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Thanks, glad you liked the article!
That's actually the third article I published in Handloader on the 6.5 Creedmoor. The first appeared in 2010, the second several years later, after a number of new powders and 6.5mm bullets had appeared. After that time the editor of HL said he wasn't going to run any more articles on it, because he was tired of looking at 'em--but had to change his mind after a bunch of subscribers kept demanding more info. Which is why he assigned me this latest one. As I pointed out, even a few powders have been introduced with the 6.5 Creedmoor in mind. But I don't plan on doing yet another "update" down the road.
I also found it interesting that some Campfire members still have to comment on any 6.5 Creedmoor article by stating their 6.5x55 or .260 will do the "same things," even do 'em better. I have owned several 6.5x55s and .260s, and have one of each now, a custom 6.5x55 on an FN Mauser commercial action rebarreled with a 1-8 Lilja by Charlie Sisk, and a Tikka T3 .260 with a 1-8 twist, part of a special run ordered by Whittaker Guns. They both shoot very well, in fact about as well as the average 6.5 Creedmoor factory rifle--though I had to lengthen the magazine on the Tikka to match typical Creedmoor accuracy. And neither the 6.5x55 or .260 will do so with factory ammo--IF you can find any.
John
I bought a 6.5x55 -- Husqvarna M96/38 -- when I lived in Germany. Worked fine for reh deer. Didn't try to use it for red deer or chamois; my limitation was about scoping the rifle, not the cartridge.
Back here, I eventually got a Remington 700 Ti in .260 Rem. Worked fine for whitetail, and for javelina at distances. Decent 100-yard groups, easy enough to get down around 3/4" with a 8x scope. My limitation was that the barrel was a bit long for my taste, the bolt didn't seem to cycle quite as smoothly as I'd hoped for, and the safety is different from the Model 70 I have.
So I eventually/eventually got a Kimber Adirondack in 6.5 Creedmoor. Even lighter weight, shorter barrel, the bolt seems to run more smoothly, and the safety works like my model 70. Sighting in a different scope just the other day, I got several 3/4" groups (mostly with the Hornady and Berger factory ammo I had on hand) with the 5x scope. No game with it yet, but it "carried" nicely in the woods last year.
I do recognize the theoretical difference with twist rates and longer bullets... but so far, I don't see any usable difference, for me, between the cartridges. For me, it's only been about the platforms.
-Chris
