Thread: 6.5CM craze

Just how special is the 6.5CM? Seems like a disease here in NZ....is it really better than the plain jane 260 Rem or trusty 6.5x55???

Its just the latest fashion caliber it probably goes 20fps faster than something already developed so must be good

Is it better than a 260 rem or 6.5x55 - not that I can see.
It was designed as a better cartridge for the AR10 platform I believe, and it definitely has better characteristic for long range shooting than the 7.62x51.

It's a compromise between 5.5mm and 7.5mm

Prolly easier to load long 140s in a short action than 260

Well over rated IMO. They don't have the SD to knock down an animal as quick as a 308. From what I have seen it always takes more than one shot to kill a red.
The flip side is that they are nice to shoot, very accurate and low recoil. That said so is my 308.

Originally Posted by LJP

Just how special is the 6.5CM? Seems like a disease here in NZ....is it really better than the plain jane 260 Rem or trusty 6.5x55???

No

It was a craze about 5 years ago but now its just a well respected, capable and trusted cartridge.
I just chambered two barrels in 6.5 Creed yesterday, one for myself and one for a mate.
I rechambered a 20" trueflite from 260Rem which gave me a max of 2700fps with 139gr Lapua scenars and 42.5gr of RL16 which is as hot as I will load it without compromising brass , now as a 6.5 Creedmoor it runs 43gr of RL16 at 2880fps with the same projectile and 5mm less barrel length. Its just more efficient than .260 with its shorter straighter walled case which is also better for long seated projectiles and feeding from magazines. The small primed brass can take a hiding too.
It is much shorter than 6.5X55 which runs a long action and gets its best performance from longer barrels and slower burning powders. 6.5 Creedmore is an inherently accurate cartridge with target shooting roots but makes for a superb hunters cartridge with shorter barrels and the right projectiles.

Im quite happy with my 6.5x55s performance the sl longer cartridge doesn't worry me at all.
It would be interesting to see side by side performance and accuracy figures for the 2. A 22 inch barrel is not that much of a disadvantage

Originally Posted by Gkp

Well over rated IMO. They don't have the SD to knock down an animal as quick as a 308. From what I have seen it always takes more than one shot to kill a red.
The flip side is that they are nice to shoot, very accurate and low recoil. That said so is my 308.

Not in my experience, I shoot both .308win, 6.5 Creedmore and 6.5x47 Lapua on game and can say confidently that the 6.5s have performed better on deer and goats on all accounts. Projectile choice and shot placement is always more important. Ive never had to send a second finishing shot with the 6.5 due to lack of knock down.
They carry higher velocities out further than the .308 so with lighter jacket projectiles such as Amax or TMKs they are great at dumping high energy even out past 500y.

It isnt a military cartridge, which carry restrictions in some jurisdictions. Not an issue in NZ though.

The 6.5 Creedmoor is hugely popular in the U.S. and quickly gaining popularity here. There's some exaggerated claims made about the cartridge but the main reason for the popularity is the amount of low cost short action bolt rifles chambered in the cartridge that all seem to shoot very accurately. The factory ammunition available is reasonably priced unlike the .260 Remington. Also the CM is one that's easy to get to shoot very accurately when handloading.

I have a Tikka T3x 6.5 Creedmoor that with handlaoads consistently shoots 5 shot groups of .35 M.O.A. I've had many groups less than that. I was amazed that a mid priced factory rifle could do that. Never had to use more than one shot to kill a deer either although they weren't large reds.

I personally wouldn't compare a 6.5 CM to a .308. I use my .308 for general bush hunting using 165 gr bullets and more specifically for the huge pine forest stags in my local area. I'm not saying that a 6.5 CM wouldn't work but when you've got a massive red stag built like a Sherman tank with shoulder bones to match I'll take a .308 or larger cartridge any day. A lot of guys in my area use a .300 WSM or .300 WM for these stags.

However, as a general deer hunting cartridge the 6.5 CM along with the .260 Rem and 6.5x55 is great choice up to reasonable ranges. Certainly not 1000 yards like some people claim though.

Originally Posted by Bol Tackshin

It isnt a military cartridge, which carry restrictions in some jurisdictions. Not an issue in NZ though.

Yes it is.. the USA military have adopted it. I had to import a CIP (European std) chamber reamer instead of the now restricted SAAMI spec reamer.

Originally Posted by LJP

Just how special is the 6.5CM? Seems like a disease here in NZ....is it really better than the plain jane 260 Rem or trusty 6.5x55???

It doesn't perform any better than a 260 or 6.5x55, what it offers is the same or similar performance slightly more efficiently, but fitting comfortably in a small action.
The biggest advantage is the right from the get go it was marketed well, knew what section of the market it appealed too and ensure rifles had barrels with the right twist rrate for heavy projectiles and factory ammunition was widely available at a reasonable price with match grade ammo being easy to get.

Whilst a lot of the new wonder cartridges don't do anything ground breaking, they are marketed correctly and have a steady supply of gpod factory ammo available that you can go buy a gun with good accurate ammo from day one.

There are dozens of cartridges developed over the last 50 odd years that were good rounds, but failed due to lack of factory ammo, rifles in stupid twists, lack of match ammo etc etc.

The 260rem was almost dead in the water due to being marketed to the wrong crowd, same with 284win.
Both excellent cartridges, but almost dead as a do do due too not knowing their intended end user.

Originally Posted by Gkp

Well over rated IMO. They don't have the SD to knock down an animal as quick as a 308. From what I have seen it always takes more than one shot to kill a red.
The flip side is that they are nice to shoot, very accurate and low recoil. That said so is my 308.

I've had no problem going from a 7mmdown to a .260 on reds shot a nice big stag at 500yards with it no problem.

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