6.5x55 or 6.5 creedmoor

Do you reload? My .30-06 with 130gr Barnes TTSX doesn’t kick too badly and is nigh on perfect for fallow out to 300m. If you have convinced yourself you want a 6.5 then crack on but I think you could make the 06 do this task very well
 
Ha! Used that on roe and reds for a season, never seen deer run so far after good shots!

A 140g partition however!

Love my m65 6.5x55, and former Schultz Larsen barrelled Mauser 98.

If I manage to shoot it out, it’s going to become a 7x57. But, it might see the ripe old age of 70 ish before that happens.
I have one of those in 6.5x57! Its a Fairly heavy barrel too! How did yours shoot? :)
 
About 6,5x55 vs. 6,5 Creedmoor here in Scandinavia:

Was at the gunshop Monday.
Looking at what factory ammo they had in 6,5x55, they had 16 types of ready loaded ammo.
To comparison they had 3 types of 6,5 Creedmoor loaded factory ammo.

Asked the man in the shop about 6,5x55 vs. Creedmoor.
He thinks the Creedmoor is just a fashion phenomenon. He has been working in gunshop since 1979.
They have Creedmoor rifles ready on display, but they don’t really seem to be selling here.
They sell around 20 boxes of x55 ammo for each box of Creedmoor.

But the 6.5x55 has seen a steady decline here. Back in the 80ies it was beyond compare the most sold caliber here, more than half of all new rifles sold was 6,5x55. It had taken the 1st place from 8x57JS sometime back in the early 70ies.
Now the 8x57JS don’t sell much anymore, the 6,5x55 sales are going back and the most popular caliber for new rifles here in central Jutland is by far .308 Win. Followed by 9,3x62 on a solid 2nd place, so the good old 6,5x55 is competing with 30-06 to get place 3.

Personally, I recently switched from 2 barrels (9,3x62 and 6,5x55) in Sauer 202, to fixed barrel 30-06 in a 40 year old Krico rifle. Just because I like to be different and use old rifles:).
 
I have one of those in 6.5x57! Its a Fairly heavy barrel too! How did yours shoot? :)
Best shooting rifle I ever owned. Come to think of it, it was Otterup barrel, light spotter profile. Cost 650Dkr for the barrel at the factory ‘walk in’ price circa 1984 I think. Lived in Assens at the time
 
Best shooting rifle I ever owned. Come to think of it, it was Otterup barrel, light spotter profile. Cost 650Dkr for the barrel at the factory ‘walk in’ price circa 1984 I think. Lived in Assens at the time
Nice! :Dthat was back in the day though, - 650 for a barrel!:thumb:
 
As I pointed out earlier 6.5cm are being offered at discounted prices as sales have slumped worldwide with the introduction of the PRC, obviously being reflected in the uk on gun trader. The ****ing contest between calibres is irrelevant to anyone with a 270 😂

Where are you seeing the slump in world wide sales?

I assume you think most of the sellers on gun trader have accidentally stocked on Creedmoors because they don't know what is selling well at the moment?

 
As I pointed out earlier 6.5cm are being offered at discounted prices as sales have slumped worldwide with the introduction of the PRC, obviously being reflected in the uk on gun trader. The ****ing contest between calibres is irrelevant to anyone with a 270 😂
I think you misinterpret the Guntrader numbers.

The numbers are a pretty accurate guide to popularity, given that they are effectively a sample of the guns that are in use or in demand.

So .22Lr is the most common (984). Clearly there is not a collapse in use of .22s! This just reflects the fact that there are loads of them out there.

Among the centrefires, .308 is most common (652), followed by .243 (589) and then Creedmoor (536).

By contrast, there are around 40 6.5 x 55s on Guntrader.

PRC is a great round, but really too aggressive for roe - it is probably going to end up in the same role as .270. And there are only 35 on Guntrader.

The numbers on Guntrader do not reflect the numbers being abandoned - small numbers do not indicate high demand (look at all the known niche cartridges, like .25-06)
 
Good evening fellow stalkers,

After your opinions (however rogue)...

I'm in the market for a new calibre for stalking, I currently have .243 and 30.06 and my main quarry is Fallow.
The maximuin range on my permissions is 300 yards.

So I've narrowed it down to 6.5x55 or 6.5 creedmoor and am after your thoughts.
Trying to factor in all the pros and cons and still can not decide! 😅

Please don't start your answer with a quip about my husband shooting too!
For me it's all about what the gun / bullet can do.

Thanks in adavance
I swapped from 243 to 6.5 creedmoor and am very happy with the results
i use 95gr for foxing and 131gr for deer
95gr on muntjac does not damage the carcass as much as my 308
 
I think you misinterpret the Guntrader numbers.

The numbers are a pretty accurate guide to popularity, given that they are effectively a sample of the guns that are in use or in demand.

So .22Lr is the most common (984). Clearly there is not a collapse in use of .22s! This just reflects the fact that there are loads of them out there.

Among the centrefires, .308 is most common (652), followed by .243 (589) and then Creedmoor (536).

