.260 Remington and 6.5 Creedmoor are two common cartridges used for rifles.
Both these bullets have the same 6.5 mm diameter and are perfectly housed in short-action rifles. Firearm owners believe in the quality of both bullets.
So which one is better, .260 Remington vs. 6.5 Creedmoor?
To answer this question, we need to look into both cartridges carefully, so let check out our analysis of these two fantastic bullets below.
The Differences Between .260 Remington and 6.5 Creedmoor
The Design and Quality Difference
The diameter of .260 Remington and 6.5 Creedmoor is slightly different - 6.7 mm and 6.5 mm, respectively.
These cartridges have long and thin shapes, but the .260 Remington is longer than 6.5 Creedmoor (about 0.025 in). That’s why it can hold about 2% more powder than the 6.5 Creedmoor.
Although the weight of the two bullets is similar (120gr), the brass in the 6.5 Creedmoor has a lower quality than in the .260 Remington, which determines the durability of bullets.
The brass in the 3.5mm Creedmoor is softer than the Remington, so this cartridge doesn’t have high durability. However, the soft brass in 6.5 Creedmoor is the reason why it can reach long distances.
Nowadays, it’s not easy to buy the .260 Remington because this cartridge is a classic model, and not many manufacturers make it. So, you will have to spend a lot of money and effort to buy the .260 Remington, while the 6.5 Creedmoor is more easily available.
This scarcity of .260 Remington can be explained by the quality of brass mentioned above. It costs twice as much as the Creedmoor to make a Remington, so of course, the producers don’t want it at all.
The Performance Difference
After some experiments, we have some comments about these two bullets on accuracy and strength.
The .260 Remington and 6.5mm Creedmoor are almost identical, but the Creedmoor can have a higher load pressure than its counterpart, thus giving it more power.
The .260 Remington is faster than the Creedmoor because it has a higher case capacity. On the battlefield, speed is essential.
We had a test for the accuracy of these two bullets with a range of 1000 yards.
And the result was great. The accuracy of the .260 Remington and 6.5mm Creedmoor is similar. And it’s your skill that determines your victories.
If you are an experienced shooter, you don’t need to care about which bullets to use for better accuracy.
However, there is a difference between .260 Remington and 6.5mm Creedmoor in the distance they could reach.
While the Creedmoor can easily reach up to 1000 yards, the other can only reach the distance of 800-900 yards. Therefore, the sniper shooter prefers Creedmoor as it suits long-distance shooting.
In the army, they prefer to use the 3.5mm Creedmoor to the Remington. They claim that the Creedmoor not only has great long-distance shooting but also has an excellent ability to avoid wind resistance.
Therefore, a bullet with high-distance shooting capacity and less wind drift will be more effective.
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Which Is Better? - Individual Opinion
From our point of view, we think you should select the 6.5 mm Creedmoor instead of the .260 Remington.
You may ask why we suggest that?
First, the 6.5mm Creedmoor is more modern than the Remington as it was first available 10 years later than the other. People nowadays are usually using the Creedmoor instead of the Remington.
Although .260 Remington has more brass and a little higher durability, we think it doesn't matter. The Creedmoor is lighter and can target a higher distance.
Otherwise, you can find 6.5mm Creedmoor easier on the market as many manufacturers prefer to produce these cartridges.
Another thing making the 6.5 Creedmoor suitable for modern weapons is the automatic-reloaded feature, so it will be more convenient for the shooters.
But if you are a shooter experienced in loading and setting up the gun or love the classical beauty, then the .260 Remington is better for you.
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Wrapping Up
From all the information above, we hope that you have enough information to distinguish the .260 Remington vs. 6.5 Creedmoor.
If you find this article useful, please share it on social media with your friends who have the same hobby as you.If you are finding a scope you should read my Scopes & Sights resource here!
I am Jerry Gonzalez, and my heart beats for the great outdoors, especially in the breathtaking landscapes of Helena, Montana. Engaging with fellow enthusiasts online and at local hunting clubs has been a rewarding experience, and I find great joy in sharing knowledge and experiences with like-minded individuals. My goal is to empower my fellow hunters with well-informed choices, regardless of their experience level.
Hi Jerry
I wish there was some consistency concerning the abilities of the 260 Rem. Loads of articles on the internet saying the 260 is great at 1000 yds and you say it can only reach 900 with accuracy.
I am lost as to whether I should consider the 260 after reading your article.
1. One version….I have had a 260 custom for a while and love it ! i built it for the 140g amax and it is superb to 1000 and beyond, a stout load of vitavori N560 really works for me .
2. brass is harder to get for a creedmoor, a few 1k matchs have been dominated by a 260
3. The .260 Remington blows .308 out of the water. It has 35% less wind drift and about 10 MOA less drop at 1000 yards than the standard 175-grain M118LR load. Despite a 35-grain deficiency in bullet mass, it has 31% more energy because it loses less along the way due to atmospheric drag, hitting 350 fps faster at 1000 yards.
Many like this reply. I don’t know what to think.
Thanks
Al
I could barely get through this article because the grammar was so bad. Where did you learn English, the backwoods of podunkville?
Also, what does the “softness” of the brass have anything to do with long range accuracy?
Why don’t you have someone proofread the next article you write and back up what you say with actual data points? Mr. Luckham here didn’t seem to have any issues providing data points…
I find your comments off topic, rude, crass, and in general asinine. You pretend your a highly educated person, but your personality is of the lowest class. What possiable satisfaction does it give you to publicly belittle anyone other than to elevate your own self-importance. You must be a very short person with very small hands and feet.
TRUTH IS TRUTH. That’s why CM has way cheaper Match grade stuff better SD / BC #’s with faster FPS on the box than the Old 260? Don’t b a hater cause u do not have a CM!
I have a 260 Remington.I don’t know all about the so called 1000 yard thing.But I do know that the 260 with 125 grain Nosler Partitions shoots very well and is bang flop on whitetail deer in the mountains of western NC. It all depends on what you’re planning on doing with it.Nosler makes wonderful ammunition for the 260. I hope the 260 rem.is here to stay it’s a wonderful little cartridge. If you reload there is an endless supply of 308 or 7mm-08 brass out there. Thanks Bucky!
I read several articles comparing the .260 Remington to the 6.5 Creedmore before reading yours. All that I read said the .260 case has a higher capacity and can accurately shoot at greater distances than the Creedmore. Your article says just the opposite. Either you are completely biased toward the 6.5 Creedmore or you know something the others authors don’t know.
I don’t see a lot of difference between the 260 Remington and 6.5 Creedmoor. However, since I am just doing target shooting (not hunting), I am looking at the 6.5mm cartridges for less recoil then the .308 I used to shoot.
So, how do the 6.5 Creedmoor and 260 Remington differ on recoil? Is there any real difference at all?
Thanks