Somebody give me the skinny on 6.5 Creedmoor

I don’t think it lives up to the hype.

But it is still really good for target shooting and hunting.

It fits with all of your criteria very well. I see no reason not to get one.

I resisted the hype for a decade. But when my wife decided she would deer hunt with me, I bought a Savage Axis. I found it is not the super cartridge it's hyped up as, but it is a good deer round and very flat shooting with very little recoil compared to a .270 or .308
Ten years ago I would have put a .243 or .270 in her hands, but now I'm glad I did try it. I own three different rifles now in 6.5cm.

I’ve seen 6.5 creedmoors lay down some very nice groups. I wouldn’t mind having one myself.

Its a 260 remington but with the case shorted and blown out, so that it can fit 140+ grain ELD bullets and still fit in the mag. Same case capacity. That's it. A simple solution to a simple problem. Nice little cartridge.

I bought my 1st just to see what the hype was all about. It did not disappoint. Since then, I've owned or had a chance to shoot 7-8 rifles chambered in the round and haven't found one yet that wouldn't shoot Sub MOA. Most of them very close to 1/2 MOA. Recoil is very mild. Somewhere between 243 and 308, but closer to 243.

As a hunting cartridge it shoots the same bullet weights as 270 about 150 fps slower at the muzzle. But the much better aerodynamics of the 6.5mm bullets mean that gap in speed gets much closer as range increases. By the time both bullets are at 300 yards they are virtually the same speed and much beyond 400 yards the 6.5 bullets are faster.

The difference in bullet diameter is .013". Just for reference, that is about 1/4 the thickness of a dime. There will be no difference in the size of the hole in a game animal. It, along with 270 is the smallest cartridge I'd be comfortable hunting elk size game with. It will be fine on black bear with the heavier bullet options. In reality anything a 270 will kill, a 6.5CM will kill. And hunters have killed deer, elk, and bear with 270 for almost 100 years.

A 270 still shoots flatter. But either will require very little hold over to hit game out to 300 yards. Beyond 300 yards both drop enough that a range finder and optics that can compensate for bullet drop are advisable.

There are better options if you're serious about long range target shooting. A lot of people are disappointed when they look at 6.5 trajectory. It doesn't shoot that flat. But with modern optics that can be compensated for. What it does, is maintain enough velocity downrange to keep bullets stable at ranges farther than most guys shoot. As a target round 308 will match it out to 800ish yards. Then 308 slows to the point where bullets are no longer stable. The 6.5CM will keep bullets stable to at least 1200 yards.

For the game most of us hunt it is a very good choice. Especially if someone wants to use the same rifle for informal longer range target shooting.

Folks who hate on the 6.5CM remind me of Glock haters…all emotion, no logic.

6.5’s been putting down big game for a whole lotta years. The CM is simply a redesign on the case and faster twist to stabilize high BC bullets for long distance.

Use hunting bullets to hunt with…and it’s a superb round.

It is a very capable round- being used in long range competition, tactical applications, and big game hunting. My 6.5 is a Ruger American predator, and it shoots way better than a $400 rifle should. My go-to for many years for deer has been a 243, but the 6.5 has a more powerful and heavier bullet with about the same recoil as the 243.

Still waiting to meet a die hard fanatic and curious about all this insane "hype".

Regardless, I use the Creedmoor. It's a good round, easy to find ammo for especially compared to 7-08.

I toss it into the 308 class of rounds and it takes advantage of modern bullets and chamber.

I even considered it for moose.

Regardless, I find on average, the Creedmoor with good or cheap ammo shoots better out of a random rifle compared to equally valued "legacy" rounds.

As an owner of many cheap and expensive 6.5 and 7.62 rifles.

Note: I don't handload

So it sounds like you’re looking for a hunting rifle.

I’m going to assume your shots are 400 yards or less, because we’re hunting. Not wingin’ it.

I would argue there are other cartridges that shoot flatter and hit harder UNDER 4-500 yards. The 6.5 Creed really shines at bucking the wind and maintaining velocity AT DISTANCE.

One of Hornady’s sticking points of the 6.5 Creed was specifying precise chamber drawings with SAMMI. So your average manufacturers following SAMMI will produce a decent rifle.

Will a 6.5 Creed get it done? Of course! (Although I’ve never shot a black bear and personally would want more gun because I don’t know any better.)

Is it worth the hype? I’d argue, only if you’re target shooting at distance. There is almost a mystic out there that a 6.5 Creed magically makes the average shooter Chris Kyle. And honestly I’m tired of going into gun stores and seeing racks upon racks of rifles chambered in 6.5 Creed. You won’t be hurting for ammo choices and availability, and thats a plus. But I’m bored of 6.5 Creeds.

Buzznrose said:

Folks who hate on the 6.5CM remind me of Glock haters…all emotion, no logic.

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Not really. They're both quite decent products in their respective fields and rather popular at that too. For some people it's worth keeping the distance just to avoid being confused with the crowd of insufferable fanboys that bring one or more of them into any conversation, regardless of the topic. It's been happening lately with AR-rifles too. I used to call it ".300Whisper" -effect when the round was transitioning from wildcat to .300Blackout and certain people, often newbies, regarded it as the best thing since sliced bread.

Don't hate the product, hate the image that comes with the cult associated with them. That way it isn't even emotional but very, very rational.

