Caliber choice between 6.5 creedmoor and 6 creedmoor?

clubmanager · Friday at 1:01 PM

I've looked online and most arguments are for the 6.5 but they are older posts where cost was reflective. It seems from my reading that 6 creedmoor has become a bit more inline with 6.5 pricing (still a delta there for sure) and I've also noticed a lot of people shooting it. I have those barrels plus 308 but would prefer to stick with two calibers.
FWIW, Having all three barrels and ammo inbound, I do plan to shoot all three and get a feel for them but looking for some real intel in the meantime. cheers

stello1001 · Friday at 1:13 PM

What are you trying to find out? Or are you just telling us your views?

clubmanager · Friday at 1:36 PM

I'm sorry.....that was a shitty way to ask my question! Poor attempt at asking if the 6 creedmoor offers and advantages of 6.5 other than in recoil?

My apologies...busy day and I'm like a dog's breakfast; all over the place.

stello1001 · Friday at 1:40 PM

clubmanager said:
I'm sorry.....that was a shitty way to ask my question! Poor attempt at asking if the 6 creedmoor offers and advantages of 6.5 other than in recoil?

My apologies...busy day and I'm like a dog's breakfast; all over the place.

Another advantage the 6 will have over the 6.5 is speed. So if you're shooting small to medium critters that don't hold still for very long, you're gonna want a bullet that gets there fairly quick where you can essentially just aim and shoot without worrying too much about holds.

Yes the 6.5 can be loaded with lighter pills but then you lose some BC.

ma smith · Friday at 2:33 PM

6mm creed is (arguably) the best cartridge to start with if you need to walk the line between LGS availability and modern shooting needs.

Rob01 · Friday at 2:52 PM

Why limit to two? Will you only be shooting factory ammo?

diggler1833 · Friday at 3:42 PM

clubmanager said:
I'm sorry.....that was a shitty way to ask my question! Poor attempt at asking if the 6 creedmoor offers and advantages of 6.5 other than in recoil?

My apologies...busy day and I'm like a dog's breakfast; all over the place.

6 Creedmoor is going to be a decent amount flatter and have a bit less wind than the 6.5, even out to 1K.

Owning both, I'm a big fan of the exterior ballistics of the 6 Creed, but the barrel life of the bigger brother is going to be about 2x better. That isn't important to a lot of guys who either just use it for hunting or have a lot of spare barrels on hand.

6.5 Creedmoor is going to give you a lot more factory offerings in ammo too. I shoot about 20 factory rounds per year, so that point isn't a factor.

monkeypunch · Friday at 3:51 PM

I have both and prefer the 6 Creedmoor. 87gr VMAXs have been fantastic for me. I've taken coyotes, hogs and deer with it. There are the 103gr and 108gr ELDXs available if you prefer something a bit heavier that can hold together. The 6.5 C with 143gr ELDXs had be my go to deer gun, but it has more recoil and is like 500fps slower than the 87gr 6 CM.

DownhillFromHere · Friday at 4:12 PM

OP doesn't say what the calibers will be used for, but he mentions price. So I'll say that the first thing I think of in a 6.5CM vs 6CM discussion isn't trajectory or recoil.

It's the fact that a 6CM barrel will be toast in under 2000 rounds. With mild factory ammo, it's likely a 6.5CM would get double that, assuming no long, barrel-burning strings. Spicy reloads, of course, reduce those estimates substantially....

Edit: My opinion is based on shooting 1000 rounds or more each year in competition or prep for competition, and I'll trade trajectory for barrel life. Hunters have different priorities.

ma smith · Friday at 4:18 PM

Once you've shoot 2,000 rounds of 6.5CM, you'll probably undestand why you want to get rid of it...

Ty21 · Friday at 4:35 PM

I just say pick one or both and go shoot..barrel life doesn’t matter barrels are like tires just change them when they wear out not that big of a deal….if your worried about barrel life then pick a 308.

DownhillFromHere · Friday at 5:39 PM

ma smith said:
Once you've shoot 2,000 rounds of 6.5CM, you'll probably undestand why you want to get rid of it...

Got more than that on current 6.5CM barrel.... but yeah 6BR has been my go-to match caliber for awhile. My biggest weakness is reading wind, not setting elevation. Very little difference in 1000-yard wind deflection of 6mm/105gr vs 6.5mm/140gr Berger Hybrids at 2775fps, and I'll take the 1.0-mil elevation requirement hit in exchange for reduced recoil, longer barrel life, and more efficient powder usage.

Ty21 said:
I just say pick one or both and go shoot..barrel life doesn’t matter barrels are like tires just change them when they wear out not that big of a deal….if your worried about barrel life then pick a 308.

Hmm. "Worry" about barrel life? Nope. Recognize where I want my hobby spending to go? I love driving my son's 500+ horsepower BMW M3, but I don't want to spend ~$2000 for a set of tires every 10-12k miles so my own ride has the relatively puny 400-hp M-sport drivetrain - then I can get 25k out of almost-as-gummy tires at 2/3 the cost - not to mention nearly double his gas mileage - and still enjoy a far higher performance level than run of the mill vehicles.

Priorities. If I "worried" about tire and barrel life I'd drive a far more sensible vehicle and avoid precision rifle competition altogether.

