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In this video I talk about how the .25-06 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .270 Winchester compare to each other.
I think most shooters would agree that the 6.5 Creedmoor is a fantastic cartridge for competition shooting. While lots of hunters have readily adopted the 6.5 Creedmoor for hunting a wide variety of game, many other hunters remain skeptical of the suitability of the new cartridge for big game animals, particularly when it’s compared to the time tested .25-06 Remington and .270 Winchester cartridges.
Unfortunately, as is often the case with things involving the 6.5 Creedmoor, there are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings regarding the capabilities of the three cartridges. With that in mind, it’s easy to see how many hunters get confused about the strengths and weaknesses of the .25-06 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .270 Winchester, particularly when discussing which is best for hunting particular animals under specific conditions.
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0:00
Hi there. I'm John McAdams, founder of the big game hunting blog
0:05
And in this video I'm going to do a detailed comparison of the 25 watt 6 Remington, the 65 Creedmoor
0:10
and the 270 Winchester cartridges. Now I think that most shooters would agree that the
0:15
65 Creedmoor is a fantastic cartridge for competition shooting. Now while lots of hunters have
0:20
readily adopted the 65 Creedmoor for hunting a wide variety of game
0:24
many other hunters remain skeptical of the suitability of the new cartridge for certain big game
0:29
animals, especially when it is compared to the time-tested 25-O-6 Remington and 270 Winchester cartridges
0:37
Now, unfortunately, as is the case with many things involving the 65 Creedmoor, there are a lot
0:41
of misconceptions and misunderstandings regarding the capabilities of these three cartridges. So with that in mind, it is easy to see how many hunters get confused about the strengths and
0:51
weaknesses of the 25-0-6, the 65 Creedmoor, and the 270, especially when discussing which
0:58
is best for hunting particular animals under specific conditions. So with all that in mind
1:04
in this video, I'm going to do a detailed comparison of the 25-od-6 versus the 65 Creedmoor
1:08
versus the 270 Winchester and provide detailed information on the strengths and weaknesses of each
1:14
cartridge so you can make an informed decision on which one is right for you. As usual, we'll start
1:20
with a brief history of the 25-od-6 Remington, the 6.5 Creedmoor, and the 270 Winchester. The 30-0-6 spring
1:28
field quickly caught on with hunters and shooters in the USA in the early years of the 20th century
1:34
At that same time, Wildcatters and gun designers started modifying the 30-06 for more specialized
1:40
tasks almost as quickly as hunters started using the new cartridge. Some of these new cartridges
1:45
based on a modified 30-06 Springfield case went by the wayside rather quickly, but others have
1:50
really stood the test of time and remain outstanding hunting cartridges. Adolf Otto Niedner, better
1:57
known as A.O. Needner, created the 25-Nedner cartridge in 1920 by necking the 30-0-6 Springfield
2:04
case down to use 0.257-inch bullets. The cartridge did offer a modest improvement in ballistics over
2:11
the 30-0-6, but the new 25-caliber cartridge was far too overbore and was thus unable to reach
2:18
its full potential with the powders available at the time. For that reason, the 25-Nedner was
2:24
pushed aside by other quarter-bore cartridges like the 2.2. 257 Roberts that propelled 257 caliber bullets at a similar velocity, but used a much shorter case
2:34
The fact that the 25 Needner was still a wildcat and that no mass-produced rifles were available in the cartridge didn't really help either
2:42
However, the introduction of slower burning powders like IMR 4350 and H-4831 after World War II changed the game completely
2:52
and allowed hand loaders to maximize performance of the 25 Needner. Designers at Remington knew a good thing when they saw it
3:00
and the company standardized the cartridge as the 25-0-6 Remington in 1969
3:05
The company started manufacturing the Remington Model 700 rifle in 25-A-6 and rolled out two factory 25-0-6 loads that year
3:14
an 87-grain bullet at a blazing fast velocity of 3,500 feet per second
3:19
and a 120 grain load at 3,220 feet per second. Deer and antelope hunters in particular love the accuracy, high velocity, flat trajectory
3:30
modest recoil, and impressive terminal performance of the new cartridge on thin-skinned
3:35
game with heavier bullets. It also gained a great reputation as an outstanding varmint hunting round when using lighter bullets
3:43
Now, while it took nearly 50 years for the 25-0-6 to achieve widespread commercial success
3:49
that was not the case with the 270 Winchester cartridge. Also created by necking down a 30-06 case
3:55
and if you want to get technical, I know it's a 30-03 case. The 270 Winchester first came on the scene
4:02
just five years after the 25 Needner, but the 270 had a few advantage
4:07
