I think it’s greatest advantage for deer hunting is the low recoil. If you are looking for a low recoil rifle that will kill deer. The 6.5 fits that bill, along with the 7mm/08 and 243. Most people wether they admit or not shoot better with a lower recoil rifle, and shot placement trumps everything.

And that's the greatest advantage on the benchrest as well. Low recoil with a high B.C projectile. Most people ( as has been said 100 times already ) will never be able to see either advantage as most cannot and have not ever shot past 200 yards. Can't knock the round for being very efficient though.

I've listened to the misinformed at gun stores, hunting camps and online speak of "how flat the creed shoots" and the "BC of 6.5 bullets is so much better than all other calibers" on more occasions than I care to remember. They've been sold a bill of goods by the marketing department at Hornady about the amazing ballistics of the 6.5 Creedmoor and these gullible morons have no knowledge of ballistics whatsoever. The 6.5 Creedmoor is a fine, capable cartridge, but any advantage it may have in hunting situation over say a 7-08 is NOT realized until distances are over 500 yards. Very few in this state will ever shoot at, or have any business shooting at a deer over 500 yards.

The 6.5 CM was originally designed as a low recoil target load to get supersonic velocities out to at least 500 yards. The popular 308 with a 168 gr Sierra Match King bullet goes subsonic before 1000 yards, one of the reasons for the 6.5 CM cartridge design The Creedmoor makes 1000 yard targets easy, but I would not want to shoot any big game animal at that distance with a 6.5 CM. I've seen a video of a bull elk which fell to a 6.5 CM shooting 143 ELD X at 600 yards. Does that mean its any more capable than a 300 Win Mag? Hell no.

So to add a little substance to this conversation. A comparison of the mighty Creed vs the ancient 257 Roberts. For the old Bob we will shoot a 115 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip with its anemic .451 G1 BC at 2800 FPS, which is easily obtainable with handloads. For the amazing CREED we will shoot the popular Hornady 143 gr ELD-X with its astronomical .625 G1 BC at a velocity of 2700 FPS, which is the velocity listed for Hornady Factory Ammo. All information below is from a ballistic calculator.

Range Velocities Elevation (Drop in inches)
257 R 6.5 CM 257 R 6.5 CM
100 2596 2555 0.00 0.00
200 2401 2415 -3.67 -3.82
300 2215 2280 -13.40 -13.60
400 2038 2149 -30.23 -30.07
500 1869 2022 -55.46 -54.08
600 1710 1899 -90.67 -86.59

WOW!!!!!

IT'S INCREDIBLE!!!!!

The CREED has a ballistic advantage of 4.08" at 600 yards!!!!!!!!!!

Animals everywhere are cowering in fear of the MIGHTY CREED!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sooooo happy to have finally proved the ballistic superiority of the CREED!!!!!!!!

Good thing you didn't compare it to a hot .25-06 load. You would have made folks cry.

The Creed hate is strong with this one.

It will die down soon once everyone decides to bash the 6.8 Western.

CREED 2021

Obviously you have low level of reading comprehension.

It's incredible, really. Investing a lot of time and effort in it. The creed fanbois have really, really damaged him.

I may. But let go of the hate for the CREED. It will consume you.

One of the fan boys asked for substance, so...

Man, 338, there you go bringing facts and ballistics charts to an emotional agrument, for the CREED (capitalized to give it the respect it soooo deserves) owners. So to summarize in one sentence, your ballistics data shows that the hottest round and rifle commodity out there today is pretty much the almost exact ballistic equivalent of the .257 Bob (a cartridge that was invented 100 yrs ago, yep back in the 20s) at any reasonable hunting distance. How in the world can this be?????

A fool and his money are easily parted by slick marketing, hype, and a cool name. Yes, the 6.5 is a good round but it's no more special than a 243, 243WSSM, 257, 260, 264, 270, 270 WSM, 280, 284, 7-08, 7MM, 7MM WSM 30-06, 300 Win, 300WSM, 338 and on and on and on. Some are faster than others, some shoot higher BC bullets. The 6.5 is middle of the road ballistic performance in hunting situations. It's not a laserbeam, it just yet another caliber added to the line up of 2700-2800 FPS hunting loads.

