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All About the 6.5 Creedmoor: Purpose, Performance, & Ballistics

Talyn

Talyn

Emissary
Founding Member
The Creedmoor case was designed to meet certain criteria: small enough to feed from short actions, fit neatly in magazines, and provide enough power to propel high-ballistic-coefficient bullets to a reasonable speed.

You might ask why, when there was already a well-established cartridge that did just that. The .260 Remington performs much like the Creedmoor but has long fallen by the wayside.

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The 6.5 Creedmoor (left) is compatible with magazine systems designed for the .308 Winchester.
(Photo: Alexander Reville/Guns.com)

Cartridge designers based the Creedmoor case on the .30 Thompson Center case and necked it down to .264 with a 30-degree shoulder. The Creedmoor case is a bit shorter than the .260 Remington and the popular .308 Winchester. This is by design, as it allows room to seat the longer, high-BC bullets that make the cartridge perform so well.


Using a real-world application as an example, let’s look at two of the most popular precision loads for the 6.5 and .308. The Federal Gold Medal Match 175-grain load has long been the literal gold standard for .308 sharpshooting, and the Hornady Match 140 ELDM is pretty much the equivalent for the Creedmoor.

The .308 has a 35-grain weight advantage, but it comes with a lower muzzle velocity of 2,600 fps. The Creedmoor, while lighter, starts out a bit faster, with a muzzle velocity of 2,710 fps. The .308 has an energy advantage in the first 300 yards, but after that it quickly loses ground to the Creedmoor.
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You don't have to "sell" me on the 6.5. I am officially a fan and convert.

I resumed shooting "precision" bolt action rifles several years ago. Between all my other firearm "love interests," that particular type of shooting had fallen by the wayside. In fact, I was almost without in my gun safe. I had plenty of other interesting toys, but bolt action rifles were sparse.

I signed up for what I guess one would call a mid-range precision training course and had to scramble to put together a suitable rig. I found and purchased a lightly used Remington 700, heavy sendero 24" barrel, 5R rifling. I slapped on a Magpul Hunter 700 stock with the Magpul AICS bottom "metal". Caliber? Well, the course instructor STRONGLY recommended 308 Winchester. I went with the 6.5 Creedmoor. Ammo? Hornady factory 147 gr. match.

I spent a couple of pleasurable days at the range wringing out this new-to-me rig and I was ready to go. The accuracy of the rifle and ammo combination was fortunately outstanding, more than adequate for the demands of the training course. How did the rig perform for the course itself? Can you say, "Hits in a hurricane" boys and girls? All of the spotters for the course were calling windage as if I was shooting a 308. I just ignored them and reduced their idea of windage hold considerably. Hits out to 600 yards were stupid easy, and beyond out to 900 yards still fairly easy.

Oh... I forgot to mention the "secret sauce", in my opinion. I spent my "big bucks" on a higher end scope and mounts. Dialing in the dope for a given range and return to zero is super reliable, along with providing excellent clarity for my old eyes.

Bottom line: Prior to my first hand usage of the 6.5, I thought that all of the fan boys were being just a wee bit too obsessed. No longer. In a bolt action, it is now my favorite centerfire rifle round. I still shoot 308 in a similar rig, but somehow it doesn't seem to make as many trips to range with me as the 6.5.
 
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The 6.5CM is my fav hunting, long-range target & major-caliber self-defense round.
 
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