Ok first off I personally don't shoot beyond 400 yards at anything.I hunt..........that being said I suppose if you shoot long distance at paper the 6.5 CM has a place.I looked at the ballistics of the 6.5 using a hornady 147 gr eld-X,or some crap like that.Again as a hunter I see no advantage at all over either of my favorites using the 85 gr(varminting)or 117 gr(deer and pigs)in the 25-06 and the 165 or 168 in the 308.As a matter of fact the 6.5 CM looks like a somewhat disadvantaged hunting round compared to many that came before it...........and most probably those old standbys will still be on the shelf when the,what caliber was that,is long gone and forgotten.
Not trying to ruffle any feathers........just my .02 on the current 6.5 trend.
Have you been sleeping under a rock for the last 10 years? That's how long the 6.5 Creedmoor has been around,its nothing new on the market.
I just don't get how guy's that call themselves Shooter's / Hunter's / Firearm enthusiast can hate a cartridge that has done more for the shooting sports in the last 10 years than any other cartridge.
Everyone knows that Remington has always screwed the pooch on developing and marketing any cartridge that they develop. The 7mm Express/280 Remington,and the 260 Remington are fine examples of that. If it wasn't for the Long Range crowd,the 260 wouldn't exist anymore. Hunter's saved the 280,and it has a great following.
Whistlebritches, I love the 25-06,and my heavy barreled 25-06 has taken it's fair share of game over the years,but my 6.5-06 does everything that the 25 -06 does way better,and I shoot up to 160 gr Sierra Pro Hunter bullets out of it.
The 6.5 Creedmoor solved the problems that the 260 Remington has with shooting the 140 gr and heavier match bullets. You can seat them out to the lands,and the cartridge will still fit inside the rifles magazine.
Hornady deserves an award for the marketing of the 6.5 Creedmoor,they did it better than anyone else in firearms history,and it has paid off very big for them and the gun manufacturer's that produce rifles chambered for it.
Go to almost any gun store and see how many types of 260 Remington they stock on the shelf,then look at how many different types & brands of 6.5 Creedmoor ammo they have.
Don't get me wrong,I like the 260 Remington,and have a DPMS LR-260H that I hunt pigs with. I have a bunch of 6.5mm chamberings,and like them all.
I also shoot several 223's,7mm-08,308,30-06,300 WM. I've built four 6.5 Creedmoor's,so yeah,I like them,but I also like just about everything else too.
I get it,You look on almost any gun forum and see a crap load of Creedmoor threads with guy's bragging about this "magical" cartridge they have found. It's not magic,there are plenty of other cartridges that perform with the same or better ballistics.
But,there aren't many cartridges on the market where John Doe can buy a cheap entry level rifle,and shoot factory ammo,and shoot moa or better groups.
I spent a long time learning how to shoot correctly when I was young,and I build almost all of my rifles along with hand loading all of my ammo.
That's what it boils down to,guy's being jealous!