performer! I used to shoot cans, as a boy of 14, from 400 yards, center punching them every time! The barrels don’t last that long, but a spectacular performer! I was shooting my mentor’s rifle, which made it look easy, and I had no idea these were reasonably difficult shots, but that was the among the best times in my life.
Thank you, Lou, where ever you are!
Nobody can afford the ammo though. It's $90 a box in Canada. For those that reload it's obviously acceptable. I can buy 6.5 Creed for 24 bucks a box. Sad these older great cartridges are becoming impossible to shoot.
@@mogulrider I do reload, but with the Obama creature that took over the whitehouse, the cost of primers went high; when the Biden creature got in, it was much worse!
When I started, a pound of powder was roughly $10, a 1000 primer box was not quite $10. A box of 100 bullets was nearly $10+/-, depending on how fancy they were. I could buy 500 cast hard lead SWC bullets for my 44 magnum for $20.
Fast forward to lately, 1000 primers have been going for $140 on gunbroker, none in stores, bullets vary greatly, but 500 wadcutters are around $80, powders have been over $30 a pound.
When I started shooting 45 ACP in 1984, I could buy 100 rounds of USA ammo for $8 and change. Blazer had a 100 round tub about the same price, then it went up to $12 per hundred. I complained. The clerk asked if I reload. I said that I don’t shoot enough to reload. He said, “you don’t shoot enough BECAUSE you don’t reload.” He set me up with a set, and I’d load 500 at a time!
Now, I don’t think it’s cost effective with primers being so high, the exception being $40 or more per box rifle cartridges. With say 9mm, I could buy it for about what I’d spend in money, time and effort.
If I ever get a casting set and a lube/sizer, I’ll get back into it.
I always said, 6.5x55 doing all that and more than the 6.5 Creedmoor since 1894. My primary deer rifle is a custom 6.5x55 built on a M96 made in 1900. Love that little rifle.
But can it fit in an AR-10 mag? Nope. I love all my military 6,5’s but the 6,5 Creedmoor just makes sense in a newer context.
Good evening from alberta canada 🇨🇦 love every episode you do ron. Keep up the fantastic work.
Thanks Stefano.
Met a bench rest Target shooter at the range a few weeks ago while I was sighting in my hunting rifle. He was shooting two of his bench rifles, one in 7mm Rem Mag and the other in 6.5 CM. When I asked him which one was his favorite of the two he said "the 6.5 is definitely my favorite of the two right now; it gives me really tight groups with my handloads out to the 500 M that I am shooting, and its so fun to shoot."
Just one anecdote, but I think there are enough rifles chambered in the round and enough people still enjoying the cartridge that I do not think its going to "fall".
I drank the koolaid on 6.5 early and have zero regrets. It’s the most balanced general use short action round I can imagine.
The best part to me is that it fits in an AR10 with just a different barrel
I am fine with my 6.5 Savage Model 10 BA Stealth with an MDT chassis. It is extremely accurate out to the very end of the 1,000 yard range I have on my land. It kills everything I have shot out to 815 yards including elk.
@@lennyj2080 why savage? looking at gettting into this
it will be the most 'found' exotic rifle round youll find in SHTF as well.... everybody has one
I've always liked Savage rifles just as I like Sig handguns. When I purchased it I bought it for my wife, to get her into a competitive shooting league. She ended up with a lighter rifle, and I just fell in love with the model and the 6.5 caliber. I've upgraded from it but never leave in the safe very long. We have the major bonus of owning a plot of land that has a fully functional 0-1,000 yard range. So we get to practice quite a bit. I do the precision thing and she does the three gun comps. There are many major brands to choose from, what is the all in budget?@@charlesbukowski9836
Son in law has one of these. Loves it. I have 3, 6.5 x55's. I love those as well. I do load my own ammo, so I have a big advantage tuning my ammo to my guns.
Do you have any experience "hot rodding" the 6.5 swede out of a mauser action? It irritates me because most of the load data developed for the 6.5 swede is made with 100 year old actions in mind. Modern actions can handle significantly more pressure supposedly and that's when the case capacity of the swede outshines the creedmore. I hand load and I've run plenty of max pressure loads out of my 6.5 swede however I have come across load data from norma that involves high tech newer powders loaded to higher pressures pushing the 140 grain to 2900 which is obviously very good for the swede. Problem is they specifically do not advise to run this in a mauser action. That being said these guns were all proofed at 90k. There's no reason it really shouldn't work its obviously just nerve wrecking and potentially dangerous to do so. That being said I think those who publish loading manuals go out of their way to be extra cautious for liability reasons. Do you have any experience loading for a Swedish mauser action actually pushing it to the cartridges capability?
Really Ron we are living in "the good old days" The selection and quality and options have never been better. Availability of some things is a challenge and there has always been good and really cool stuff but information, tools, components, and variety have never been better! Sometimes I want one of everything and two or three of some of them. Love the Creedmoor too!
I love the 260 rem other than off the shelf ammo is an issue. It's the reason I've gotten into reloading.
Ive been using my 260 since the nineties and haven't lost a whitetail yet.
6.5 creedmoor will be here forever 😎 yes there are other options super options to be precise but you should shoot what you want and dont let other people tell you whats good and what not ✌️ have fun shoot and do it every day you can
Mr.Spomer keep up the great work
I love my 6.5 Creedmoor ! Especially after my first 1000 yard 5 shot group 8 1/2 " group off a crappy plastic table !!
What rifle?
The Howa 1500 in 6.5 Grendel is fantastic, as are 100 year-old rifles chambered for the venerable Swede, and rifles made last week for Creedmoor.
They're all terrific.
