@South Prairie Jim ,
@SixFive , &
@MarshallDodge - well... it’s a difference of 14 thousandths from something I already have. It’s not a comparison of a 6.5x55 mid-Length Mauser vs. a 6.5 creed, but it’s literally the same case, but one pushed back 14 thousandths and trimmed an extra 30. For all intents, it’ll be the same round. As I said above, same mags, bolt, brass, bullets, powder, and primers - just a tiny pinch more squish done on one. The conundrum, however, is timing.
I called a few barrel makers the week after I saw the announcement, they don’t have reamers yet in hand (but could custom order them, it seems), and Hornady isn’t selling the dies yet. So when I burn out my current 243 LBC around Sept/Oct, I could need to order a new barrel by the end of next month to have it here before the old one is toast. I would guess, with our current global climate, I should be counted foolish to think I’d be able to get an ARC chambered barrel as a standard offering by Sept/Oct.
So waiting maybe 4 months before I order a barrel, 9-10 mos for delivery, might mean I go without a 6 Grendel for 4-5 months. But ordering the 243 LBC now, although it keeps me fed in those interim months, would last me through another year and a half or so, putting me over a year without convincing myself to buy the new standardized round before I’d have a relevant excuse to buy it.
Then again... if it fits the 110 A-tips into a 2.3” AR mag, the ARC could be even more enticing...