Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 6.5 question

BLUF: looking at a 6.5 for a multipurpose rifle for hunting edible game in the lower 48 and AK. Why 6.5? Four decades of shooting heavy caliber, a few combat tours, and an IED later and I just don't like recoil anymore. I've cleaned out the armory, passed along everything bigger than 223 to the kids and their families. But they all like to hunt, and want Pop to go with them (and I am happy to oblige) so I'm looking at the 6.5s. Never fired one. I'm drawn to the Swede for the option to load heavy, but I read on here that the 260 and the Creed perform just as well in a shorter case. So I'd be happy to hear your suggestions for a fella that'll put a few hundred a year through it (I like to shoot, load and cast as well) but may only hunt once or twice a year on edible game in the lower 48 and Alaska. And if you want to chime in on the rifle, I'm looking at CZ, Tikka and Howa in that order. Thanks!

Don't know your budget, but if it were me, and it was ONE rifle, I'd do a Barrett Fieldcraft in 7-08, but seeing as you specified 6.5, then the Creedmoor it is.

Fieldcraft in Creedmoor. You deserve it.

You couldn't go wrong with the Tikka in 6.5 Creedmoor or the 6.5x55 but I would lean more towards the Creedmoor due to the better availability of factory ammo
I really like the stocks, triggers, magazines,and scope mounting on the tikka, and the accuracy is a bonus.
I would avoid the Howa because they feel heavy and clumsy to me and I don't like the feel of the CZs either

Heldfast,

1) Welcome to the 'Fire. I like both your handle and your signature line.

2) Thank you for your service.

3) I am a 6.5x55 fan. Do not own a 6.5 Creedmoor. However, unless you plan to reload, the practical answer to your question is 6.5 Creedmoor. As of 5 minutes ago, MidwayUSA had more than double the number of ammo options available for 6.5 CM than .260 and 6.5x55 COMBINED.

Good luck in your search...

If I were going with a 6.5 .... I would opt for the Swede.
Years back, I went with the 6.5x284 and really love it. But the Swede can kill all the same
animals (that has been proven over and over) and it has been here for a while and will continue to be.
The 260 is a really cool and effective round but did not get the love I was expecting and I am not
sure the Creedmore is for me or near immortal as the Swede.

I just acquired an older R77RL in 257 Bob. I have had the same in 308 for 26 years. Love em. Carry like
a 22 and kill big stuff. That Bob is all I need and fills a .25 hole for me, but it would be way cool in a Swede also.
Just my rambling thoughts.

heldfast--Thanks so much for your service to your country and enjoy that family (and a Swede).
Tim

like above about the 6.5, but you should look at the 7-08 ballistics

Thank you for your service, Tikka’s are a great buy.

Since you mention it, I started out looking for a 7-08, and wrote Henry to ask when they plan to release the Long Ranger in that caliber. But one of the primary applications of this rifle will be Alaska Moose (daughter married a sled neck from Alaska), and when you mention 7-08 and AK Moose in the same sentence, folks start talking about bow hunting distances. But the Swede is a legendary moose slayer ... yeah, I don't get it. But all that aside, the 6.5 is calling me and I must go.

Sounds like the 260 Rem doesn't even get an honorable mention and the choice is really Swede or Creed; what's a good heavy Creed load for Moose?

I will check out the Barrett, thanks!

I’m a Swede fan. I have a blued and a stainless in Tikka, both are super accurate, light,I really like the ergo’s of the T3 & T3x’s. As mentioned , in order to get the ture benefit of the Swede- one would have to reload for it. 6.5 Creedmoor would be my choice if I didn’t reload. I currently own a Forbes model 24B in 270 win or this rifle in 6.5 Swede would be in my safe.Forbes 24 B in 6.5 Swede

If you reload, the 6.5 Creedmoor, 260 Rem, and 6.5x55 can use all of the same bullets, assuming that the barrels all have the same ROT, and the case capacities aren't sufficiently different as to make a significant/practical difference in velocity potential. I currently have at least 40 rifles chambers for these 3 cartridges and think that the rifle that you chose is more important than which of these "3 peas in a pod" cartridges you chose.

If you're looking at the Howa 1500 in 6.5 Creedmoor, I'd suggest looking at the Weatherby Weatherguard too. Same action, better stock (IMO), and Cerakoted.

Howa 1500s in 6.5x55 are generally throated for long bullets which may, or may not, be of interest or concern to you.

All that said, a common as dirt 270 would do everything that the 3 amigos would do and do it both easier and cheaper most of the time.

Since you mentioned the 6.5x55, you might take a hard look at the Barrett Fieldcraft in 6.5x55.

Barrett did a great job of matching the twist, barrel contour, and cartridge to magazine box length with their 6.5x55, all in a rifle that won't kick overly hard. Though the Barret is a light rifle, so there will be some recoil when loaded to the round's potential, but that's going to apply to any of the lighter rifles with any of the rounds you mentioned.

If casting for such a rifle, I'd be tempted to try one of Lee's 170 grain molds, which is a custom shop offering.