6.5 Creemore has it's place in a tool box. Its a versatile cartridge for smaller game and its great for target shooting. I personally am a fan of 30-06 and 308, as I usually hunt deer and moose.
I agree fully.
Hard to beat the time honored classics !
I think the Creedmoor is legally a huge alternative around the globe where military cartridges like the 308 have now been banned for civilian use. It is smart but scary! So now Hornady wants you to buy a weapon that is inferior at all levels for military use or protection. So in America we tend to love are military cartridges they are durable, versatile and accurate. Even canada who runs the F1 Class competition have changed the rules to favor the 6.5 in 1,000 yard competition by banning any 308 cartridge above 155. That is a killer when the 175's are excellent for 1,000 yard competition.
Thanks for rubbing it in. The only rifle I’ve ever regretted selling was in 6.5 Swiss - it was far more accurate than I was at the time, so I figured it’d be better in the hands of someone who could use it.
I have to admit, I went in hard on 6.5 creedmoor. I first got a ruger american predator, like it so much I sprung for the ruger precision and I love it. I've acquired over 1000 rounds " just in case" for it. The thing just DOES NOT MISS
Fantastic. But the reality is the margin of improvement is really targets only. A lot of the long range bullets are unstable and have poor terminal ballistics. It isn't as though people didn't know what would work, they just didn't want the compromises on game. But given the majority of shooters don't hunt, the time had come for a do nothing practical rifle. Of course it can do whatever you want if one doesn't go full Kool Aid.
@@HondoTrailsidethey know exactly how to make the creedmoor perform in a hunting rifle. Even the little Grendel performs really well on deer. As far as being unstable, when a long bullet like that penetrates the target and becomes unstable it is pretty devastating.
Just bought the Ruger precision just trying to decide on scope for it.
@@MrSpook1968 I put a strike eagle on mine and I like it Burris mount
spend the money and get the best Vortex or Leopold scope you can buy.@@MrSpook1968
I was late to the 6.5Cm bandwagon, only got into it because a friend needed some money and sold me his Savage 12FV for $125. Little did I know out of the box after a week of scrubbing it would put 5 rounds into 3/4" at 100 yards. A look at the ballistics convinced me to drop a Vortex 4x16x44 scope on it and do a little load development. It's down to 5 shot sub 3/8" groups (.330 best so far) with 129gr Hornady ELDx bullets. Sitting on a farms hedgerows 300-400 yard shots on deer are common and I've never had to take a second shot and to my surprise many were thru and thru, bullet performance was excellent and IMHO the 6.5Cm did a better job than a 308. I handload and with a normal 40gr charge of my favorite powder velocity's are in the 2800+ range, compared to my 270 at 55-58 grains that's almost 30% less powder and the 6.5Cm seems to drop those critters just as well. In other words it's cheaper to shoot. With 90 grainers it deadly on 'chucks and yotes, it barely recoils when doing it's job so follow up's on those smaller critters are a breeze. There will always be something bigger and better but it comes at a cost, the 6.5Cm is enough gun for anything up to deer sized game and I believe it produces better marksman with it's accuracy potential, low recoil and lower ammo cost meaning more shooting. What's not to like ?
Try you some 99 grain Hammer Hunters,
My Savage Model 10 BA Stealth prefers the 143gr over the 129 but I love Hornady factory ammo...they do a better job than i can at hand loading and I shoot out to 1,000 yards pretty easily with it.
Well said! 🤙🏼
The fact that so many 6.5mm cartridges are coming out and being developed is a testament to the CM. What an amazingly well rounded cartridge.
Nothing to do with CM. It started with the 6.5X55, the best 6.5mm made.
@@chippyjohn1 I would agree that the Swede is a great cartridge, but the 6.5 interest didn’t really develop in earnest until the CM….
@@valsahr5836 Only country it didn't was the US. Most countries recognised it's perfection. The Swede is still better.
@@chippyjohn1 well, in America the Swede was, and still is,relatively obscure.
Better? That’s a bold statement. All subjective and directly related to an individual’s situation. In the USA, unless you reload, I would disagree with better.
@@valsahr5836 You yanks think everything you do is better. 6.5X55 all the way. Just consider it was designed over 130 years ago, it took the US over 100 years to catch up and recognise the efficiency of 6.5mm. Nato wanted to go 6.5mm but because of the US they did not. Anyone that shoots larger volumes reload, avid hunters and target shooters don't buy factory ammunition.
So refreshing to click on a Ron Spomer video and actually get a Ron Spomer video.
Creedmor is still EVERYwhere.
I feel like this is gonna be a love letter to 6.5 prc or something... which I can't find anywhere...
I can't find a box of PRC ammo under $50. Too expensive!
@@riverwalker2173 most 'non standard' short or long action rounds are 40-60 a box around here for decent ammo.
that said, since this comment I can find 6.5 prc and 300 prc.. I can't find 7 prc..
the problem with hunter fudds is they rarely take into consideration the popularity of things that fit in a magazine.. specially an AR platform magazine and Creedmoor does just that.
Back in the day (way before Creedmore) I dropped more whitetails with a .243 than anything.
My old timer neighbor has been hunting with one rifle and one rifle only for the past 60 years, a .243. He has taken dozens of deer with it and dozens of Elk and Moose. I thought he was crazy for using that small of caliber for that size game. His response: "I will not take a shot past 250 yards and when I pull that trigger, I need a guarantee that the bullet lands in within an area smaller than my fist"
He has never lost an animal in over 60 years of hunting.
