Difference between .308 and 6.5 creedmore caliber.
- Thread starter Dufy12
- Start date
There is a huge amount of information on the internet and on these forums about these two rounds. Both are good but it depends on your needs. I had the same debate and settled on 308 because 6.5 is not really a load that is widely commercially available. If you reload then 6.5 CM has better ballistics for long range. You can go into almost any store that carries ammo and find 308.
A pretty big difference is barrel life. 308 is probably double what 6.5 Creedmoor is. If replacing a barrel is not an option it might be something to consider. That adds to the cost. Just using random numbers but if a barrel is say $1000 and it lasts for 5000 rounds of .308 the cost of the barrel wear is 20 cents a round where if a 6.5 only lasts 2500 rounds then it is 40 cents a round.
If you are using the rifle for hunting and only plan in firing a box or two through it a year this may make no difference to you at all. Quick change barrels on precision rifles are becoming more common and many shooters practice with one caliber and compete with another.
There is a lot of info online. I just bought a 6.5 Creedmoor barrel and a few of the advantages that made me choose that caliber were better performance as in about 30% less drop and 30% less wind drift and reduced recoil compared to .308 which makes it easier to spit hits and faster follow up shots.
These things were important to me as I wanted to be more competitive at matches and be able to reach out farther coyote hunting. If you only shoot at a 200 meter range the improved ballistics will not be very noticable. If you want to learn to call wind better the .308's increased sensitivity may make it a better learning round. If you do a high volume of shooting and you are only competing against yourself you may want the longer barrel life.
There are a lot of rounds out there that compare to 6.5 Creedmoor in terms of ballistics. Some may even be better but what stood out to me was how readily available 6.5 ammunition is. My local Canadian Tire carries three or four different loads. While I plan on reloading it a lot of the factory match ammo out there now is so accurate you can get similar accuracy with it.
Even if you handload more factory ammo means more brass available and likely more factory rifles available chambered for that caliber.
While 6.5 Creedmoor match and hunting ammo is pretty common now there are not a lot of lower priced options for it. If you are shooting a semi auto and want to burn through a lot of ammo you won't be able to buy 6.5 nearly as cheap as .308. If you only buy match they are very comparable.
I am not an expert on the subject but to me it all depends what you want to use your rifle for and what is important to you.
If you are using the rifle for hunting and only plan in firing a box or two through it a year this may make no difference to you at all. Quick change barrels on precision rifles are becoming more common and many shooters practice with one caliber and compete with another.
There is a lot of info online. I just bought a 6.5 Creedmoor barrel and a few of the advantages that made me choose that caliber were better performance as in about 30% less drop and 30% less wind drift and reduced recoil compared to .308 which makes it easier to spit hits and faster follow up shots.
These things were important to me as I wanted to be more competitive at matches and be able to reach out farther coyote hunting. If you only shoot at a 200 meter range the improved ballistics will not be very noticable. If you want to learn to call wind better the .308's increased sensitivity may make it a better learning round. If you do a high volume of shooting and you are only competing against yourself you may want the longer barrel life.
There are a lot of rounds out there that compare to 6.5 Creedmoor in terms of ballistics. Some may even be better but what stood out to me was how readily available 6.5 ammunition is. My local Canadian Tire carries three or four different loads. While I plan on reloading it a lot of the factory match ammo out there now is so accurate you can get similar accuracy with it.
Even if you handload more factory ammo means more brass available and likely more factory rifles available chambered for that caliber.
While 6.5 Creedmoor match and hunting ammo is pretty common now there are not a lot of lower priced options for it. If you are shooting a semi auto and want to burn through a lot of ammo you won't be able to buy 6.5 nearly as cheap as .308. If you only buy match they are very comparable.
I am not an expert on the subject but to me it all depends what you want to use your rifle for and what is important to you.
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Over the years, i had a custom 6.5 Creedmoor built for me and i bought a Tikka target rifle in 260, always went back to the 308 for the predactibilitly of the shooting, both the 6.5 and the 260 are now sleeping deep in the safe, nothing beat a 308 on any count except making holes very far away...
A lot of peoples are giving a superior capacity to those calibers but in real world performance the 308 is almost untouchable... JP.
A lot of peoples are giving a superior capacity to those calibers but in real world performance the 308 is almost untouchable... JP.
When push comes to shove, not many stores carry the 6.5 Creedmore cartridges. On the other hand 100% of stores selling ammunition will carry 308Win, often in a few different weights etc.
They have almost identical velocities when using comparable bullet weights as well.
The 6.5 Creedmore is a great cartridge but so is the 260rem and 6.5x55 Swede. The biggest problem with all three though is finding suitable ammo. Components for the 260rem and 6.5x55Swede are becoming more available at local gun shops. The 6.5 Creedmore will likely plod along but IMHO doesn't have much to offer over the other two or the 308Win.
