{"id":217,"date":"2017-04-26T08:10:59","date_gmt":"2017-04-26T08:10:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tma65.com\/blog\/?p=217"},"modified":"2026-05-21T11:38:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T11:38:21","slug":"the-growing-popularity-of-the-6-5-creedmoor-rifle-round","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/the-growing-popularity-of-the-6-5-creedmoor-rifle-round\/","title":{"rendered":"The Growing Popularity of the 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle Round"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\"><div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\"><p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p><span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/the-growing-popularity-of-the-6-5-creedmoor-rifle-round\/#The_Growing_Popularity_of_the_65_Creedmoor_Rifle_Round\" >The Growing Popularity of the 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle Round<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/the-growing-popularity-of-the-6-5-creedmoor-rifle-round\/#Images_and_charts_courtesy_Rifleshootercom\" >*Images and charts courtesy\u00a0Rifleshooter.com<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/the-growing-popularity-of-the-6-5-creedmoor-rifle-round\/#10_years_ago_this_new_rifle_round_called_the_65_Creedmoor\" >10 years ago this new rifle round called the 6.5 Creedmoor<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/the-growing-popularity-of-the-6-5-creedmoor-rifle-round\/#The_65_Creedmoor_reaches_its_greatest_muzzle_velocity\" >The 6.5 Creedmoor reaches its greatest muzzle velocity<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div><h2 style=\"text-align: justify\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Growing_Popularity_of_the_65_Creedmoor_Rifle_Round\"><\/span>The Growing Popularity of the 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle Round<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><h6 style=\"text-align: justify\"><em><br \/>*Images and charts courtesy\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/rifleshooter.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rifleshooter.com<\/a><\/em><\/h6><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><!-- \/wp:post-content --><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\">The Growing Popularity of the <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/6-5-creedmoor-vs-308-win\/\">6.5 Creedmoor<\/a> Rifle Round.As an <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"optics\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"417\">optics<\/a> manufacturer, we talk to a lot of shooters. We know a lot of shooters. Hell, we are shooters. We spend ample time on the range and in the woods. Some days it\u2019s a pleasant run through a box of .22s. On other outings we often find ourselves behind the big guns like a .300 Remington Ultra Mags. <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/6-5-creedmoor-vs-308-win\/\">Shooting<\/a> is something we take great pride in.<\/p><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"10_years_ago_this_new_rifle_round_called_the_65_Creedmoor\"><\/span>10 years ago this new rifle round called the 6.5 Creedmoor<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\">About 10 years ago this new <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/finding-the-perfect-6-5-creedmoor-rifle-scope\/\" title=\"Finding the Perfect 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle Scope\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"433\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rifle round called the 6.5 Creedmoor<\/a> entered the shooting world and is not giving any apparent reason to leave. The caliber was developed by Hornady as a high-power cartridge capable of making any shot the rifle range has to offer. In fact, it is the first production cartridge ever developed from the ground up to be a true match cartridge. Hornady\u2019s intent was to give <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/top-competition-cartridges-for-2024\/\" title=\"Top Competition Cartridges for 2024\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1733\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">competitive shooters a factory loaded cartridge<\/a> that would allow them to compete, and win, in high level tournaments. The <a title=\"6.5 Creedmoor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/6.5mm_Creedmoor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">6.5 Creedmoor<\/a> was at the same time a huge discount in ammunition prices for many shooters.<\/p><h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_65_Creedmoor_reaches_its_greatest_muzzle_velocity\"><\/span>The 6.5 Creedmoor reaches its greatest muzzle velocity<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\">It didn\u2019t take very long for hunters to take notice of the caliber that has firmly rooted itself in precision accuracy with light recoil. Hornady is now selling a round specifically designed with the hunter in mind. \u201cBallistically, it\u2019s a bit more powerful than the 6.5 Swede,\u201d said David E. Petzal, Rifles Editor of\u00a0<em>Field &#038; Stream<\/em>. \u201cAnd in its century of existence, the Swede has killed everything, everywhere.\u201d He also goes on to state that the 6.5 Creedmoor will \u201cdo nicely for elk and moose\u201d with a 140-grain bullet.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\">As for barrel length, this will vary depending on your intent. While a longer, say 28 to 30 inches, barrel is generally preferred for target shooting, some hunters are happy heading into the woods with a 22-inch barrel. The latter of which is contrary to popular belief that the <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/the-engineer-his-set-up-his-story\/\" title=\"The Engineer \u2013 His Set-up. His Story\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1108\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">6.5 Creedmoor reaches its greatest muzzle velocity<\/a> with a barrel no shorter than 26 inches.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\">An\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/rifleshooter.com\/2016\/02\/6-5-creedmoor-effect-of-barrel-length-on-velocity-cutting-up-a-creedmoor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">article<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/rifleshooter.