@@barakabarakabaraka Garand wanted to use 243 in the m1 but the dod wanted to use all the surplus 06
@@barakabarakabarakamy uncle is the same way. Just before the Gun Control Act of 1968 was about to take effect, he mail-ordered a sporterized Mauser chambered in 6mm Remington to his door step. He also bought a keg of surplus powder, a pile of primers, and a crate of 6mm Nosler bullets. He worked up a load and that was it. He still uses that same rifle and reloading stockpile to this day. It doesn’t matter if he’s shooting elk or coyotes, they all get the same 55 year old Nosler Partition lol. In his hands, every single bullet is an animal harvested and in the freezer.
I've three rifles in 6.5x55, and it is hands down my favorite cartridge, with 7x57 being a close second. I also have three rifles in 7x57. They are both mild but effective and fun as heck to shoot. I shoot lots of other rifle cartridges too, from 5.56 through .458 WinMag and lots of stuff in between, but these two are my particular favorites. Oh, yeah, I reload, otherwise I wouldn't be shooting quite a few of my rifles.
Oh how I love that 7x57.
Perfect round for deer hunting and long range pest hunting alike. I used to use a .243Win or 7mm-08 but the ammo for the CM is easier to find usually.
Great caliber. Bought it for my girls for Whitetail and couldn't be more impressed with its performance.
I'm 60 and prefer the old rounds. .223, .243, .284, .270, .308, .3006, 7 remmag, .300wmag. That's it! I get the 6.5 Swede, great round. I do want a Win 3030 and 4570.
Great information Ron. As for I’ll keep my 30-30 and 308. And when my 8 year old outgrows his Grendel he’ll be getting a 7mm-08 simply bc it’s ballistics within my self determined ethical hunting distance is virtually identical to the creedmore but has a few heavier bullet selections.
The 7mm-08 is a good, balanced cartridge. The 6.5 Creedmoor was designed as a 1000 yard target cartridge, so it mainly gains on the 7mm-08 at very long ranges.
I have killed 🦌 with everything from the .300 weatherby down to the.223. I don't know why but I've always felt underguned with the .243 even though it always worked very well. After about four seasons with the 6.5 I have found it to be the Goldilock cartridge for me. It's just right. Too many people expect too much from a cartridge but like Jack O Conner said. "All any cartridge does is burn powder and launch bullet's.
.
The 6.5 Creedmoor has always reminded me of the .243 Winchester just a little bigger, both shoot fast and flat. But people act like .243 is youth/womens cartridge and 6.5 is the right hand of God haha
I respect high quality information, especially from people who have experience from the field. I too am a 300 Mag guy, but 243 worked every time I did my part. Glad to hear about your 6.5 results, as I bought one thinking it was all my daughter could handle recoil wise, and it would be 'just enough' as she thought she was moving to aemi remote Canada at one point (she'd had to give her S&W and 30 Carbine up). The 6.5 Swede penterates game well, and O'Conner counted on the 270 with 150 gr bullets to deal with the odd Grizzly, if necessary. I could use less kick in my target sessions these days, but I bought the 6.5 for the reason stated. I hope the 147 grs do the job with deep penetration, if needed, and you stating that they do. Thanks.
@@johnshields9110 many thanks 🙏 for your reply.
@@supergreatairgunreviews Thanks for the reply. 😀
I prefer the 7mm-08 over the 6.5 Creedmoor for a hunting cartridge. For plinking /target stuff the creed is great. It's good for hunting too, I've used it on deer but I still prefer the 7mm-08
Why?
Take a look at the ballistic comparison. More energy and flatter in same size bullets. Have 2 7mm-08s wanted to get a new rifle was looking at 6.5 and realized I already had two rifles better in that size.
Gotta appreciate where the 6.5 Creedmoor has opened the door to so many options now. None the less, this bad boy still dropping dears quite easily.
The 6.5 Swede’s enemy is the industry’s refusal to make 6.5x55 +P ammo for use in modern actions. They continue to manufacture low pressure ammo for the few remaining old actions.
I wouldn't say "few" remaining old actions. There are an absolute ton of M96 and M38 rifles on the surplus market. I'm sure the ammo manufacturers don't want a hot round ending up in one of those.
The Hornady SST ammo is loaded a lot hotter than other 6.5×55 factory ammo.
You are correct with American made ammo, but European ammo you purchase 6.5x55 SE which is a higher pressure Swede and sold in the states. Although it is still below 60,000psi I believe.
Thoroughly agree about the Swede having lots of unused potential
And those still kill like the black death, should one not handload. Seyfried wrote some articles on it, and said his old school 6.5x54 was good for everything other than Grizzly. This from a guy who was a Keith disciple.
Hi Ron, G'day from Aus., spot on, ADF at 17, started reloading after rookies, loved going to the range (military & civilian) & talking with the older diggers (especially the reloaders), love the science of creating your own (some say rolling you're own) with what's avail., to increase performance be it velocity, energy, trajectory, etc., the 7mm Mauser & 6.5mm Swede by far the most efficient cartridges of the time & to this day, with same pressures, modern powders, same twist rate & bullet weight & barrel lenght will out do any modern equivalents, this is comparing in bolt actions & single shots for comparing perfomance not AR platforms where I think the 6.5 excells, I prefer the 6.5 Swede to the .243 Win due to heavier projectiles & faster twist rate, they all do the job within their limits, bucket list, the 6.5 grendel is on it, small action light outfit for goats in rough country, walk in walk out, I should've followed my passion, man after my iwn heart, keep them vids comin', wan't to set up for reloading again after movin' a few times, always a pleasure to listen to & keep you're bestie 4 legged next to ya, wouldn't live without one 🍻😎😂
Keep the wind in you face, the 🌅 to your back & your powder dry, old soldiers never die, they just go over the hill, see you on the next one or the next light/life
👍😎😘
Oh' home on the range 😂
One specific thing that helps the 6.5 creedmoor hang in there pretty well is the fact that it's optimized for AR10/SR25 constraints. The AR10 "can" be chambered in larger cartridges like the WSM's but few companies do it, and even fewer do it well, however nearly every company that makes an AR10 offers it in 6.5 creedmoor (and some are starting to offer 6creedmoor more often too)
Personally my favorite AR10 cartridge is the 7mm-08, im a big fan of 7mm as a bullet diameter just for a little more frontal area compared to a 6.5 and you can still load excellent high BC bullets and get respectable velocities and carry a good amount of energy a long way.
