Half of them seem like remodels (AI), also a lot of weak marketed long range rounds nosler especially.
Why all the hype around some of these rounds, Do they outperform? Is it nostalgia maybe?
I’m nobody when it’s comes to off the wall calibers, we shoot 30-06, and 270 predominately.
Have a never chambered 6.5 creedmoor in the safe that I got a good deal on years ago. Also have a 25-06 that I mainly got for my father as he always wanted one, has maybe 50 rounds through it.
I’m looking at getting a new rifle, maybe 7-08, otherwise I dont see any reason not to bring out the fanboy creedmoor., as well as continue shooting what we have!
My wife loves her 270, wants to try something new and doesn’t like the recoil of my 30-06, should I give her the creedmoor or buy something else? She’s not recoil shy and is by far a better shot than I am.

What do y’all say? Has to be stainless or blued per the wife!

The only thing that Creedmoor won’t do is be a new rifle.

I see it more as a new trend on longer, heavier, more aerodynamic bullets, and the cartridge is built around the bullet in order to use it most efficiently. The short range hunting scenarios don’t really reap the full benefit of a lot of these newer cartridges, but start taking them out past 400 yards and you get some advantage.

If there is one thing I’ve learned since 2020, we should all have something chambered in a NATO cartridge. Ammo scarcity was a kick in the nads.

The 6.5 Creedmoor is here to stay. Stop calling it a trend. It pretty much killed the .260 Rem.

It will do whatever you ask of it. If that's hunting to 300 yards, it will do it. If that's banging steel to 1400 yards, it will do it.

Lessons have been learned about case geometry, to create more efficiency. None of us are driving vehicles that were made in 1922, and I doubt anyone would prefer to take on on a long road trip. Technology has evolved, so we now have nicer to drive vehicles, we also have more efficient rifle cartridges.

But, I will never point someone away from a 7mm-08. It is in my top three list of favorite cartridges. It too will do whatever you ask of it, same as the 6.5 Creedmoor, and actually a couple of things better.

If you want to buy a rifle, Tikka T-3 Lite. On a hand load, it will impress anyone.

if all you are doing is hunting whitetail and similar sized game, either one will work fine. The creedmoor is a fantastic deer cartridge.


I like the 7mm-08 personally and thats what my wife and all the kids shoot. I would feel comfortable shooting an Elk with a 7mm-08, probably not as much with the creedmoor.

It's just like vehicles. New models come and go, sometimes they stick like the 6.5 Creedmoor and sometimes they die like the 327 federal. Some of it is marketing, some performance, some of its just guys that dont wanna run what everyone else is running.

Now on the naming of calibers, I feel like it has gone the route of how people are naming their kids these days. Nobody can settle for a simple, classic name like John, Jack, Steve, Bill.....that's what our dad and grandpas names were. It has to be Paxton, Noah, Brody. 260 Remington doesn't sound as cool as 6.5 Creedmoor. 458 Remington doesn't sound as cool a 458 Socom. Heck, there is newish caliber named "Legend" which is ironic.

I'd say if she already has a 270 that she loves, then I think I'd start looking at calibers that are alot lower in felt recoil. My wife, @ 5'2" 120lbs, has a 270 and a 243. Maybe you can look at something like a 6mm creedmoor, which seems like the new 243 in the same way 6.5 creedmoor has ostensibly become the 260 replacement. I believe one of the advantages of the newer calibers is that they are more well suited to accept the heavier, longer bullets not available before and still fit in standard magazine lengths.

Heck, if you handload then a 22 caliber in with the right bullet in a standard short action may even be a viable option. If you wanna go new and trendy, then 22 creedmoor or 22-250ai.

Maybe take the the lower recoil concept further with something like a 224 Valkyire, 6.5 grendel, or 6mm arc in a bolt gun format. I don't know if it's new per se but some of these more boutique calibers amongst competition shooters; 6mm br or 6.5x47 lapua. Although these are rare to find in factory rifles and usually seem to require level of customization.

Now you done it.

6.5X47 Lapua is an absolute fantastic cartridge!

You gotta build the rifle and you gotta build the ammo. If you're willing to do that, you will be ecstatic you went that route. I built one for my daughter.

Went back and re-read the OPs post. Just pull out the 6.5 you already have and let her shoot that. It's past the point of being a trend/fad so no reason to not pull it out, grab some off the shelf ammo, and let her shoot it. What are the details of that rifle?

