New from Savage Arms: AXIS and AXIS II in 6.5 Creedmoor

1. I am in the market for a North American game hunting rifle and first learned of this cartridge a few months ago, other than the price per cartridge it appears to be the best all around bullet on the market.

   Any thoughts?

   • I’m not a ballistician by any means, but 6.5mm has earned a solid reputation as a consistently flat-shooting caliber all around. Hunters in Sweden and Canada still use the 6.5×55, a cartridge from the 1890’s, to take down Moose every year.

     • If I was in Sweden, I would never use a 6.5×55 to take down a moose. I would use the potato gun (Swedish 9.3×57)

   • Naz, if it’s deer sized game are what you are after 243 win will serve you just fine. Available everywhere

     • Yeah, and if you were looking for something not for hunting that can legit reach out to 1000 yards without much difficulty, 6.5 Creedmore is it.

       • “Without much difficulty” at 1000 yards, in anything even remotely resembling a dynamic situation, tends to take a bit more than the latest fashion clambering, unless the rifle includes a trained marksman as part of the purchase price….

         I’m sure the Creedmore is nice and all, but aside from being an excuse to buy a new gun (and as we know, more guns is always and everywhere better…), it does nothing hunting related better than the big4 (.308, .243, .270, .30-06). For hunting in the lower 48, just get a .270. And have the best gun, with the best bullets, and the most hunting proven and generalizable bolt throw (no adjustment needed for Whelen in Alaska, 25-06 for “Sendero” type hunting out West, velocity hungry copper only bullets for lead free states, or even the latest magnums for Africa) out there.

   • I don’t personally have one but people say the 6.5 mm bullet is one of the best calibers for long range shooting. It isn’t necessarily the best hunting cartridge but isn’t a bad hunting cartridge either. I am no expert on hunting bullets and whats best but it is possible the 6.5 Creedmoor is on the light side for some of the heavier bears and elk but if your shot placement is perfect it should be fine.

     • The 6.5 is proven in Scandinavia on anything up to polar bears. Those things are big. And nasty. It works. For a big game hunting gun, on Scandinavian moose, probably the most well researched big game as far as 6.5 is concerned, the .30s have overtaken the 6.5 in popularity, at least partially because of rumored faster incapacitation and more reliable blood trails on less than optimal shots (though in all honesty, that is probably 10% of the reason, with the 30s ubiquity and cheap NATO ammo accounting for the remaining 90….). The traditional Scandi 6.5×55 loadings aren’t as hot/fast as the Creedmore, so who knows if that still holds true for the latter. Germans and other Continentals have been killing Scandi moose perfectly well with 7mm as well, infinitely more hampered by limited tag availability than their choice of caliber.

   • If you don’t have a .308, get one of those first. The ammo is less expensive, easier to find, and has more power inside of about 500 yards.

     The 6.5 is very accurate and has a bit less recoil than the .308, and is more efficient at long range. It also costs more and is often harder to find due to its trendiness.

   • 260 Remington?

     • The Creedmore was designed to FIX everything Remington did wrong with the .260.

       Slower rate of twist and the set back shoulder allows loading the heaviest 6.5 bullets available. .260 Rem may or may not function well with 140 grain, almost certainly won’t with heavier.

2. 243 and 7mm08 and 260 have been around forever and this caliber offers no ballistic advantages. If you don’t reload it is nice Hornady makes good ammo. Not so with those other calibers.

   • The .260 and 6.5 creedmoor are ballisticly similar. Both pushing the same bullets close to the same velocity. The only advantages .260 has is a slight velocity increase, the ability to easily make brass (.308 family) and lapua brass. .260 is slightly older but, as it seems to me, less popular.

     • In part due to the low quality of factory brass and factory ammo available for the .260. It could have owned the 6.5mm short action space, but hey, it was brought out by Remington, so you could predict the results.

       • Good point.

3. “the cartridge has limited reloading potential.”

   Why? Please explain.

   • I am curious about this too. I have reloaded plenty of 65 creedmoor. Great dies available, great bullets, quality brass and the same powder/primers youd use for other popular cartridges. The only problem is the lack of lapua brass.

   • The brass is expensive. Also, it seems you can’t readily use other brass formed for this cartridge.

