6.5 Creedmoor vs .270

[JFK]

270 is ballistically superior to 6.5cm inside of 600 yards.

Most people have no business shooting beyond 200 yards at game.

6cm or 22cm is what I’d get.

 

[Isildur]

Have both, love my 270 and will not say a bad thing about it since buying in high school. Have 6.5 creedmoor hunting rig I built a few years ago and it’s done the job flawlessly on everything I’ve shot. More pleasant to shoot was the proper statement from Jim 996. The list of animals you have are fall over dead with a clean shot from a 6.5. Bull elk at 300yds last season fell over dead with a 127 Barnes in the ten ring didn’t even take a step.

 

[rookieforever33]

If it has to be one of those get the 6.5cm. The 270 isnt very different than the 30-06. As others have stated I think a .223 or .243 are better combos with the rifle you have. Both have plenty of factory ammo and are good for what you want to do. I would probably go .243 personally. But if you want to shoot a lot of practice rounds the .223 will be cheaper.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I wouldn’t get either one. You already have a .30-06. Get a .243 with a fast twist or a 6mm CM.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

 

[Vern400]

270 more capable with hand loads than 6.5 BUT
1. You need a twist rate to use 150+ bullets.
2. You need to reload to get true 270 potential.
3 The creed is EASIER TO SHOOT WELL. The harder a rifle kicks, the more important it is that you hold it identically the same for every shot. I see that all the time when I shoot my 308 beside my brother's 6.5.
4 The creed is less picky to reload for.
5. 270 is very close to an ought six.
6 No telling how good a 270 factory barrel is.
Theoretically the quality should be the same but that's not necessarily the case.

Whatever the 6.5 will do, the 270 will do better with hand loads EXCEPT be easier and softer to use.

The attached pictures were taken saturday. After finishing a dope chart, I shot my brothers factory 6.5 creedmoor. Not to say you can't do this with a 270, because you can. But the 6.5 is the easy button.

 

[86indy]

270 more capable with hand loads than 6.5 BUT
1. You need a twist rate to use 150+ bullets.
2. You need to reload to get true 270 potential.
3 The creed is EASIER TO SHOOT WELL. The harder a rifle kicks, the more important it is that you hold it identically the same for every shot. I see that all the time when I shoot my 308 beside my brother's 6.5.
4 The creed is less picky to reload for.
5. 270 is very close to an ought six.
6 No telling how good a 270 factory barrel is.
Theoretically the quality should be the same but that's not necessarily the case.

Whatever the 6.5 will do, the 270 will do better with hand loads EXCEPT be easier and softer to use.

The attached pictures were taken saturday. After finishing a dope chart, I shot my brothers factory 6.5 creedmoor. Not to say you can't do this with a 270, because you can. But the 6.5 is the easy button.

How much of an issue have you had selecting projectiles?

For example I went down the A-tip rabbit hole to only realize they aren’t made for 270


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[General RE LEE]

6.5 CM vs 270? I greatly prefer the 6.5 CM. It’s much easier to shoot large volumes for practice without any recoil fatigue. It’s also easier to spot impacts/misses with the 6.5 CM.

The 6.5 CM has become popular to the point of being boring, but it really is a fine cartridge for hunting and recreational/match shooting.

 

[Fireflyfishing]

If I can get away with shooting a short action cartridge vs. long action or long action mag cartridges, I’ll pick the short action every time.

 

[Vern400]

How much of an issue have you had selecting projectiles?

For example I went down the A-tip rabbit hole to only realize they aren’t made for 270


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There are a number of excellent projectiles for 277 caliber. The selection however is much smaller than it is for 6.5 and 7 mm.

 

[Igloo]

So what was the final decision? You go with the 270?

A T3x Lite Stainless in 6.5 CM. But if a Win 70 Classic Stainless in 270 ever pops up I'm grabbing it.

The 270 was great back in the day because it was flat shooting and there was more room for error when you would guestimate the range without a range finder. Now with modern range finders and ballistic apps you can calculate your drop very easily and hold or dial accordingly. I think I would rather have the benefit of the better BC and less wind drift of the 6.5 since wind will be the harder variable to judge than drop.

The added benefit of the 6.5 has been stated already, but less recoil is never a bad thing. Especially since there are numerous threads and proof that smaller cartridges than a 270 and 6.5 have taken elk and moose, why subject yourself to more shoulder punishment than necessary?

I agree with this wholeheartedly, sir. But a heavy (like Win 70 sporter) 270 with a good pad on it can be pretty easy on the shoulder. It wouldn't surprise me if its no worse than a stiff loaded 6.5 CM from a lighter rifle like the Tikka.

 

[Igloo]

I wouldn’t get either one. You already have a .30-06. Get a .243 with a fast twist or a 6mm CM.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

I haven't crunched the numbers on 6mm CM vs 6.5 Cm but they look close enough to each other that one might as well be the other. That may well just be ignorance showing on my part.

