In the shooting world, the 6.5 Creedmoor is either loved or hated, but is either deserved? We decided to see how the current caliber king stacks up against the most popular cartridges of all time.

Six point five, or often just six-five. It’s the Beyonce of modern rifle cartridges. No more description is necessary; one name says it all.

We are, of course, talking about the 6.5 Creedmoor, the new standard in all things rifle. Unless you have lived under a rock and let your American Rifleman’s pile up at the mailbox, you’ve seen the overwhelming success of this relatively young cartridge.

It’s been presented as the world’s most versatile, do-all cartridge…. But is it? We’re gonna see how the 6.5 stacks up against everyone’s favorite calibers and see if it truly is the one round to rule them all.

The 6.5 Creedmoor

First, a bit about the 6.5 Creedmoor and where it originated. There’s nothing new about 6.5mm cartridges, with Japanese, German, Italian and Swedish variations dating back more than a hundred years. But few .264-based cartridges have had as much acclaim as the 6.5x57mm. First introduced in 1895, this European powerhouse has been a favorite of elk- and bear-sized game hunters for decades.

The 6.5 Creedmoor, however, had a slightly different intent in its origin. First introduced in 2007, the 6.5 was a joint effort between Hornady and Creedmoor Sports. It’s goal, as the Creedmoor part of its name implies, was to be the best all-around cartridge for NRA High Power and NRA Long Range competition.

The partnership resulted in a flat-shooting, long-range cartridge with minimal felt recoil using the ballistically sweet 6.5mm bullet.

At first, the round was knocked as a gamer cartridge only, and a poor choice for hunting. Then, in 2008-09, Hornady began launching hunting variations of the 6.5CM and the fire was lit.

Unlike the .260 Remington, which is a .308 case necked down to 6.5mm (.264”), the 6.5 Creedmoor used a 30 TC case as its parent. This was the genius move, as the 30 TC is a very efficient case, getting almost all the bang out of its powder; this means more can be done with less. Combine this tremendously efficient casing with the 6.5 bullet (which multiple studies have found to be the perfect balance between drag, standard deviation, weight and aerodynamics) provided the perfect storm for precision.

Many companies jumped on the train early, with Ruger seizing the chance to launch its new, affordable Ruger Precision Rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor alongside .243 and .308. The new caliber quickly became the predominant choice.

Now, it’s hard to find a rifle brand that doesn’t chamber a 6.5 Creedmoor and during ammo runs, 6.5 is often disappears from shelves first and reappears last. A relative newcomer to the cartridge world, the 6.5 Creedmoor is here to stay.

Be sure to check back on the GunBroker.com Blog over the next few weeks as we’ll be putting the 6.5 Creedmoor up against the most popular cartridges out there to see who really stacks up as the best all-around round.

Related Articles: The Most Controversial Round: 6.5 Creedmoor | What Is It Good For | No Lowballers Podcast Episode 20