Fitting in between the 7mm-08 and the 243 Winchester, the 6.5 Creedmoor is excellent for long range shooting as well as hunting CXP2 (deer, antelope) sized animals. Ballistically, 6.5mm bullets are better suited for 1000 yard shots than a .30 cal bullet like the 308 Winchester uses. They’re longer, faster, and stay supersonic to longer distances when fired from about a 308 sized case. It also recoils less than 308, which is nice if you’re doing a lot of shooting or reloading for someone of a smaller stature. It gives a bump in energy delivered at medium range over the 243 Winchester, which could be important if it’s being used for hunting.
Smokeless Powder for the 6.5 Creedmoor
H4350 and IMR4350 are both clear favorites for reloading 6.5 Creedmoor. Reloder 17, Hybrid 100V, W760, Superformance, 4007 SSC, and Varget are also great choices.
Cases for the 6.5mm Creedmoor
Hornady brought the 6.5 Creedmoor out and they offer decent quality brass. Factory brass is also available from Norma. Thanks to the relatively sharp shoulder on the 6.5 Creedmoor, brass life should be excellent.
6.5 Creedmoor Reloading Dies
Dies are not extremely common where I’m at, but are available from all the major die manufacturers:
Bullets for 6.5 Creedmoor
There is a huge selection of 6.5mm bullets. While not as popular as 30 caliber, selection is excellent. The 6.5 Creedmoor performs best with a bullet between 120 and 140 grains and that’s all I’ve included below. When looking for bullets, look for one in 6.5mm in metric or 0.264″ if they’re measuring in Imperial.
Factory Ammo?
One of the nice things about 6.5 Creedmoor is that accurate factory ammunition is available in both hunting-capable bullets like Hornady’s GMX, Interbond, and SST, as well as in match-focused bullets like the A-Max. The Precision Rifle Blog made a great case for simply buying factory 6.5 Creedmoor for competition instead of reloading here. At the very least, it’s nice to know that it’s available and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.
