Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters JB's Creed article

Good.

I know the way you hunt it would be hard to find a better round than the good ol .308 Win for killin bulls.

The Creed is a very nice round, & if one doesn't already have a 7-08, 270 Win, or a 280 Rem, all of which are ballistically essentially the same, given the right bullets, then the Creed is a no brainer.

What it has going for it is a short action, mild recoil & a nice size package, properly twisted barrel & excellent factory ammo loadings availability.

But if you have one of the other 3 above, there's no real significant performance gain.

The 270 with a Nosler LRAB, for example, is a virtual dupe, ballistically, (ditto for the
7-08 & 280)............albiet in a heavier package with more recoil & it's a handloading only proposition.

I'm sure I'll end up with one, just because, but not because I need it nor because it will measurably outperform what I already have.

JMHO, YMMV

MM

MM: I agree completely. And for my purposes, I could add the 25/06 and my fav, the 257R.

But I just got a M70 6.5CM, and I must admit was impressed when the 1st 2 three shot groups, with factory ammo, were less than .7” (Hornady and Winchester) Talk about the easy button!

And I don’t give a hoot about the BCs. I never shoot at anything beyond 300, maybe 350 at a pig!

I have a number of similar performing rifles, overlapping the CM. But I also have a CM. I’d do it again.

DF

LOL, The Queen of DaNile!

You guys are gonna talk me into building more 6.5 mm CMs.

Well, you could make a worst choice, like a 308, or a 30-40 Krag............................jusy sayin.

MM

As I've mentioned before, I gave my Swede, which I handloaded and hunted with since forever, to my nephew as a reward for completing putting himself through college. He always liked that rifle.
It also came with 100 rounds of handloaded 140 gr. Partitions. As an aside, a couple of COVID hunting seasons past, I sure was missing those Partitions.

Imagine the shock and possibly horror about 3 seasons ago when I showed up in Elk camp with a one of those dang CMs and - OMG - FACTORY AMMO
Some of the regulars were sure I wuz gonna dye my hair and grow out a manbun. Now that would NOT be a pretty sight.

Now 3 seasons later, the sun still rises and sets on schedule, the haircut is still high-n-tight, and that little whipper snapper of a cartridge has put 6 Elk in the freezer. Just like the Swede would regularly do.

Huh, imagine that.

Puddle,

Ya reckon them elk can tell the difference between a Swede and a Creed? Well, dead elk can’t talk.

Doubt hunters can tell any difference, either.

DF

One way to describe it is a Swede with better logistics.

Can't say for sure, but I think one Elk gave me a sideways glance thinking "at least he 'aint using that damn .257 Roberts..."

if i was a young growing family and i had to pick a cartridge today it would be the 6.5 Creedmoor reason ammo is easy to find,less recoil and this is the big reason : everyone would have the same dam cartridge. but myself now at 69 years of age my family the ladies and kids all have a 257 Roberts now ,son and i a 257 Weatherby mags. , but like i said if it was now today all of us would be using a 6.5 Creedmoor. simple makes the hunt go so much easier when everyone one has the same dang cartridge , i also kinda feel these Ruger #1`s work easier too and are safer too for ladies and youth.

We thought this old bull died, no one had seen him in a long time, caught him at a water hole last week, 6.5 CM worked fine with a 139 Scenar, DRT. Rio7

Also enjoyed the article. Was at a local big box LGS and looked at a Weatherby Firstlite rifle. The forend seem very flexible like some of the early RAR’s. I didn’t see JB mention this in his article. Also mentioned in GG4 as a good rifle. Is this a common feature of this rifle?

SWJ,

The forend on my First Lite is NOT "very flexible like some of the early RAR's." In fact it is very stiff--which I mentioned in the article.

Thanks for the reply. Must have missed that in the article. Will have to go back and check the rifle out again. I liked it overall but was surprised by the flex.

I think monos most certainly do have a optimum velocity window. For instance my brother shots a 300wsm and I a 300 RUM. Both use 175GR LRX bullets. My load is 300 ft per second faster, yet his gun always seems to kill stuff faster given similar shots.

BWalker,

The LRXs are designed to open easier at lower, long-range velocities. As a result sometimes the petals come off at closer ranges and higher impact velocities. This generally results in a smaller wound channel.

Buddy of mine has two 6.5 Creed's and they are accurate and capable. I even reload some of his ammo because I'm retired and he's not. It's probably a better all around cartridge than my old 6.5x55 Swede in a sporterized Mod. 96 with a B&C stock and a Dayton - Traister trigger. I describe it as a 6.5 Swedemoor and I like it enough that I'm not gonna run out and buy a 6.5 Creed. If that ain't enough there's a T/C Encore rifle in 7mm-08 here so I really don't need a Creed. JB's 6.5 Creed article was cool in that he mentioned his "normal test load" of 41.5 gr. of H-4350 with a 140 gr. bullet. JB has mentioned that load previously on this web site and I can say that it works in my buddies 2 Creed's. Another friend has a loaner Ruger American in 6.5 Creed from a friend so his niece can sit in his enclosed blind this weekend and maybe get her first whitetail. That will also be using JB's test load. Only deviation from JB's load is a 140 gr. soft point blem bullet that Midway was selling a year or two ago. He bought 500 of 'em and they shoot good.

Thanks for sharing that.

Actual experience can sometimes veer from theory and conventional wisdom.

DF