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Clash of Cartridges – .270 Win Vs 6.5 Greedmoor

The .270 win. it has achieved worldwide acceptance by athletes thanks to its gentle demeanor and lethal potential. With 100 to 150 grain bullets, it combines flat trajectory with moderate recoil. Velocities can exceed 3,000 fps with a 140-grain bullet without pushing the limits, and ever since the cartridge debuted in the 1920s, it has always been a relatively popular hunting cartridge.

In 2007, Hornady’s Dave Emary and champion shooter Dennis Demille designed a 6.5 competition cartridge based on the .30 T/C. Unlike its parent cartridge, the 6.5 Creedmoor quickly gained a following. Although it was a competition cartridge by design, combining long, high-BC wind-resisting bullets with a short, efficient, low-recoil case, the 6.5 Creedmoor quickly became a crossover hunting cartridge.

There is a lot of overlap between .270 and 6.5 in the field. The Creedmoor uses 95 to 160 grain bullets, the .270 with 100 to 150 grain bullets, so there are more options with the 6.5.

But the .270 Win. he has an advantage in terms of sheer speed and energy. With a 140-grain bullet, the 6.5 Creedmoor struggles to hit 2725 fps, while the .270 Win. it can easily exceed 2,900 fps and can even exceed 3,000. But the extra speed and energy require more powder, a longer action, and the result is a heavier weapon that generates more recoil.

However, muzzle velocity is only one aspect of a cartridge that can work at longer ranges. You also have to consider the ballistic coefficient of a bullet, and the 6.5 Creedmoor has the advantage there. The Hornady Inter-Bond 6.5 129-grain bullet has a BC of .485 compared to the .270 Inter-Bond 130-grain .460; the 140-grain 6.5 SST .520 BC dwarfs the 140-grain .270.

SST figure of .495. That equates to less wind drift, and the long, heavy 6.5

The high sectional density of the bullet means that a Greedmoor bullet intended for hunting will penetrate deep to drop big game. The Creedmoor is also a masterfully efficient cartridge design. With 140 grain bullets, the 6.5 Creedmoor reaches 2700 fps with 42.3 grains of Hybrid 100V powder or 42.8 grains of Winchester 760.

To achieve the same velocity with a .270, you’ll need 49.2 and 50.3 grains of powder, respectively. Therefore, it is less expensive to reload the Creedmoor, at least in terms of powder consumption. And although the .270 Win. Hardly a recoil-heavy round, it generates about 15 percent more recoil than the demure 6.5 Creedmoor, as well as more muzzle blast.

Virtually every centerfire ammunition manufacturer offers at least one load for the .270 Win.; The same can’t be said for 6.5 Creedmoor, at least not yet. Likewise, virtually every bolt-action rifle made offers a .270 variant, though manufacturers like Savage and Browning add rifles chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor every year.

If the cartridge’s trajectory continues, it could be just as available in the future as the .270, but for now the Winchester cartridge remains the most ubiquitous option. In terms of use in deer-sized game, both cartridges will perform perfectly well at longer ranges.

In bigger games like elk, the .270 Win. has the advantage. If you believe the adage that it takes 2,000 ft-lbs. of energy to kill a bull, so the .270 carries that energy level with most loads to about 300 yards, while the typical 6.5 Creedmoor load falls below that number between 100 and 200 yards.

If you don’t handload, the .270 is probably a better option simply because rifles and ammo are everywhere. If you hand load, you can take advantage of the wide variety of 6.5 bullets. The bottom line is that these two cartridges will serve you well, and it’s impossible to hang the term “loser” on either of them.

.270 WIN.

HITS

  • Better performance at moderate ranges
  • Long history in the game
  • Huge ammo, rifle selection

LOSSES

  • Requires longer action, heavier rifle
  • Generates more recoil than the 6.5
  • Not so good selection of component bullets

6.5 CREEDMOOR

HITS

  • Short Action Low Recoil Rifles
  • Excellent BC and SD figures
  • More and more options of weapons and ammunition

LOSSES

  • Not as effective on moose-sized games.
  • Ammunition is not yet widely available
  • Future not carved in stone

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