     Examples:
     Using cheap and available 308win brass to make 243win cartridges.
     Using cheap and available 30-06 brass to make 8mm mauser cartridges.

     • Ok.
       So, once I spend the big bucks for ammo and build up an inventory, I can reload 6.5 Creed just like anything else. The “reloading potential” is the same as any other cartridge.

       • Agreed. It is no different from any others in that respect.

         “The “reloading potential” is the same as any other cartridge.”

         However, had he worded it to mean that one could reload it cheaply, then other cartridges are better in that regard. (E.G. – 7.62 nato/308 win, 5.56 nato, 223 rem, 270win, 243win, 8mm mauser, 30-06, etc) – I.E. calibers where brass can be obtained cheaply.

4. For someone wanting to get into hunting and precision/long range shooting, what should I consider to choose between 6.5 creedmoore and good old fashioned .308?

   • At long range the 6.5 will drop less and be moved around less with wind. It will also have less recoil than 308.

     • While for hunting, .308 has suitable factory ammo available for everything from squirrel to grizzly…. Along with some of the most well researched and proven target/long range/sniper loadings out there. And everything in between. All for lower cost than any exotic..

       If you don’t already have a .308, get one. Then, unless your subdivision backs up to a 1000 yard range, get a .223. Even lower cost, even more available ammo, and less recoil than even 6.5. And no different that the larger calibers wrt most marksmanship skills. At some point, if you stick with it, you may get good enough at “long range” to be meaningfully held back by the “lesser” calibers. But until then, why not enjoy the massive benefits the non exotics enjoy wrt logistics?

5. Anyone use 308 brass for reloading it?

   You can use 308win brass for 243win. Can you use it for 6.5 creedmoor?

   • Not easily, but with enough force and determination, you could probably pull it off. They both have a 0.473″ case head diameter.

     • Yea – I’ve determined i’m going to pass. I reload 6.5×55 blanks. They are loaded with a wood projectile. I just pull the projectile (hornady bullet puller), dump the contents, and load my chosen powder and bullet while keeping the already installed berdan primer. The blanks were amazingly cheap. I bought so many, i’m fairly certain i’ll never run out in my lifetime.

       • You CAN reload blanks, however there can be risks. Some blanks will have entirely normal brass, and some with be manufactured with much thinner brass to accommodate lighter blank loads. I know it’s too late for you since your post was in Oct., but this is how I would proceed. Cut the case and mic the thickness of the brass before you do so. Also, some blank brass is manufactured with a deeper primer pocket to keep the primers from backing out. You can also measure this. Finally, treat this as an entirely new reloading event, start with a minimum load and work your way back up to your usual recipe, looking for signs of pressure along the way. Grats on your find and initiative, reloading is so much fun.

6. More proof 6.5 Creedmore is here to stay.

7. Some of the factory ammo is actually pretty reasonably priced for the 6.5 Creedmoor. American Whitetail ammo in this caliber sells for $19.99 per 20 at Midway, and folks are reporting sub-moa accuracy with it.

8. 6.5 Creedmore guns don’t stay in stock around here (AZ). I really wanted one of the Ruger Predators in 6.5 but ended up with .243 Win instead since all the 6.5s were sold out.

9. I need a good squirrel gun for my neighborhood and backyard. This should do nicely.

10. I’ve been shooting a long time. And, I hate to differ with all my gun pals on here; but the best one-rifle hunting solution is still the 30-06. Performance, cost, variety of bullet weight, recoil, availability, it can’t be beat. I own all of the calibers mentioned. For flat out straight shooting for medium sized game (smaller deer and lesser) or for range accuracy, the 22-250 is the best, most accurate round. With the 270, recoil not worth any gain (because there is no performance gain over a 30-06) – same with 308. 6.5, sure, why not own one if you can, fits all the criteria except cost, availability, and bullet variety, so fine. But, I still say if I had to have only one it’s 30-06 every time.

11. I saw one comment for the 7 mm. I have a 7 mm Remington Magnum. Ultimate round for anything plus it is a flat shooter. I would use it for any North American game animal. I kill whitetail with one shot from a .22…. a well placed 7 can do just about anything. I have several good shooters, including a .308. I would buy a Creedmoor just to have a new gun and it’s long range character. I can afford it, so why not…

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