6.5 creedmoor

Basically a shorten 260rem to load longer and heavier .264" bullets without impeding case capacity.

Hornady
http://www.hornady.com/store/6.5-Creedmoor/

6.5 Creedmore is a cartridge designed from the ground up for long distance competition shooting. Its very similar to the .260 Remington. Personally, I'd rather have the Ruger #1 in 6.5x55, but nobody asked me!

Search for some threads on 6.5 Creedmore, .260 Remington, 6.5x47 Lapua - there have been some discussions in the past. Oh, Zak Smith, a moderator here, I believe has written some articles on it.

article | 6.5mm Shootout: .260 Remington vs. 6.5x47 Lapua vs. 6.5 Creedmoor




article | 6.5 Creedmoor - .260 Done Right?


It's Hornady's version of the .260. I think the regular .260 is more versatile.

Basically a shorten 260rem to load longer and heavier .264" bullets without impeding case capacity.

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False.

Zak Smith said:

False.

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Was trying to keep it short and simple.

It was a while back when you wrote that article, any update on which you prefer ? I understand you don't want to pick favorites, but I am at a standstill on which one to go with. Leaning towards the 6.5 Creedmoor. Could you just give a little nudge ?

I must have missed this "It's Hornady's version of the .260. I think the regular .260 is more versatile. " So you would suggest the 260rem ?

Yes, I updated the last page of the Shootout article in November 2009
http://demigodllc.com/articles/6.5-shootout-260-6.5x47-6.5-creedmoor/?p=5

November 2009 Update!
I'm still shooting my original (2006) .260 Remington barrel on my AI-AW 2.0, and it's still performing great. I used the same gun, barrel, and cartridge to win matches in late Summer 2009 that I used in 2006 to win the Steel Safari. I gave back the Tubb gun in 6.5 Creedmoor (and its owner got rid of the 6.5 Creedmoor barrel), and I sold the 6.5x47 Lapua barrel for my AI-AW.

In the end, neither of these new upstart cartridges did anything for me that the .260 didn't. With the new Reloder 17 powder, I am now launching the 139gr Scenar at just over 2900 fps from my 26" Rock Creek barrel. Some of my associates are shooting a load using this powder at 2980 fps; however, the large firing pin hole in my AI-AW does not allow this.

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Since the ballistics performance of 6.5 CM and .260 Rem is essentially identical, the availability of brass and factory loads for the .260 makes it more versatile in my opinion.

On the other point-- about long bullets vs. case length. This is widely misunderstood. A shorter case (of the same diameter) that has a heavier bullet "sticking out further" from the neck, compared to a longer case that doesn't, does not offer more performance. The only thing that couly be said is that the bottom of the bearing surface of the bullet might not hit a "donut" that develops in certain cases over time. But even this is not the case wit the 6.5 CM. I asked its developer outright if the bottom of the bearing surface was above the bottom of the case neck with the 140's and the answer was no.

Other than a potential donut issue (which is really failure to do brass prep/maintenance during the reloading process) - and that is even relatively rare, there is no problem with having the bearing surface of the bullet protrude below the case neck. Lapua .338 LM and virtually all .260 match ammo (not to mention basically all .223 match ammo with heavy bullets) is this way and it's not a problem.

If you take two cases of the same diameter and seat the same bullet to the same OAL, the shorter case will still have less usable capacity, there's no getting around that.

It seems like the 6.5 CM is gaining in popularity with Hornady making more loads and other firearms manufacturers chambering the 6.5 CM like TC. Do you think it will become a more popular chambering than the 260rem ?

I hesitate to speculate. It might be an easier "marketing" sell; however, .260 might be seen as a safer option because it was originally a hunting cartridge. Remington is coming out with a .260 more or less set up for competition.

Rem has not done squat with the 260 for years, its a shame. What have you heard that they are coming out with ?

I had a discussion with a Remington employee last month.

What ? you are sworn to secrecy ? shot show has already come and gone, no need for secrecy. They are not going to wait till 2011 shot show for release are they ?

It would be a .260 version of a .308 rifle, and I believe these were at SHOT Show.

-z

In basic terms the 6.5 CM is a "me too" round by Hornady that will fade away in short time as will some (Most actually) of the other Hornady calibers. In more specific terms it is nothing more than a second rate .260 Rem. In more exact terms, it is a close copy of a 6.5 caliber wildcat called the "Bobcat" as described several years ago in an article by Jim Carmichael the editor of Outdoor Life magazine. Ruger is hungry for a "winner' as was honestly confessed to me by Ruger spoksman at recent Shotshow. Several years ago they tried the same thing by chambering rifles in 6mmPPC, which was a disaster. Now they are trying the same with another caliber. A cartidge is NEVER more accurate than the rifle in which it is fired.