By contrast, there are around 40 6.5 x 55s on Guntrader.

PRC is a great round, but really too aggressive for roe - it is probably going to end up in the same role as .270. And there are only 35 on Guntrader.

The numbers on Guntrader do not reflect the numbers being abandoned - small numbers do not indicate high demand (look at all the known niche cartridges, like .25-06)
Agree with all this.

I am shooting mostly Roe, Muntjac and the odd Fallow In parcels of land that has roads and footpaths near by.

I don't need need a Lazer beam chambering that is carrying large amounts of energy out to 400m. I generally need to stalk within 200m to take a safe shot. I imagine alot of people who stalk in the south of England have similar requirements which the CM is perfect for.

I am not sure if new comers to the sport would get PRC type chamberings signed off either as I imagine it would be deemed excessive in many areas of the country.
 
My preference is the 6.5x55 over the 6.5 Creedmoor however chambered in a rifle with the same length barrels they are the same thing on game. If you are a 'I must have a short action' kind of person then it would be the Creedmoor, for me I shoot Blaser so there is no difference in action. For me I have 3 x 30-06 and that is my go to caliber, 2 x 308w and they do pretty much the same thing as the 30-06 does. I have owned a plethora of 243w but chose 6.5x55 because the 243w is kind of good but the Swede is actually good. You have 30-06 and 243w why not just load down the '06 with a Barnes 130gr TTSX? It will recoil similar to but a little more than a jacked up 140gr Creedmoor load and perform at 300m better with more frontal area.
 
My preference is the 6.5x55 over the 6.5 Creedmoor however chambered in a rifle with the same length barrels they are the same thing on game. If you are a 'I must have a short action' kind of person then it would be the Creedmoor, for me I shoot Blaser so there is no difference in action. For me I have 3 x 30-06 and that is my go to caliber, 2 x 308w and they do pretty much the same thing as the 30-06 does. I have owned a plethora of 243w but chose 6.5x55 because the 243w is kind of good but the Swede is actually good. You have 30-06 and 243w why not just load down the '06 with a Barnes 130gr TTSX? It will recoil similar to but a little more than a jacked up 140gr Creedmoor load and perform at 300m better with more frontal area.
Thanks for this,
I have loaded down my 30.06 with 125gr and have received great results out to 150y.
Just looking for other options as I was after a lead free option going forward.
 
I was under the impression that 6.5x55 had 10% more case capacity than the swede. And when home loaded can possibly have the same, if not slightly more velocity?

(Factory ammo aside)
 
I think you misinterpret the Guntrader numbers.

The numbers are a pretty accurate guide to popularity, given that they are effectively a sample of the guns that are in use or in demand.

So .22Lr is the most common (984). Clearly there is not a collapse in use of .22s! This just reflects the fact that there are loads of them out there.

Among the centrefires, .308 is most common (652), followed by .243 (589) and then Creedmoor (536).

By contrast, there are around 40 6.5 x 55s on Guntrader.

PRC is a great round, but really too aggressive for roe - it is probably going to end up in the same role as .270. And there are only 35 on Guntrader.

The numbers on Guntrader do not reflect the numbers being abandoned - small numbers do not indicate high demand (look at all the known niche cartridges, like .25-06)
Totally agree
 
I have a Lee Loader in 6,5x55 and a tikka in the same caliber, its a pity they stop making them for the swede, I doubt they will ever do them in 6,5 Creedmoor.
 
Where are you seeing the slump in world wide sales?

I assume you think most of the sellers on gun trader have accidentally stocked on Creedmoors because they don't know what is selling well at the moment?

I am basing my experience from NZ where I am , Bergara and tikka are offering discounts, I am assuming the majority of guns on gun trader are offered by dealers not individuals am I wrong?
 
I am basing my experience from NZ where I am , Bergara and tikka are offering discounts, I am assuming the majority of guns on gun trader are offered by dealers not individuals am I wrong?
Probably about 75% dealers.

It’s essentially advertising, so a reasonably accurate sample of the distribution of what they have for sale.

Numbers on Guntrader are a pretty accurate guide to popularity.
 
I am basing my experience from NZ where I am , Bergara and tikka are offering discounts, I am assuming the majority of guns on gun trader are offered by dealers not individuals am I wrong?
Fair enough, it will differ by market for sure.

I am fairly confident it will remain a good choice for UK shooters and for many others in the market for a medium power cartridge pushing high BC pills with low recoil.

That's what it was does and what it was designed to do.
 
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I can’t see the 6.5x55 going anywhere from a home loading point of view because there will be endless bullet options. Just as long as someone can be bothered to to keep producing brass
 
If you want a simple answer .... either creedmoor or 308.
You only have to look at what ammo is on the shelves in non toxic in most gunshops and it's the above.
My local rfd stocks 7 different brands of non toxic in creed and 8 in 308...
Only 3 in swede (not a big seller either) 4 in 243, 3 in 270 and 30 .06.

That should give you an idea.
 
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