6.5 Mania

[NWS]

The point of this non-serious thread is to just poke a little fun at the 6.5’s. I don’t want to ruffle any feathers. Anyone else think we are suffering from 6.5 overload? I believe the 6.5 x 55 and .264 are the real deal and most of the newcomers are meant to give a more “modern” flavor, etc but are not really that much better. I think most of the 6.5’s were developed to sell more guns and very expensive ammo. I mean how do you choose between 6.5 Grendel, 6.5 PRC, 6.5 Creedmore, 6.5 Wby Rpm, 26 Nosler, and other newcomers? Me, I am holding out for the new 6.5 Schmidt Rubin Neidermayer “Improved” when it comes out. Or better yet I think I’ll just keep my old 30-06, 7x57 and 243. I think that’ll cover pretty much everything.

 

[Bobby Bigtime]

I was shooting a Swede when they were an oddball and the only ammo was Norma. The 6.5 in the various configurations are nice and many folks have jumped on the bandwagon and that is great. They are just discovering what many of us have known forever.

 

[nmurph]

I've got a .260...not a century old 6.5, but not wet behind the ears either. I have a hankering for either a 6.5x284 or a 6.5-06...maybe later this year.

 

[1eyefishing]

I'll stick to my tuned in 25-06 with screaming hunting loads that shoot down to .37".
Got that base covered.

 

[Jester896]

I shoot .260s and often call them 6.5 Needmoor since they are a bit slower.
One of my buddies has another 6.5-06 in the gathering stages

 

[chuckdog]

It is all marketing.

As for the average deer, he or she ain't ever going to realize any difference between a .243 Win and XXX. The average shooter won't likely shoot one particular chambering better than XXX.

The marketing folks are pushing engineers to improve the wheel so they have something to promote to the gun writers. The gun writers are pushing for something "new and improved" to write about. Ammunition and accessory manufacturers are looking for that next "Silver Bullet" to market.

To borrow a phrase from an old friend, "Nothing Happens Till Something's Sold."

Like you I'm not knocking any caliber or designer bullets we have today. Most people are looking for an edge of any kind. The .264" is the hot kid on the block now. Stuff one inside a shortened, lengthened, rimmed, rimless, shoulderless, etc case and you have a winner!

I've reached a place where marketing doesn't carry much weight with me.

I'll give anything a test run, but I'm not likely to jump on anymore bandwagons for one over the other. Most of us that have competed, hunted, or just plinked for any length of time have learned confidence plays a huge role in your ability to make your shot.

Burning powder through my weapon of choice builds that confidence better than anything I'll read touting its abilities.

 

[Nimrod71]

Chucky you are right, it's all in the marketing. First let me say I have never met a gun I didn't like. When it comes to guns most people want the best they can afford and this is where the marketing kicks in. New and improved doesn't hurt either. The latest thing out with all the bells and whistles is good too. I have been wanting to get a 6.5 but I don't know which one I want. Every time I get ready to pull the trigger and get one they come out with a new one. Does one caliber do everything that well? Which caliber will shoot the best? I am shooting rifles I have had for 30 to 40 years, they can shoot better than I can. At 300 yds. will a 6.5 C.M. shot better than my 6 mm Rem. I don't know, I guest I need to buy one and see, or do I need to bite the bullet and get the 6..5 PRC. Heck, I just read about another new 6.5 Western.

One thing I know that is true, we all like to smell gun powder burn no matter what gun it comes from. I like rifles and always will. Long live the Rifleman.

 

[chuckdog]

I've got a .260...not a century old 6.5, but not wet behind the ears either. I have a hankering for either a 6.5x284 or a 6.5-06...maybe later this year.

To me the 260 Rem is still a new kid. Doesn't seem like more than just a few years ago when I was first seeing the Model Seven Remington flying off the shelf in the new chambering.

Doesn't seem like it's been 40+ years ago when I bought the first 7mm/08 I laid eyes on after reading about the new offering. It was a 788 Remington. Rather plain and heavy with a noisy magazine, but it was a shooter!

