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6.5 Creedmoor vs 260 AI pros/cons?

mattri

Silver $$ Contributor
Looking to revisit this as some obvious advantages/disadvantages have been ironed out and there is a little more history with both rounds now.

With Lapua making brass for both, load data available for both, components easily available for both- what are the pros/cons of either round?

Factory ammo to the Creedmoor/fireforming for the AI not being issues-

What are the pros/cons to either?
 
6.5x47. Better then both. Just look at its track record. Many world records and neither the CM or 260 hold any major titles in accuracy right now.
 
its all a toss up... Id still go 6.5x47, 260, or 260 ackley. Just because I like something different. I cant stand to hear creedmoor this creedmoor that.. way over marketed, way over hyped, good for hornady. Its all a drop in the bucket 99.9% of people couldnt tell the difference in accuracy or ballistics anyway.
 
Interesting replies thanks.

At what point does the extra capacity of the Creedmoor/260 become an advantage over over the 6.5x47?
 
With the advent of .260 Small Rifle Primer brass from Alpha Munitions, the .260A.I. just took a major step forward. NO MORE SIZING from .308 to .260! From that point forward it is merely the difference in velocity. Both are very accurate and very easy to tune. Comparing apples to apples (S/R in both) you will get right at 75f.p.s. more with the .260A.I. Other than that, it is a wash..
 
mattri said:
Interesting replies thanks.

At what point does the extra capacity of the Creedmoor/260 become an advantage over the 6.5x47?
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For hunting, I don't see much difference. F-Open at 600 yards, not enough to worry about. However, go to 1000 yards and the 140-160f.p.s. makes a noticeable difference. I have used both at 1000 and the edge is definitely in favor of the .260A.I. It is about the same as a 6mmBR and a 6 Dasher.
 
IIRC one selling point of the creedmoor is the case design was that it was better for semi-autos with coal limitations of the magazine. This meant being able to load 140gr bullets without having to seat them in too deep.

I don't currently own an AR-10 style rifle, but if I were to build one, I would probably go with the creedmoor.

I've heard the x47 is easy to tune.

I'd probably break it down this way:

Semi-Auto = creedmoor
Inside 750 yards = x47L
750+ yards = 260/260ai

In the end.. it doesnt really matter, the differences between the three are minor.
 
hogpatrol said:
No love for the 6.5-284?
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I have ordered a 6.5 / 7.5 twist barrel from Krieger. It will be chambered in 6.5 x 284 for the 150SMKs! If this bullet shoots like most 6.5s do, this will make inroads into the 7mm camp in F-Open. Less recoil (a lot less) less torque and better ballistics. DRAWBACK: You won't get 1800-2000 +/- rounds that a .284 will. However, with slow powders, I believe you should get 1400-1600 rounds>>>> in other words, a barrel that will last long enough for load development and a full years worth of matches. What more can you ask?
 
I should expand a little I guess. I'm shooting 143 ELD X's just over 2900 fps and they're hell on anything I've pointed it at. Antelope, deer, coyotes, prairie dogs, etc.
 
ShootDots said:
I have ordered a 6.5 / 7.5 twist barrel from Krieger. It will be chambered in 6.5 x 284 for the 150SMKs! If this bullet shoots like most 6.5s do, this will make inroads into the 7mm camp in F-Open. Less recoil (a lot less) less torque and better ballistics. DRAWBACK: You won't get 1800-2000 +/- rounds that a .284 will. However, with slow powders, I believe you should get 1400-1600 rounds>>>> in other words, a barrel that will last long enough for load development and a full years worth of matches. What more can you ask?
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How many rounds of good accuracy have you gotten from the 260 AI?
 
The 260 ai is a great round. I used to shoot it in Benchrest. I have also had a repeater. In a repeater I would go with the creedmoor. Its going to run 140s in the 2900s. The AI is not going to get to the next node. In a single shot I have ran 140s to mid 3000s in the ai with a 30" barrel. However they shot best at 2850. The 47 may very well have the best agging potential but since no one is shooting the creedmoor in Br we just dont know that. The 47 is a cool round but it king of fits into a niche that doenst exist. Ballisticly its equal the 6br improved cases (dasher, bra, brx, ext.) And those 6mms agg better. So all it offers is increased recoil and energy on target really. Any of the 3 are pretty close, and real world differences small. We do get caught up in chasing numbers some times.
 
+ 1 on what Alex says. I have an FN SPR that is currently 260 that was (very) briefly 6.5X47L in the cartridge's early days, but the bolt/firing pin and the 47's small primer set up did not go together well and we'd nobody in the UK who would turn pins down and bush the bolt-face back then.

The rifle will be off to the gunsmith again shortly and it'll be 260AI this time. If the chubby firing pin weren't an issue it'd be 6.5 Creedmoor using Lapua SRP brass, but bushing etc is a job and expense too many. If I were restricted to magazine COALs it'd still be 6.5 Creedmoor, but using Norma LRP brass (very good quality indeed).

However, as it will be used solely as a single-shot rifle, 260AI it is going to be. Having shot the trio extensively over the last few years, I came to the conclusion that the 260 is as good as any, the deep-seated bullet at SAAMI COAL issue aside, and the AI version should give me those ~2,850 fps MVs with 140s without any hassle.
 
Interesting information.

Planning on a 24" barrel and using an internal mag. As the rifle may see duty as a hunter I'd like to get as much out of the heavier bullets as possible.

Perhaps a Creedmoor would be the way to go.
 
Sniper338 said:
its all a toss up... Id still go 6.5x47, 260, or 260 ackley. Just because I like something different. I cant stand to hear creedmoor this creedmoor that.. way over marketed, way over hyped, good for hornady. Its all a drop in the bucket 99.9% of people couldnt tell the difference in accuracy or ballistics anyway.
Click to expand...
yep maybe 99.99999%
 
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