Dude, I've been trying for 7 months now! But he is busy and I have other toys that I don't get to play with enough anyways, including the aforementioned 260. I'm gonna kick it old school with that one until the gentleman is done with my 6.5x47 tikka build. I got everything but barreled action!

Yep, use the 6.5 CM. Load up some rounds with 100 gr bullets, and you have a low recoiling rifle with the trajectory of the wife’s 270. I have a 260 and have used 100 gr and 120 gr bullets (Nosler BTs) on deer and pigs and have not been able to tell any diff in killing power between those bullets.

And recently I acquired the 6.5 Grendel AR. No recoil to speak of, and a decent trajectory. It’s to be a pig gun, but we’ll see where it leads.

Much has been written over the years about why rifle and ammo makers bring new calibers to market. Someone recently offered a list of some 160 rifle calibers that currently exist, which I'm sure was far from complete. At the end of the day, I suspect it's the ones that have been around for decades that end up taking the most wild game each and every season. But as the case with so many things we buy, there will always be a market created by those looking for the latest and greatest.

My wife loves her 7x57 using 120 gr bullets. She & the gun have taken WTs out to 200 yds DRT. Recoil is mild and load is accurate.

A lot of the newer rounds are something that has been improved from older and previous rounds. Take the 6.5 PRC. The 6.5 PRC is essentially a 6.5 Rem Mag from the 1960's. It has almost identical case capacity with similar velocities. It simply has a tighter twist barrel, lost the magnum belt, went to a 30 degree shoulder, and seats the bullet out longer. I almost built a competition round on the 6.5 Rem Mag many years ago (but didn't due to lack of good brass). It's also very similar to a 6.5-284 when built on a long action. You get near the same case capacity and velocity with the 140 grain bullets.

The 28 Nosler is the one that has impressed me the most. That round is one of the least finicky rounds out there. It's one of the few hot rod rounds that I actually like that shoots good, and pushes high BC bullets fast.

There will be more new rounds that the big companies come out with create that new round.

I agree with one exception. Remington killed the .260 from lack of support. Yes technically the Creedmoor is better but if Remington would have supported the 260 the way Hornady does the Creedmoor the Creedmoor may have never been built.

There is a Tikka CTR 6.5CM Stainless in classifieds for $900.

If I didn't just buy back a 1911 and a new Shadow Systems DR920, I'd snatch it up.

You need to shut your mouth, or help us enablers to let this man buy the rifle he wants.

I just read 260 came out around 1997. In Remington's defense, they were really busy selling out and running their corporate business into the ground to pay sufficient attention to the ammo side.

I read the subject line and thought this a Buzzsaw post.


It pretty much killed or deminished a boat load of mid-range cartridges. I'd go out on a limb and bet that it is even responsible for a reduction in our All-American beloved 308.

Not sure about component availability, we have plenty, but I love my 300wsm.
I have used it in Texas on deer and hogs.
Up here it really shines on all our game, pronghorn to bison.
I load 165-168 gr bullets and get a little flatter trajectory than the spouse with 180 gr accubonds.
I load towards the upped end of the listed loads and recoil is not an issue for me.

It would be a good caliber for anything down there you might get into I think, even nilgai if loaded with the right pills.

What’s wrong with with the 25-06 inherited one and love it Remington 700

I did too but couldn't remember posting it

I'm intrigued by the 6.8 Westerner in the fantastic Browing X-Bolt (with new trigger of course) BUT since Hornady didn't invent it, I'm kinda thinking it will die quietly. RE; .270WSM

Here are my choices in this category

6.5 Creedmoor
7mm-08
6.5 PRC

I went to my LGS yesterday, the 6.5 CM's on the shelves (both new and used) probably outnumbered all the other center-fire rifles they had (not counting ARs). They have ten 12-gun racks and two of them were completely full of nothing but CM, along with many others scattered among the other racks.

I guarantee the 6.5 CM has hammered new sales of .243, .270, .308, and quite a few others the last 5+ years. It's a fixture now.

That and Remington's make believe marketing department. Renaming it to .260 Rem was their first mistake. They should have left it at 6.5-08 and it would have sold better. I still call both of mine 6.5-08 and you'd be surprised at how many people think I'm talking about some wildcat cartridge when I say that.