Description
The 6.5 Creedmoor is based on the .308 Winchester cartridge. Due to its length this cartridge can be chambered in short-action rifles. This allows for ample space for loading long slender projectiles providing great aerodynamic efficiency.
For some loads, the 6.5mm Creedmoor is capable of duplicating the muzzle velocity or trajectory of the .300 Win Mag while generating significantly-lower recoil to the shooter. The best part of the cartridge is that it has a bolt-face diameter of .473 inches which is the same as the .308 which supports AR10 platform.
The ability to retain velocity keeps the 6.5mm Creedmoor with 140-grain match bullets in the supersonic range out to around 1,150 yards, while the .308 Winchester which is not ideal for long range use 168-grain match bullets has a supersonic range of about 975 yards, quite a bit less than the old .308! When tested out of Sniper Support Rifle it was determined that the 6.5 Creedmoor performed the best, doubling hit-probability at 1,094 yards, increasing effective range by nearly-half, reducing wind drift by a third, with less recoil than 7.62×51mm NATO rounds.
In November 2019, the U.S. Navy ordered 6.5mm Creedmoor conversion kits to upgrade the M110 Semi Automatic Sniper system to the M110K1 variant.
