Let me start off by saying I know very little about this caliber. Why all the hate? I've seen it described as the man-bun round, the Jeep Wrangler wanna be of rounds, the man purse of shooting and more.
Seems there has been negative hype about this caliber for years now. I know there have been quite a few new rounds produced in the last several years but this seems to take the brunt of all the criticism
on the internet. Your thoughts?

LOL, Nothing wrong with it, especially for long range shooters, it's a 6.5 mm like a few others...just another option, ammo is certainly readily available...

Well for starters, it's Creedmoor named for the famous range on Long Island. Secondly, it duplicates ballistics from several 6.5 cartridges from 100 years ago, so is kind of redundant. But it's new and flashy and fits in the popular AR platform so there's that. I don't need it but I don't bad mouth it for those who think they do.

It’s a new model of 260rem. New cartridges come out all the time. But I think a lot of people get upset with Hornady’s success at tweaking older proven cartridges. Because in a hunting scenario under 400yards the old cartridges have the velocity advantage with lighter bullets. The heavy bullet doesn’t do much for drop and drift till you extend the ranges. But I’d make an argument that with the new chamber designs and tighter tolerances they updated cartidges make for better odds of getting a “shooter” of a rifle right off the shelf. I think the differences of a 260 and a 6.5 are moot for hunting. And now that 6.5creed is a military cartridge it’ll be more like 308. Widely available and economical

don't need one, got one anyway. No regrets. 2020 Biden stole the election and right away the gun control talk started. So thought I would buy an AR10, but do not care for a 308, so ordered a custom upper in a creedmoor. Since then I have taken 6 bucks from 300 to 488 yards and a bear at 388. shoots unbelievable for a gas gun.
This fall turkey was shot at 336 yards (note the bullet hole)

4 shots at 1004 yards

what other round is easy on barrels, very accurate, capable of taking med. game to 700 yards, butt still capable of extreme long range target shooting without breaking the bank?

From my perspective, it doesn’t do anything that the 260 Remington didn’t do previously. Me being a short range shooter on big game, I have no need to go buy new rifles in the latest offerings that have shown up in the past 15-20 years.
I think the “hate” directed towards fans of the newer chambering is funny because the younger generations are always going to say that the new way is better than the old Fudd way.

I feel the same way about my Tikka Swede.

I think a lot of the hate was because of the marketing and over hype.... and of course a lot of the want to be snipers/ gangster hunters that gravitated towards the creedmoor and had to be sure to let you know how cool the they were because they had one.
Once went out west archery hunting with a group of guys . One guy in the group was one of those type of guys. Had the latest and greatest in hunting gear. Before the hunt was over we all knew what every piece of equipment cost including his socks. Heck his shirt cost more than my bow did. Terrible hunter, wouldn't hardly walk more than a quarter mile from the truck. Every buck he saw he said would have been dead if he had his "creed".... missed a buck with his bow at 30 yds and one at a 100yds.

With that said I own 3 creedmoors, one 6.5 and two 6s. Not a big fan of the 6.5 for hunting as its a little on the slow side. Its a target round that u can hunt with. Ballisticly its pretty unimpressive as a hunting cartridge in my opinion.

I bet, but you're and old Fudd. Haha

Something something " but ma 6.5 swede" something something "paper punching" something something " but .260 rem" something something man bun .... Same thing as the 6.5 swede but it sucks , even though the 6.5 swede doesn't suck .

Seriously though the marketing hype is the big reason people hate it. Similar to what happened back in the day when .270 win came out and O' Connor wouldn't shut up about it . Elmer Keith even said it was a decent coyote round at best ....or something like that. But he's the same guy wanting something to be able to shoot elks wherever and drop them . There was a guy in Africa too I think who hated it and it was because he shot a warthog in the butt and it don't kill it .

I really dont get the folks who will get all hot and bothered about 6.5 swede or .260 rem say 6.5 creed is the exact same thing....then go on a rant for 20min about how much it sucks....like ....if it's the exact same thing then wouldn't that mean the ones you like suck ????

