Why 6.5 over 6mm Creedmoor?

[FlashAndPoof]

Is it just due to barrel life?
Recently acquired a 6.5 Creedmoor barrel along with a 308 bolt body and magazine adapter for my AXMC. Seems like 6mm cartridges are rising in popularity over 6.5 in PRS. Starting to wonder if I should have gotten a 6mm Creedmoor barrel instead.

 

[lead ƒarmer]

Barrel life is definitely part of it. New barrels can be spendy so I use 6.5mm to get a little more time/value out of it. Another argument for 6.5mm is impacts are easier to see and hear compared to the little 6mm. On the flip side, this comes at the cost of more recoil and slightly harder to watch your trace and spot your own hits/misses. I've also noticed I can go a little longer between cleanings on my 6.5s vs 6s, but I'm sure that can change based on the quality of the barrel.

 

[FlashAndPoof]

Do more PRS shooters shoot 6mm Creedmoor due to the reduced recoil then? Or is it also a better performer ballistically?

 

[briang7511]

Do more PRS shooters shoot 6mm Creedmoor due to the reduced recoil then? Or is it also a better performer ballistically?

i believe that answer to be a combination of things. Less recoil means less time to find target after shots, only if thats 1 or 2 seconds over 8 to 9 shots means you just saved 10 seconds or more which means able to get one more shot and one more point. ballistics inside 6-700 yds where most targets are, go to the 6mm. beyond that the 6.5 holds a little better in the wind. picking up splash is much easier in the 6.5 and you do get more of a reaction when you do hit targets. If you dont miss, then splash is not as important. then there is barrel life which is at least 2x better with the 6.5 maybe a little more

 

[tnichols]

I don't think your choice was wrong, nor should you fuss over it. My personal belief is that the 6.5's are a great balance of most things shooters like us want/need.