The difference between the 6.5 Creedmoor and the WSM's 20 years ago is there was at first a MAJOR boom in WSM sales, especially the .300 WSM. In fact the first year the .300 WSM appeared I went on an industry hunt with the round (as did almost every gun writer in the business) and came home with a partial box of ammo. One of my local acquaintances heard I'd actually shot a .300 WSM, and not just at targets but GAME, so stopped by. He was so enthralled I volunteered to give him a round. He actually had to lean against a wall after I placed it in his hand.
But five years later the trend was on a downhill slide. While the .300 WSM is still a common factory chambering, the other SFBM (short-fat-beltless-magnum) rounds have diminished considerably in popularity.
In contrast, the 6.5 Creedmoor was introduced in 2007 without much publicity, because it was designed as a target round. Three years later enough hunters had tried it to discover it worked very well. So had similar 6.5 rounds for a long time, but the major difference was the 6.5 Creemdoor did it in affordable accurate rifles, with affordable accurate ammo.
Unlike the WSM's, sales of 6.5 Creedmoor ammo and rifles have continued to INCREASE over the dozen years since it was introduced. More and more rifle companies continue to chamber it, and more and more ammo companies continue to produce both target and hunting ammo. The only other cartridge that had such sustained staying power since I started hunting was the 7mm Remington Magnum.
If you think the 6.5 Creedmoor is a "fad" similar to the WSM/SAUM/RCM magnums, the sales trends do not support your guess.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