Everyone that thought that buying a 6.5 Creed gave them a ballistically superior deer hunting rifle, as compared to whatever they were shooting before they spent that money, please raise your hands. One final comment, regarding the poster that said his 9 yr old just had to have a 6.5 Creed for his first rifle, there's your proof that the cool name, marketing and hype works and is still working. Adults fall for it too. It's a solid round and good choice for AL whitetails, along with about 40 other calibers.

Agreed. BC is irrelevant to probably 95% or more of hunters in this state because Id bet most deer shot in this state that the average distance would be 150 yards or less. At those ranges BC is irrelevant. 45-70 and slug guns do just fine at those ranges and we know how good their BC is.

Your problem is that you're (and maybe a couple of others) constantly bringing an argument which obviously bothers the hell out of you from a long range shooting forum to an Alabama deer hunting forum.

Maybe I'm wrong, but i'd bet that 95%+ of the folks here (certainly including the OP of this thread) only care if it will kill Alabama whitetail deer efficiently at reasonable Alabama hunting distances. My point all along is that it will... and I've not argued anything other than that. If that makes me a creed fanboi, so be it, but I'll defend a .243 (or most any other cartridge) as an Alabama deer killer just the same. It just doesn't take that much firepower to kill a deer. I couldn't give a crap what it does ringing a piece of steel at some obscene distance. If I did, I'd be on a long range forum railing on and on about it.

I was always incapable of fathering children. After one day at the range with my 6.5 Creed, I got six different women pregnant. With one load.

Trust me boys. It's legit.

What long range shooting forum? I'm not on any of those forums. I remember one dipschitt at the gun counter at Mark's a couple years ago who was giddy when talking about the incredible ballistic coefficients of 6.5 bullets compared to others. He was a clueless IDOT.

My ballistic comparison was for hunting distances, not 1000 yard competition.

Every time y'all asked me to provide information on this thread, I did. Then you don't like the information provided and switch gears.

See.... THIS doesn't shouldn't insult a CREED owner , it actually makes me want to buy a CREED. Good grief this is funny !

So, all of the triggering from one guy at a gun counter? LOL

No one asked you to provide information regarding a 6.5 vs .257 Bob. You just can't help yourself in regards to attempting to make a point most people here don't care about.

And sorry, but 600 yards isn't in most people's wheelhouse for hunting deer in Alabama...nor is even 300. Again....REASONABLE Alabama hunting distances. For Christ's sake, the original poster bought the gun for his 9 year old, but you rant on and be willing to die on this hill that you seem to care about so much.

I bought one for my wife. Light recoiling and plenty capable at any reasonable hunting distance. It was a great match for her. Probably what my son will be shooting when it comes time. Yes, there are plenty of other calibers that fit that bill. The hype and misinformation is real and is ridiculous at times. That does not change the fact that it is a solid choice for deer hunting.

Exactly.

Yep, finally you started posting something that took a little thought. Continuing to be triggered by people who like the 6.5 CM seems to be a problem for you. There's not a good basis for it.

Like I've said before, the long range potential of the 6.5 CM doesn't mean much to me. I don't know why you and others keep harping on that aspect. Bullet drop and wind drift figures at 500 yards isn't of any interest since I don't want to shoot that far.

For my style of hunting in Alabama, it's very rare to have a shot over 150 yards. I simply prefer hunting the woods. And I prefer to keep my shots under 300 yards on the rare occasion I'll sit on a food plot or powerline.

The 6.5 CM has slightly less recoil than my .308 Win and is slightly more accurate. But that's not something I really notice, especially when shooting at deer or pigs. So, what does the 6.5 CM do for me that can't be done by my .308 Win? Absolutely nothing. That still doesn't make it a bad cartridge and I enjoy hunting with it because the rifle has an adjustable trigger and the barrel is threaded for my suppressor. I also hunt with a .30-06 and a .45-70, thinking it's fun to use different cartridges.