Was the 6.5 cm really a necessity?

[FEENIX]

Q: Was the 6.5 CM really a necessity?
A: NO! Necessity of anything is all relative.

It is irrelevant who drops the ball and missed the opportunity or who capitalizes on the opportunity and is raking in the benefits. What it is important is that we have an additonal choice available to us and for that I am thankful. I do not have a 6.5 CM at the moment; my 6.5x55 Swede (has been around longer than our venerable .30-06) which fills that gap.

Life is all about choices, what we do with them is entirely up to us ... just saying.

Well, I now own an entry level rifle TCA Compass (won it in a raffle for $20 ).

3-shot group at 200 yards using factory ammo.

The only thing I have done with the rifle is change the trigger spring.

 

[Buzzsaw]

wait, what???!!!!!!!!!!

 

[gohring3006]

There was a Creed thread on Facebook, guys were complaining about the cartridge. Lol
How much they hate it blah blah blah!!!
One guy commented about how the dinosaurs couldn't adapt to change either. That was the best comment on the thread.

 

[mobenzowner]

One thing we have not mentioned here, a lack of smart decision making on the consumer. We are all kicking Remington for improper marketing, support, twist rates, and I agree with all those remarks. Lack of support and poor decision making by big green is the biggest factor in making some of their calibers less popular than by all rights they should have been. However as good as most on here are saying some of the lesser commercially successful cartridges were, the consumer should have stepped up regardless of slick naming etc. The internet and research capabilities was there for the .260 and some others. I just think that we, the ultimate end user also share a portion of the blame.

 

[jasonco]

Well, I now own an entry level rifle TCA Compass (won it in a raffle for $20 ).

3-shot group at 200 yards using factory ammo.

The only thing I have done with the rifle is change the trigger spring.

Making Johnny's Reloading Bench proud! That little can shoot, I almost want to pick on these TC Compass?!

 

[jasonco]

"Was the 6.5 Creedmoor really a necessity?", I say more yes than no. I'm a longtime Big Seven shooter and was the 7 Mashburn, 7STW, 7-300, 7RUM and now 28 Nosler a necessity? Once more yes than no. But after having owned/used the 7RUM, that catridge was TOO much of a good thing!

I still love to shoot my Big Seven's, but now that I'v been bit by the 6.5 bug, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5x284 Norma and recent 6.5 Grendel, all I can say is, what took me so long?! I get excellent ballistics in a light recoiling rifle, before a brake is screwed on, excellent accuracy from most ammo off the shelf if I want and just plain fun to shoot, I"M ALL IN on the 6.5 bandwagon. It's proven!

I just got Lyman's Long Range Precision Rifle Reloading Manual and Dave Emary has an article, The History and Design of the 6.5 and 6mm Creedmoor, and it's make perfect sense as to the what and why of the 6.5 Creedmoor.

 

[Gregger]

I just recently this spring bought a new rifle in the 6.5 creed, low recoil and superior ballistics. Why not.

 

[Rick Richard]

I had a 6.5 Creed and it shot very well, however my next will be 6.5x47.

 

[J E Custom]

JE, the .280 Rem/.280 Rem Exp. and the 7mm RemMag are 2 totally different cartridges altogether... One is a standard bolt face, the other is a magnum cartridge.

Yes I know. I was only commenting on the fact that Remington came up with the 7 rem mag to replace the 280's lagging sales with the MAGNUM name that sold millions of rifles that were realy no better. I know because I was one of the first to buy one of the new 7 Rem Mags only to find out that it did very little more than the 280 could. Now I don't have one and like the total performance of the 280 AI better.

Just like the 44 magnum became all the craze even though we had the 44 Special that was very close.

That started a trend that the name sells the cartridge more than anything to most shooters/hunters and it is even more present today.

You can show an experienced shooter/loader any of the new designer cartridges and they can come up with an old cartridge that matches or exceeds it. Keeping sales up is good business for the company that builds rifles or loaded ammo and components for them , but not necessarily good for the new shooter.

there are many cartridges that have come and gone, and some that are coming back for one reason or another Like the 280 rem. call it what you like, but the performance is there. there will always be faster, more powerful cartridges, but sometimes the fastest and most powerful cartridge may not be a wise or the best choice. so we decide on a cartridge that will do everything well and be problem free.

I have succumbed to the temptation of the designer cartridges more than once and found some were just right for what I wanted. Others were a big disappointment and some were plagued with problems.
so now i am more cautious and study all aspects of a cartridge before I commit long term to a designer cartridge.

I only caution shooters that there is no perfect cartridge for everything ,only the cartridge that best fills your need. And if a cartridge fill your needs best and happens to be a "Designer" cartridge, SO BE IT !!!

J E CUSTOM

 

[doug b]

This was some great reading guys!

 

[Hbomb11]

I just had my Bergara HMR 6.5 Creedmoor out a couple days and it is an absolute joy to shoot. Low recoil, cheap ammo. We only had steel set up to 400 yards and could ring 16" steel plate at 400 all day like it was nothing and I don't shoot very often. I would love to try some of the other 6.5 offerings such as the SAUM or 6.5x284 but haven't had the time to get into reloading yet. As far as necessary probably not but it is definitely the most fun to shoot gun I have owned.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

Was it necessary? Maybe. Are there faster rounds? Yes. Are there better rounds? That's subjective to your purpose. Does it fill a niche? Yes I think it does. The 6.5 CM is just a middle of the road cartridge in between the the 260 and 6.5x47L. I'm a middle of the road kinda guy. I feel I get the best of both worlds that way. I'll most likely always have one in my cabinet. I'll own other 6.5s as well, but the CM has treated me well and I have everything to load it. People just need to not let stuff bother them and worry about what they've got and learn what they have. Once you pick a good cartridge and learn it inside and out, your a force to be reckoned with inside the cartridges limitations even against "better" or "necessary" rounds.

 

[Deviant]

This may be a dumb question, and I don't mean to start any kind of flame wars. Years ago I bought a savage model 12 long range precision in 260 Remington caliber. I had wanted a 260 for quite a while before I was able to get one. I love the round. I had wanted a 6.5 short action caliber, and the 260 foot the bill for me perfectly, something I felt I could hunt anything from coyote, to elk with. I bought the model 12, because I wanted a rifle I could shoot targets with, as well as take out hunting. Since then, I wanted to buy another 6.5 mm caliber short action rifle, that was lighter in weight. I was looking for a cheap accurate 260. I ended up buying another rifle, chambered in 6.5 mm Creedmoor. My question, is, what exactly does the Creedmoor do, that the 260 does not do? As far as I can tell, it appears to me that Remington's marketing completely dropped the ball on this caliber. I am looking at these two cases, curious as to why they Creedmoor is such a hot item, and the 260 has been so overlooked by the masses. I am punching dimes at 100 yards with my 260 pretty consistently, with 140 grain bullets going 2780 feet a second. The Creedmoor appears to be a good caliber, don't get me wrong, also, finding ammunition for the 260, the 6.5 x 55 Swede,or the 6.5 x 47 Lapua, in most stores is hard, to say the least. Creedmoor ammunition is stocked with match ammo ready to go. I just do not understand why the Remington 260 is never taken off like the Creedmoor did. It's like this caliber is been shoved down everybody's throat, to be the new king of the hill, when I can easily think of three other cartridges that would outperform it in the same caliber, and a short action. Am I missing something here?

The 6.5 CM fits in a detachable magazine with heavy VLD bullets and has excellent barrel life.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

When it comes to the latest and greatest cartridge ever; the wheel has been re-invented over, and over, and over. Addicts like us just can't get enough.
What's next - I'm game. LOL