To me it's the perfect goldilocks cartridge specifically for the AR10: it can be loaded almost as heavy as a .308 for some real "oomph" and still offers excellent BC's similar to the 6.5 creedmoor. At 500yds with my 7mm-08 I've still got ample velocity for good expansion and have just barely dropped under 1500ft/lbs with a 162gr ELD-X, and if i want to shoot a match the 162gr ELD-M will stay supersonic well past 1000yds at my velocities.
For a long time i didn't really know much at all about ballistics and bullet diameters and BC's, and i thought the .308 was the end-all be-all. Then as i started to get into the weeds and learn more about "long action vs short" and learned more about BC's and what velocities were realistic with certain cartridge and bullet combinations and what rifles had proper twist rates for certain bullets and much much more i ended up deciding on 7mm as my preferred bullet diameter for a LOT of things, and it has a lot going for it.
It's big enough to hunt basically any animal in north america ethically, and at proper velocities its bullet weights are going to be carrying enough "energy" for clean hunting kills on basically anything in north america. 7mm bullets sit in a good spot for their bullet weight/shape to BC ratio, and most 7mm bullets aren't prohibitively heavy or long enough to severely impact smart case designs. Look at 7mm PRC VS 300PRC. if you compare BC and velocity on paper the 7 absolutely smokes the 300 (the 300 will carry more energy for a very long distance due to sheer weight, that's a fact) but the 7PRC launches a bullet with a higher BC than the 300 and does it faster AND does it with noticeably less recoil because it's a lighter bullet being pushed by less powder. Ballistically the 7PRC is truly incredible: great ballistic trajectory, lower recoil than a lot of other high performance long range cartridges, excellent amount of energy for clean and ethical kills on large game at any "reasonable" range, and not prohibitively heavy or expensive.
That's why, for my two "full power" rifles I i ended up going with 7mm-08 in an AR10 and a 7PRC in a bolt action, and i did not start out thinking i was going to care about 7mm's at ALL.
And 6.5 creedmoor and 6.5PRC are also excellent cartridges (i absolutely dont mean this to say it's for women or weak people, but it might sound like it) my younger sister shoots a 6.5 creedmoor and she absolutely hammers deer with it, she loves that rifle and if i needed to use it for hunting I'd feel very well equipped to hunt all but the absolute biggest game in North America. If i had a bull moose or a boar grizzly charging me would i want something bigger? Yeah I'd want a howitzer, but for hunting any animal im likely to hunt in any location the 6.5 creedmoor would probably get the job done fine.
You missed Sectional Density’s place in hunting bullets.
@@johnnash5118 oh yeah, there's a lot that i didn't specifically mention. The list of things I didn't even know I didn't know could be very long. I'll also confess that sectional density isn't something I really understand in depth, and (for the most part) isn't something I worry about too much because I tend to favor long high BC bullets that tend to also have higher sectional densities. And material can skew what sectional density actually means because a bullet with a lower SD can penetrate more depending on construction (example: a TTSX with a lower SD than an ELD-X will still penetrate further because the TTSX is solid copper and holds together basically perfectly)
Buddy that was one of the most informative comments I’ve ever read. You about sold me on a 7mm rifle that i don’t even need, bravo
@@Gkvello22 .30 cals will be better for big animals like moose and large bears, and in a couple states the minimum bullet diameter that is legal to hunt bison is .30 cal, but as far as having enough "energy" and (slightly more important to me) enough velocity to expand properly and deliver that energy on target the bigger 7's have plenty of both both at any reasonable distance.
I still think .30's have their place, for pure payload on target I'd still take a 300PRC or a 300 Norma Magnum, but for a great mix of ballistic efficiency and "power" it's pretty hard to beat a well-designed 7mm
@@Kross8761 i live in a state where it must be bigger than .22x so i certainly understand the logic. Sadly our “big game” is black bear and i don’t even hunt (yet) so if i were to hunt it would be deer. I appreciate your information
You're spot on with the comment about the Grendel. I stepped up from .30-30 to .270 as my whitetail round of choice about ten years ago and never looked back. But, when it comes to late season here in Virginia where you can tag two a day, once the herds start grouping back up post-rut I can shoulder and multi-target running deer at 250 yards with a semi-auto Grendel and never lose a sight picture. My Grendel shoots flatter than my 9mm PCC with barely any recoil.
Love the Grendel also as a AR 15 replace ! BTW you didn’t mention the 6.5 x 284 …. That is a heck of a round…
No way, I love the 6.5 Creedmoor. It does everything you need it to, great gun for learning if you’re new to shooting also. I actually prefer it over the 308
I am fine with my 6.5 Savage Model 10 BA Stealth with an MDT chassis. It is extremely accurate out to the very end of the 1,000 yard range I have on my land. It kills everything I have shot out to 815 yards including elk.
I've got one 6.5 Creedmoor (a Savage Axis) just because I got it at a really good deal, but honestly for real hunting use I'm unlikely to move away from my 7mm-08. Its my go to and what I've killed by far the most game with. I will occasionally use a muzzleloader and if I ever get to hunt in straight-wall only state I'll likely pickup a .350 Legend, but for general use 7mm-08 just works for me.