By the way, I have all four of the cartridges listed here chambered in several different rifles. I like all of them. I can tell you that there isn't a Bear or a Deer out there that would be able to tell the difference when one of their bullets goes through the boiler room.
If I were limited to only one cartridge, the 308Win would be my choice. When all things are equal ballistic wise, the best deciding factor for me is ammo/component availability.
They have almost identical velocities when using comparable bullet weights as well.
The 6.5 Creedmore is a great cartridge but so is the 260rem and 6.5x55 Swede. The biggest problem with all three though is finding suitable ammo. Components for the 260rem and 6.5x55Swede are becoming more available at local gun shops. The 6.5 Creedmore will likely plod along but IMHO doesn't have much to offer over the other two or the 308Win.
By the way, I have all four of the cartridges listed here chambered in several different rifles. I like all of them. I can tell you that there isn't a Bear or a Deer out there that would be able to tell the difference when one of their bullets goes through the boiler room.
If I were limited to only one cartridge, the 308Win would be my choice. When all things are equal ballistic wise, the best deciding factor for me is ammo/component availability.
i have been looking to build a 6.5 CM semi auto. Out of a shorter barrel, say the standard 16" used by most "military" platforms, I am not sure there is much to gain.
The gain becomes noticeable if the barrel is going over 20" in drop and wind drift.
I am also not quite sure a 6.5 CM can be made as battle reliable as a 308, simply because of the steep shoulder.
The gain becomes noticeable if the barrel is going over 20" in drop and wind drift.
I am also not quite sure a 6.5 CM can be made as battle reliable as a 308, simply because of the steep shoulder.
safehunter
Regular
- Location
- South Western Onterrible
The 6.5 creedmoor just sneaks by the ridiculous southern Ontario caliber restriction. 308 does not.
Way wider range of bullet weights for the .308 cal and everyone and their dog makes .308 brass and factory ammo whereas I believe only Hornady is making 6.5 Creed ammo at the moment and they are the only ones making brass. In playing with my 6.5 creedmoor I have found it a lot more finicky to resize/reload for than any .308 I've had but it could be just my rifle. If you are picking only one or the other and not planning to add to your collection in the future, I'd take the .308 hands down.
While I agree with this I think it is worth mentioning not many stores may carry 175 grain BTHP Federal Gold Medal Match or whatever load you may be looking for.
I believe the OP is looking at a Ruger Precision Rifle amd accuracy may be a big concern. While someone hunting whitetails may be satisfied with any .308 soft point or hollow point someone tying to achieve the utmost accuracy will probably be pretty choosy when it comes to buying ammo. Myself for example I handload most of my .308 so the availability of factory ammo isn't a concern.
Again I realize this does not apoly to everyone but it may be something to think about.
"A person hunting small game may not carry or use a rifle of greater calibre than a .275-calibre rifle, except a muzzle-loading gun, in the geographic areas of Brant, Chatham-Kent, Durham, Elgin, Essex, Haldimand, Halton, Hamilton, Huron, Lambton, Middlesex, Niagara, Norfolk, Northumberland, Oxford, Peel, Perth, Toronto, Waterloo, Wellington or York."
I just had the debate myself.
Someone pointed out to me, since i know very little about long range, .308 is the beginners choice by far
Readily available reload components, longer barrel life to shoot lot's in a learning curve, well know pre established loading recepies to fine tune to your rifle, low cost of rifle itself (think savage 10TR)
down the road, once i learn to shoot long range and can assess my needs and wants better, i have a feeling my next rifle is a 6.5 creedmore build
Someone pointed out to me, since i know very little about long range, .308 is the beginners choice by far
Readily available reload components, longer barrel life to shoot lot's in a learning curve, well know pre established loading recepies to fine tune to your rifle, low cost of rifle itself (think savage 10TR)
down the road, once i learn to shoot long range and can assess my needs and wants better, i have a feeling my next rifle is a 6.5 creedmore build
Nobody has answered the OP's question yet.....
The difference in the CALIBER is 1.08 mm......
Odd... I come up with 1.12mm or .044"....
LuckyLuc82
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Rockwood, Ontario
was wondering that, thank you!
6.5 Creed, close to 260 Rem, parent is a 308 Win, necked down to a 6.5mm (.264) bullet.
6.5 Creed, basically the same performance as the 260 Rem. Best load of 140gr going around 2750 (give or take) fps. Only slight shoulder differences between the 260Rem and 6.5Creed. Great performance with the Hornady 140gr Amax, now the ELDM.
There won't be any excessive barrel wear to either the 260rem or 6.5cre over a 308.
6.5 Creed, basically the same performance as the 260 Rem. Best load of 140gr going around 2750 (give or take) fps. Only slight shoulder differences between the 260Rem and 6.5Creed. Great performance with the Hornady 140gr Amax, now the ELDM.
There won't be any excessive barrel wear to either the 260rem or 6.5cre over a 308.
