The 6mm Creedmoor is a relatively new cartridge, but has caught fire in the long range shooting world – and for good reason! Shot placement is equally if not more important than the amount of energy that the bullet is carrying. The same trend happens at the 300-yard mark. If you have an AR-15 all you need to convert over is a new barrel, bolt head, and magazine. I also had a 243 that shot very well and really enjoyed the 243. Also, the faster the bullet is, the quicker it reaches its target and gives less time for other environmental factors to act on it. So for a cartridge comparison, we can’t say there is an advantage for one over the other regarding sectional density. The caliber is 6mm or .243. For the 6mm Creedmoor, we like the Hornady ELD-X Precision Hunter 103gr round. The target crowd—especially those who are competing in or have an interest in the PRS competitions—will certainly appreciate the down range benefits of those high B.C. Both of those things are great for barrel life, and you didn’t give up anything in terms of external ballistics. This with the overall better BCs of the 6mm CM rounds might turn a lot of people to their use when taking long-range shots. The lightweight .243 rounds outperformed all of the rounds at this range with between 2-12” flatter trajectory. Where calculations are made, we will be sure to make clear our variables. We take the stance that none of these categories are great for determining stopping power when isolated. It’s significantly lighter for both cartridges compared to other centerfire rifles often seen used for medium sized game. As we said, it’s also important in how that speed affects other components of a bullets flight and reaction on impact. The difference is negligible. Looking for previous installments of our "Head to Head" series? 6mmBR.com is the best guide for 6mm BR Benchrest precision shooting, complete with 6BR FAQ, Reloading Data, Shooter Message Boards, Reader Polls, and Photo Gallery. We can still see that both have pretty impressive trajectories for factory rounds though they are on the lighter side for both of these cartridge types. But, I also believe the popularity of the .243 Winchester cannot be rivaled, and that the slight advantage that the 6mm Remington may offer isn’t enough to unseat the .243 in any way. Apr 30, 2015 #3 Jud96 Well-Known Member. It’s also important to note that even at 700 yards, the 6mm CM rounds are still above 100 inches of bullet drop which is quite impressive given they are factory loads. Now, there are many other factors that go into a bullets ability to drop animals cleanly, such as the bullet design and its ability to cause serious wounds based on how the bullet expands when it reaches the target, but that’s hard to quantify and have any meaning when trying to compare two cartridge types. Everyone wants to think you are going to shoot a 6.5mm cartridge and get .308 Winchester barrel life. It’s got an old school vs new punk type feel to it. Instead of looking to determine which cartridge is the best, which seems like an incredibly arrogant thing to do, we are going to look at numerous ballistic and performance data of these two cartridges and draw some conclusions to help all of us better understand which situations one cartridge might be better suited than the other. The case capacity differs slightly between these two cartridges, but they are not going to be loaded with the max amount of powder, even in hand loads if done by someone who knows what they are doing. There wouldn’t be many more 6mm hunting cartridges added to the lineup until the 21st century; Remington’s 6BR, and the 6mm PPC certainly made a splash in the target world; the .240 Weatherby is certainly a speed demon, and Winchester added the .243 WSSM to the short/stubby lineup. I seem to recall reading (on the GAPrecision site?) Joined Jun 30, 2013 Messages 2,645 Location Michigan. I had my .243 LBC barrel all picked out and was ready to order it when I saw mention of the ARC introduction. The .243 rounds have lower bullet energy consistently through the 500-yard mark, and like the velocity, they tend to bleed energy at a higher rate than the 6mm Creedmoor rounds. Neck down the 6.5 Creedmoor case for 0.243-inch bullets and you have the 6mm Creedmoor. Of course, we would only take lighter recoil as long as we got the ballistic and terminal performances we wanted. ... Ohio in 2007 and discussed the popularity of 6mm wildcat cartridges. My buddy John Snow—now editor of Outdoor Life—was writing an article about the pleasures and pitfalls of developing his own cartridge. At 100, 300, and 500 yards the 6mm Creedmoor shows an average kinetic energy of 1849, 1387.25, and 1023.5 ft.lbs. We will also examine the sectional densities and bullet momentum for each round we have selected to represent both cartridges to determine the amount of potential penetration. And receive our newsletter with the best articles covering guides, guns & gear. What we are going to look at is the actual energy that is generated from firing these rounds. Recently, the 6mm Creedmoor cartridge which propels lighter thinner 6mm/.243 caliber bullets at higher