My son has a 6.5CM Thompson center. He loves it. Also the machining in the bore is better than my Axis in .223 and his in .243. I haven't shot it much to give my opinion. He is also thinking about getting a AR chambered in 6.5 too.

Buzznrose said:

Folks who hate on the 6.5CM remind me of Glock haters…all emotion, no logic.

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Seems to me that the 6.5 CM is yet another re-invention of and old cartridge that offers no better performance.

What can a 6.5 CM do that the 100+ year old 6.5X55 Swedish cannot do? Eh?

I've shot my .308 Savage 10 TAC next to a Ruger (RPR) in 6.5CM... the 6.5CM is easier to shoot, easier to shoot well, and the cartridge has serious potential... not unlike other cartridges out there. I found the difference in recoil compelling. The same guy that has the RPR, I built him a AR-10 in 6.5CM... that platform shoots it just as easy, just as well as the bolt action.

I reload for it... it's an easy round to load for. Fair amount of components available. I'm not a hunter, so I don't know about genuine hunting bullets, but both the SMK and Hornady VLD-M (I think) in the 140grn + range do very well.

The 6.5CM is not the Second Coming, but it's a pretty solid round. If you don't need the absolute bullet weight something like the .308 provides, and the exterior ballistics are something that meet your needs... it's not a bad choice.

tark said:

What can a 6.5 CM do that a 6.5X55 Swedish cannot do? Eh?

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It comes in rifles like the M1a, for one. You can find factory ammo on most reasonable store shelves. That is not to say the x55 isn't a bad round, it's not. Marketing being what it is, the 6.5CM is popular right now, the x55 isn't.

Comparing book loads of 6.5x55 and 6.5 CM, is not truthful. All of the book loads (there are a few that indicate loads for MODERN action) are tailored to the medium strength former Swede/etc actions. A 6.5x55 on a modern action, is a different animal.

Any caliber, that launches lawn darts (1 1/4" length) at a moderate velocity (2500-2700 fps), do not abuse the user, the high BC projectiles cheat gravity and wind, and because of length, have enough SD to accomplish the job on the receiving end.

Hats off to Hornady actually. They brought something to market and, more than likely, caused 500K people to buy something new and get out shooting. What is not to love?

In the lighter weight offerings there isn’t much difference between 6.5 CM and 308 Winchester out to 500 yards. I’m talking about 120 ish grains vs 155 ish grains. In heavy for caliber bullet weights, the difference is still smaller than I would have thought.

That said, I’m looking for a lefty bolt gun and the only one around is a 6.5 CM. I’d prefer a 308 but only because I already have dies for reloading it.

Mr_Flintstone said:

Is it worth the hype or the hate it gets? I’m thinking about a new rifle, and I’m weighing my options. I want something mainly capable of taking deer, and in a pinch, maybe black bear or boar.

As I get older, I find myself wanting something that doesn’t break my shoulder to shoot, and I don’t want to have to jump through hoops to find ammo. I reload, so custom loads won’t be a problem, but I don’t want something I can’t get components for or have difficulty in finding factory ammo either.

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It's basically a 260 Remington but actually being produced by manufacturer's... If you reload there won't be much of a difference but if you just want to be able to pick up a box or two at Walmart you will be able to get 6.5 Creedmoor...

It's a great round. Light recoil, good ballistics, and even the cheap ammo tends to shoot pretty good. Im not much of a hunter but I know several people that have taken elk with the cartridge out to 400+yards. My one friend has been hunting with his 270 for 20 years switched to a 6.5 CM a few years ago. He says he has seen no difference in effectiveness on animals.

FL-NC said:

It is a very capable round- being used in long range competition, tactical applications, and big game hunting. My 6.5 is a Ruger American predator, and it shoots way better than a $400 rifle should. My go-to for many years for deer has been a 243, but the 6.5 has a more powerful and heavier bullet with about the same recoil as the 243.

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I have a .243 which is my paper puncher, been thinking about a little heavier caliber but to me the 6.5 CM seems so close to my .243 that its not worth the investment. I don't hunt but I do bang steel on occasion. Been investigating a 7mm-08 as my next step up, but 7mm-08 are not as easy to find as the ever present 6.5 CM. with your knowledge of both rounds performance should I reconsider my view on the 6.5?

The American Rifleman Magazine has about 6 articles on different 6.5 CM rifles. Average accuracy @ 100 yards runs between 1" to 1 1/4"

My Savage Axis accuracy is same. Factory or handloads.

Bergara’s B-14 HMR did best.



Their may be other factory rifles I missed?
Online, all groups measure a 1/2" or smaller.

The three rifles I own in 6.5cm are all MoA with good factory ammo and sub moa with the right handload. I've also sighted in a couple others for relatives and friends that had about the same accuracy. My rifles are a bottom dollar Axis Xp, a T/C Compass, and a 110 Tactical. I've also sighted in a 700adl, a Tikka T3, Axis II, and X-bolt pro. So I've shot 6.5cm in price range from $400 to $2k and I can tell you that there was not 3/4 moa difference from worst to best. The X-bolt is a 1/2"moa gun, the Tikka almost the same, the others were all 3/4 to 1moa, with the 700 just barely making 1 moa.
I'd really like to get my hands on a Cascade and a Patriot to see how they compare.

If you don’t own any, it’s something new to buy and outfit for, don’t forget to keep on top of new and improved bullets to buy.