Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles WSM or Creedmoor which will actually be in hunting camps

I'm wondering how many Creedmoors we'll actually see in hunting camps this season?

I remember going to Alberta in 2006 and being very surprised to see several WSM rifles in camp, and the forums back then were heating up with all of the decisions of whether they should be bought, if they would remain popular, if they would replace the 30-06, etc..

I'm curious to see if the Creedmoor will go beyond target and plinking popularity, and actually replace proven rifles in hunters hands they have had confidence in?

My Creed has already been “field tested” on several elk and a couple of blacktails.
IMO it’s not a flash in the pan cartridge, but rather is becoming the new norm for folks wanting a mild recoiling rifle
that can cover most of their big game needs.

I’ll be shuffling between my .260 on deer this year and the Creed for elk.... the difference being the rifle design and weather. I won’t be under gunned with either.

I expect no one to have a Creedmoor in the whole place.

i live in farm country. every one around here shoots 270win, 30-06, 243,7mmremmag, or 300winmag. a couple farmers are in to distance shooting and have a creed, but the meat and potato boys probably never heard of one.

I know dozens of hunters but i can think of only one that actually hunts with a 6.5 CM....Most guys I hunt around carry a 7mm Rem Mag. .300 Win or a good ol 30-06 with a few .308 Wins thrown in for good measure 👍.....Hb

I expect people will show up with what works for them. The WSMs are good rounds, but their "churn" run is over. The Creeds are still ramping up as more people "discover" the advantage of long, pointy bullets at moderate velocity, and that it doesn't take a cannon to kill game. Eventually, I imagine rifle sales will slow somewhat, but since the Creeds are fun and pleasant to shoot, ammo and component sales will remain strong. The WSMs were mainly for hunters, I believe, and came out just before LR shooting became more popular.

The In Crowd is probably already going with the PRCs, which are impressive if you need more soup than the Creedmoors offer.

It's all good, and I don't worry about my favorites losing ground.

A SIL has three centerfires - two 6.5 CM and one .300WSM.

Four guys besides myself in the small town sportsmans club where I'm a member have already bought 6.5 creeds over the last few years and have been killing deer with them. It's definitely a hot selling cartridge among hunters in this area right now.

The 6.5 creedmoor went beyond target and plinking some time ago! Maybe I'll buy one to replace my 6.5X55 swede that has been proven on moose sized game for over 100 years! I might be taking a big risk though because the 6.5 creedmoor is not "PROVEN" like the swede is 😯



Trystan

As further evidence of how well accepted the 6.5 creed has become among hunters here the local Wal-Mart has in stock 140 gr. core- lokt ,140 gr. power point, 125 gr. deer season xp, 140 gr. Federal and 140 gr. Fusion. That's a bigger selection than they carry in .270 and none of it is match ammunition.

280, 7 Wby, 308, 300 WSM are my choices.

I don't hunt out of a camp.

Among those close to me, no one will buy a Creed just to buy one.
For shooting deer to 300 yards, it offers nothing everyone, but the 243
fans, don't already have.

Not condemning it, I use a Sweede, but my crowd is practical.

I know of at least 4 hunters in my circle that will be carrying the 6.5 Creedmoor.

One has been packing his since some of the first rifles hit the shelves several years ago, probably around 2009, he and his youngest son have been using them ever since. His wife now has one as well as his youngest sons best pal.

I will be carrying a new to me 7 WSM Super Shadow. Owned several in 300 and 270 but never carried them. This one will be loaded with either 160 Partitions or 120 TTSXs. Decisions decisions.

I sold my 300 WSM after buying a 6.5 CM. I consider it an upgrade. But I still reach for one of the 308's more often when I go hunting. I don't doubt the cartridge, I just like the rifles my 308's are chambered in better.

The 6.5 Creedmoor is here to stay. Deal with it.

This will be my second fall with mine. Plus spring bear. My 270 will get the nod if I can get it squared away before season. The Creed and Tikka combo make me into a real shooter. Never before have I been able to shoot this good. 3” groups at 500.

For the past 5 years, I've used the 6.5 Creedmoor for deer more than all of my other stuff combined.
Probably has as much to do with refining rifle/scope/barrel etc. preference as it does chambering but I sure like practicing more with it than the 7SAUM, 300wsm, 280, 270 etc.

Some targets that have been plinked :

It is becoming the go-to as a first or second rifle for youngsters around here. Not even close to the 243 but will be giving it a good run in the next couple of years. It is about ideal for the small and some not so small hill country deer and exotics. I was surprised when my plumber said he shot the Creedmoor but I shouldn't as the 250 Savage is still in use in Cen-Tex and the Creedmoor is sort of an updated edition.

I have yet to see a 6.5 Creedmoor used in the field, but a couple have shown up at our annual "camp and shoot" up at Quemado in the last couple of years. The 6.5-.280 AI, on the other hand, has appeared in a couple of elk camps, and I know of several that have been used extensively in the field--even for plains game in Africa. I am leaning toward a 6.5 PRC build, myself...

Only know of one person who owns a creedmore of any flavor and help uses for long range plinking