Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters A short essay on the 6.5 Creedmoor

I think the Creedmoor phenomenon is really just a result of a "perfect storm" of sorts.

It's a well thought out cartridge.

It came along in an era when factory rifle production was improving due to advanced machining, and no doubt bullet and ammo production techniques were benefitting from technological advances as well.

The long range shooting thing was aided and abetted---if not spawned---by two things (IMO): stories of American military snipers during the conflicts in Iraq, and the advent of "extreme sports" that took place in the 90s.

Another couple of coinciding factors would have been the explosion of discussion via the internet (remember when anytime someone asked for load advice the first response would be "what's your twist rate?") and Hornady's masterful marketing strategies. Refer back to the surge in internet usage.

For my part, it may well be one of the best designs to come along in a long while but it's really a solution to a problem I do not think I have. I have not owned anything in 6.5 Creedmoor and don't see it coming down the road. I recently embraced the .260 Remington for certain purposes (killing hogs with MSRs) and do not feel like I'm missing a thing.

If a guy wants a rifle in 6.5 CM, then I say "have at it." IDGAF what anyone else is doing. I'm very happy with my own stuff.

I was not surprised at the popularity it garnered. What is not to like really. For a new shooter it checks all the boxes. Accurate, doesn't kick much, better overall hunting round than the 243. It didn't appeal to me as I already had all the niches filled in multiples. I do like the fact it took the "gay" hyperbole off the 270 a small amount. The only real concessions I have made into the new cartridge world have been the 6.5 Grendel and the 7-08. Not sure if wildcats count if so I would have to add the 6AR.

If you don't want to or don't need to shoot VLD bullets, the typical 1-9' ROT 260 will handle most bullets that are 1.33" or less.

I've shot a few whitetails with the 6.5 CM, 260, 256 Newton, and 6.5-284 with hunting bullets in the 90 thru 140 grain range. Shot through the lungs tags got punched and I doubt that there was any noticeable difference in how quickly the deer died. Shots were probably out to 250 or so yards, most under `150 yards, and a few as close as 25 yards. Bullets count for more than headstamps.

Naw, man...it just meant the .270 now had a partner.

Writing is the finish paint coat. Not seen are the countless hours of preparation, postulation, creation & consternation. Not to mention photography, editing & proofreading.

I humbly retract all my negative comments about the cartridge.

"As men's prayers are a disease of the will, so are their creeds a disease of the intellect." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"From the death of the old the new proceeds, and the life of truth from the death of creeds." -John Greenleaf Whittier

Nice read, John.
I must be the oddball here as I have had 2 6.5CM and neither was particularly accurate. The jury is still out on the second one as I have only shot it in a limited fashion due to the gun malfunctioning. I will get back to more testing after hunting season.
On the other hand - I jumped on the 260 bandwagon early (ease of making brass) and am happy with the accuracy in 4 out of 5 that I have. The one I can't get to shoot MOA is an LR platform, and I can't get ANY AR type rifle to shoot better than MOA. When I hand the same rifle to a buddy, he shoots sub MOA with it. I am just not comfortable with ARs.

At the peak of the ammo crisis, I went in 2 shops in my trucking route to look at the empty ammo shelves (I didn't believe the stories). The only ammo on the shelves between both stores was: 218 Bee, 250 Savage, 260, 375 H&H and 50 Beowulf. So, during the next ammo crisis, 260 ammo might be available.

I find it interesting that you are recovering bullets from deer with the 143 ELD-X. I have only recovered 1 bullet my entire life (Hornady 30 cal 190gr in a elk) and only once did I not have a pass thru but couldn't find the bullet (Nosler 240gr JHP 44 cal in a 180 lb pig). All other game shots have been thru and thru shots. I even sent a Hornady 25 cal 117 SST in the brisket and out the arse of a pronghorn that was on the wrong side of my 25-06! Amazingly I missed all vital organs and needed a second shot.

I'm late to the Creedmoor game, just acquiring a Kimber Hunter about 6-7 months ago. After shooting it a bunch, I get it. 35-40 grains of powder pushing a 140 gr high BC bullet to 2700. Minimal recoil, cheap to shoot, accurate - what's not to like?

But it is not a wonder cartridge. The cartridge is simply a propellant holder to launch bullets of reasonable weight at reasonable velocity, at minimal recoil. I think it epitomizes the synergy of efficiency, high BC bullets, and rifles twisted and chambered correctly.

That’s because the “magic” was always portrayed on the other side… that bigger cartridges were somehow better.