There also a issue with a lot of FUDD knowledge. I've been in the gun shop with people cussing 6.5 creed and when you ask them way they will tell you stuff like

" It's going so fast the bullets bouncing down the barrel and it deforms the bullet so when it hits the deer it just explode"

" That's round is so deadly you can hit them about anywhere and those new bullets will drop them on the spot !"
Or one of my favorites
"It was a round. Designed to wound ! So you get better meat "

And since it came out the mouth of a old grumpy guy no one questions it and yeah .

Most of the wounding deals I've seen when you actually get down to it is some jack wagon who didn't practice who just shot in the big middle , and those same people usually have a history of doing the same with other calibers . reason most of them like something like a 7mm mag . I'm not joking when I say these are the same type who I'll come to my lil range to sight in and throw a fit when you tell them ,no being able to shoot a shot gun pattern group @100yd isn't good enough just because there all on the piece of copy paper

That or grabbing something that the snipers or whatever use and think there a sniper . ... There gonna do it regardless, if it's not a 6.5 it'll be a .308, if not .308 will be 7mm08 or something...

There's also something to be said , apparently about some of the bullets they load in factory ammo just not being the best for that caliber. Was listening to a guy who big into ballistic talka bout how a lot of the bullets that where great in .30cals just don't work as well in 6.5's. but that's a whole deep rabbit hole .

Everyone I know who really likes them grew up shooting game with smaller calibers , 25-06, 22-250 ,.22mag .243 so they don't have any issues with the creed because....well they know where to actually shoot past behind the shoulder or something . Was able to talk to a swede on time about the whole moose and 6.5 swede thing and he point blank said he feels a lot of it is just the difference in shot placement since a lot of European do high shoulder shots instead of heart and lung...

Idk though I like mine would take it over .308 any day

I shoot pigs not moose or whatever though so idk just some observations

Wolfdog, you would take it over .308, but for what? Are you saying that a moose shot through the heart,lungs isn't going to die? Curious about how much big game you have personally shot and recovered.
As far as the guys that you quote at the gun shop, these are not fudds, they are idiots. I have been at this game for over 50 years and I have never heard any of the nonsense that you quote.

Hate ? Hate has such a strong connotation .

I don't hate the 6.5 Creedmore. I think it, largely, performs as it's designed.

That said, I think there's some other rifle/calibers that I'll try to obtain before I get a Creed. That can be chopped up to nostalgia, honestly.

I don't have anything against it. I just like insinuating that Yes Sir is gay because he shoots 'em.

You have a good point but your hat seems to cover it just fine.

I just like it better , like the recoil better , like the bullet selection, like the speed . I reload but even if I didn't ammo is about the same price. I just like it better it's just that simple really.

As Americans, we enjoy making something from nothing, believing in theories that don’t really exist, and holding these beliefs to our deathbeds. And whether it’s good press or bad, the guns are sold and the manufacturer makes money. It’s all advertising to them.

Too much recoil makes me fart in ma swat suit.

This is not new and has nothing to do with ballistics.

I enjoy a good Dutch Oven myself.

I shot a 6.5 and im not afraid to admit it anymore.... just at the hone range were none of my hunting buddies see it though.

Advantages to the 6.5 creedmoor are, good barrel life, very available ammo and components, modern case design that makes it fairly efficient and a bit easier to get accuracy and designed for higher bc bullets. Its lack of velocity is its negative in my opinion. Its designed for long range target shooting and that is were it might have some advantages. Kind of reminds me of the modern day 308, can get the job done hunting but sure doesn't have much for ballistical advantages.

One thing about a lot of the older "fudd" cartridges they did bring alot of ballictical advantages to the table when the did come out

Great round. Can't deny ballistics. A lot of the hate is just due to the huge wave of press it got when it came out.

Nothing magic about it, but the light recoil, great ballistics, unlimited ammo selection and availability and rifle versions make it hard to ignore.

Everyone has their favorite rounds and ones they dont like.

