6.5 Creedmoor Ballistics Chart

6.5 Creedmoor 123gr HPBT has a BC of .510

.308 Ballistics Chart

.308 Winchester 125gr has a BC of .366

6.5 Creedmoor vs 308 Ballistics Chart

6.5 Creedmoor Rifle Ballistics Chart pictured below covers ranges of 100 yards, 200 yards and 500 yards. See below for 6.5 Creedmoor Ballistics Chart 1000 yards

The 6.5 Creedmoor emerged from the house of Hornady in 2008, brainchild of senior ballistician Dave Emary, who asked competitive shooters like Dennis DeMille for ideas on 1,000-yard cartridges. A long-range marksman himself, Emary necked the .30 T/C hull (another Hornady product), to .264. The 6.5 CM compact case kept overall length within limits imposed by short actions.

Hornady Standard Ballistics Chart

What makes the 6.5 Creedmoor so Ballistically Talented:

• 6.5 Creedmoor Ballistics are among the best in caliber for long-range shooting.
• The Ballistics Chart of 6.5 Creedmoor Bullets will show excellent bullets with very high ballistic coefficients.
• High BCs helps the 6.5 CM slip air resistance while minimizing wind drift.
• The 6.5 Creedmoor excellent hunting round that packs a punch when it reaches its target due to its exceptional sectional density.

6.5 Creedmoor Ballistics Chart

The 6.5's BCs are ballistic chart-toppers. The high ballistic coefficients mean the 6.5 CM bullets move well through the air, which helps them maintain velocity and reduces drop/wind drift. Less drop and drift translates to a little more margin of error if you misjudge the distance, shot angle or wind speed/direction. Impact velocity certainly doesn't hurt as the 6.5 Creedmoor packs a ton of it!

The 6.5 CM has a very respectable ballistic chart performance with little recoil. Those same factors have made me a believer in cartridges such as the .25-06 and 7mm-08. The Creedmoor will do anything those two will do, in some cases do it better, and in all cases do it with less recoil. That's win-win but one question still remains....6.5 Creedmoor vs 308 ballistics chart comparisons?

How does the 6.5 Creedmoor compare to other similar loads such as the .308 at 1,000 yards?

The 6.5 Creedmoor was made specifically to compete with the .308 Winchester in long range competitions. The .308 is a very common caliber, so lets see how the 6.5 Creedmoor holds up against the popular military round at 1,000 yards.

6.5 Creedmoor vs .308 Winchester 1,000 yards

As you can see the 6.5 Creedmoor has way less bullet drop compared to the .308 Winchester.

Due to the 6.5 Creedmoor's Higher Ballistic Coefficient is has way less wind deflection when compared to the .308 Winchester at 1,000 yards.

The 6.5 Creedmoor has the best Ballistic Coefficient, and perfect for long range shooters. The Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor 140 grain A-MAX boasts a Ballistic Coefficient of .585 and muzzle velocity of 2710 FPS.

For those of us who were raised by the older generation that believed velocity is everything, that doesn’t seem like a very hot round. Today however, with laser rangefinders and sophisticated drop compensation available, the BC becomes much more important than pure velocity to get us out to those more distant targets.

Compared to the Hornady .308 Win 178 grain BTHP with a G1 Ballistic Coefficient of .530 and muzzle velocity of 2600 FPS the 6.5 Creedmoor has 110 inches or 9 feet less drop at 1,000 yards.

The 6.5 Creedmoor would also experience roughly 13 inches less wind drift at 1,000 yards in a 10 MPH crosswind. So not only does the 6.5 CM shoot better than the .308, it also has less kick, making it much more enjoyable to shoot.

The 6.5 Creedmoor is a viable round for long range target shooters, but the question still remains if it could be used as a hunting round. For big game you probably want a bullet like the A-MAX to have a muzzle velocity of at least 1500 FPS down range and over 900 ft-lbs of energy.

The 6.5 Creedmoor stays above this threshold out to about 800 yards so it is definitely a viable option for tipping over a big buck out to 800. For predator hunters this would be a fun gun to kill wolves or coyotes even out to 1,000 yards.

With the Hornady 120 A-MAX, there is little lost as the barrel length decreases from 27 inches to 24 inches inside of 800 yards. At 1,000 yards, 0.3 mils of elevation and 0.1 mils of drift are sacrificed. Note the 6.5 Creedmoor 120 grain A-MAX with a 16 inch barrel shoots inside of the 308 Winchester 175 grain SMK with a 22 inch barrel at 1,000 yards! Very Impressive!

Additionally, most Rifle Manufacturers have fully embraced the 6.5 Creedmoor Ballistic Coefficient as seen by the wide spread adoption by nearly every one of the major manufacturers to date.  Although the biggest challenge to any long range shooters accuracy is almost always weather changes and most commonly the individual shooters interaction with the firearm.  To make the individual shooter consistently more accuracte most have found considerable improvment in a lighter, more consistent and predictable trigger pull/break at the end of each pull.  M*CARBO specializes in delivering extremely noticable trigger pull improvements with fully engineering and premium spring steel replacements in strategic areas of the trigger mechanism to improve the overall performance to the shooter while maintaining or exceeding the standard factory trigger assembly spring components.  

Currently offered in these models for your 6.5 Creedmoor Firearms:

Browning X-Bolt 6.5 Creedmoor Trigger Spring Kit

Savage AXIS 6.5 Creedmoor Trigger Spring Kit

Tikka T3x 6.5 Creedmoor Trigger Spring Kit

TC Compass 6.5 Creedmoor Trigger Spring Kit

TC Venture 6.5 Creedmoor Trigger Spring  Kit

Winchester Model 70 Rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor, Trigger Spring Kit

6.5 Creedmoor Ballistics Chart 1000 yards

6.5 Creedmoor Hornady 120 grain A-MAX Ballistics Chart

6.5 Creedmoor Hornady 120 grain bullet in Rifle Ballistics Chart showing effect of barrel length to muzzle velocity and bullet drift out to 1,000 yards.

The 6.5 Creedmoor Sierra 142 grain SMK gained velocity as the barrel length decreased from 27 inches to 24 inches. The 142 SMK and 17 inch barrel shot inside the 308 Winchester 175 SMK 22 inch barrel out to 1,000 yards. The 308/175 SMK outperformed the 6.5 Creedmoor/142 SMK inside of 800 yards but at 1,000 yards the superior characteristics of the 142 SMK allows it to perform better.

6.5 Creedmoor Ballistics Chart 1000 yards

A Rifle Ballistics Chart isn't complete without a 6.5 Creedmoor Ballistics Chart 1000 yards Demo!

6.5 Creedmoor Sierra 142 grain (SMK) Ballistics Chart

6.5 Creedmoor Sierra 142 grain bullet in Rifle Ballistics Chart showing effect of barrel length to muzzle velocity and bullet drift out to 1,000 yards.