Comment on 6.5 Creedmoor

[gme]

if it were called a 6.5x49 (48.8) it would be considered just another excellent performing cartridge

 

[284winner]

@ 284,..
Once, I put, the Old, SICKENING BS, "Claims", to Rest and judged, the 6.5 Creed on IT's own, Merits,..
I found it to be, a Sweet, low recoiling, accurate, High BC, Round, that's near Perfect for, Light Weight Rifles, used for, Deer, Antelope, Coyote's & Steel "Fun" at, any reasonable, range.
It replaced, a .243 Win that, went, MIA and I expect, "Better Things" from, the Creed. on Game !
And it'll be, easier on, Barrels than, the ole' .243 Win !

That was my version of defending the CM's.

 

[ronsatspokane]

Good Band. But then I like head banging rock'n roll. Some people don't like the religious overtones but I'm OK with it.

 

[Toddmack]

Good Band. But then I like head banging rock'n roll. Some people don't like the religious overtones but I'm OK with it.

An interesting, albeit very funny sidenote on that Creed album is that strippers seemed to LOVE multiple songs from that album. That was back before I was married and the fun train de-railed.

 

[dgeesaman]

Seems like people ether love it or make fun of it what’s the deal
Never had one never shot one don’t plan getting one just think it’s funny the love / hate for this caliber

I think it’s synonymous at times with a sophomoric, ignorant crowd. There are reasons but none that fault that actual cartridge design. The 6 and 6.5 Creedmoor can be quite accurate.

Reasons
1) you may have seen shooters who claim their Creedmoor is the most accurate thing out there, can’t be beaten. Of course these shooters have mostly never built a hand load or attended a target match to understand what’s really possible.
2) Hornady threw their full weight behind Creedmoor and launched it like it was some bold, innovative design. Of course we know it’s extremely close to other designs. It feels like it went way beyond the usual harmless marketing fluff now that large numbers of shooters are fully buying into it the claims.
3) Suddenly it seems the only medium-light rifle caliber available is Creedmoor. No 243 Win, no .223 Rem, and forget 204 Ruger or 222 Rem. Many bolt action rifle lines now start at Creedmoor and go up from there. So we’ve lost options.
4) Ignorant hunters who overestimate the lethality of Creedmoor at taking down game.

I had to chuckle last year, I was at a local range with a fantastic array of steel targets out to 1000y. No wind flags - quite tricky to land good shots on their 1000y plates. There was one other group there that morning and they were aiming at a coke can at 1000y. It was barely visible through my glass. At first I considered they had terrific setups and were really closing in on it. But I later saw they were just burning box after box of Hornady Creedmoor ammo. Now I’m not saying that combo couldn’t be accurate, but what chance did they really have of hitting it? What were they thinking as they burned through $200 of factory ammo?

So yeah, Creedmoor is a perfectly good long range cartridge. But it doesn’t justify the hype that suggests it is competitive long range target accuracy on the shelf of your local sporting goods store.

 

[deadidarren]

@ 284,..
Once, I put, the Old, SICKENING BS, "Claims", to Rest and judged, the 6.5 Creed on IT's own, Merits,..
I found it to be, a Sweet, low recoiling, accurate, High BC, Round, that's near Perfect for, Light Weight Rifles, used for, Deer, Antelope, Coyote's & Steel "Fun" at, any reasonable, range.
It replaced, a .243 Win that, went, MIA and I expect, "Better Things" from, the Creed. on Game !
And it'll be, easier on, Barrels than, the ole' .243 Win !

Oh a 260 rem with a 1:8 twist but slower .

 

[ronsatspokane]

I think it’s synonymous at times with a sophomoric, ignorant crowd. There are reasons but none that fault that actual cartridge design. The 6 and 6.5 Creedmoor can be quite accurate.

Reasons
1) you may have seen shooters who claim their Creedmoor is the most accurate thing out there, can’t be beaten. Of course these shooters have mostly never built a hand load or attended a target match to understand what’s really possible.
2) Hornady threw their full weight behind Creedmoor and launched it like it was some bold, innovative design. Of course we know it’s extremely close to other designs. It feels like it went way beyond the usual harmless marketing fluff now that large numbers of shooters are fully buying into it the claims.
3) Suddenly it seems the only medium-light rifle caliber available is Creedmoor. No 243 Win, no .223 Rem, and forget 204 Ruger or 222 Rem. Many bolt action rifle lines now start at Creedmoor and go up from there. So we’ve lost options.
4) Ignorant hunters who overestimate the lethality of Creedmoor at taking down game.

I had to chuckle last year, I was at a local range with a fantastic array of steel targets out to 1000y. No wind flags - quite tricky to land good shots on their 1000y plates. There was one other group there that morning and they were aiming at a coke can at 1000y. It was barely visible through my glass. At first I considered they had terrific setups and were really closing in on it. But I later saw they were just burning box after box of Hornady Creedmoor ammo. Now I’m not saying that combo couldn’t be accurate, but what chance did they really have of hitting it? What were they thinking as they burned through $200 of factory ammo?

So yeah, Creedmoor is a perfectly good long range cartridge. But it doesn’t justify the hype that suggests it is competitive long range target accuracy on the shelf of your local sporting goods store.

To point 1, I agree. Most have never understood accuracy or what is possible so they pick up a factory gun, some factory ammo, shoot 1/2 MOA groups are simply astounded. And they should be astounded. Most of the ammo is quite good and most of the guns shoot quite well. This represents a seismic shift in both experience and expectations. Very different expectations and experiences from the days when a 30-30 or 30.06 were the gun of choice. That is good for the sport.