I guess great ballistic is realitive..... I can think of several 6.5 cartridges that leave it in the dust.

Can’t think of a reason to fill what a quarter bore does and .30. Am I missing something?

My take on the 6.5 Creed is......first and foremost.....it was developed to be a long range target round for the shooting games like PRS. Short case that allows for long, heavy for caliber high BC bullets, fired thru fast twist barrels at slower velocities are the magic mojo that results in long distance accuracy. Punching holes in paper and banging gongs out to half mile or more. It works fine for that. Where things went off the rails is when guys got the bad idea that a bullet that could punch holes in paper at half a mile could also kill deer at half a mile. I think even the military may have fallen for that one.......forgetting that even if you can snipe a guy at 1,000 yards, it does no good if the bullet just bounces off when it gets there.

Deer shot at distance were not going down.......or getting up and running off if they did. Works fine out to 200 to 300 yards, but then the wheels fall off. That led to jokes about the "needs more Creedmoor". The Swede, 260 Rem, 6.5 CM are all about the same and work fine under 200 yards, which is about the distance all run out of enough velocity and energy to get the hydrostatic shock needed to put animals down so they don't run off to die somewhere over the horizon. If guys remember that when hunting, rifle won't disappoint and won't have any trouble.

Sorry, bud. But that’s just a healthy mouthful of fuddery. Shot a mature mule deer doe at 350yds this fall. Heart/lung shot, full pass through and she piled up in 20yds. Shot another at 375yds with a 6ARC (anemic 243, another only good for steel round ) and she piled up right there. Speed helps transfer energy and shock light skinned animals but I don’t think it’s what some people make it out to be. Look at the 45-70. Fat and slow kills stuff. All ya gotta do is put holes in stuff and let their motor run outta oil.

So...the math ain't mathing with some of this .
The us military's main sniper cartridge for decades was .308 .
.308 has multiple upon multiple 1000m recorded kills.
They recently adopted 6.5 creed in like 2018
6.5 creed has more retained energy and velocity at 1000yd then .308 ..... So if .308 is doing the job and not bouncing off a guy ....why would the other cartridge that higher performing ....not do the same if not better ?

Also I don't. Understand some of these talks because people will say you can't do anything it doesn't work ....but when someone like ridgerunner posts multiple animals he's taken , at these longer distances, with no issues....it gets really quiet. Like I get it with me I'm just some goober playing in the reloading room not doing a lot of killing but when him and a few others post actual results...not a peep ? seems like regardless of proof either real worlds or math it's just don't matter a lot of times. Because seriously I could post 50 videos of people one shotting deer at 500yd and everyone will say something about not showing the bad shots but post a video of someone shooting a deer @100yd with a 30-06 and it runs 100yd which is like 90% of hunting shows it's perfectly fine .... I don't get it

But again I'm just a goober who shoots pigs occasionally so

Obviously the marketing worked. Out of the 6.5CM, the .260 , or the 6.5 Swede, which one has the most rifles offered and the most factory ammo offered?

Own 6.5 CM ,Zermatt action, Areo fluted barrel 26" sitting in MPA Matrix chassis, great shooting rifle, got mine dialed in 1,000 yds. I built this rifle for my PRS, shooting, plus love long range. I don't get involved in the name calling, of a cartridge. I build them because that's what I wanted. I have 223, 22 ARC, 6 ARC, 6 CM, 25x47 Lapua, building a 6 Dasher. Hunt with 308, 8mm STW, 458 socum. Never had a bullet bounce off any thing I ever shot at

I think the cartridge argument are almost irrelevant with the great bullets we have to select from these days. I view the cartridge as the delivery system, like a bow and arrow. I view the bullet as my broadhead. Are you hunting big tough game? Put on a big tough bullet like a monolithic, bonded or partition. Shootin little thin skinned critters get soft and explosive. The amount of powder and the tube that sends it are just that. Powder and a tube.

Is it really the Subaru of rifle cartridges ?There was a great thread here on that car .

