The 6.5 Creedmoor has made a lot of noise since it struck the shooting and hunting scenes 12 years ago. Recreational shooters, long-range competitive shooters, and discerning hunters have increasingly looked to this high-B.C. cartridge for its flat-shooting performance and remarkable potential for accuracy. And now, because of all the hype around the 6.5 Creedmoor, companies such as Federal have done a great job of building ammunition with a variety of bullets to make it a well-rounded option for hunters.
I started shooting the 6.5 Creedmoor 2 years ago to see what all the hype was about. I’ve killed pronghorn, whitetail, mule deer, elk, and hogs. Most recently, I used it to take an axis deer in South Texas. All of my experience thus far has been with the Nosler AccuBond bullet—again, because it works. I’ve used this bullet to punch through heavy bones and make meat out of animals at various shot angles and distances from 30 yards to 420 yards.
Is the 6.5 Creedmoor the best cartridge on the block? Not necessarily. In reality, this cartridge doesn’t truly excel until it’s launched to distances far beyond the ethical limits of most shooters and hunters. But it’s low on recoil. You can find plenty of guns and ammo designed for it. It’s versatile. It’s practical. And when I look at the contents of my two deep freezers, I’d say it works pretty damned well.