Those really good deals gets your attention. I bought a Thompson Center bolt action cheap but it's a Shooter and a T.C. encore barrel both in 6.5 CM . Good Luck for this upcoming Deer Season.
I've been using the .308/7.62 NATO since the Army and can't get away from it. Saved my brother from a charging bear he couldn't hit-to-kill with his .44 Magnum.
I shot a 7mm-08 and was impressed with its flat shooting ability. I shot silhouettes with it one day out to 500 meters and it was good at it.
I have shot 3006 and 308 for 40 years. All the newer calibers are good performers but I have enough rifles already.
7mm-08 is a beautiful cartridge. I would have bought one if I could find ammo.
@@01nmuskier It is kind of a reloader's cartridge anymore, but you can find ammo for it online.
Let's hear it for the 6.5x55 Swede!!!
All day long !
Hear hear
Oh yeah .
With: Lapua 155gr Megas, or Norma 140gr Partitions. So sweet
The 6.5 Swedish bullet design itself leads to inherently higher ballistic coefficients.
Thank you for this video. Many good options out there. I had hopes 6 ARC would get more military contracts because that usually lowers the price.
Will be tough to overthrow the 6.5CM when factoring: Energy on Target + Recoil Management + Barrel Life
I was surprised that I did not see the 7mm08 on the list. Great cartridge, right there with it. Just came out a little early for its time.
A great option but i hardly ever see any barrels offered in that caliber for semi auto rifles. After all this is what makes the creed tick.
I'll stick to my 270 . Great show 🤠
I use the creedmoor for deer and pigs. It never fails to drop them when I do my part.
The guys culling hogs in Texas really did push the popularity of the 6.5 grendel. With a copper bullet it will punch through 180 lbs+ pigs at 200 yards. It is an amazing little cartridge…even out of a 16” barrel.
The creedmoor is a jack of all trades…a master of none but still better than a master of one. In the same camp as the 308…you know…just better. ;)
Knowledge and concise thinking, that's what you're all about. 😊👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Been shootimg the 6.5CM for about 3 years now. Man, was i impressed the first outing with it. Came from a .308 that i'd been hunting with for the last 25 years. It's tried and true but never achieved the less than 1/2 MOA groups at 100yrds with it like i do now with the 6.5. I'll keep using it for many years to come.
I love my 6.5 Grendel for deer or smaller due to its lighter recoil and the fact it fits a AR Magazine. The 6.5 CM never impressed me enough to abandon my .308 Win when I need something with a little more authority down range.
I think when you start with 308, and you’re only planning on hunting with it, then 6.5c seems like a waste of time. But I started with 6.5c and wanted to shoot 308 as a cheap alt… boy was I disappointed by M80. The good 308 ammo is just as pricy as 6.5c, but 6.5c is cutting through wind so much more efficiently.
The further distance/yards the xtra stopping power decreases on .308
We’re they swap with 6.5 shining out to 800yds and beyond. I do own Both. In bolt and AR platform. simply no comparison 800 and further
It’s not even a comparison. Any ballistic app will show this. As stated love both but L.R matches I only take ONE. 6.5CM with 153 A-tip at 2822 FPS. Not a typo on velocity either obtainable with no psi sighs
All in the powder. 6.5 still sells more in (rifle variety) than any other caliber as of 4-6-23. And to think was once a HATTER!! Of said caliber. Lol. Good day.
@@jasonmartin73642800? What powder? Compressed? That’s crazy
Same here, love my Grendel!!
The 6.5 Creedmoor was designed as a 1000yard target cartridge, so the emphasis was placed on long range accuracy. Part of the reason it became so popular was that its chamber design tends to produce good accuracy in typical production rifles. Suddenly a lot of shooters were able to consistently hit targets that they had always missed before. That, combined with lower recoil than a 308, is largely why it became so popular.
The 6.5 Grendel is an excellent cartridge for deer. Its main issue is that some handloaders try to hotrod it to the point where AR15 bolt life becomes an issue.
I like the 6.5 but haven't got one because I already have 308.. 243..270.. it doesn't offer me what I don't already have. But as a one and done cartridge around here I recommend it.
I reload and shoot 14 different cartridges. 6.5 creedmoor is just 1 of them. I don't understand why anyone hates any cartridge. No one is forcing you to buy anything you don't want. Learn to enjoy all of them.
I do nearly the same (13 Cartridges). Despite I shoot 6,5x47. But think to buy 6,5 cm , when no time to reload.
My very first was a 7 mm Magnum,still have and Love it,76 and still love it
My favorite 'specialty caliber' everyone had to have 6.5 CM
Shooters hunters and reloaders have shown it's do-all capacity. Hell, even special operators in ghillie attire are in on the game. Recently short barrel AR-10 in 6.5 CM outperform competition.
It's a special caliber for all, Ron. Great 👍 video thanks 🏁
It was amazing to watch the growth in popularity of the 6.5 Creedmoor. I cannot think of a cartridge that has become so “commonly accepted” in the last 40 years. I was surprised that you didn’t compare/comment on the 260 Remington (though it has all but fallen into obscurity).
Harder to put a heavy bullet in a 260 and make it work in a semi auto magazine fed.
@@jasminebebe3455 the same can be said for the myriad of other cartridges that were used in the video to compare/contrast vs the 6.5CM.
@@philp411 Exactly....... this is the thing that makes the 6.5 special in it's own little way. There are crap loads of more powerful cartridges but basically none that fit in a 308 magazine with heavy for caliber bullets and is extremely commercially available. 260 came very close but just missed the mark by a hair. In a bolt gun where you can run a slightly longer overall length the 260 is probably ever so slightly superior..... but not in my AR10
I did a lot of research trying to decide on a cartridge for my first rifle, which I want to use primarily for hunting pigs out here in California. I decided on 6.5 PRC. If I lived in a state which allowed suppressors, I'd probably go with 6.8 Western.