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rifleshooter.com<\/a>\u00a0did a fine job debunking these beliefs. Using a Hornady 120-grain A-MAX bullet, there was only a slight 233-feet-per-second difference between a barrel that was 27 inches and the same one that had been cut down to 16. The results were 2,961 and 2,728 fps, respectively.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\">The same scenario was tested using Hornady brass and CCI #200 large <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/the-basic-parts-of-ammunition\/\" title=\"Basic Parts of Ammunition\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1839\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">primers and loaded with a 142-grain SMK bullet<\/a> over 41.8 grains of Hodgdon H4350 powder. Note: According to\u00a0Rifleshooter.com, this load exceeds the 41.5 grain published maximum listed by Hodgdon in their reloading manual, so it should only be considered safe in the gun being tested by\u00a0<a title=\"Rifleshooter.com\" href=\"http:\/\/rifleshooter.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rifleshooter.com<\/a>. The results from the test conducted with the heavier round indicate that there was only a 158-feet-per-second overall difference between the 27-inch barrel and the 16. They recorded 2,663 and 2,505 fps, respectively.<\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><figure id=\"attachment_3259\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3259\" style=\"width: 720px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/new-products\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3259\" title=\"The Growing Popularity of the 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle Round\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Banner-Ideas-4.png\" alt=\"The Growing Popularity of the 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle Round\" width=\"720\" height=\"177\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/10\/Banner-Ideas-4.png 1858w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/10\/Banner-Ideas-4-300x74.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/10\/Banner-Ideas-4-1024x252.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/10\/Banner-Ideas-4-768x189.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/10\/Banner-Ideas-4-1536x378.png 1536w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/10\/Banner-Ideas-4-600x148.png 600w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/10\/Banner-Ideas-4-150x37.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3259\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Growing Popularity of the 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle Round<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\">&#8220;For the\u00a0120 grain A-MAX, a muzzle velocity of 2961 feet\/second was recorded at the 27\u2033 barrel length, and 2728 feet\/second at 16\u2033 barrel length, resulting in a total decrease of 233 feet\/second. The average loss of velocity was 21.8 feet\/second per inch of barrel. The largest decrease in velocity, 61 feet\/second per inch of barrel was recorded when the barrel was cut from 19\u2033 to 18\u2033. \u00a0When the barrel was cut from 20\u2033 to 19\u2033 a 3 feet\/second increase in muzzle velocity was recorded. Average standard deviation for was 21.3 feet\/second.&#8221; &#8211;\u00a0<a title=\"Rifleshooter.com\" href=\"http:\/\/rifleshooter.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\">Rifleshooter.com<\/a><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><!-- wp:image {\"id\":224} --><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"642\" height=\"531\" class=\"wp-image-224\" src=\"https:\/\/tma65.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/inner41.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/inner41.png 642w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/inner41-300x248.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/inner41-363x300.png 363w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/inner41-150x124.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 642px) 100vw, 642px\" \/><\/figure><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><!-- \/wp:image --><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\">&#8220;For the\u00a0142 grain Sierra HPBT MatchKing, a maximum velocity of 2683 feet\/second was recorded at the 24\u2033 barrel length.\u00a0A velocity of 2663 feet\/second was recorded at the 27\u2033 barrel length.\u00a0At the 16\u2033 barrel length, a velocity of 2505 feet\/second was recorded. Velocity decreased 158 feet\/second as the barrel was cut from 27\u2033 to 16\u2033, or 14.4 feet\/second per inch of barrel length. The velocity reduction from 24\u2033 to 16\u2033 was 178 feet\/second, or 16.2 feet\/second per inch of barrel length. Average standard deviation was 15.7 feet\/second.&#8221; &#8211;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/rifleshooter.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rifleshooter.com<\/a><\/p><p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Growing Popularity of the 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle Round | TRACT design and engineer performance-grade optics without the added retail costs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12260,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2258,2259,2265],"tags":[2812,2813,2844,2845,2846,2847,2848,2849,2852,3009,3010,3011,3012,3018,3024,3032,3033,3034,3035,3036,3037,3038,3039,3040,3044,3045,3046,3047,3048],"class_list":["post-217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hunting","category-hunting-rifle-scope","category-rifle-scope","tag-hunting-calibers","tag-hunting-calibers-for-deer","tag-hunting-rifle-caliber","tag-hunting-rifle-caliber-chart","tag-hunting-rifle-caliber-for-deer","tag-hunting-rifle-calibers","tag-hunting-rifle-calibers-by-size","tag-hunting-rifle-rounds","tag-hunting-rifle-sizes","tag-rifle-bubble-level","tag-rifle-caliber-for-deer","tag-rifle-calibers","tag-rifle-calibers-for-deer","tag-rifle-for-deer-hunting","tag-rifle-optics","tag-rifle-scope","tag-rifle-scope-accessories","tag-rifle-scope-adjustment","tag-rifle-scope-adjustment-knobs","tag-rifle-scope-adjustments","tag-rifle-scope-attachments","tag-rifle-scope-covers","tag-rifle-scope-crosshairs","tag-rifle-scope-elevation-adjustment","tag-rifle-scope-moa","tag-rifle-scope-mount-types","tag-rifle-scope-objective-lens","tag-rifle-scope-objective-size","tag-rifle-scope-reticle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12840,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217\/revisions\/12840"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}