{"id":362,"date":"2017-05-30T10:00:07","date_gmt":"2017-05-30T14:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.wholesalehunter.com\/?p=362"},"modified":"2019-04-05T13:42:14","modified_gmt":"2019-04-05T17:42:14","slug":"creedmoor-craze-craig-boddington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/creedmoor-craze-craig-boddington\/","title":{"rendered":"The Creedmoor Craze"},"content":{"rendered":"

Suddenly everybody wants one\u2026and most manufacturers produce them!<\/h2>\n

In my 40-year career in this business, I\u2019ve seen a lot of cartridges come and go. The introduction of a new cartridge is usually accompanied by serious marketing efforts, but they don\u2019t always work, and success seems a bit random even though most cartridges work as advertised. I\u2019ve seen a fair number of good cartridges do poorly right out of the starting gate, and I\u2019ve seen cartridges enjoy immense popularity even though they\u2019re similar to good cartridges that are already on the market. The 6.5mm Creedmoor<\/a> is an anomaly, though\u2014I don\u2019t recall seeing a cartridge that sort of rolls along for a full decade and then skyrockets into popularity.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
With a long, aerodynamic bullet the Creedmoor case pretty well maxes out a 7.62×51 (.308 Winchester) AR-10 magazine\u2014but it fits and it feeds!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

Creedmoor: A Brief History<\/h2>\n

The 6.5mm Creedmoor cartridge, developed by Hornady, was introduced in Ruger rifles in 2007. It\u2019s an overstatement to say that it initially languished, but it certainly didn\u2019t burn up the shooting world. It was, however, accepted by a slowly growing cadre of long-range shooters and competitors.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Caroline Boddington, then 17, on the range at FTW Ranch with a 6.5mm Creedmoor. It\u2019s wonderful fun to march a little Creedmoor out to 1000 yards, amazing performance with very little pain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ten years later, the 6.5mm Creedmoor was suddenly the talk of the 2017 Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show. Most rifle manufacturers were chambering to it, other ammunition manufacturers were adopting it, and no one could keep up with the escalating demand.<\/p>\n

Comparable to Other Cartridges, or the Most Accurate?<\/h2>\n

Unlike many other cartridges, the 6.5mm Creedmoor was designed neither for maximum velocity nor to wring maximum speed from a certain action size, in this case a short bolt-action or an AR-10 frame. It\u2019s essentially a .308 Winchester (or .30 T\/C, or .300 Savage) case necked down to 6.5mm (.264-inch), sharp-shouldered, but with the case shortened to 1.920 inches rather than the 2.015-inch case standard with the .308 family. The cartridge\u2019s shorter powder column was designed for accuracy; additionally, shooters can use longer, heavier, more aerodynamic bullets without having to seat them so deeply that they intrude into the powder space.<\/p>\n

The 6.5mm Creedmoor has a lower powder capacity and runs slower than the .260 Remington, which is a .308 case necked down to 6.5mm, but not shortened. And it\u2019s certainly not as fast as the 6.5\/284 Norma, which uses the fatter rebated-rim .284 Winchester case necked down to 6.5mm.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Left to right: 6.5mm Creedmoor, .260 Remington, 6.5-284 Norma. The Creedmoor is not quite as fast as its current competitors, but it\u2019s fast enough to stay supersonic well beyond 1000 yards\u2026and it is definitely the mild 6.5mm cartridge that has caught the public\u2019s eye.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is faster than the 6.5mm cartridges of a century ago, however: the grand-daddy, 6.5x53R; the 6.5×54 Mannlicher-Schoenauer; the 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser; and other early 6.5s. But this is mostly a matter of weaker early actions rather than case capacity. Of the early 6.5mm cartridges, only the 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser retains a following in this country today. The \u201c6.5 Swede\u201d has greater case capacity and can be hand-loaded faster, but its longer case cannot be housed in a short action.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Left to right: 6.5x53R, 6.5×54 Mannlicher Schoenauer, 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser, .256 Newton. Just four of numerous 6.5mm cartridges introduced in the early days of smokeless powder. Only the 6.5×55 retains a small following today\u2026and none of these cartridges fit into a short bolt-action.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The .260 Remington, 6.5-284 Norma, and the older 6.5s are all good cartridges, but none have made the great surge in popularity that the 6.5mm Creedmoor has recently made. The title of the \u201cmost accurate\u201d cartridge probably depends more on action, barrel, and ammunition than case dimensions, but the Creedmoor has achieved a wonderful reputation for accuracy.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
After initial zeroing this is the first five-shot group from a Ruger Precision Rifle chambered to the Creedmoor. Boddington is not prepared to say it is more accurate than other mild 6.5mm cartridges, but it deserves its reputation for accuracy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why is the Creedmoor So Popular?<\/h2>\n