Most of the “failure” of the .260 lies at the feet of Remington.

Another colossal screw up on their part.

They did it no favors in the marketing department, or what they offered it in.

They bungled it like they did the 6mm Remington.

Ouch, y’all. My 22 mag will do anything that 6.5 douchemore will do inside 100 yards. lol…

And I suspect many of the “problems” the 6.5 CM experiences on live game at distance, has less to do with the cartridge, and more to do with the shooter. Notably, an exaggerated sense of ability.

here is a joke that helps explain the hate

how do you know if a guy shot his buck with a 6.5 creedmore ?


don't worry he will tell you in great detail how it is the most Awesomest greatest hunting round ever invented and all other things are obsolete because of it.


the hate isn't on the cartridge it does exactly what it was designed to do hit far away targets and basically bring back 6.5 sweed in a case that only fit in modern guns so you didn't have to worry about people putting it in 1896 rifles

also accept long bullets better than the older 6.5 case offerings

it was really desinged to for match shooting , it just happens to also have enough energy to load it with a hunting bullet and make accurate shots on game.

when you want to stay supersonic to 1400 yards you need to play with long heavy for bore bullets so shorter fatter case and room to load a long bullet and still have it fit in the short action magazine.



the hate is on the guy with a manbun telling everyone everywhere about it till next deer season.

Funny right there, Boone. Don’t you dare tell someone they can’t buy success, if they suck.

bullet construction lead to early issues
the early 6.5cm rounds were target ammo with ballistic tips , but not really designed to expand

army doesn't often get to use expanding rounds so injured now dead in 5 minutes is good enough

Don't own one never will. But it's America if you want one buy it. Don't shoot like I used to. My 6mm rem, 222, and 270 handle everything i need to "hunt". Think i heard the big plus to 6.5 was short action and low recoil. Not many places here you can see 1000 yards let alone hunt there.

When I had my 260 built it was for long range target shooting. Less wind drift and droo than a 300 wim mag at 1000 yards and doing so with less recoil than a 308.

Now wolf dog missed the mark on its effective range. It will shoot and kill things as effective and as far as any 243 or 7mm-08. Its very effective past 2 or 300 yards but needs the right bullets. Im not going to shoot game with a match king or other match bullets. Im also going to know the velocity range the manufacturer recommends and know what distance I drop below that and not shoot any further.

Most match bullets are not made for expansion or soft tissue.

I will say the 120 and 123gr A Max in 6.5 did come apart and make a very effective coyot round for me. Seeing how it did on coyotes my cousin used it on several deer with great results. I believe they quit making it now though . I still have 500 or so to load and shoot.

YOu guys mentioned military going to 6.5 creedmore. Not what I been hearing. Everything I see is the 6.8.. But google lies....


The 6.8x51mm cartridge (designated .277 SIG Fury in the civilian market) is the new standard ammunition adopted by the U.S. Army for the Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program to replace the 5.56mm NATO. It is designed to offer significantly higher velocity, energy, and armor-piercing capabilities to combat modern, advanced

A decent round but I like my 6.8 Western much better.

6.5 cm has been adopted and given military designation. Now how much use will it see is debatable.

That sig round/ system looks good on paper but operates at pressure higher than i want to shoot. Wear and tear should be extreme as well. Not sure how long it will stick around .

There has been an awful lot of money spent trying to replace the 5.56 and poor preforming kills when there are all ready guns that do that and we had even before switching to the m 16.

Best part is the original m 16 had better performance killing. It had a 20" barrel and slowere twist 1 in 12 if im remember correctly. Thaid gins it about 300+ more fps than an m 4 and the bullets destabilize much sooner turning sideways inside the person and then breaking apart making a larger wound and more damage.

PF id be curious as to your load in 260 that has less drop and drift than a 300 WM. I dont see that as possible unless your comparing a high bc bullet in a 260 to a low bc bullet in the 300. A 300 can push as high or higher bc bullets faster than a 260 unless your just running the 260 at some very high pressure.