I suspect the 6.5CM and 6.5PRC will do to the 7mm-08 what the .243 Win did to the .257 Roberts.
Bullets of fairly similar weight, diameter and construction with better B.C. values and, with the PRC, higher velocities than the 7mm-08.
Not knocking the 7mm-08 as I think it is a great cartridge. Just don't see it competing well with the 6.5's in new sales.
7mm-08 has significantly more velocity with same bullet weights than the CM, with the capability of much heavier projectile, should one wish. And since BC doesn’t matter to 90% of shooters, I get a kick out of the CM fanboy-ism.
P
“CM fanboy-ism”?
Not so much. Didn’t see a need for one but finally bought my first and only last December - a Savage 12FV (26” heavy barrel) – because I couldn’t pass up the $299 price after rebate.
The 6.5CM has a lot going for it but it also has limitations. The 6.5CM was designed specifically as a target round and goals include, per Dave Emary, “less propellant, less recoil, longer barrel life and better accuracy” than comparable cartridges like the .260 Rem and 6.5-284. It was designed with a fast 1-8 twist barrel standard, to better handle heavy -for-caliber bullets, while the 7mm-08 standard is 1-9.5. Go to your local gun store and see what they have in stock for 6.5CM rifles and ammo vs 7mm-08. My guess is 6.5CM rifles are outselling 7mm-08 by 10x or more. Regardless of the actual number, that isn’t “CM fanboy-ism” but rather acknowledgement of what’s on gun store shelves and what the salespeople tell me is selling.
As to limitations, I would have preferred to see the 6.5CM with a 65,000psi SAAMI limit like the 6mm Remington and 6.5PRC. The 62,000 psi SAAMI limit for the 6.5CM is one reason why I’m considering a sporter-weight 6.5PRC barrel rather than a 6.5CM for a currently barrel-less Savage action. For hunting I am not concerned about the repeated recoil encountered by target shooters at matches.
Are the 6.5CM and 7mm-08 both fine hunting cartridges? Yes. I’d bet that 99% of the time what a hunter does with one they could do with the other.
The fact is the 6.5CM has a bright, shiny future and has taken a lot of 7mm-08 sales since it’s introduction. While the 7mm-08 was introduced as a factory round in 1980, forty years ago, I suspect sales of 6.5CM rifles have already eclipsed the total number of 7mm-08 rifles sold by a wide margin.
Not trying to knock the 7mm-08, just taking an objective look at the way things stand.
[edit to add]
BTW, if I was a 6.5 fanboy I'd probably have or be looking to get a sporter-weight 6.5CM for hunting. Instead I have none and no plans or desires to get one. There isn't anything a 6.5CM will do for me inside 600 yards that I cannot accomplish with the .243" to .308" tools I already have. And I have better tools for beyond 600 yards.
[end edit]