CavReconScout · Friday at 5:40 PM

FWIW I just zeroed and chrono’d my 6mm Creed and 6.5 Creed yesterday. Both are setup with thermals for coyote and hog hunting. The 6.5 is a Ruger American G2 Predator shooting Federal 95gr VMax factory ammo with the factory 22” barrel. The 6mm is a Ruger American Predator G1 that has been rebarreled with a 24” Bartlein carbon fiber (I use it for antelope too) shooting Hornady 87gr VMax factory ammo. Using a Garmin chrono velocities for the factory ammo were:

6.5 Creedmoor 3200.6 fps (Factory velocity listed at 3300 fps)
6 Creedmoor 3015 fps. (Factory velocity listed at 3200 fps)

I also shot the Federal 6.5 Creedmoor ammo out of a Howa HCR with the factory 24” barrel. It chrono’d at 3285.7 fps. I was surprised at that, as it is only around 15fps slower than what Federal lists for velocity.

Rob01 · Friday at 6:07 PM

ma smith said:
Once you've shoot 2,000 rounds of 6.5CM, you'll probably undestand why you want to get rid of it...

Hardly. Maybe if you are a huge pussy. lol the 6.5 Creedmoor recoil is not bad at all. Have shot out multiple barrels in the 6.5 and never regretted any of them. Wonder what you think of those poor .308 shooters lol

The OP really needs to give more info on use and why he wants to limit.

ma smith · Friday at 6:28 PM

Rob01 said:
The OP really needs to give more info on use and why he wants to limit.

If I read the OP correctly, he already told us he bought 3x new barrels (one in each caliber) and all the ammo for each one...so, I'm fine having a sense of humour about it...

CK1.0 · Friday at 7:43 PM

Recoil (from most to least) 308>6.5CM>6CM.

The cost of good factory ammo (not crap) between them is a wash (~$1.50-$2.00 per round).

As far as cost to load your own, 6CM is the cheapest since .243/6mm bullets are cheaper than heavier 6.5/308 pills (the brass, powder, and primers cost the same).

Depending on how you run it, barrel life for 6CM isn't as bad as people say. If you'll be loading your own and run a 6CM "slow" at ~2800-2900fps, a 6CM barrel will make it 2500rds or more like just about any other 6mm (and heavier DTAC115s or 112MBs at ~2800 kick ass).

Run a 6CM like 10+ years ago when it first hit the scene at ~3000+fps like the old "I saw pressure signs and backed off a grain" crowd, then sure, you'll kill it in 1200-1500rds. (FWIW/IME most 105-108gr factory 6CM ammo will be ~2950+fps out of a 26".)

IMHO, at this point, besides nostalgia, or maybe for slaying pigs at relatively short range, there's really no good reason to bother with a 308 anymore (even in an AR-10... take ~5-10mins to try and find some AR-10 guns/parts in 6/6.5CM if you don't believe me, while 308 AR-10 stuff still grows on trees).

If you're planning to hit targets that are small and far away, either 6CM or 6.5CM is a better choice. I'd say go 6CM (and look out for the heavier 112+gr bullets that all the BR/Dasher guys aren't really hunting.)

Rob01 · Friday at 7:52 PM

CK1.0 said:
If you're planning to hit targets that are small and far away, either 6CM or 6.5CM is a better choice. I'd say go 6CM (and look out for the heavier 112+gr bullets that all the BR/Dasher guys aren't really hunting.)

110 ATips ain’t to shabby either even though not over 112grns.

clubmanager · Friday at 9:03 PM

Ok, I’m using the rifle (AXSA) for hunting to 300 and target shooting to 1K. Consolidating calibers and prefer to not have wonky calibers I can’t find at Cabela’s as I’ll not be reloading. Not concerned with recoil, I usually hunt with 7mm REM Mag. I am nearing retirement so spending $800 on a barrel often probably isn’t in the cards.
Again, I’ve got all three barrels and ammo so will shoot all three. Was looking for info from y’all and got a load of it. I appreciate the input!

CK1.0 · Friday at 9:39 PM

clubmanager said:
Ok, I’m using the rifle (AXSA) for hunting to 300 and target shooting to 1K. Consolidating calibers and prefer to not have wonky calibers I can’t find at Cabela’s as I’ll not be reloading. Not concerned with recoil, I usually hunt with 7mm REM Mag. I am nearing retirement so spending $800 on a barrel often probably isn’t in the cards.
Again, I’ve got all three barrels and ammo so will shoot all three. Was looking for info from y’all and got a load of it. I appreciate the input!

6.5CM then, it is sort of the "new 308" and fairly easy to find in-stock.

clubmanager · Saturday at 8:18 AM

From the comments, I may stock up on ammo for 6c, keep the factory barrel and use it exclusively for hunting. I can use 308 for training and 6.5c for long range target shooting.
Forgot to add (and it may be obvious), I’m just starting out on shooting last 500y and plan to take a course in my AO this spring.
So, the above plan may change.

Rob01 · Saturday at 8:22 AM

You can use all of them for all those uses. That’s something you will learn the more you do this. I have all three in my safe. They all have pros and cons and all are useful shooting long range with.

clubmanager · Saturday at 8:23 AM

Cheers. While on the subject, what other gear should I buy while I’m still earning and might need for the class? Rangefinder? Dope card? Etc….

Partsunavailable · Saturday at 9:47 AM

clubmanager said:
Cheers. While on the subject, what other gear should I buy while I’m still earning and might need for the class? Rangefinder? Dope card? Etc….

There are lots of threads on this, but id suggest not investing alot in a stand alone range finder. Range finding binos are the future. A $5 wrist coach and some note cards are all you need to make dope.

tacoman69 · Saturday at 11:03 AM

I have both and prefer my 6cm for target/hunting/everything. 108 eldm is a great hunting bullet

stello1001 · Saturday at 12:25 PM

You'll want a bipod and a bag or 2

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