 

[HughW2]

I thought the 6.5 trend was a fad and finally decided to go for it last year. I got a Kimber and I drunk the Kool-Aid. The 6.5 CR is an inherently accurate cartridge due to wonderful ballistics, short action length and mild recoil. Bottom line is it is an easy rifle to shoot well (just like a .243). The big bonus is you have tons of ammo selection (usually, not at the this crazy moment). My Kimber shoots anything thing I feed it into nice tight groups, usually under an inch. The 6.5 CR is available is short, handy, light-weight rifles that are well suited for the GA deer woods and use in a tree stand. I would say the 6.5s are here to stay. I have heard nothing but positive feedback on the class: 6.5 CR, .260, 6.5x55. The new hot number getting lots of attention is the 6.5 PRC; it is intriguing but doesn’t beat the CR until after 300 yards. I am not interested in 500-1000 yard shots on whitetails, so I don’t see it as necessary. Good stuff!

 

[Jester896]

The high BC of a 6.5 bullet in the speeds a 26 Nosler runs them...it stays supersonic bast 1,750 yards. High BC is what makes anything 6.5 a good thing.

 

[WaltL1]

I was shooting a Swede when they were an oddball and the only ammo was Norma. The 6.5 in the various configurations are nice and many folks have jumped on the bandwagon and that is great. They are just discovering what many of us have known forever.

Yep. Been shooting the 6.5 Swede for about 40 years. Its the only "dedicated" deer rifle (Ruger M77) I own. Never had a reason to change. I'm a if it aint broke dont fix it kind of guy.

 

[ChidJ]

I was thinking about this the other day. Initially, I thought it was odd that so many companies were introducing new calibers when folks can't even get the ol' standby cartridges. Also, these new calibers, in many cases, just seem to be rehashed versions of old cartridges. But then I thought, maybe companies like Hornady are introducing new cartridges because now is a time they can get attention. If they put it on the shelves, people will buy it and people will buy guns to eat it. I noticed that early in the pandemic. Initially, I could find 6.5CM and 10mm easily. But as people got more desperate, they started noticing what was available and started buying it and guns that chamber it. A super fast consumer response to market conditions.

So, Hornady (and others) are taking this golden opportunity to seize market share from other companies. The the Weatherby and Remington magnums are virtually the same as the newer Nosler and Hornady magnums. The difference is that Hornady is making theirs more mainstream with the aid of the plandemic, protests, and presidential election pandemonium.

Just my theory

 

[Stroker]

Got on the 6.5 wagon many years ago with the .264 Win mag and it was along range deer slayer. Got rid of it and my other belted mags and went with 25-06. I was looking at the CR in both 6 and 6.5 when my son gifted me a 6.5 Grendel upper for Xmas. Love how it shoots, need to try it out on some deer. Got powder, bullets, and dies on the way so I guess I'm in the 6.5 game for good now. I'm really a die hard 6 mm guy so I guess my next stop will be the 6 mm ARC. You can never enough choices as long as you can feed them.

 

[menhadenman]

 

[menhadenman]

 

[BeerThirty]

I don't have a 6.5 yet, but I will. Did some long range shooting with my buddy who owns one. We were hitting 3-inch groups at 500 yards without even really trying. And as I understand, there's a lot more yardage potential there.

I need another deer rifle since my middle son will become a hunter this fall, so his older brother will pass down the .243 and I will likely pick up a 6.5 for my older son.

 

[GregoryB.]

I have a Swede, a Creed and a 260. If I come across a nice #1 in that caliber I wouldn't hesitate adding it to the stable.

 

[nmurph]

It takes several years for a new cartridge to go from a pitch in a corporate board room to a gun in the rack at Academy. Most are adaptations or tweaks of wildcats...not much new under the Sun.

 

[OleCountryBoy]

It ain't better than .270 Win, by any comparison. all hype and to give yall something to yak about.

 

[bighonkinjeep]

One of the great things about America is we can pretty much choose what we like from a huge marketplace as compared to most of the world.
It always seems that most of the the hype surrounding the "latest greatest cartridges" always seems to be promising "improved performance" well outside the ranges at which most ethical, average, or sane hunters will ever get an opportunity or attempt to take a shot.
Quite often what 's on paper put out by the industry, and what it genuinely translates to "in the field" for consumers is negligible especially compared to what's already out there.
Personally I'm much more enamored with the advancements in cartridge components and firearm accessories over the last several decades.
If the advancements we've seen in bullet design and powder hadn't been made and it were relegated to the "cup and core bullets of old", we wouldn't even be talking about anything except how anemic it is. LOL

A fella could go his whole life in the USA with a 30-06 and due to the wide variety of ammunition and components available never find himself with a shot he couldn't make because of the cartridges capability's (maybe his skills though) or be over or under gunned.

Yeah, I shoot other cartridges, but I'm in no hurry to run out and drink the industry Kool aid with this one.