6.5 Creedmoor vs. 270 Win: From the Firing Line to the Tree Stand

In 2007, Hornady took the competitive long-range shooting community by storm with the release of the 6.5 Creedmoor. The cartridge has since grown into a household name (within households belonging to members of the shooting community, at least).

The 6.5 Creedmoor won plenty of praise on the competitive firing line immediately after its introduction. It only makes sense that shooters would also want to leverage the round's famously flat trajectory and low recoil for hunting.

Now that it has become popular for taking large game, the 6.5 Creedmoor is often compared to one of the other great non-.30 caliber hunting cartridges: the 270 Winchester.

Does a competition round like the 6.5 Creedmoor offer any real advantages over the 270 Win, which has proved its worth in the woods time and time again for over a century? Let's evaluate the 6.5 Creedmoor vs. 270 Win debate so you can understand the differences between the two rounds, and know which is better for your target shooting and/or big game hunting needs.

Cartridge Specs

When evaluating two cartridges, it’s good to gain more knowledge of each by analyzing their physical specifications.

The 270 Winchester (270 Win) received almost instant commercial success upon its release in 1925. The 270 was developed using the 30-06 as a parent case, which was necked down to accept a 0.277" (7mm, nominally) diameter bullet.

The 6.5 Creedmoor was released in 2007 and quickly became extremely popular in long-range competitive shooting circles. The 6.5 Creedmoor was developed following a gripe session between legendary Service Rifle competitor Dennis DeMille and Dave Emary, senior ballistician for Hornady at the time.

The 6.5 Creedmoor was developed by necking down a 30 Thompson Center case to accept a 0.264" (6.5mm, nominally) diameter bullet. It was conceived as a long-range target shooting round, but soon became popular among deer hunters for its accuracy, manageable recoil, and undeniably downrange stopping power.

The 6.5 Creedmoor is also called "6.5 CM" or "6.5 Creed." The latter half of its name is often misspelled as "Creedmore."

If you place these two rounds next to one another, their size difference becomes obvious at once. The 270 Win has an overall length of 3.34": more than 0.5" longer than the 6.5 CM's 2.825". The 270's case is also longer: 2.54", as opposed to 1.92" for the 6.5 CM.

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Their difference in overall length means the 6.5 CM can fit into a short-action rifle, which is lighter and has a shorter bolt throw. In contrast, the larger 270 Win requires a long action just like the 30-06 Springfield it's descended from.

Case capacity for the 270 measures 67 grains H₂O. For the 6.5 Creedmoor, it's 52.5 grains H₂O. In other words, the 270 Win's larger case has capacity for approximately 15% more powder than the 6.5 Creed. Both rounds have similar maximum pressures per SAAMI specs. The 270 is rated to handle chamber pressures up to 65,000 psi: 4.8% higher than the 6.5 CM at 62,000 psi.

The biggest difference between these rounds are the bullets they fire.

The 270 Win fires wider 0.277" diameter bullets. Bullet weights for the 270 range between 85 and 180 grains, with 130, 140, and 150 grain projectiles being most popular.

The 6.5 Creedmoor fires a 0.264" diameter bullet. Its bullets can weigh between 95 and 160 grains, with 120, 130, and 140 grain bullets being most common.

How do these differences in cartridge specification bear on real-world performance? Let's find out, starting with recoil.

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Recoil

Recoil is an important consideration when purchasing a new rifle, as a round with heavy recoil will be more difficult to control and slow your rate of accurate follow-up shots. The potential for flinching is also an issue with cartridges that have heavy recoil.

Felt recoil differs from shooter to shooter, and is dependent on firearm choice, stance, and ammo. Free recoil, on the other hand, is a purely objective measure of how hard a cartridge recoils. It is determined by muzzle velocity, firearm weight, powder charge weight, and bullet weight.

The 6.5 Creedmoor commonly fires a 143 grain bullet with a muzzle velocity of 2,700 fps; the 270 Winchester, a 145 grain bullet and 2,970 fps muzzle velocity. When both of these examples are fired in 6.5-pound Winchester Model 70 Featherweight rifles, the 6.5 CM generates 17.19 ft-lbs of free recoil; the 270 Win, 26.01 ft-lbs. This means the 6.5 Creedmoor has around 50% less recoil than the 270 when loaded with bullets of similar weights.