I have a couple gun safes filled with guns of all calibers. Last year ended up with a two 6.5 Creedmoors. One a Browning and the other a Kimber hunter. I really like shooting them because they are accurate and just no recoil at all. So, I hunted solely with them last Fall and Killed 2 elk and 1 deer with the 6.5 and was pretty happy with the results. By the way I own a 7mm-08 too, but I do think the 6.5 is easier to shoot. It is pretty hard to impress me, but the creedmoor did with the ease of shooting. Don't get me wrong, I still think the 30-06 and 270 are good too.

I just re-connected with a laminated T3x 6.5CM and had it at the range yesterday. Very easy to shoot. Using a 143gr. ELD-X, I put five shots in an inch at 100 in under two minutes. Just wanted to see how the rifle responded as the barrel started to get warm. 41.5gr. of H4350 yielded 2585 fps - about 100 fps less than "book speed" - which is typical. I may creep a bit to get into the mid-2600's - we'll see.
I'd post a photo but PB is still crapola and the instructions for the one here makes no sense.

I'd choose based on the rifle I wanted, but since it sounds like you don't load at this point, the Creedmoor makes the most sense now, and certainly gives you the most rifle options.

Match the cartridge to the rifle magazine length of the weapon you like best. The ballistics of all 3 are so close that there really is nothing to choose between.
I would say stick with a 1-8" twist in anything you get however.

The CM was made to use the longest bullets in the shortest magazine and does 98% of what the Swede will do in the standard Mauser length magazines. If you like semi-autos, or rifles (like the Ruger Precision or Mossberg MVP) that use mags made for semi-autos, the CM is definitely the best choice.


The 260 is in-between. The problem with most 260s is the fact that the magazines can be shorter then they need to be for the cartridge in deference to the mass produced factory parts that exist on the production lines. We in the USMC used the 308 length mags from 1965 to this day on our M40s and all it's variants. The Army saw a better way and used the 30-06 length mags on it's M21 so they could seat longer bullets easier and not loose powder capacity. The same dynamic exists for making up a 260. If you get a rifle with any magazine longer then the NATO length 7.62 size, the 260 is as good as any.

The "grand old man" is the Swede. That's what "set the bar". Both the CM and the 260 are trying to match the Swede in cartridge performance. From all practical purposes they both do too.
Loads for the 6.5X55 are down loaded to be safe in the older M94 actions, but the strongest of the 96s and the 98s, as well as all American and Japanese actions are easily able to take top loads with lots of strength left. These same actions can easily handle the thrust and pressure of a 257 Weatherby mag. PPU makes brass as good as any I have used from any maker in the USA or the world, and it's actually cheaper then WW brass. I have read reports that it's "hard to get' yet every single time I have needed any I have made a phone call and it was on it's way the same day. To be sure I was not going to get caught in my own words here, I just checked Graf and Sons to be extra sure and 7 out of 7 are available at the time I write this.
Down side.................. None I can really think of.

If you demand a short action the 260 or the CM will fit your requirements better, but having made rifles for over 40 years now, I have yet to see that the "short action' is really any better at anything anywhere. It's theoretical, and LOTS of people tried the theory for the last 40 years, yet if you look to the 1000 yard competitions the shoots done at over 1000 yards, most of the best shooters are again using long or magnum length actions. and the record scores at the end of each year have not gone backwards.
I made a whole bunch of rifles on short action in the last 40 years and a lot of them on standard and long actions too. You know what I have found is the difference in accuracy?

Nothing!!!!!!!!!!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Get the Creedmoor imo.

The Swede has been killing moose for a hundred years and the next hundred years the creed will be doing it.

Guys will argue that the Swede is proven and with today's rifles chambered in the 6.5 Swede that once you load them up to the max pressure that the creed can't compare. So what? The swedes were know as moose killers way before they started making modern firearms chambered in 6.5 Swede. They were killing moose with a 140gr bullet traveling at a meager 2400fps.

You'll hear the Swede fans first say how it's been proven over the past century as a moose killer, then when you mention to them that the Creedmoor's factory ammo is faster grain for grain than the Swede, they'll tell you how fast they get their handloads flying not realizing that the century old Swede made its reputation at 52,000psi, not 60,000.

If you had a Swede sitting in the closet I'd say use it, but if you're buying new the Creedmoor seems like a no brainer to me.

Yep, PG is on the mark. The FC 6.5x55 hit everything perfect. The FC 6.5 CM did as well with the exception of the barrel being a little lighter than I prefer.

The most important question is “what is best for you” not everyone else. The 6.5 CM is easiest considering factory ammo, brass, and dies. Also the reloading data is pretty consistent and there are many good recipes. This is a function of uniform chamber dimensions and modern design.

In contrast there isn’t much of a selection of ammo for the 6.5-55. Since it is an old military cartridge there are many different chamber dimensions so the reloading data is not consistent. Therefore, there are no commonly agreed upon accuracy recipes.

I doubt you could tell the difference for moose hunting between either 6.5 and the 7-08. I suggest a 130 TTSX or 140 Partition for moose.

You can split hairs til the cows come home and end up with precious little difference and that mostly on paper. Get the one that puts a smile on your face. Me? I'd go with the Swede but that's just me. If it ain't old I ain't interested in it.