Why the 6.5 caliber?

[25WSM]

Harp has it nailed. The rifles being made in 6.5 traditionally have an 8 twist. Why would bullet makers make anything that has no rifle to shoot them. Look at 257 and 277. Can you find any factory rifles with out a 10 twist. I'm actually shocked Berger made the 170 in 277. Black jack is changing the 25 game. Awesome job too. On the 6.5 you have that long history of the old cartridges killing anything on Earth. You got the 6.5x55 being one of the most accurate rounds of it's time. And the 6.5 still does just about anything we ask of it. Add in Jebel with his thoughts on bullet technology being to great just adds to it. We are living in a very exciting time for shooting sports. Heck almost every day there's something new. I'll take one please.
Shep

 

[Greyfox]

I adopted the 6.5 over a decade ago for my primary hunting caliber in cartridges running charge weights in the 55-60gr weight, ie 6.5x284. The primary draw for my predominantly medium game hunting, was the "balance of attributes".
-Very accurate bullets with high BC/sectional density...availability!
-MV sweet spot of 3000FPS with 140gr class bullets produced sufficient terminal/ballistic performance from 100-1000+ yards(1000FPE/1000yards). While expansion characteristics of the bullet was different between 100-1000 yards, killing effect on game was equally effective at producing(often dramatic) 1 shot kills with good proper placement.
-Irrespective of all the barrel life propaganda, for hunting use, barrel life and performance proved to show little variation from other calibers capable of comparable ballistic performance... better in some cases.(1500+ rounds).
-LR performance could be achieved with lighter, carry rifles.
-Excellent shoot-ability with manageable recoil, particularly with a muzzle brake
-Very easy to develop accurate loads, with excellent component availability.

Just some thoughts. It's not to say that there weren't other good cartridges available, but at the time I had started using the 6.5 for hunting, the caliber was coming off a strong run of successes in the competitive circles. I think this lead to the influx of high performance bullets.. It's pretty clear that others observed these attributes over time given the growing, wide availability of new variants and quality factory ammo which adds to the popularity. IMO

 

[SealT5]

I believe it is the current influx of bullet availability, ammo, and design. Factory backing plays a large role. The 6.5mm has been highly successful for decades.

 

[Sam Summey]

I'll stick with my 280 AI

 

[Gater]

The 6.5 is a great round but when it comes to elk I'll stick with the
.300 win mag personal preference that's all

 

[John Polk]

6.5 bullets vs 270,284,308. Why has the 6.5 taken off and if you believe the hype - taken over? I have been sucked into the hype with one 6.5 PRC with a second to follow. Is it just bullet type and availability? The 270 bullets just can't keep up because they don't exist yet? The 284 must be heavy for caliber like the 308 to compete with the 6.5? Why why why is the 6.5 the new "King"?
Just wondering....

 

[PP guns]

High BC bullets and very good sectional density....meaning slices through air and flesh really well!

Many are correct..6.5mm has been around for awhile but mostly overseas... we're a little slow over here in the western world sometimes.

 

[javman]

6.5 cal has always been as awesome caliber to work with, it just took along time for folks here state side to see the performance it had to offer! As a teen growing up the 6.5 Rem Mag caught my attention more so than the 264Win.

 

[DavidA]

It is all about bullet selection and then providing OEM SAMMI barrels with proper twist to stabilize longer High BC bullets. I love my two 270 wins. One is a stock Rem 700 SS with a standard 1-10 twist barrel. One is a Remage McGowen Precision 1-8 Twist barrel. The fact that I can shoot longer higher BC bullets out of the it just makes it more appealing. Shooting a standard 140 gr Berger Hunter is great even out of the 10 twist barrel. Effective at most sane distances , but the 1-8 twist with the 170 EOL Hunter throws down more energy at all distances and is supersonic at sea level to almost 1,650 yds out of a 26" barrel. This is similar to what the 6.5 mm cartridges deliver with their 1-8 twist barrels out of the box, and it is what make them more appealing.

 

[Philo in AZ]

The bullet availability is an outcome of the caliber's popularity. The popularity is due to the caliber's balance and ability to take most game in North America. You won't many .264 caliber guns in Africa because of its limited usability. Low recoil, flat shooting round usable in a short action, with ability to do many disciplines in this sport is the primary reason.

 

[Pauleye]

Marketing pure and simple. The 6.5 bullet had been around with the 260 Remington and 6.5x47 Lapua plus others but the 6.5 creedmoor has brought it to the forefront. I've had the 260 for a long time and am enjoying the new bullets

 

[cajun]

Years ago 1000 yd shooters starting necking down 284 win to 6.5 284. It was the king for a while. High BC bullets and low recoil. Then of course Hornady developed the creedmoor mainly as an across the course AR round for high power target. So in the target circles it has been popular. Hornady took advantage of the interest in long range shooting and very successfully marketed the creedmoor. Ironically 1000 yd guys are now necking the 6.5 284 back to 7mm because of Sierras new high bc sevens.

 

[ndking1126]

I think the precision shooting world moving to 6.5 got a lot of people's attention. And then you run the ballistic numbers yourself, you realize they really do have better ballistics. So you try it out and realize they do it all with less recoil exactly as promised. What's not to love?It was a snowball affect that thankfully both bullet manufacturers and rifle manufacturers saw at about the same time so in a matter of a few short years we had a plethora of bullets and rifles to choose from. To the average, "just grab whatever's on the shelf and let's go sight in for deer season" shooter, they probably did seem almost magical because the lower recoil makes them easier to shoot accurately, the ballistics makes them easier to shoot longer, and the cost wasn't much different than their 308 rounds. Given how accurate even the cheapest of rifles are nowadays, it's a great time for shooters. I just built a new hunting rifle and picked the good old 270 Win, and my precision rifle is a 260 Rem. I like 'em all.

 

[Digital]

6.5 bullets vs 270,284,308. Why has the 6.5 taken off and if you believe the hype - taken over? I have been sucked into the hype with one 6.5 PRC with a second to follow. Is it just bullet type and availability? The 270 bullets just can't keep up because they don't exist yet? The 284 must be heavy for caliber like the 308 to compete with the 6.5? Why why why is the 6.5 the new "King"?
Just wondering....

6.5 bullets vs 270,284,308. Why has the 6.5 taken off and if you believe the hype - taken over? I have been sucked into the hype with one 6.5 PRC with a second to follow. Is it just bullet type and availability? The 270 bullets just can't keep up because they don't exist yet? The 284 must be heavy for caliber like the 308 to compete with the 6.5? Why why why is the 6.5 the new "King"?
Just wondering....

Love the 6.5 Grendel for hog hunting. Lighter than AR10 in 308 or 6.5 and still has flat trajectory and take down power I want for deer and hogs. Flat trajectory really help when night vision hunting cause judging distance is a challenge.