velocities is becoming an attractive alternative. As the rounds move downrange, we see the rounds group together based on their cartridge type. A lot of different variables go into calculating a bullets BC but it, along with velocity, are big factors in the how the bullets trajectory and wind drift behave. We will look at the bullet velocity and trajectories over a range and then also examine the ballistic coefficients of these rounds. It uses a shorter case than the .243 Winchester—1.920-inch vs. 2.045 inches—allowing for a longer bullet length outside the case in the same length magazine, and maintains the 6.5 Creedmoor’s 30-degree shoulder. When it comes to this type of data, we don’t have any concern with comparing cartridges, but you should be aware that these numbers can change when being fired from your rifle. However, the barrel swap on a Savage it quite easy for prefit barrels so I can shoot out this barrel and either grab a Shilen in 6Creed or change up the caliber and keep shooting away. It is between that and a 6.5 Creedmoor. Either way, all of the heavier rounds only showed between 9.6 to 12 inches of bullet drop at 300 yards, which is more than manageable. The 6mm CM is basically a necked down version of the 6.5 Creedmoor. was designed for. For the .243, we are big advocates of the Federal Vital-Shok Nosler Ballistic Tip 95gr. We chose to stick only to factory loads because the majority of people do not handload and that information would not be useful to a lot of people. The 6mm Creedmoor solves the overall length problem, and it also extends barrel life somewhat, due to its modern “accuracy” shoulder angle of 30 degrees and a slightly longer neck. It can give you better brass life however. The 22 Creedmoor is a wildcat caliber you get by necking down a 6.5mm Creedmoor to .22 cal. And their lies the problem with comparing accuracy. If you’re looking to choose between one of these cartridges, it’s going to be a wash when it comes to recoil. With the stability in the velocity department and the high BCs, we weren’t surprised at the trajectory data. We have listed those rounds below. I could give her my wife's 6MM which I feel the recoil is similar to a 243 or buy her a 6.5 Creedmoor. Plus, factory 6mm Creedmoor rifles typically have 1:8 rifling twists so can stabilize even 115-grain boat-tail spitzers. Long range, the 6mm CM does show a better trajectory than the heavier .243 rounds. To keep our 6mm ARC vs. 6.5 Grendel comparison fair, … I want to buy a rifle for her in either 6MM or 6.5 Creedmoor. It is a nearly dead cartridge though so components are harder to come by. The trends should still hold up. Mag. The 20-degree shoulder of the parent is maintained, and the 2.045-inch case launches a 100-grain bullet at a muzzle velocity of right around 3000 fps. The future of the 6mm Creedmoor is still up in the air. Winchester struck first with the .243 Winchester, followed by the .244 Remington (the .257 Roberts 57mm case necked down) and the .244 Holland & Holland Magnum in the U.K.; all will get the job done and get it done well. I also hear the barrel life of the Creedmoor is between 4,000 and 6,000 rounds. It’s readily available, has been in the top ten in sales for quite some time, and has been putting smiles on hunters’ faces for over 60 years. I would think that the 25 is more overbore than a 243, so just generally speaking, i would say all things being equal, the 243 has a longer bbl life, than a 25.06. How much longer, hard to say,. Some precision shooters make claims to barrel life can be a difference. The .243 Winchester fires smaller diameter bullets at a significantly higher velocity than the 6.5 Creedmoor. There are good reasons why the .243 remains at the top of the heap; it is nothing more and nothing less than the .308 Winchester necked down to hold .243-inch diameter bullets. There are so many variables that go into how well a bullet is going to take a game animal. She shot two deer this year with a borrowed 243. Is there a more reliable way to predict barrel life — one that will work for a broad range of calibers? Of the three, the H&H never really had a chance here in the U.S., and the .244 Remington was introduced with a twist rate that prevented it from using the heavier 100- and 105-grain bullets that the .243 Win. Both have applications in the shooting and hunting world, and both are going to overlap a lot in those applications. 