Its low recoil is a major reason why the 6.5 Creedmoor has been so successful in the long-range target shooting community. It doesn't precede its flat, accurate trajectory with a powerful kick to the shoulder.

Are those ballistics superior to the 270 Winchester? In the next section, we will compare Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor ballistics to the 270 to see who comes out on top.

Muzzle Velocity, Kinetic Energy, and Trajectory

There’s a lot of hype surrounding the long-range capabilities of the 6.5 Creedmoor – but can the newer cartridge really outperform the 270 Win? Let’s find out by comparing different cartridges. I selected Hornady Superformance 129 grain SST and Hornady Precision Hunter 143 grain ELD-X to represent the 6.5 Creedmoor. For the 270 Winchester, I selected the Hornady Precision Hunter 145 grain ELD-X and Nosler 150 grain AccuBond LR factory loads.

Although a 1,000-yard shot is not typical (or advisable) for big game hunting, it is included in the ballistics table to display the long-range capabilities of these cartridges.

The 143 grain ELD-X 6.5 Creedmoor has the lowest muzzle velocity at 2,700 fps.

Both 270 Win cartridges and the 6.5 CM 130 grain SST load were roughly equivalent in terms of muzzle velocity, being separated by just over 100 fps. Impressively, all four factory loads remained supersonic at 1,000 yards.

The 270 dominates in terms of muzzle energy, holding an advantage of around 300 ft-lbs over both 6.5 Creedmoor rounds. The 270 Win 145 grain ELD-X had the highest muzzle energy at 2,840 ft-lbs, followed closely by the 150 grain AccuBond LR at 2,705 ft-lbs. Both 6.5 Creedmoor loads achieved muzzle energy below 2,500 ft-lbs.

The 150 grain AccuBond LR conserves the most kinetic energy downrange: 830 ft-lbs at 1,000 yards. The 143 grain ELD-X and 145 grain ELD-X came close at around 700 ft-lbs.

Of the four factory loads analyzed, the 270 Win 145 grain ELD-X showed the flattest trajectory. Both 270 Win loads' bullets shared nearly the same elevation at 1,000 yards.

As much as shooters hype up the 6.5 Creedmoor for its trajectory, the 270 Win had less bullet drop than it at all ranges.

There's no denying the 270 Win and 6.5 Creedmoor have impressive ballistics. All four examples exhibited impressively flat trajectories, but the 270 Win outshone its competitor thanks to its similarly heavy bullets and significantly higher muzzle velocities.

For these reasons, the 270 Winchester is also the better choice when higher striking power is desired.

This begs the question: Why is the 6.5 Creedmoor so popular? If the 270 Win has higher case capacity, then why don’t we see it flooding the firing lines at F-Class long-range target shooting competitions instead?

The answers to those questions lie in barrel and bullet selection.

Twist Rate and Bullet Selection

Two major upsides of the 6.5 Creedmoor are its barrel's faster twist rate and wide selection of bullets. Twist rate plays a huge role in which bullet weights a barrel can stabilize. Heavier bullets typically require faster twist rates, whereas lighter bullets prefer slower twist rates. (For reference, a barrel's twist rate is expressed as 1:X", where X equals the number of inches a bullet must travel in order to complete one full rotation.)

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The 6.5 Creedmoor is designed to fire long, heavy, ballistically efficient 0.264" diameter bullets. Such bullets require a faster rate of twist to stabilize properly, hence the 6.5 Creedmoor barrel's standard 1:8" twist rate.

The 270 Winchester was conceived as a flatter-shooting alternative to the 30-06 Springfield. Muzzle velocity was the chief measure of a bullet's efficacy during the 1920s when the 270 Win was developed, not ballistic coefficient, which is why it was originally loaded with a lightweight 130 grain projectile.

That's why manufacturers standardized the slower 1:10" twist rate for the 270: amazing for bullets up to 150 grains, but not much heavier.

The 270 barrel's characteristically slow twist rate is a roadblock for bullet manufacturers, as relatively long 0.277" bullets require a faster twist rate to stabilize properly. Custom barrel makers do offer 270 Win in a 1:8" twist option, although it is unappealing to shooters who could just purchase a 6.5 Creedmoor rifle instead.

The 6.5 Creedmoor's faster twist rate gives it a clear advantage in terms of bullet selection.

Ballistic Coefficient and Sectional Density

Ballistic coefficient (BC) is a measure of how aerodynamic a bullet is and how well it resists wind drift.