Think I'll let the 30-06 go. Really doubt its doing anything that the others aren't anyway, to be honest. Most of the "30-06 is the most versatile" guys seem to be banking on 200gr Partitions and great bears that 99% of us will never hunt.

 

[CMF]

I'd go 6.5, reason being the range of ammo availability...
I always had a 270, so I got my first son a 270, then Hornady quit making 120grn lite recoil. He's out grown them anyway, but now on to my younger son. I decided to get him the 6.5 for the range of ammo availability. My older son already took down an Oryx, one shot, using the 6.5 143grn eldx. We can put 95grn varmit rounds in, and with the can on it, it's like shooting a 22.
I already sold my 270, and will eventually replace the other one with 6.5 just to keep my ammo pile simple.

 

[Igloo]

If it has to be one of those get the 6.5cm. The 270 isnt very different than the 30-06. As others have stated I think a .223 or .243 are better combos with the rifle you have. Both have plenty of factory ammo and are good for what you want to do. I would probably go .243 personally. But if you want to shoot a lot of practice rounds the .223 will be cheaper.

Hi Rookie,

The 223 is very tempting. If for no other reason than it matches the trajectory of what most people consider "big game rifles" pretty closely and is great for practice!

I know it does outstanding work with the 77gr TMK and other bullets, but as a mono shooter, I just don't trust it enough with most (read: non fragmenting, easily available) bullets as a big game round yet.

 

[rookieforever33]

Hi Rookie,

The 223 is very tempting. If for no other reason than it matches the trajectory of what most people consider "big game rifles" pretty closely and is great for practice!

I know it does outstanding work with the 77gr TMK and other bullets, but as a mono shooter, I just don't trust it enough with most (read: non fragmenting, easily available) bullets as a big game round yet.

I fully support people using the cartridge they feel comfortable with, but like you Im not sold on the 77gr tmk for everything. My reply was an answer to the question posed by the OP. I wonder what cartridge/ rifle the OP settled on? He wanted to supplement his 30-06. He only posted 1 time and disappeared.

 

[TREE ‘EM]

I’ve hunted big game with just about everything from 22WMR to 458 Win over the years. I’ve killed dozens of animals with the 6.5CM, hundreds with the 270, hundreds with the 30/06, blah blah blah.
I will choose a 270 with a 140 grain Accubond or Partition for anything except thick skinned African dangerous game.
That said, I’ll never not have a 30/06 or 6.5 in my rack.

Life is short. Buy them all.

 

[FredH]

As for the 270 having more recoil they sell reduced recoil ammo for it and it is very easy to make accurate loads around many bullets and using faster powders with around 43-46 grains of powder. I shot a lot of 270 ammo loaded with 130 gr. Gamekings on top of 43.0 grains of I3031. Shot a few deer with the same load also. Back then I had no chrony but I was getting around 2700 fps.

 

[Lou270]

Have and use both. 270 for Western big game hunting not a doubt. Hits harder and shoots flatter. Only reason to get 6.5 CM is if recoil is a problem or want to target shoot, but the 270 is not a hard kicker. There is a reason as many sheep and deer are in the BC record book with 270 than anything else

Lou

 

[Fireflyfishing]

Hits harder and shoots flatter.

Explain “hits harder.”

There is a reason as many sheep and deer are in the BC record book with 270 than anything else

Yes, it’s been around for a very long time.

 

[180ls1]

Explain “hits harder.”

The 270 has a larger frontal area and more impact velocity (generally). I am not sure if that is what he was getting at but those two factors would likely lead to what he is getting at.

 

[Tower13]

Here is my situation. I am going back and forth on whether I should go with the 6.5 Creedmoor or a .270 Win. Yesterday I thought I had made up my mind and was going with the .270, today I am back on the 6.5 Creedmoor train. I already have a 30-06 as my do-it-all rifle. If I were to hunt anything bigger than a Mule Deer I would most likely use the 30-06 anyway. My ideal future hunt will be western hunting antelope and bighorn sheep. I know that tags are hard to get, and I have a lot of time before I even go on this hunt. However, I live in the Midwest and hunt Whitetail already and would be interested in hunting coyotes as well. So if I am hunting Whitetail, Antelope, Bighorn sheep, and Coyote the 6.5 would be the ideal gun for those longer shots (I do have a 30-30 for Whitetail under 100). The advice I have been given by people in my life and forums has been all over the place, so it feels there isn’t a wrong answer. I also have very little experience shooting long range. Most of my hunts have been with iron sites, so I would need to practice shooting at distance, so the less recoil of the 6.5 makes sense as well. What I am hoping someone can do is solidify my choice of choosing the 6.5 over the .270, or how I should go with the .270, and here is why.

If you want a long distance shot 6.5 is my answer. The 6.5 is easy to carry, light and dead on accurate. its also easy on the shoulder. I have both the 6.5 and 270.