With the numbers we use, it appears these cartridges each have their advantages. The only way that works is if his arc barrel is very fast and the creed is super slow and loaded light, similar pressures the creed will outperform the arc every time now the arc will be more efficient. Your email address will not be published. Before we get started, I have an administrative note: Some of the links below are affiliate links. 6mm ARC Energy vs 6.5 Grendel Velocity makes a difference, but if you are concerned about how the bullet performs at the target; how well it can harvest game at certain distances, then energy is extremely important. Team Hornadayis the master, bar none. The 6.5 Creedmoor has a slightly larger bullet than the 6mm ARC, and that extra size makes a big difference in terminal performance. All of these cartridges have a very mild recoil that most shooters and hunters should be able to handle. Second, I am fully set up with all components to shoot the 6.5 CM. A big fan of long-range shooting, Snow was particularly intrigued by the brand new 6.5mm Creedmoor cartridge that had just been released that year. Using dramatically less powder, it is believed that the barrel on an 6mm ARC will far outlast a 6mm Creedmoor's. It kicks less and has very similar performance regarding wind drift, which after accuracy and consistency is the biggest issue for long-range shooting. The 6.5 Creedmoor is slightly larger and more powerful than the other two cartridges. Felt recoil will vary from shooter to shooter and rifle to rifle, but free recoil energy is still a useful way to compare cartridges. I only get 2680fps out of my 22" barrel. This is especially trueif youre currently having a tough time finding ammo for other similar cartridges (like 243 Winchester). Aside from having very slight differences in their overall length, the only other difference between the 6mm Creedmoor and the 6.5mm Creedmoor is the fact that they shoot 6mm and 6.5mm bullets (.243 and .264) respectively. You can get a 6 to 6.5 pound rifle which can shoot high B.C. .223 and 5.56 are the same bullet diameter (.224") and basically the same brass. However a 300WM will always beat a 308 given the same barrel length. So where do we stand overall with the .243 Winchester, 6mm Creedmoor, and 6.5mm Creedmoor? So an 6mm ARC @58k psi might get there. The Eagle Eye 6.5 Creedmoor shoots a 130gr hybrid projectile with a .295 G7 at 2,960fps from an average 26" barrel. Which it does pretty well within those limitations. The Brass is better than 1/2 Price and easily available. 224 Valkyrie. Since this article is focused on the performance of these cartridges for hunting, I didnt include any ballistic data past 500 yards in the table above. Gardner realized that the 6mm Creedmoor fit the bill perfectly for PRS use, so he modified an AR-10 to use the new cartridge. The 6mm Creed is anout .030 longer than the 6XC. 6mm CM is over 200fps faster even pushing the ARC with a more compressed load. Like I do with my semi's, rifle & pistol, parts availability, large aftermarket support and readily available reloading components/ammo will need to factor into whatever I decide on. These shooters we poled shot bench rest, PRS, F-Class and simi auto class. But it's a coyote hammer! For the sake of discussion, why do you believe that the ARC will overtake the Grendel? It also has very little recoil, making it a great choice for shooters of all experience levels. The larger the caliber, the more stopping power it will have. Initially to create 6mm Creedmoor brass cases, one would simply neck down high quality 6.5 Creedmoor brass with a good full length sizing die and enough case lube. He eventually decided to use a 6.5 Creedmoor case necked down to shoot 6mm bullets in an attempt to build a new cartridge with even less recoil than the parent cartridge, but still capable of outstanding accuracy at 1,000 yards. The 109's are tailored to cartridges such as 6mm Creedmoor, 6mm BR, 6 Dasher, 6XC, 6BRX, and 647 among others. However, the extra recoil is not enough to make the Creedmoor unmanageable for most shooters. How does an "avid reloader" figure a cartridge is capable of outperforming another cartridge that has 50% more case capacity? At 1,000 yards, the 6mm Creedmoor drifts about a foot more than the 6 . I think the trick is not just looking at each of those things in isolation, but trying to strike the "right balance" between those competing . All the die manufacturers including Hornady, Lyman, Redding, RCBS and other make 6mm Creedmoor Dies, but out of all of them that I have used, I still prefer the Redding as the best 6mm Creedmoor Dies for sale, because of the quality of the product, and then the design of the expander which works very well for me. For this reason, the 6mm Creedmoor has less recoil and a generally flatter trajectory, but the heavier and larger diameter 6.5 Creedmoor bullets have more frontal surface area, more resistance to wind drift, and carry more energy down range. The 6mm Creedmoor being faster, less recoil and flatter shooting, the 6.5 Creedmoor having larger and better BC bullets, allowing the spotting of bullet trace, hits and misses better on target and doing better with the higher BC bullets out at extended distances, and greater availability of bullets and components. When it comes to hunting, the most important factor is terminal ballistics, or how well the bullet performs once it hits the target. Solutions . The problem is that Hornady, which developed the 6 mm ARC, made a slight alteration to the case length so that it would be compatible with very long 6 mm bullets that have a high BC. This is "6mm ARC vs the Creedmoors" by Hornady Manufacturing on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. The 6mm Creedmoor also has about 7% more energy at the muzzle and about 27% more energy remaining at 500 yards than the .243 Winchester with the ELD-X bullets and about 14-17% advantage in energy with the InterLock bullets. The 6mm Creedmoor can use the same lighter weight bullets as the .243 Winchester and fire them a bit faster (around 200fps with typical factory loads). Having a chat with a buddy the other day who insisted that a 16" 6mm ARC would outperform a 16" 6mm Creedmoor using the same bullet (both in bolt guns). However with the huge commercial success of the 6mm Creedmoor, it has caught up to the 243 Win, in ammo availability and often with better