I too own three. Includes the ones the kids have hunted with. I can't see anywhere the 6.5 Creedmoor improves on the performance of this round and am lost on the craze for it. One point, reduced loads for it really make it a (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) cat and simply deadly out to 100 yds. I have loaded those for so many friends and their, and my, kids have piled deer up with them til about 16 years old.
As a handloader you can reach down into the area where .24 calibers reign and up into the zones where .30 dominates without giving up almost anything. I have zipped fox with minimal damage inside 100 yds, bears on bait, whitetail at 300yds, and shot a pronghorn at 401 yds in the head (all that was available). Changing the bullet and the powder, call other components the same.
Sold most my other hunting calibers for lack of need. Looking at a .35 Whelen for elk this year. More of an excuse than a need as my Savage European 7-08 with 160 gr Partitions would do a dandy job I am sure.
My favorite bullets have been 120 Nosler BT and 145 Speer HotCor spitzers. 120 Speer HotCore in reduced loads and also what I have used calling predators. I have not owned one that shot Speer Grand Slams well.
I have owned 3 Savages in 7-08 and have found them highly accurate BUT any switch in bullets in the Savage results in a different point of impact. So I keep one, a youth model, sighted for the reduced load and one for the Nosler BT.
Most "crazes" is all about marketing.
Take the 280 for example. Had trouble selling it as a 7mm express, some say because why buy an express when you can have a 7mm Remington magnum which became popular around the same time?
Back to the 280 and sales picked up.
With the short magnum craze, old stand-by cartriges (-06,270,280 and so on)fell out of favour so a catchy name (creedmoor) and caliber that is hot right now, worked.
Just my guess as to how fads come and go.
Wanted to add.............
You also have to factor in the style of gun that's selling hot today.
They are uglier than mud, half plastic and actions that old stlye magnums and short fat cartriges don't function very well in.
(yep, i'm an old school wood and bolt guy)
