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| The 6.5 Creedmore is the latest offering being flogged by the manufacturers. Supposedly the best thing since guilt-free sex. |
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| May I submit that the 6.5 Creedmore is nothing more than a hotted-up .250-3000 Savage with Kardashian hips. |
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| And you cannot get the 6.5 Creedmore in this beauty, a take-down Model 99 (1899) Savage |
Frankly, any cartridge packing more than 22 grains of powder (.44 Mag, for instance) and loaded with bullets that are appropriate for the expected impact velocity will do 99% of what most hunters need done. The 30-30 Winchester is still a very fine cartridge and it holds a nominal 30 grains of powder.
With 87 gr. bullets, the 250-3000 was the first commercial cartridge to break 3000 fps.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, nothing new under the sun. Love the old Winchester cartridge boards like this one--
https://dygtyjqp7pi0m.cloudfront.net/i/7832/9387371_1.jpg?v=8CCABB85156C310
When you read the names of some of those cartridges, you realize that some gun makers initially tried to corner the ammo market for their guns with their own unique cartridge designs.
Haven't shot the Savage. My Creedmoor is 100% my straightest shooting gun.
ReplyDeleteSo about 200 fps difference in velocity. The same difference between .30-06 and .308.
ReplyDeleteI have a Savage 99T Carbine, born in 1937 according to serial number. It was used hard before I purchased it witha lot of honest use protecting mohair goat herds in the Texas Hill country and nearby environs. Later taken to Colorado by the owner's son as a back-up rifle for hunters intimidated by their brand new magnum rifles. Soft recoil and mild report in a medium heavy rifle like this. 4x German made Pecar scope added in the 1960's is an appropriate scope for shooting in heavy cover.
If the new 6.5 is similar, then it shold be a good choice too. The next 100 years should decide. :^)
At shorter ranges the difference between the two is probably minimal. At distance that 200FPS and improved bullet design will be noticeable. Bullet design and ballistics have been around so long that we won't be seeing any massive improvements in the future, just small incremental changes....that add up over time.
ReplyDeleteI'm usually skeptical of new cartridges. I prefer to stick with established cartridges that have more options. They tend to be cheaper too!
ReplyDeleteThe significant difference becomes apparent at medium-long ranges (500-1500 yards) where the ballistic efficiency of the long, boat-tail bullet in the 6.5CM gives it a significant velocity and energy advantage. In fact, while the 6.5CM starts out with less energy than a 308, beyond 800 yards it actually carries more energy than the rapidly slowing 308. While it was developed as a flatter-shooting, lower-recoil alternative to the 308 for target competition in the Precision Rifle Series, the 6.5CM has proven to be an outstanding hunting and sniping cartridge.
ReplyDeleteOne place where the .25-3000 gives up much to the 65CM is that the barrels of the older rifles were often 1-in-14 twist and they struggle to stabilize even the longer 100 grain bullets. The 100 gr Speer soft-point, flat-based is about as heavy as you can go.
DeleteI've taken more than a few deer with a 30-30. I don't see any need for a 'new' round in my place.
ReplyDeleteWhat if you had to take a commie at 600?
DeleteThe venerable 30-30 will always have a spot in my gun safe. But for open-range hunting I find it difficult to beat the .270 Winchester's trajectory and performance - for what I hunt, anyway.
ReplyDeletePart of the magic of both the 30-30 and .270 Winchester is that it is easy for the bullet designer/manufacturer to design bullets with GREAT terminal ballistics for them.
DeleteIf the bullet is .308" and has a flat nose you can deduce the launch velocity and probable impact velocity range. That cannot be said of a .25 bullet which could be launched from a 25-35 or a 25 Weatherby.
Same deal for a 130 grain bullet with a diameter of .277". You KNOW that it is going to be launched at 3100 FPS +/- and very few shots more than 300 yards are likely to connect.
If in doubt,
make it stout,
of lead and copper
you know a lot about.
There are very few rifle as pretty as a Savage 99. I had one in 243 Win and still kick myself for trading it.
ReplyDeleteI don't own anything chambered in 6.5CR, didn't need another cartridge. However, if you want to compare cartridges fairly, muzzle velocity and energy is less important than velocity, accuracy, and energy at impact range. Look at 100, 200, 400, and 800 yards with the particular bullet being used for a fair comparison.
ReplyDeleteMy father in law gave me his 1965, 99F, 308. Plenty of finish wear but xlnt condition over all. It's more accurate than my abilities, easily minute of kill zone out to 300 yards with iron sights (and a steady rest). Definitely my favorite rifle. 1943, 6.5 Swedish Mauser is 2nd fave.
ReplyDeleteI have one. I hunted with it for years before migrating to 7mm-.08 which has better overall deer performance. .250 savage ammo now is rare and $$$. Something cheap and common like .308 is a better choice.
ReplyDeleteAlmost all cartridge changes are marketing attempts. 6.5 Creedmoor appeals to younger guys who don't want to shoot what the old man did. It hit the jackpot for the manufacturers but there are a lot of similar ones.