performing factory ammo offerings too, so now the 6mm Creedmoor is by far the clear winner between the two in the 6mm Creedmoor vss 243 Win debate. It's not even worth a discussion, even in a 16in barrel the 6CM is hundreds of fps faster than the 6ARC. However, thats during normal times and, as Im writing this in 2021, were not living in normal times. At 1,000 yards, the 6.5 drops 23 inches more than the 6mm. Thank you for watching, I hope you guys have a blessed new year. Chuck Hawks(here,here, and here) provided the case capacity for each cartridge. The average muzzle energy of the 6mm ARC is about 2300 ft-lbs, while the average muzzle energy of the 6.5 Creedmoor is around 2700 ft-lbs. The 6mm Creedmoor has been out a while. The difference is even bigger with the InterLock bullets though and the 243 has almost 6 more bullet drop than the 6mm Creedmoor at 500 yards. Your point about rifle availability is a valid point. Heres how each cartridge compares directly to the others in general terms. We poled 25 shooters at the range and had 4 rifles built the same. The 6mm ARC cartridge is a new SAAMI-spec cartridge based on the 6.5 Grendel case necked down for 6mm bullets, with the shoulder moved back 0.030. Lastly, I am . Originally dubbed the 6mm HOLE (Hornady-Outdoor Life Express), Snow paired the new cartridge with a custom rifle built by George Gardner of GA Precision in 2009. Some of the greats are (from left) 6mm BR Norma, 24 Nosler, .243 Winchester, 6mm Remington, and .240 Weatherby Magnum. If youre looking for a round that can do it all, then the ARC is the one you want. They decide that with their own hard-earned money. On the other hand, the .243 Winchester has a longer case length, but a shorter overall length than the other two cartridges. People quickly make jokes about the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge when they hear a shooter has it, but you never hear anybody joke about the 6mm Creedmoor, as there is no denying the seriousness of a 108gr ELD-M bullet charging down range at 3100+ fps. ?This told me that felt recoil is not as much about numbers as it is about the person pulling the trigger. Bill, Appreciate your input. The only place where it was always claimed that the .243 Winchester won the 6mm Creedmoor, was with ammo availability. And max velocity can be achieved with stick powders in CM. For a long time I have wondered about how barrel length affected velocity. For those reasons, flat shooting, medium bore, high velocity (up to a point), and mild recoiling cartridges with a long barrel life have a big advantage in these competitions. Many factors determine the number of shots a barrel can take before the throat and rifling of the barrel become worn to a point where the accuracy wanes, usually evident through inconsistent groups or sudden slower muzzle velocities. F-1 Proof Stag Custom Lightweight AR in 6mm ARC, 6mm Creedmoor rifle for sale - Short Action Customs. 6ARC will be cool if Howa ever sells it as a barreled action on their mini action. I just need to get smarter on the bolt world before I make any commitment. The list is slowly growing, but there are currently only a handful of options for loaded rifle ammunition the 6mm Creedmoor. Both Cartridges have real advantages & disadvantages. I have a rifle being built for me right now, a Badrock but it is going to be late summer before I see it. By the numbers, the 6mm ARC case head measures 0.440, just 0.005 smaller than a 7.6339 case. Find the perfect load for your rifle and shoot accurately. The general rule of thumb for caliber to animal size, is 6mm, 243 Win, 270 Win and up for any smaller CXP2 type antelope, and 30-06 Spingfield or larger for CXP3 medium to large game. 6mm Dasher Load Data - What The Pros Use. With similar advantages for precision rifle competition shooting as the 6.5 Creedmoor, the 6mm Creedmoor is also a superb competition cartridge, especially for small caliber long range shooting and PRS competition shooting. Take a look at any good ballistics program Hornady and Federal both have an easy-to-use program on their websitesand you'll see the advantage of the better B.C. A loaded round's overall length is 2.26 inches; this fits nicely within a STANAG AR-15 magazine and runs flawlessly with a 6.5 Grendel follower installed. For all the reasons mentioned is why I went with a 6x47 Lapua for a bolt gun. Like the .243 Winchester, the 6mm Creedmoor is also a really good varmint as well as big game hunting cartridge. I know of several instances of people that Ive known who have bought new rifles in a particular cartridge specifically because they could get ammo for it. This increased interest means that there are more people playing games on a regular basis, which should help keep the new ARC relevant for years to come. Accuracy wise, Id say flip a coin. Read More . Not much comparison if you ask me. But what does that mean for terminal ballistics? Posted: 3/17/2020 1:36:19 PM EST [#2] Quote History . The 6mm ARC is basically the 6.5 Grendel necked down to hold a .243" bullet with the 30-degree shoulder pushed back a smidgen. Hornady's new 6mm ARC was designed for a specific military requirement; the 108-gr. The statistics shown above demonstrate the advanced speed capabilities of the 6mm ARC. Makes for a crazy lightweight 6.5 grendel in their Howa carbon stalker. This is the loaded equally with most efficient powder. The 6mm ARC's exterior ballistics are good, enough thanks to its use of high BC projectiles, to allow it to run with the .308 Winchester when shooting long. Once this unconstitutional law is struck down or repealed, this restriction will be removed. In general, larger calibers have more recoil than smaller calibers. The 6mm Creedmoor or 6Creed as some call it, was a natural evolution as with almost any other 6.5mm Creedmoor that was eventually necked down to 6mm for faster muzzle velocities and lower recoil for PRS style racegun competitions. Ballistics are very similar for the 6mm Creedmoor and .243 Winchester inside 500 yards, but the 6mm Creedmoor is much better suited for longer range shots since it can use those more aerodynamic bullets. There are a few things that could potentially shorten its lifespan, but there are also many factors that suggest it will be around for a long time. For that reason, it combines incredible accuracy with consistent performance across a wide range of impact velocities.