In recent years, the sudden rise of 6.5 Creedmoor has caused a heated debate with 6.5 Creedmoor and 308 among hunters. Although the 308 Winchester has a long reputation in the cartridge market, people still have doubts about the capability of the current 6.5 Creedmoor.
So between 6.5 Creedmoor vs 308, which one is better? Keep scrolling through our article to see the most straight-to-the-point comparison of two cartridges!
Contents
6.5 Creedmoor vs 308 – Comparison
Background
After the Second World War, American military captains chose to change the old 30-06 Springfield cartridge and the M-1 Garand rifle. This event brought a new page-turner to the existence of 308 Winchester.
Although the American GIs performed admirably in the cartridge as well as the rifle, the armed forces still needed a different rifle that could automatically fire like Soviet AK-47 to name.
Thanks to great effort in testing and developing, the American military had released an optimal gun version named M-14 rifle, which was made in the latest 7.63x51mm cartridge.
With the development of modern technology, the M-14 rifle had a smaller case (51mm and 63mm), but the ballistics were nearly similar to the 30-06 (a 147 gr and 150 gr in bullet)
At the time, the Winchester leader could foresee the potential success of the 7.62x51mm cartridge. Thus, they decided to roll out the highly identical 308 Winchester. With up to 180-grain bullets, 308 Winchester could do nearly all that 30-06 Springfield could.
As a consequence, 308 Winchester soon got popular in the hunting market, mainly for three reasons: innate exactness, proficiency, and cartridge power.
Over many years, 308 Winchester even became the standard for the short-action cartridge. Many other brief-action cartridges have descended from this, such as the .243 Winchester or the .260 Remington.
Despite this popularity, Dave Emary and Dennis DeMille still saw the likelihood that there could still be a better cartridge that outstripped the 308 Winchester at the beginning of the 2000s. To be specific, their innovative cartridge would have the same accuracy as 308 from far away but using less recoil and wind drift.
With that in mind, they released a 30 Thompson Center to fire 264 ” bullets. The case is so large that the cartridge could be used with 3350 class propellants. There was also an accompanying rifle with a 1:8” rifling twist rate.
As a tribute to the Creedmoor Matches, Emary and DeMille named it the 6.5 Creedmoor (or sometimes misspelled “Creedmore”). This excellent shooting cartridge had no mind-blogging ballistics. However, it had accurate and minimal recoil. The innovative large BC ammunition helped to maintain energy and fight against wind drift in exceptional results.
As a result, the cartridge was successful in competition shooting and gradually had a name in the professional hunting society.
Cartridge Sizes
On the external look, we can see that the 6.5 Creedmoor and the 308 bear some differences but not too significant.
The case length of 6.5 Creedmoor is slightly shorter than that of 308 Winchester (1.92″ vs. 2.015″), but the overall length of 6.5 Creedmoor is a bit longer (2.825″ vs. 2.81″).
Regarding shoulder angle, the 6.5 Creedmoor is sharper and a bit less tapered than the 308. This makes the Creedmoor use great BC ammunition without surrender case faculty.
The rim diameter of 6.5 Creedmoor and 308 are all similar, which means they could hold equally the amount of powder. Also, the highest pressure on average of the SAAMI is 62,000psi. Anyway, in some cases, the exact capacities could vary a little bit due to the type of brass.
Besides, the trajectory of both cartridges is nearly the same with 300 yards. Overall, the trajectory of 6.5 Creedmoor is flatter, which is around 450 yards.
A 308 Winchester has a huge benefit in the dynamic energy at the silence with the E-tip and ELD-X. With 500 yards, it helps narrow the E-tip gap into 108-foot pounds and with the ELD-X into 38 foot-pounds of energy.
With a supreme enraged joint, 6.5 Creedmoor is a bit moderate in comparison with the 308 Winchester in wind range. With a distance of 500 yards, the load drift of the 6.5 Creedmoor E-Tip and the 6.5 Creedmoor ELD-X is respectively 2.3” and 3.3” less than that of the 308 Winchester.
In long-range target shooting, at 1,000 yards, 6.5 Creedmoor ELD-X could charge drifts 70.1″, which is a bit less than that of the 208 Winchester one.
Barrel Life
Generally, the two cartridges have quite the same case capacity, yet their barrel life is a bit different. 6.5 Creedmoor has faster throat erosion as it uses a smaller diameter barrel.
To put it more simply, when we burn the same amount of powder, but in a smaller space, it could result in shorter barrel life. If you are a serious target shooter, this must be a big concern you have to put into consideration.
That being said, a typical 6.5 Creedmoor has a barrel life of 2,000-3,000 rounds, which means that it could work well in many years with no issues at all. Consequently, we can conclude that the barrel life of 6.5 Creedmoor and 308 Winchester is nearly the same!
Ammunition Selection
In the United States, 308 Winchester has extreme popularity in the hunting market. This product also consistently ranks top US best-selling bullets. At the same time, 6.5 Creedmoor is not that widespread, but it sees a potential increase in gaining popularity.
In the manufacturing market, big firms like Hornady, Federal Premium, Black Hills, Berger, etc., all produce a great number of first-class 6.5 Creedmoor and 308 Winchester ammunition that are suitable for hunting.
The reasonable prices of cartridges, as well as their availability, vary among regions. As a consequence, bullets have gained great popularity among users. In comparison with 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 Winchester is much easier to find and cheaper as well.
Which Is Right For You?
In hunting, both 6.5 Creedmoor and 308 Winchester are suitable for shooting thin-skinned and small animals like the pronghorn, mule deer, or blacktail deer. Anyway, you could still hunt elk or even moose at suitable ranges under the proper conditions.
Africa seems to be the ideal place you could choose to start your hunting journey. To do this, make sure you have well-constructed bullets and proper shot placement.
Regarding hunting tough and dangerous game, 6.5 Creedmoor and 308 Winchester are different. It is like a 7mm Rem Mag with the 300 WIn MAg.
If you are interested in a hunting game that requires shooting at several hundred yards, 308 Winchester seems to be a better choice. 6.5 Creedmoor still works well, but it has a flat course and drifts less in the wind.
What about using a half-naked rifle or a fighting rifle for individual defense? We suggest choosing 308 Winchester as it has more high-quality rifles available than 6.5 Creedmoor.
If you are sensitive to recoil, go with 6.5 Creedmoor. It is especially suitable for recoil-shy hunters or those who are just getting started.
What about a shooter that could reach 1,200 yards or in a precision rifle? Let’s pick a 6.5 Creedmoor because its long-range precision shooting is outstanding above 308 Winchester.
But if you want to use heavier bullets and hunt caribou, elk, or moose, 308 Winchester is the optimal choice. This cartridge has a frontal surface and energy of a gap that is less than 200 yards.
The Bottom Lines
Both 6.5 Creedmoor and 308 Winchester are great rifle cartridges for hunting as well as shooting. On the whole, we could not tell which one is better than the other. Let’s take a careful look at your needs and get a suitable one for yourself.
So 6.5 Creedmoor vs 308, what is your choice? Please leave a comment below to let us know! Thanks for reading, and see you in the next posts!
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.