308 vs 6.5 Creedmoor: What’s the Difference?

Ammo, Article

By David Parris, Staff Writer

308 vs 6.5 Creedmoor: What’s the difference? Although many like to weigh in and debate which is better, 308 Winchester or 6.5 Creedmoor, in this piece I’m just going to outline the differences and leave out the opinions. When it comes to calibers, it’s all about application and intent. The 308 Win and 6.5 CM both have their fanbases, but if you’re reading this, you probably haven’t joined one camp or the other (yet). I’d be willing to guess that you’re in the market for a new rifle with an application in mind, most likely target shooting or hunting, and leaning toward one primary intent or the other. Both calibers are good for either, so here’s some unbiased information to help you decide.

6.5 Creedmoor vs 308: The Basics

Both 308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor Are:

Rimless, bottlenecked rifle cartridges used in short-action bolt-action and/or semiautomatic rifles.
Semi-autos are most commonly MSR platforms.
Found in various long-range shooting competitions.
Found in the field hunting medium-sized to big game.
- Many hunters prefer the 308 Win for North American big game at or bigger than the size of elk, up to and including moose and brown bear.
- Many hunters are comfortable using the 6.5 Creedmoor on North American big game up to the size of elk, including mule deer and black bear.
- As with any hunting, shot placement is key, factoring for range and windage.

308 Winchester:

Introduced commercially in 1952 by Winchester.
As the 7.62x51mm NATO round, a distinct but very close sibling, it has been adopted worldwide by military and police forces.
A firearm chambered for 308 Win can fire 7.62 NATO ammo, as the 7.62 has lower pressure than the 308.
A firearm chambered for 7.62 NATO should be checked by a gunsmith to ensure adequate headspacing before firing 308 Win ammo.
Higher recoil than the 6.5 Creedmoor.
Bullet weights range as low as 110gr and as high as 220gr, but are usually used in the 125gr to 185gr range.
Ballistic Coefficient (BC): .308 Winchester (175-grain Sierra MatchKing BTHP) ~0.505

6.5mm Creedmoor:

Designed in 2007 and introduced commercially in 2008.
Developed by Hornady specifically for long-range shooting at and beyond 1,000 yards.
As of 2019, the U.S. Military, along with some other countries, began adopting 6.5 Creedmoor to upgrade some sniper rifles for engagements out to 1,200 yards.
Lower recoil than the .308 Winchester.
Bullet weights range 120gr to 145gr due to tuning for long-range and the smaller caliber.
Ballistic Coefficient (BC): 6.5 Creedmoor (140-grain Hornady ELD Match) ~0.620

308 vs 6.5 Creedmoor Ballistics Chart: Velocity

.308 Winchester (175-grain Sierra MatchKing BTHP)	6.5 Creedmoor (140-grain Hornady ELD Match)
Bullet weight: 175 grains	Bullet weight: 140 grains
Muzzle velocity: ~2,600 fps	Muzzle velocity: ~2,700 fps

6.5 Creedmoor vs 308 Ballistics Chart: Energy

.308 Winchester (175-grain Sierra MatchKing BTHP)	6.5 Creedmoor (140-grain Hornady ELD Match)
Bullet weight: 175 grains	Bullet weight: 140 grains
Muzzle velocity: ~2,600 fps	Muzzle velocity: ~2,700 fps

.308 vs 6.5 Creedmoor Ballistics Chart: Drop (200yd Zero)

.308 Winchester (175-grain Sierra MatchKing BTHP)	6.5 Creedmoor (140-grain Hornady ELD Match)
Bullet weight: 175 grains	Bullet weight: 140 grains
Muzzle velocity: ~2,600 fps	Muzzle velocity: ~2,700 fps

6.5 Creedmoor Ammo vs 308 Winchester

Finally, the question everyone should ask themselves: can I get ammo for the gun I want? The good news here is that both calibers are usually relatively easy to find. The 308 has a much wider variety of loads available and costs less on a price-per-round basis, mostly due to global adoption (when you factor in 7.62 NATO) and being a cartridge that has been in production for a lot longer. 6.5 Creedmoor has a narrower range of loads and a slightly higher price-per-round on average. Due to its recent popularity and this narrower range, the 6.5 Creedmoor can be more sensitive to the ammo shortages we’ve seen over the last decade.

Whatever you choose: 308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, or both, you’ll find everything you need at GunBroker.com!

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