6.5mm Creedmoor
centerfire rifle cartridge
The 6.5mm Creedmoor (6.5x48mm) designated as 6.5 Creedmoor by SAAMI, and as 6,5 Creedmoor by the C.I.P. is a centerfire rifle cartridge introduced by Hornady in 2007. Hornady senior ballistics scientist Dave Emary developed it in partnership with Dennis DeMille, the vice-president of product development at Creedmoor Sports, hence the name. The cartridge is a necked-down modification of the .30 Thompson Center.
The 6.5mm Creedmoor was designed for long-range target shooting, although it is also used for medium game hunting. Bullet-for-bullet, the 6.5mm Creedmoor achieves a slower muzzle velocity than longer cartridges such as the 6.5-284 Norma or magnum cartridges such as the 6.5mm Remington Magnum. However, with an overall length of 2.825 inches (71.8 mm), it can be chambered in short-action rifles, as can the 6.5×47mm Lapua.
Design considerations
In general, 6.5 mm (.264 in) bullets are known for their high sectional density and ballistic coefficients, and often have been used successfully in rifle competitions.
The 6.5mm Creedmoor was designed for target shooting at longer ranges, and as such, couples a sensible ratio of case volume (3.40 ml) to bore area (34.66 mm2/0.3466 cm2) with ample space for loading long slender projectiles providing good aerodynamic efficiency and external ballistic performance for the projectile diameter.
For some loads, the 6.5mm Creedmoor is capable of duplicating the muzzle velocity or trajectory of the .300 Winchester Magnum while generating significantly-lower recoil, based on lighter projectile weight.
Cartridge dimensions
The 6.5mm Creedmoor has a 3.40 ml (52.5 gr H2O) cartridge case capacity; the bullet is 6.72 mm in diameter and the case is 48.77 mm long.
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