Sectional density (SD) reflects a bullet's capacity for penetration and is based on the bullet's weight and diameter.

If there's one thing the 6.5 Creedmoor is known for, it's its high BC. The 143 grain ELD-X analyzed earlier has a G1 BC of 0.697, significantly higher than a 30-06 178 grain ELD-X load (0.552) despite having a lighter bullet.

The 270 Win is no slouch in the BC department. The 150 grain AccuBond LR has a respectable 0.625 G1 BC, with the lighter 145 grain ELD-X load hitting 0.536.

The 270 Win and 6.5 CM are closer in terms of SD.

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By pure coincidence, the 270 Win 145 grain ELD-X has an SD of 0.270; the 150 grain AccuBond LR, 0.279. In contrast, the 6.5 CM 143 grain ELD-X and 130 grain SST loads have respective SD values of 0.301 and 0.264.

To summarize, the 6.5 Creedmoor’s narrower bullet and higher rate of twist generally grant it a higher BC than the 270. It conserves its velocity more efficiently and overcomes wind deflection more effectively for this reason. The 6.5 CM and 270 are roughly equivalent in terms of SD, with the former having a slight advantage in penetrative ability.

Hunting

When it comes to ethically hunting game, selecting the proper hunting round is critical to success. The .270 Win and 6.5 Creedmoor have both been used to great effect over the years, which leaves some newer hunters to wonder whether either round is truly better.

Both rounds are an excellent choice for thin-skinned medium game like whitetail, mule deer, pronghorn, and antelope. I’ve harvested numerous deer and one elk with my 270.

Since shot placement is the most important aspect of ethically harvesting a game animal, consideration must be given to the 6.5 Creedmoor. Many shooters report being more accurate with it, thanks in no small part to its low recoil. Low recoil means less likelihood of flinching, which can easily throw a round off target when firing at longer ranges.

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My preference for whitetail and similarly sized game is the 6.5 Creedmoor. It enables hunters to focus more on their marksmanship and less on recoil. To add to this, the 6.5 Creedmoor is designed for a short-action rifle, which is lighter and easier to carry during long hunts.

There is little question in the hunting community as to the efficacy of the 270 Winchester on large game. Hunters and gun writers – most notably the late Jack O'Connor of Outdoor Life magazine – have praised the accuracy, trajectory, and stopping power of the 270 Win for decades. Such praise is well deserved, as 270 has proven itself highly effective on elk, black bears, and even moose.

Despite this, many hunters question the abilities of the 6.5 Creedmoor when it comes to elk.

Upon examination of its ballistic performance, there is little question that the 6.5 CM is powerful enough to take down an elk. Most all 6.5 CM rounds deliver well over 1,500 ft-lbs (the recommended striking energy for harvesting elk) at 300 yards. The primary doubts surrounding the 6.5 CM center around its wounding potential.

There's no denying that a 0.277" bullet tunnels out a wider hole than a 0.264" one. A bigger hole equals faster blood loss, higher chance of striking a vital organ, greater overall trauma, and (ideally) less suffering on the quarry's part. That being said, the 270 Win bullet is only 0.013" wider than the 6.5 CM bullet, which isn't much.

Ultimately, shot placement counts most. Either of these rounds can split hairs within their effective ranges. A competent marksman can make equally good use of either while hunting.

The 6.5 CM and 270 Win are both sufficient for taking medium game. Either round is also capable of harvesting elk within moderate distances, though a novice elk hunter would do well to choose a round with more punch and longer reach.

Final Shots: 270 Win vs. 6.5 Creedmoor

The 6.5 Creedmoor and 270 Winchester are exceptional rifle cartridges: incredibly flat-shooting and ideal for hunting medium game like whitetail, mule deer, and pronghorn.

The 6.5 Creedmoor is, at its heart, a long-range target shooting cartridge. It's an excellent option for recoil-sensitive shooters, as it has the lower recoil of the two and offers exceptional ballistics out of a short-action rifle. With proper shot placement, the 6.5 Creedmoor is more than enough for elk – and even moose, if you know what you're doing.

If you need a hunting cartridge that can handle everything from deer to moose, the 270 Winchester should be your go-to. Its higher kinetic energy and a wide variety of bullets won't leave you wondering whether you can take down Bambi or Bullwinkle.

Whichever cartridge you choose, make sure you stock up on ammunition here at Ammo.com. I'll see you on the range!

Written by

Chris Dwulet