Not sure but that may have been around the time when long-range shooting became all the rage. Yes, the popularity of the cartridge bled into the hunting community due to the all the attention it was given in the outdoor magazines and such. There's no question Ruger benefited from the long-range shooting craze as well when they quickly ran to the party with their Ruger Precision Rifle (RPR) line and grabbed a major share of the market.

Still, if you step back and take a more holistic view of the marketplace, you'll find the 6.5 Creedmoor is a middle-of-the-road cartridge when it comes to the number of factory loads that are now available. The ammo makers continue to offer a greater variety of ammo in the more longstanding calibers, which goes to show you what's really most popular with the greater market. I remember last year when I walked into Gene Taylor's Sporting Goods in Gunnison,CO last Fall and asked the guy at the gun counter if the Creedmoor was as popular in that area as it appeared to be in other places. His response was more along the line of "Yeah, we have a few models available for the guys who want them." I left the store that day thinking the locals either haven't bought into the hype, or maybe they just continue to take deer and elk with the same calibers that have worked since their fathers and grandfathers hunted them.

For what it's worth, shown below is a list of the calibers in which manufacturers offered the greatest number of loads in 2019. Even the lowly .243 is supported by a greater number of factory ammo variations than the Creedmoor.

.223 Remington - 421 loads
.308 Winchester - 365 loads
.30-06 Springfield - 269 loads
.300 Winchester Magnum - 190 loads
7mm Remington Magnum - 150 loads
.270 Winchester - 143 loads
.300 ACC Blackout (BLK) - 137 loads
.243 Winchester - 133 loads
6.5 Creedmoor - 122 loads
.300 Winchester Short Magnum - 84 loads
.22-250 Remington - 81 loads
.30-30 Winchester - 80 loads
7.62x39mm Soviet - 72 loads
.45-70 Government - 68 loads
7mm-08 Remington - 66 loads
.338 Lapua Magnum - 64 loads
.25-06 Remington - 60 loads
.338 Winchester Magnum / .300 Weatherby Magnum (tie) - 59 loads
.270 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM) - 58 loads

Middle of the road? It’s in the top 10 after only really being in production for 10 years. We get it, you’re a hater, but don’t be a liar as well.

No kidding. The 6.5 Creedmoor is as mainstream as it gets now.

And not all those offerings are carried. A quick check of both Natchez and Midway show it #5 behind only .223, .308., .30-06 and 300WM in the number of loads there each stock. But it’s ‘trendy’.

So you're saying you only got to look at a small test sample. And that's hunters that can afford a guided hunt. You weren't anywhere watching shooters.

And not all those offerings are carried. A quick check of both Natchez and Midway show it #5 behind only .223, .308., .30-06 and 300WM in the number of loads there each stock. But it’s ‘trendy’.

Something can be trendy and sell a lot lol. Kinda exactly what a trend is.

I've killed enough animals to know that bullet construction is way more important than what case it was stuffed into.

We will see if It stays popular or not.

How could it not? It is doing a long list of things right, no predecessor to it has ever done.

At one time, Rifled barrels were trendy. Tons of people were switching from smooth bore muskets to rifled barels. At one time, Brass cartridges were trendy. Tons of people switched from muzzle loading to Brass cartridges. At one time, repeating rifles were trendy. first came lever actions, then bolt actions, then semi-auto. A lot of people followed the trend. At one time, 357 mag, 44 mag, 30-30, 30-06, 270, 300 Win mag were all "trendy". They are all considered old school now. If a certain cartridge does the job and fits your needs, buy it. Shoot it. I have never understood why someone would talk down something that works and does it's job well simply because it is popular.

At one time, Rifled barrels were trendy. Tons of people were switching from smooth bore muskets to rifled barels. At one time, Brass cartridges were trendy. Tons of people switched from muzzle loading to Brass cartridges. At one time, repeating rifles were trendy. first came lever actions, then bolt actions, then semi-auto. A lot of people followed the trend. At one time, 357 mag, 44 mag, 30-30, 30-06, 270, 300 Win mag were all "trendy". They are all considered old school now. If a certain cartridge does the job and fits your needs, buy it. Shoot it. I have never understood why someone would talk down something that works and does it's job well simply because it is popular.

The 6.5 Cm isn’t going anywhere at this point, and will probably replace the .270, 7mm-08 and .25-06 in the next decade or two

i have had different guns and calibers over the years, and my 270 does everything i need. it kills everything i point at, mostly because i believe i will kill whatever its aimed at.

I use an old 7x57. I have one in a single shot and one in a bolt gun. All these new calibers are just a fad.

I use an old 7x57. I have one in a single shot and one in a bolt gun. All these new calibers are just a fad.

I use an old 7x57. I have one in a single shot and one in a bolt gun.