what does a 6.5 creedmore do that a 6.5 x 55 doesn't?

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petew

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With the popularity of the 6.5 creedmore these days I an wondering why it seems to be so popular . What does it do that the 6.5 x 55 doesn't do, or what does it do better ? I don't get it .


I load 125 and 140 gr partitions in my 6.5 x 55's and my load books don't show me any advantages in favour of the Creedmore. What am I missing?
Pete
 
Fit in a short action, has topnotch factory ammo and seems to be gaining in popularity due to its perceived virtues both real and imagined. Also more manufacturers are adding it to their lineups seemingly daily. As for doing anything better than your 6.5x55.... I doubt it, maybe sound cooler and less European.

Every now and then a perfect storm of manufactures buying in, writers and notable hunters and shooters come together around a cartridge and boost it beyond the recycling wheel of others that perform nearly the same and you get something that truly catches on. The Creedmoor seems to be doing that.
While I wouldn't run out and trade a known proven rifle for it I can understand the appeal. However, if I was in the hunt for a light recoiling .30 cal and under short action rifle that would see use on targets, sub 400lbs critters and the occasional critter going over 400lbs I would probably have to look hard at the Creedmoor. Lets face it lots of the hunting and shooting public do not reload so if a gun has either reasonably priced ammo that performs excellently (like the Creedmoor, .30-30, .270 and .243 Winchester before it) or heaps of cheap surplus bulk ammo it always helps the popularity. As well the cartridge design got a lot of things right that target shooters and rifle looneys are looking for, neck length, shoulder angle, able to seat long high BC bullets for maximum case capacity without needing a longer action and they coupled it with a rifling twist that suits the same bullets.

With all that said I still can't bring myself to want one, at least not for long enough to actually dig my wallet out.
 
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It fits .....not in a short or long action...but in the mind of the person being advertised and marketed too...the same guy that needs a shiny new car in the driveway every three years....or two more feet on the boat.

Cartridge development peaked years ago. Deer and Elk don't exude Kevlar. Most of us would benefit from more fitness or time scouting, than any real world difference between a teen age caliber vs a century old caliber.
 
petew said:
With the popularity of the 6.5 creedmore these days I an wondering why it seems to be so popular . What does it do that the 6.5 x 55 doesn't do, or what does it do better ? I don't get it .


I load 125 and 140 gr partitions in my 6.5 x 55's and my load books don't show me any advantages in favour of the Creedmore. What am I missing?
Pete
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You are not missing anything. The swede has been around for well over 100+ years. cant see it going away anytime soon. Its one of my favorites. Especially loaded with the 160gr woodleighs.
 
The 6.5 MC has one of the best marketing strategies ever put behind a cartridge that I've ever seen and it's offspring, the 6 mm CM is enjoying it as well. The 6 mm CM doesn't do anything the 243 Win and 6 mm Remington can't do but the rifle manufacturers are using quick twist barrels so they stabilize long heavy bullets for long range work which is something that Winchester and Remington never did.
 
It’s not that one is better. It’s just more refined and modern. The 6.5x55 will do everything the Creedmoor will. However due to 120 years of history the 6.5x55 has been chambered in sporting and military rifles across several countries and decades. This has lead to some inconsistencies concerning chamber pressures and barrel twist. And of course the obvious, it’s normally housed in a long action.

The Creedmoor is just overall a modern cartridge predominantly produced in the last 10 years. This means a well established min-max as well as optimized throat length and rifling twist. And it’s a short action. It’s really 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. If I already had a 6.5x55 I certainly wouldn’t bother switching, but if I was buying my first .264 rifle, then the choice seems simple. One is the fastest growning cartridge in the industry with all the factory ammo and reloading gear, the other is a nostalgic oldie that never really took to main stream.
 
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Fits in a short action and has lots of factory ammo support in North America.
Europeans are still pretty fond of the 6.5x55 and would think we are tards for flocking to a slower smaller case to push 6.5 pills.
 
My racing analogy :

The Creedmoor would be Ken Block

The Swede would be Sebastien Loeb

Everyone think Ken block is the best driver cause of all the hype on youtube ........... But in fact he can't keep up with the World Rally Championship big boys !!!!!!

lol
 
Convenience. It fits .308 profile mags and actions with no external modifications. Since the .308s are so ubiquitous...

Whether one cartridge is better than another? Your mileage may vary. Develop your loads for your rifle and why bother worrying if you bought the "best".
 
Building a better mousetrap only succeeds when you are able to sell the idea to the mice.

If the 6.5 CM is really better then you have to get the message out to the animals you wish it to succeed with.

Marketing succeeds when you give a lot of writers free rides and they sell the hype.

Winning the lottery would not convince me the need for one!
 
petew said:
What am I missing?
Pete
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Nothing. At least not in terms of what it can do that the Swede can't, there is no difference. In my life, the difference in action length is irrelevant, no matter how hard some people will hype it. There is no need to switch if you already have a Swede or the .260Rem.
 
rral22 said:
Nothing. At least not in terms of what it can do that the Swede can't, there is no difference. In my life, the difference in action length is irrelevant, no matter how hard some people will hype it. There is no need to switch if you already have a Swede or the .260Rem.
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Action length is irrelevant in my life too but it's the first and usually the only thing most people can think of as an advantage for the CM over the Swede.
 
rral22 said:
Nothing. At least not in terms of what it can do that the Swede can't, there is no difference. In my life, the difference in action length is irrelevant, no matter how hard some people will hype it. There is no need to switch if you already have a Swede or the .260Rem.
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X2 on action length for me. Why some people think action length is important makes no sense to me. Especially when the are sold on the short action being lighter, and then put it in a heavy stock and want a heavy barrel .


I guess the same thought goes for the 7x57 and 7mm-08 as well.
 
petew said:
I guess the same thought goes for the 7x57 and 7mm-08 as well.
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Or the 30-06 vs. 308. Cartridges get basically re-released in modern form all the time. The improvements may be incremental, but why not have the same power, equal or better accuracy, and a shorter more efficient cartridge. Unless you want run big round nose bullets where case capacity can be an issue, in that case the classics are your friend.
 
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