Point 2, yeah, they threw their weight behind it and they hit a home run.

Point 3, see point 1. Gun companies make what sells. Not many 243's, 270's, 30.06's or even 300 win mags being produced these days. Word got around, people had good experiences on a number of fronts.

Point 4, the ignorance may not rest with the hunters. 6.5 has been used to take game of all sizes up to and even including Moose in Europe for a very long time. The 6.5 love just started in the US (relatively speaking). I would grab a 6.5 of any variety including one of my 6.5 Creedmoor's long before I'd grab my grandfathers 30.06. It's not like the 30.06 is going to kill the game any deader than the 6.5. Even a 243 would suffice for most game on the North American continent, Grizz and Northern Moose aside.

I shoot and have shot a number of different calibers in competition. Currently I'm shooting a 6 BRA in midrange F Class and a 6.5 Creedmoor in longrange F Class. Are either of them ideal, no. Have I won any national competitions with either, no. Will I in the future? Every dog has his day but those who are winning would likely win shooting my 6.5 Creedmoor as readily is they do shooting their 284. Primarily because it is about quality builds (my 6.5 is on a BAT action and a Krieger barrel), consistent loads and unmatched wind reading ability. The latter two require a lot of experience to perfect and those who are winning have a lot of experience. They also spend a lot of time perfecting their skills. Time many of us don't have due to other commitments.

I like the 6.5 Creedmoor. Not because of the hype but because I enjoy shooting it and it shoots quite well. Some days almost as well as my 6 BRA.

 

[Lukacko]

I have a 6.5 creed, 25 creed, 6mm creed, 22 creed and now im building a .17 rimfire creedmoor magnum.

 

[Downeast]

I bought my 6.5 Creed the year that Weatherby chambered it in the Vanguard. 2010 maybe? I had to order it from Weatherby and ammo was hard to find. I stopped at a LGS and enquired about ammo and the owner had 10 boxes of Hornady 140 Match ammo on the shelf gathering dust. He was asking $25 a box for it. I pulled out a crisp $100 bill and told him how many boxes could I get? He said 4 and I said ok, but then changed my mind and told him that maybe I'll come back later and put the Benjamin back in my pocket. I looked around for a bit and was getting ready to leave when the owner said "hell, take this crap off my shelf as no one will ever buy this caliber" and gave me all of it at $10 a box. I saved the box ends as they had the load recipes, both in H4350 and in Varget. For what it is I think the 6.5 Creed is an excellent cartridge out to 500 yards or so.

This is a pic of that standard Weatherby Vanguard with the plastic stock in 6.5 Creed with the Hornady 140 Match at 500 yards. The box of gum measures 2.5 X 3 inches. Frankly I was a bit amazed. I had a 10X SWFA scope on it at the time.

Using Nosler 140 grain BT's I've killed a lot of deer with this gun since that time out to 300 yards.

 

[10XSHOOTER]

If you want 140's to go fast build a 6.5X284. Lapua makes brass for it! if your going to shoot a 6.5 Creed. shoot 130 grain bullets. Not enough case to push 140's!

 

[284winner]

If you want 140's to go fast build a 6.5X284. Lapua makes brass for it! if your going to shoot a 6.5 Creed. shoot 130 grain bullets. Not enough case to push 140's!

I'd say that pushing the ideal bullet weight from most cartridges, 3000 fps is my target velocity. Given that number, I'd agree with your rationale. The 120-130 would be that number in a 6.5CM. Probably closer to the 130.

 

[358WCF]

I bought one a few years back to see what all the hubbub was about. Thoroughly unimpressed other than not needing to trim brass quite as often as 6.5x55.

I was shopping for a new bolt gun recently & plastic stocked 6.5 CM & 308 were about all that was available with the odd 7mm RemMag or 300 Winmag. Finally stumbled onto a used but well taken care of Shilen DGA rifle in 7mm-08.

It's all good fun making jokes about all the new long range snipers that have been spawned by the propaganda.

 

[STOMP442]

Those of us that poke fun at the creed do so probably because we have been fans of the 6.5 long before the Creed ever came about and already knew all the wonderful attributes the 6.5 had to offer with the likes of the 6.5x55 and the .260 Remington. The Creed comes along and all of the sudden people are telling us how great and wonderful it is with statements about high ballistic coefficients, better ballistics and lighter recoil because they read about it in a magazine and seen a nice shiny new box of ammo on the shelf. Things we already knew, but they come off as snobby know it alls and it rubs us the wrong way. There is nothing wrong with the Creedmoor at all. I own one, but it is nothing new or game changing in anyway performance wise over anything else we already had. Before you say "but it fits in a standard short action" so does the .260 Remington and it works just fine even with bullets seated deeper than we would like. Hornady did and does an incredible job of marketing and those guys that like shiny new things eat it up. That being said, here is my favorite Creedmoor meme.

 

[M14AMU]

I love the cartridge and quite frankly, it has alot going for it. Do I think the 6.5x47 Lapua is better in many regards? Yes. Do I think Remington messed up the .260 Remington? Yes again. So to me, it's superior to the .260 in most ways but inferior to the Lapua.

I will say this with certainty. Fans of the Creedmoor don't do themselves or their club any favors by spelling it "Creedmore".

How about 'Skidmore'??