I believe the 6.5mm Creedmoor might be the most popular 6.5mm cartridge ever in the U.S.; 6.5mm is a popular bullet diameter in Europe, but to my knowledge, no 6.5mm cartridge has ever<\/em> achieved lasting success in the U.S. The Creedmoor\u2019s popularity is surprising, as American shooters traditionally revere velocity, but only time will tell whether this cartridge can enjoy long-lasting popularity on this side of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t just crave velocity, though\u2014we also love accuracy, and maybe we\u2019re starting to appreciate efficiency. 6.5mm bullets tend to be long for caliber; add in aerodynamics and you have very high Ballistic Coefficients (BC), meaning the bullet will hold its velocity extremely well. The 6.5mm Creedmoor was designed as a long-range target cartridge intended to remain supersonic to 1000 yards, thus avoiding the accuracy-robbing turbulence that occurs when the bullet breaks the sound barrier. With an aerodynamic 140-grain bullet at about 2700 feet per second, it achieves this goal handily with very little recoil. The other \u201cmild\u201d 6.5mms mentioned also do this, though, so I\u2019m not prepared to say the Creedmoor is the \u201cbest\u201d in its class. But it\u2019s certainly the cartridge that has caught the public\u2019s eye.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Boddington, Tim Fallon, and Caroline Boddington with an axis deer taken by Caroline with a single 140-grain bullet from a Ruger M77 in 6.5mm Creedmoor, perfect performance. This rifle later became a 7mm-08, but that was due to concerns over ammunition availability, not performance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hunting with Creedmoor Cartridges: Can it Be Done Ethically?<\/h2>\n

Despite the current interest in long-range shooting, there aren\u2019t enough 1000-yard competitors to account for the Creedmoor craze. It\u2019s a safe assumption, therefore, that the Creedmoor is appealing to hunters and casual rifle shooters. However, despite its efficiency, the Creedmoor and its friends are probably not long-range hunting <\/em>cartridges. They just don\u2019t retain enough energy down-range.<\/p>\n

If you start an aerodynamic 140-grain 6.5mm bullet at 2700 fps\u2014the ballpark velocity of the 6.5mm Creedmoor\u2014you\u2019ll cross the 1000-yard line at well over 1200 fps. The speed of sound is about 1100 fps, so you\u2019re in good shape velocity-wise, but you\u2019ve got little more than 500 foot-pounds of retained energy. You won\u2019t catch me saying that anything<\/em> is ethically sound for shooting game at 1000 yards, but for sure a mild 6.5mm isn\u2019t there.<\/p>\n

For shorter distances, though, the 6.5 Creedmoor can be decent for hunting. Pairing a 6.5mm Creedmoor with an aerodynamic 140-grain bullet carries 1000 foot-pounds of energy about 600 yards. Thus on deer-sized game<\/em> it does pretty much everything anybody needs to do at any reasonable range. Now, take a really <\/em>aerodynamic 6.5mm bullet like Hornady\u2019s new 143-grain ELD-X, with an off-the-charts BC of .623 (G-1), at 2710 fps muzzle velocity and you have an initial energy yield of 2332 foot-pounds. That\u2019s plenty enough for elk-sized game, but at 200 yards retained energy is 1869 foot-pounds, and down to 1661 at 300 yards. So, hypothetically, the 6.5mm Creedmoor is also an adequate elk cartridge\u2026 but only at very moderate distances.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Boddington sees the mild 6.5mm cartridges as best-suited for deer-sized game, but at moderate ranges they can all handle larger game. This gemsbok was taken with an 1898-vintage 6.5x53R, an older 6.5mm cartridge considerably less powerful than the 6.5mm Creedmoor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Creedmoor: Versatile in Many Models of Rifles<\/h2>\n

One of the Creedmoor\u2019s strengths, and a reason why I think it is enjoying such success, is that it is<\/em> a short-action cartridge with few restrictions on what bullets can be used or how they must be seated. Until recently, the Creedmoor has been primarily a Hornady\/Ruger cartridge, so most of my experiences using the 6.5mm Creedmoor has been in Ruger rifles. However, I\u2019ve used it in Ruger Model 77s, Ruger Americans, and the Ruger Precision Rifle (RPR), which are different platforms that use altogether different magazines. Across the board feeding has been flawless for each model.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
On the bench with a Ruger Precision Rifle (RPR) in 6.5mm Creedmoor. A heavy rifle designed for accuracy from stable positions, the RPR uses a standard AR10 7.62×51 NATO (.308 Winchester) magazine\u2026and it feeds flawlessly with the 6.5mm Creedmoor case.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We rifle cranks are always looking for excuses to own another rifle. Whether your thing is shooting tight groups, ringing steel at long range, or hunting deer, the 6.5 Creedmoor<\/a> is a wonderfully versatile cartridge that\u2019s extremely pleasant to shoot, and these are all good reasons why so many American shooters are discovering it.<\/p>\n

\n

Craig Boddington<\/a> is one of today\u2019s most respected outdoor journalists. He spent the\u00a0past forty years exploring our natural world as a hunter and sharing his knowledge and experiences in dozens of books and through thousands of published articles and essays. He\u2019s a decorated Marine, an award-winning author, and continues to be a leading voice for conservation and ethical hunting around the world.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

For autographed copies of Craig\u2019s books please visit www.craigboddington.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Suddenly everybody wants one\u2026and most manufacturers produce them! In my 40-year career in this business, I\u2019ve seen a lot of cartridges come and go. The introduction of a new cartridge is usually accompanied by serious marketing efforts, but they don\u2019t always work, and success seems a bit random even though most cartridges work as advertised. … Continue reading “The Creedmoor Craze”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[7,21],"tags":[30,31,19,29,20,33,32,34],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=362"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":954,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362\/revisions\/954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}