6.8 western was DOA. Great concept, but it's done for several reasons.
@@42N8_16.8 western was further undercut by several gun makers making .270 Win with fast twist Barrels.
@@42N8_1 it's fine if you reload. There's great BC bullets in that caliber and it can put more energy downrange than a lot of similar cartridges. There's a reason the US military is going with something close to it.
@@42N8_1 I agree. You bought a caliber that will be supported for a long time to come. I'm taking a 6.5PRC to South Africa next year to see how it performs.
@@42N8_1I kind of want to get a rifle in 6.8 western just so I can complain about ammo when I'm older, like next week. It's a good cartridge but it did fall flat.
I don't think the Creedmor is going anywhere. The only thing that really slowed it down was the big ammo shortage and the manufacturers seeming to ignore anything that wasn't a NATO cartridge. Even today it seems that every new rifle released always starts with the 308 and the 6.5 Creedmor being the first two options offered. The new larger magnum type cartridges have their place, but most woods hunters have realized they don't need the extra recoil and expense. I still have my 260 Rem and 6.5x55 as well. Never felt under-gunned with either in the whitetail woods. Love the 7mm-08 too. And the 270, 25-06, 280 rem and so on and so on.
*CREEDMOOR*
Some of us who were already shooting the 260 Rem and 6.5x55 saw right through Hornady’s marketing wizardry and stayed with what we had. There’s an old saying that certainly applies to all the new cartridges being introduced, “Throw enough 💩against the wall and some of it is bound to stick.”
And if you had that caliber prior to the release of the Creedmoor, it makes perfect sense for you to stay with it. I didn't have anything in this weight class so I went with the Creedmoor because I was teaching teenage girls had a shoot with it. It's perfect for that.
Hornaday came up with a great name. Nothing else.
@@posterestantejames there’s a good handful of other cartridges that fit the bill beautifully for what you chose the Creedmoor to do. I don’t hold it against anyone who choses a Creedmoor. What I don’t like is how Hornady acted like they reinvented the wheel and launched the second coming of Christ.
Horandy just stole someone else’s design, just like 300 prc etc. they take someone else’s work, change some dimension then submit it to Sammi
The Swedes got it right 130 years ago. Remington did an awful job of marketing the 260. But the 6.5CM addresses the weaknesses of both these cartridges and throws in a few tricks of its own. The 260 SAAMI is too short to allow loading high BC projectiles without pushing into its case volume advantage. The Swede is a long action and you can't get full-load factory ammo for it due to the liability of old metallurgy. The 6.5CM is more efficient than both. It is a short action that is inherently accurate due to its tighter chamber (see SAAMI specs). And good factory ammo - including match ammo - is everywhere for it. For reloaders, we can get small rifle primer brass in 6.5CM which allows higher pressure loads and better performance. The 6.5CM has a lot going for it - it's like the 350 Chev of calibers (there are parts everywhere for it) - so it's not just marketing hype.
Something that I have not seen mentioned anywhere yet (hint, hint), is the advancement in technologies of firearm, and powder, bullets design, which has made many of these new cartridges possible and improved performance of older cartridges. Most notable for hunting is the newer bullets, lead core still works and has been improved but it is no longer the champion it once was. Long range shooters will be more interested in powder and both are happy with new firearms available. I have the 6mm Rem and love it, so not getting rid of it.
The 260 Remington was doing long range target shooting years before the Needmore, most hyped cartridge in my lifetime, I still use the 260.
Hard pass on the 260. It’s too dead for me to pick. I’ll stick to the creedmoor.
The Creedmoor is just a little more optimized for long bullets. Other than that they are pretty much identical.
@@phild9813 the 260 has an unlimited supply of brass with 308 and 243 cases, just to name 2, even if 260 was never factory loaded again.
The factory killed the 260 with lack of marketing and bullet offerings imo. I have no clue why the 260 and 7-08 arent more popular than they are. Cant get a better overall hunting round for deer
@@orr89rocz agreed
When the 6.5 by 55 Swedish is hand-loaded it actually outperforms the 6.5 Creedmore in modern bolt action rifles.
So does the .260 with a faster twist barrel
...and it's getting close to 6.5-284 in Ackley form.
*CREEDMOOR*
The outperformance is minimal and offers no real word advantage. If you handload and love your 6.5×55 you already own, keep that and love it, but if you are buying a new rifle in the US 6.5 creedmoor makes more sense. Both are great cartridges though.
@@mattc5647 define minimal. Vihtavuori loads gain 100 fps between standard "Swedish Mauser" and SE/SKAN specifications, and CIP standard loads are hotter than SAAMI to start with, probably 50-100 fps.
Ron don’t forget the 25-06 is a great deer hunting round up to and including Elk with the great bullets of today. And it is better than a need more at all practical hunting ranges. Screw on a 1/7 twist barrel and use the 130 to 135 grain high bc bullets now being produced it leaves the need more in the dust period.
Oooo baby, would that be sweet!
I have a 257 wby and its a great deer gun but I would never take it on an elk hunt.
@@Nick-sx6jm your not using the right bullets then. A good bonded bullet or all copper bullet like a 115 TSX and it’ll take elk without question! But it’s would be a backup for me when I own all the great Elk calibers including a 300 rum and several 338 win mags. My Uncle used a 25-06 extensively on elk for 40 years with a 120 grain rem core lock bullet and brought home more Elk with it than most 10 people will get in a lifetime!
