6.5 Swede vs Creedmoor?

[utahjeepr]

I have an old Oviedo Mauser action that has been Bubba'ed up. Rebarreled with a .300 Savage barrel that was then rechambered to .308, it was free...

I've debated building it into .257 Bob or 6.5 Swede. I have very little loading experience, but it seems like 6.5 Swede could be made to at least equal if not surpass 6.5 Creed. I may be stumbling across common knowledge or maybe I'm missing something, but thought I'd ask.

[gaijin]

You’re on track.
Either 6.5 CM or 6.5X55 can handle heavy for caliber bullets that have great BC/SDs.
The nod goes to the Swede for case volume/potential velocity by same bullet weight.
A trainload of Moose in Scandinavia have been taken with the Swede.

I would assume “parts” may be a bit more difficult to source for 6.5X55 than the 6.5 CM.

[hi-wayman]

The 6.5 Swede has about an 11% powder capacity advantage over the 6.5 Creedmoor, but the advantage of the Creedmoor is the design of the neck and the throat which allows it to handle heavier/longer bullets without intruding on the case. The Creedmoor has a faster twist rate to handle the higher BC bullets, but that could be matched easily in a rebarrel like your considering. If you're not needing or wanting to use the heavier bullets (which really strut at longer ranges beyond normal hunting distance) than the the Swede does have a slight edge if loaded to similar pressures.

However, if you don't reload, the 6.5 Creedmoor is going to be more readily available these days. At least, once the market returns to an equilibrium. The Swede does have a nice "cool" aspect to it, but the Creedmoor makes much more sense.

[hi-wayman]

I posted before about the cartridge comparisons. I forgot which action you were using.

The Swede is usually loaded to just over 46,000 psi because of the old military actions chambered in them. The Creedmore runs at 62,000 psi, which was a proof load for the old military actions.

Considering your action, I'd stick to the Swede.

**The 257 Roberts lists 54,000 psi max**

[utahjeepr]

Personally I'll most likely do the swede over the .257, and I'll run factory or milder reloads.

It's really a curiosity question for me. 6.5x55 Swede and .260Rem are "niche calibers" that few shooters care about (CONUS), but 6.5C is the prom queen. I get that there are differences between them, but no game will notice and you'd have to be amongst the best of shooters to prove any advantage. It's just wierd.

[Bimmer]

I have an old Oviedo Mauser action that has been Bubba'ed up. Rebarreled with a .300 Savage barrel that was then rechambered to .308, it was free...

Stupid question: Why not just leave it .308 (and free) and shoot it?

... 6.5C is the prom queen. I get that there are differences between them, but no game will notice and you'd have to be amongst the best of shooters to prove any advantage. It's just wierd.

It's not weird: It's good marketing.

You're right that the advantages of 6.5C don't matter in the real world for most shooters.

Making consumers think they need something, when they don't: Good marketing.

Convincing people to give up on something like .308 and switch to 6.5C: Brilliant marketing.

[utahjeepr]

Stupid question: Why not just leave it .308 (and free) and shoot it?

I'm not real convinced it's safe as is. A smith I trust in Prescott suggested build it or give it to the local college smithing program but he didn't "feel good" about it. So now I don't "feel good" touching off a 308 in it.

[1168]

I feel you. I’ve got a Bubba’d Mauser that needs a new barrel and stock. It’ll either end up as 6.5x55 or 9.3x62, depending on what a gunsmith yet to be retained has to say. Something classic, though.

Swede has enough ass to kill anything you’d kill with a 308. Or a CM. Or a .260... 6.5 Swede ammo is still on the store shelf; has been since 2019. Same with 260Rem, but 6.5CM has been completely absent. Food for thought.

[gunnerblue]

The Swede has the greater case capacity so this is an obvious advantage. Really only applies to a long action, however, as the greater length of the Swede would force you to seat most bullets deeper in the case. Excellent brass is made by Lapua and Norma (among others) and probably always will be since it is a very popular hunting round in Scandanavia.

[SkiDevil]

"6.5 Swede ammo is still on the store shelf; has been since 2019. Same with 260Rem, but 6.5CM has been completely absent. Food for thought." 1168

I have to agree with 1168. I have looked through most of the gun shops in my area and No One was any 6.5 Creedmoore. However, there are rifles chambered in the caliber in stock in quite a few shops. Many have been discounted. When it comes to .308 Winchester, I have seen the ammunition and purchased a couple of hundred rounds up until recently. Now, all I am seeing is 25.06 Remington, .257 Roberts, .280 AI, .300 WSM, and a few boxes of .260 Remington. Though I did see a few boxes of the 6.5 Swede in two shops. Most of the standard centerfire rifle cartridges are very difficult to find.

The ironic thing to me is even though I can walk into any gun shop any find several rifles in 6.5 CM, there are no .308 rifles anywhere in my area.

Moral of the story for myself is that I am sticking with .308 Winchester. I have seen at least two rifles in 6.5 CM that I was tempted to buy because of the discounted price, but no way to get ammo right now.