This

Pretty much. At one point, I was hunting with a .260, a 6.5x47L, and a 6.5CM. I eventually saw the writing on the wall, sold off the other two, and stocked up on CM brass.

Well worded sir. I'd second that.

Two sides of the same coin. The same chamber dimensions in the throat area that make it consistently accurate with factory ammo also benefit the handloader.

As previously suggested, I was a late adopter, fine but no real interest having owned rifles chambered in 260, 6.5x55, 6.5-06 and 264 WM. After loading and shooting the various 6.5s for a few years, I concluded that they were 270 W imposters and sold them all for lack of interest, only wishing I had kept the nice Win 70 Featherweight CRF in 6.5x55. With 'traditional" ammo harder to find and CM ammo everywhere and affordable, it certainly checks the boxes for me. Why spend lots of $$$ on a rifle you rarely shoot 'cause ammo is expensive and hard to find (one of the reasons I sold my 240 and 257 Weatherbys). I'm not handloading presently, my gear is packed away, so it's store bought or none for me at the moment.

Bry,
Somehow missed this one yesterday in the flurry of posts....

I would definitely try Big Game, but would suggest trying magnum primers if loads with standard primers don't provide the accuracy you want.

I am not fond of 760/H414, as it burns kinda dirty--which also results in more jacket fouling, due to the abrasive nature of powder fouling. It's also pretty temperature-sensitive. Big Game is much cleaner burning and pretty temperature resistant. In fact, in my tests with several different cartridges it does as well in widely varying temperatures as the Hodgdon Extremes.

If I were to ever lose my current battery of big game rifles, I would buy a Tikka T3X Lite in 6.5CM and be done. Plenty of rifle for anything I will ever hunt here in Idaho.

If my reloading supplies disappeared, I'd get some H4350 and load 143 ELD-X's in Hornady Brass w/ CCI 200's and be done with that also.

Pretty much the easy button for an accurate rifle and capable load.

I’ve heard the factory ammo thing over and over. Is it really just the factory ammo or is some of it the chamber/case design as well? I know the chamber neck clearance was reduced to 1/2 thou, and new some of the new cartridge designs are similar.

I’ve never shot factory ammo out of my 6.5 creedmoor. It was the first cartridge that I never messed with load development, I read some recipes on here and loaded a bunch (RL23). They consistently shot (5) into 1/2 to 3/4” at 100. Couple years ago I ran out of RL23 so I switched to RL16 since I had a bunch, loaded to the same velocity the group sizes were the same same so was pint of impact. No zero change at all.

This year I bought my 13 yo a 6mm creedmoor. Picked a middle charge weight in the book (no load development )and got a rough zero with the first (5) rounds, then had her shoot a 5 round group - was 0.27” at 100yd. After a couple hundred rounds to settle the barrel I had her shoot a 10 round group @ 100yd to verify zero, it was 3/4”.

I really think the creedmoor(s) are the easy button for consistency/accuracy and shoot ability.

I see the merits of the 6.5 creed and for a couple of family members I actually recommended the creed because of abundant choice of fair priced factory ammo and knowing that it preforms about the same as my 6.5x55 swede. Light recoil will aid them while learning to shoot. I personally really like the idea but I prefer the nostalgia and history of the swede. Plus in my early years of hunting I was very successful harvesting several good deer with sporterized milsurp, so there is sentimental value attached to the swede.

In saying that i was thinking about playing around with a 6.5 creed and came across a win m70 featherweight for a decent price.

Does any one have any experience and report on how the Winchester's m70's shoot in 6.5 creed?

Not much reviews on them from what i see.

I'm not Mule Deer but have loaded for several 6.5CM rifles and have shot the cartridge a fair amount in silhouette rifle competition. IMO, in addition to being very accurate, the cartridge is very flexible when it comes to powders.

Besides H4350, I've shot a fair amount of IMR4451, Rel 16, Rel 17, Hunter, Big Game, and Varget as well in my Creedmoors. With the 140-142 grain bullets, a charge of 41.5 grains of IMR4451 worked as well as the same amount of H4350. Unfortunately, production of IMR4451 is suspended for the moment.

I've also gotten excellent results with approximately the same charge weights of Rel 16 & 17. With Big Game, I've gotten good results in the 40-41 gr charge range when ignited with Win LR primers.

The results have been consistently good in all the 6.5CM rifles that I either loaded for friends in their rifles, or in the ones I've owned which include a RAR Predator, a Ruger Hawkeye Predator, a Tikka T3x Lite, and my current one, a Tikka T3x CTR (blued 24").

It's not the chamber neck, it's the SAAMI minimum dimension for the throat diameter that is set to a half thou over bullet diameter.