@dougkahler7152 I just would never use it for elk when there are so many better options out there. Also, dont like copper bullets at all. Wanted to like them and tried them in 257wby, 340wby, and 7x61. Ended up losing a bear and nearly losing a few deer because of poor performance even with perfect shot placement.
I'm a 6mm guy at heart, so it works perfectly for me. I've run a .243 for a long time and as a dedicated hunting rifle that's able to run 55 Grain Nosler Ballistic Tips right up to 100 grain bonded bullets for bigger game. I've never felt like i needed anything else here in Eastern Australia. The only thing i ever felt i was missing was a dedicated high BC target round because i dont handload.
Now i don't have to worry anymore, i have the 6.5 CM for target and the .243 for hunting. 6mm all round gets the job done.
Every episode I watch of yours I thoroughly enjoy. Im learning so much. Have one old 3006 for deer hunting and im no expert so i love every piece of info you share. Thank you
6.5x55 swed is absolutly amazing and the 260 rem does everything that 6.5 creedmoor can do but better
The 6.5 CM is wildly popular in South Africa, particularly the Howa 1500, for plains hunting and long range competitions.
Idk. In Zimbabwe they love their 7.62. .338 and larger for tough dangerous game.
@@frosty0419 The .338 does not have a very big following in Southern Africa. The most popular calibre in SA is the .30-06 followed closely by the .308Win, the .270Win and the .243Win for plains and general hunting. The 9,3x62 and .375H&H are at the top for medium/heavy calibres.
@@scottrobinson3281 your right. I meant to say .375. That’s what we have. I have a total brain seizure.
I suspect there will be a rise and fall with just about every cartridge given enough time. With that said, going to Cabelas and looking at the ammo shelves, there is more 6.5 Creedmoor than about anything else. Lots of offerings, all well stocked. It seems to be the current predominant option.
I don't see a fall of the 30-30 until we have laser guns
@@bobjohnson1633 I am seeing fall off in many areas. Look at what NEW guns are coming out and what their chambering options are. or even current offerings from modern manufacturers. Look at what is selling. There are plenty of good 30-30 and many other rifles out there, already owned. And they will keep doing a fine job. But when people are looking to buy a NEW rifle, well they are choosing other things.
@@bobjohnson1633They are a great choice, I have one. I got it from my dad, my Grand father hunted with one and was quite successful. I also have a 30-30.
@@bobjohnson1633 Dont know anyone who still hunts or even has a 30-30 anymore.
@@Nick-sx6jm, 30-30 is still very popular in my area. With the exception of fields, most deer hunting is done under 100 yards. 30-30 works great in those conditions.
Videos like this bring me joy
Well Ron when the 6.
5 creedmoor came out you were up there saying how good it was taking it can any game in the field and good it was in long range I believe you and now you putting down Thanks A lot.
I was slow with the 6.5 hunted (back in the day) with a really pretty mod 70 in 264 had to have a 6.5 needmore. My thing with it is its very accurate and pretty easy on barrels which for those of us that shoot alot.
A lot of NRL shooters are coming around full circle and going back to the 6.5 Creedmoor. Accurate, fast or slow velocities, very low recoil for follow up shots, cheap, easily handles wind for the relevant distances, and just clears the power factor.
it really is a perfect balanced cartridge ... look at it all around,,, I was looking at 7WSM but why? ill never shoot to 1500 in REALITY 1000 is max even then 700/800 is the practical range of these mid tier calibers for us mortals using these wonder loads
I love my Creedmoor, but I'd also love to see a video about the 6.8 western compared to the Creedmoor. Pros and cons of each.
The western beats it
The animal you’re after probably won’t know the difference, but your shoulder certainly will
6.8 is a modern high efficiency cartridge same as the creedmoor, it’s just a bit bigger in every way including the recoil. So you just have to ask yourself what is right for you and the ranges you hunt, plenty of new cartridges out that are all essentially doing the same thing just in slightly different sizes leaving you to pick the range and recoil balance that’s right for you. All of them are great options, I want a 6.8 because I use my larger rifles primarily for hunting and I don’t mind a bit of recoil. Wife also has a 6.5 creedmoor so i already have one under my care lol
I use my 6.5 for white tail and smaller game. I'm looking at a 6.8 because I can and I want a good bear rifle in the woods, that's different from what everyone else in my family has. I'm also curious about it's abilities in Africa and South America for hunting.
The creedmoor will have lower recoil. But if you're okay with the Western recoil, it will definitely outperform the creedmoor for hunting game. It doesn't sound like it's all that hard to deal with the recoil from it though.
hey Ron, I agree with you, and don't hate the 6.5 creed. I just wish that you would always enter the caveat that if you handload, the 6.5swede, 260 rem etc will outperform the creed. good cartridge but it's not magic and the oldies are still phenomenal cartridges. the swede claim to fame came using long heavy bullets! 160 gr I believe.
6.5 Creedmoor is a sweet round. That being said I remember 10 years ago when all of the WSM stuff was all the rage. Good luck finding ammo for all of those .270 WSM rifles at your local gun and ammo store. Mt favorite rifle is a Winchester 70 in .257 Roberts, but I haven't found ammo for it at a brick and mortar store in a decade.
I see the rise but no fall yet. 6.5cm does well for me.
im just curious why chose 6.5 cm over 6.5 prc when ammo is basically the same price from what ive seen?
@@aquadonkey.good question. I bought my rifle during the pandemic and I could not find 6.5PRC anywhere. Obviously now looking back is easy but back then it wasn’t. I don’t mind what people shoot and many calibers have their time and place. I like my rig and is a tack driver, fun to shoot long range and can still put meat on the table when needed. Happy shooting!