6mm Creedmoor for target shooting especially as ranges get longer. We kept the rifle weight the same for all rounds. If we look at hunting, the low recoil again is an advantage. I presume the Alpha brass is good too. is an outstanding caliber and for the gear head that I am the 243 WSSM is just as outstanding. Because the rifle is a big factor in this, we will just go with looking at the speeds. It’s also important to recall how the 6mm Creedmoor rounds showed the trend of maintaining velocity, which also led to better trajectory, once you got out to the 300+ ranges. It’s all good if you have a fast, flat shooting bullet that can cut through wind but does it have the necessary power to get the job done on impact of the target? Especially given how it’s trajectory looked, it could be a unique hunting cartridge. My best with it has been a 5-shot.38 MOA @200 yards. If you grew up chasing game on the plains or western mountain area, where long-range shots pop up more frequently, then the BC might have been more of a topic of conversation. For that, they still have plenty of bullet energy. Recently, the 6mm Creedmoor cartridge which propels lighter thinner 6mm/.243 caliber bullets at higher velocities is becoming an attractive alternative. The 6mm Creedmoor often uses longer, more aerodynamically stable bullets which is what adds to the slight increase in the overall length of the cartridge compared to the .243 Win. This sub-category is going to cater more towards those looking for a hunting cartridge, but if you’re going to buy a rifle chambered for one of these cartridges, then there is no harm in understanding as much as you can about each. You will often find a lot of people fixated on the velocity of the bullet, and while velocity is important, they often lose sight of why it is. It’s not just about the speed of the bullet. As a general rule, you want at a minimum of 1,000 ft.lb force when trying to take down game around the whitetail size range, and more around the 1,500 to 2,000ft,lb range when talking about bear, elk, and moose, but you don’t usually go after that size game with these cartridges. A lot of other factors go into felt recoil, including gun design, so it’s not very quantifiable. Over the past decade the 6.5 Creedmoor has become among the most popular long range shooting cartridges available. The 6mm Creedmoor has both the room and the twist to shooter longer heavier bullet than most 243 Win guns. The Hornady Precision Hunter load drives a 103-grain ELD-X to a muzzle velocity of 3050 fps, putting the 6mm Creedmoor essentially on par with the .243 Winchester, but it’s the ability to properly seat the longer bullets with the best ballistic coefficients that gives the 6mm Creedmoor the edge out beyond 500 yards. The barrel life of a 6.5 is a little better than a 6 but neither are anything like a .308. While it isn’t standardized by SAAMI as of this writing (January 2017), my understanding is it will be soon. Something you might think about is having a practice rifle and a match rifle. The load is fairly mild and is by no means a “hot” load. FWIW we got about 2,000 rounds on our last 6 Creed barrel, at 1800 rounds it was still shooting 1/3 MOA 5-shot groups at 300 yards. We get that there are not a lot of factory loaded options out there, but that shouldn’t detract from the 6mm Creedmoor Hornady Match ELD 108gr’s performance. If you have two cartridges with similar specs, such as the 6mm Creedmoor vs the .243 Win, you can expect to see pretty similar sectional densities. And the latest cartridge to push this 6mm bullet does the job quite well. This seems strange, because the .243 case actually has about 4 grains greater capacity, which should translate to somewhat higher velocity. Like everything we have covered, it all depends on what you’re shooting at, and we will discuss this more when we get to the applications of these cartridges. They have incredibly light recoil which is advantageous when you are going to be shooting a lot. Each rifle tends to have its own small differences in its profile, and this means some small differences in the ballistic output. The theory behind sectional density and penetration is that the heavier the bullet, the more mass that is behind it when it hits the target. It is lightweight with very little recoil, so it’s fun to shoot all day with little fatigue. The issue with some of the heavier bullets is the other ballistic performance specs. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Inside of that, it exceeds the general guidelines for bullet energy for whitetail sized game. I have a Remington with a factory 5R barrel and is has been exceptional. If we look at the 6mm Creedmoor and .243 Win rounds of similar bullet weights, we still see an advantage in the BC’s of the 6mm rounds. For home defense, you don’t need the same amount of momentum. Precision, wrote the piece on his necked down 6.5 Creedmoor, and moved on. The more stable the bullet is, the less it is affected by environmental factors. This data, paired with the sectional density results, points towards the heavier 6mm CM rounds having more potential for deep penetration. The 6mm Creedmoor's case has a 30-degree shoulder that makes it slightly more efficient than the .243 and promotes case longevity, which benefits for … The trajectories of these cartridges are also more than suitable for hunting. Dense woods for whitetails with shots averaging around 100 yards and you probably don’t care at all what the BC of your round is. The Creedmoor seems to have the fastest barrel twist rates (1:8 and 1:7.5) which is why it typically is loaded with 105-115gr bullets and the other 2 are usually 100 gr or less. Together based on this round is second to none when it comes recoil! Loads, both of these cartridges are also more than suitable for hunting, low... 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