[Stinky Coyote]

elkhunter11, for all the reloaders and guys who take things beyond the factory level of guns and ammo then the 6.5 creedmoor isn't at all necessary or even the best option

the good stuff about the creedmoor is that for the masses of shooters who don't take the gun stuff to elite levels the creedmoor is an unbelievable choice, it might be the most versatile cartridge designed yet and can do the most with the powder burned, the popularity is warranted and that's actually a really good thing for the rifle crowds both target/hunting etc.

to succeed gravitating to preferred action lengths is a must, the reasons the .260 or swede have never taken off are obvious, sure some marketing has helped get this thing where it needs to be but it should be where it is and the faster the better

.308 win is so popular for so long because of a variety of reasons, military round, short action, solid performance from target to hunting, all that makes ammo, rifles, easy to find

the 6.5 creedmoor takes that same formula and brings 21st century knowledge and design to it, i'm not surprised to hear rumors that military is looking at it, to dethrone the .308 win would be massive but it should, it is superior in so many respects as stated previously, there's not many angles, if any, you could present to show otherwise...popularity doesn't mean it isn't warranted, in this case it's because it is more than warranted

on a side note for other thread information....no one has mentioned sectional densities for hunting, the number used to determine penetration capabilities when comparing bullets, there is a reason you won't be seeing many threads about 'too much game walking away from the 6.5 creedmoor threads, going back to a magnum'

the s.d. of a 123 gr 6.5 bullet is .252, the s.d. of a 168 gr .308 bullet is .253

s.d. of 140 gr 6.5 is .287, s.d. of 178 gr .30 cal is .268, s.d. of 195 gr .30 cal is .294

s.d. of 147 gr 6.5 is .301, s.d. of .30 cal 208 gr is .313

and since some of us know how the 160 gr 6.5 swede loads can penetrate large dangerous African game nearly beyond belief...the s.d. of that 160 gr 6.5mm bullet is .328

also for reference and some charts or recommendations out there for big game hunting s.d.'s over .250 are recommended for 3rd class game like elk/moose, the deer size game are 2nd class and lots of bullets of course under the .250 are recommended there

to get s.d. over .250 in .30 cal you need to be about 168 gr and up...

when you factor in the s.d. for hunting, then the b.c. for retained energy/velocity then you see why the 6.5 creedmoor seems to be an over-achiever, it kicks the crap out of the .308 win more and more as the distances increase to the point you might be comparing to 300 win mag on ballistics...the little 6.5 Grendel with it's 123 gr load mimicks very closely the s.d. and trajectory of the .308 running a 168 gr! The Grendel fits in the AR platform, again thankfully, as for that super short .223 length action it's thee equivalent to the creedmoor vs .308, the Grendel blows the .223 or 7.62x39 out of the water in all the same ways. I could see military looking at both the grendel and the creedmoor to replace the .223 and .308 for 21st century options to carry on for a long long time

you have to burn so much more powder and run so much heavier bullets in longer actions/heavier rifles to do what these new 6.5's can do in the most popular action lengths if looking at .30 cal options

the more popular they get the better for all the gun world(hunters/target/military/law), the new standards are coming!