Couldn’t agree more. Sublime accuracy and gentle recoil has kept me in the game.
@@aquadonkey. Lower recoil, availability, and for the average hunter, who shouldn't be taking shots past 400 yards, the PRC offers no benefit. The PRC is an awesome carriage but more isn't always better if we're being honest with ourselves about how we're going to use it.
I wouldn't be surprised by a fall, but I feel it will fall from incredibly popular to just popular. It is too common, too produced and too supported to just go away overnight. I just think they are reaching peak market saturation.
Just picked up a Howa SuperLite in 6.5cm for my son. I'm shocked by how light it is, and Daddy's seriously contemplating getting himself one of these afterward as well. Waiting to see it's effect on a Muley first, before ditching the .308Win 1st. I'm liking the idea of it being easier on the shoulder, after having had arthro-scopic on my shooting side for a labral tear before.
Switched from a .308 to 6.5cm about 5 years ago. Takes Idaho mules lovely.
Daddy finally got some time to finish sighting in that 6.5cm. That recoil is nice! You can handle that with or without the butt of the rifle firmly tucked into the shoulder pocket. Unfortunately there was some crosswind that day, so I didn't get to see just how impressive the groups CAN be, but still there were very respectable groups, even with the wind. I'm thinking this cartridge will lead to a lot of better shooters since it's less recoil, so there'll be less instance of people "punching the trigger" pre-flinching.
It does everything I ask of it for coyote and deer hunting as well as long range target shooting. Accuracy is exceptional, barrel life is great, recoil is non-existent, and reloading for it is very easy on my wallet. Still loving mine after many years of use.
Are you talking about 6.5 creedmore?
@@Blackhawk556. Yes I am.
I own and shoot, 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser, .260 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor, and 6.5-284 Norma. They have pretty much the same effect on game, lights out. Speed and accuracy go to the 6.5-284 Norma.
I bought a old Swedish 6.5x55 as a young man and fell in love with the cartridge. Later on Winchester offered the Model 70 Featherweight in 6.5x55 with a 1in 7.87 twist. Bought one brand new in 1992. The rifle is absolutely awesome and will shoot any 6.5 bullet accurately. My brother bought a Remington Model 700 in .260 Remington when it first came out. It got better velocity with factory ammo, but was not as accurate as my Model 70. All of my hand loads equaled or exceeded my brothers 260 hand loads and were more accurate. I settled on the 140 grain Nosler Partition at 2800 fps. I have never needed another load. It does everything a 6.5 could ever be bc asked to do. I have never needed another 6.5 cartridge.
The 6.5 is much ado about something that already existed. The 6.5 -08 A Square ( 260 Rem) does everything the CM does and is far cheaper. I neck down a .308, trim, load, and bullet I want, and viola, cheaper, just as accurate, just a fast. etc.
Excellent analysis, sir. It seems there are a lot of rounds in the same class as the 6.5 CM, but I get the feeling that the majority of folks are building their inventory around the more ubiquitous rounds. 223, 308, 9mm, 45ACP, etc. Some of that owing to what ammo manufacturers are making most readily available. Seems that 6.5 CM has made its way into that category. Most of those other similar rounds you mentioned I’d never even heard of, but then again, I’m not a ballistics snob who’s trying to eek out another few FPS. Based on the support it’s gotten thus far from shooters and manufacturers (plus a few other factors), I’d guess the 6.5 CM will probably stick around for a while, if for no other reason than stubborn people like me don’t like new things. 😆 The 30-06 has been in service for over a century, and it’s still got just as loyal a following as it ever has. The 6.5 CM doesn’t have nearly the legendary status, but it’s solid enough to hold up I think.
I dont think it will ever go away. Its a well designed cartridge thats accurate, effective on medium game, easy on the shoulder, and pretty easy to reload.
the .308 wasn't going away, and so the 6.5 isn't going away.
@@SoloRenegade My 308s still get a lot of action for shooting steel and hunting, but my 6mm guns are much easier to shoot at longer ranges. The 308 is also a lot cheaper to shoot.
@@CorwinBos exactly, people aren't going to stop shooting their guns just because some self-important nobody claims it's "done". .308 is still military issue and cheap as a result. And as long as .308 guns exist in quantity, 6.5 crdmr will be popular as a drop-in replacement. I have both .308 and 6.5crdmr guns for this exact reason. And what need do I have to shoot beyond 1200m anyways?
@@SoloRenegade
I agree 100%. M80 ball is great cheap blaster ammo, whether you bought it or loaded it yourself. And thats something that the Creedmoors will never be able to beat largely because there isnt such a thing as a 6.5mm FMJBT bullet thats cheap. Ive taken my 308 to a 1000, 6 CM to 1200. If I need to go longer, thats what my 300 PRC is for :)
@@CorwinBos "largely because there isnt such a thing as a 6.5mm FMJBT bullet thats cheap."
unless the military decides to use it at some point.
" Ive taken my 308 to a 1000, 6 CM to 1200. If I need to go longer, thats what my 300 PRC is for :)"
exactly, we choose something larger if we want to go further. but larger is more expensive, less ammo, and heavier, for performance that is rarely needed.
Already had the 6.5 284 but bought the 6.5 creedmore anyway ,no regrets less recoil,less powder,great results.I only hunt wolves here in idaho and dont use either of them 😂
Ron likes to talk about all kinds of crazy cartridges, but 99 percent of them can be eliminated from consideration by simply going to your local gun shop and looking at what ammo is available. If there is none on the shelf, you may as well eliminate it from consideration. The smart choice is going to be a caliber that has significant ammo in stock, probably 308, 30-06, 270, 243 etc.