the 25 caliber cartridge lacked, which resulted in the 270 Winchester experiencing commercial success much sooner
4:16
First, engineers at Winchester repeating arms designed the 270 and the company produced factory ammunition along with their Winchester
4:24
Model 54 rifle and later Model 70 rifles chambered in that cartridge from the start. This helped give
4:31
the 270 a lot of initial traction in the shooting and hunting communities that the 25 needners
4:36
simply didn't have. Jack O'Connor's strong endorsement of the 270 certainly helped as well
4:41
Additionally, since the 270 Winchester used a 30-0.6 case neck down to use 0.27-inch bullets
4:49
it did not suffer from the overbore issues the 25-Nedner had, making the larger step down from 308 to 0.257-inch bullets
4:59
For this reason, the 270 performed much closer to its potential with the powders available in the 1920s than the 25 Needner did
5:06
The original 270 Winchester load shot a 130 grain bullet at a velocity of 3,140 feet per second
5:15
This load had significant advantages over the 30 in terms of trajectory velocity and recoil Not surprisingly the 270 Winchester was also a big hit with hunters Now if you like to hear a more in discussion on how the 270 stacks up to the 30
5:31
then be sure to check out episode 6 of the Big Game Hunting Podcast, where I talked about that in great detail
5:37
Now, while both the 25-0-6 Remington and the 270 Winchester are both great examples of sporting cartridges descended from the 30-0-6
5:46
the 6.5 Creedmoor is cut from a completely different cloth. A couple guys at Hornady Manufacturing developed the 6.5 Creedmoor
5:54
specifically for high-power rifle competition shooting in 2007 by modifying a 30 Thompson Center case to shoot 0.264-inch bullets
6:04
Named in honor of the Creedmoor matches, the cartridge was designed from the start as a short-action
6:09
long-range competition shooting cartridge and utilizes exceptionally aerodynamic 0.264 or 6.4. millimeter bullets for that reason. The cartridge also has a relatively large case capacity
6:21
optimized for use with 4350 class propellants. The cartridge is specifically designed to
6:28
accommodate long, heavy, high ballistic coefficient bullets in a short action magazine without
6:34
intruding into the powder column. To say the 6.5 Creedmoor has been an enormous success
6:39
would be an understatement. Though it does not have eye-popping ballistics, the cartridge is very
6:44
accurate and uses high BC bullets that retain energy and resist wind drift incredibly well
6:51
It has performed astoundingly well in the hands of competition shooters and has also made the jump
6:56
into the mainstream hunting community in recent years with a lot of success. Okay, now let's talk about the external dimensions of the 25-06, the 6.5 Creedmoor, and the 270
7:07
Now the shared heritage of the 25-06 and the 270 is obvious and the two cartridges are identical
7:13
up to the shoulder. While the 270 has a slightly longer case and overall length, they're close
7:19
enough in size that both cartridges are used in standard or long-action rifles. On the other hand
7:25
those two cartridges are substantially larger than the 6.5 Creedmoor, which was specifically
7:30
designed for use in short-action rifles. The 6.5 Creedmoor also has a sharper shoulder angle in a
7:36
slightly less tapered case than the other two. All three cartridges have the same rim diameter. The 25-0
7:42
6 and the 270 have virtually the same case capacity and both hold quite a bit more powder than the 6.5 Creedmoor
7:49
Now you might be surprised to see how the external ballistics of those three cartridges stack up next to each other
7:56
For instance, when comparing Barnes, TTSX, and Hornady ELDX factory loads for each cartridge
8:02
the 25-06 has the highest muzzle velocity and the flattest trajectory of the three cartridges
8:07
with the 110-grain ELDX bullet from the 25-od6 hitting about 2.5 inches higher than the ELDX from the 270 and about 9.5 inches higher than the ELDX fired from the 6.5 Creedmoor all at 500 yards
8:24
Now the 270 also has a flatter trajectory than the 6.5 by a couple of inches with each load and it carries more energy down range than the other two cartridges
8:33
Now that being said, both 6.5 Creedmoor loads utilize bullets. with a noticeably higher ballistic coefficient
8:41
Both 25-06 Remington loads start out with slightly more kinetic energy than the 6.5 Creedmore loads
8:47
but the ballistically superior 6.5 bullets pass the 25-06 bullets in the energy department between 100 and 200 yards
8:56
At the same time, while the 270 has more velocity and kinetic energy than the 6.5 Creedmoor out past 500 yards
9:03
the advantage possessed by the 270 narrows considerably as the range increases
9:09
Additionally, the superior ballistic coefficient of the 6.5 bledmour does help give it a slight edge
9:14
over the other two cartridges in terms of wind drift, but not a gigantic one
9:19
The 25-06 Remington drifts about two inches more, and the 270 Winchester only has about half-inch more windrift than the 6.5 Creedmoor at 500 yards
9:30
For all practical purposes, there isn't a gigantic, difference in the ballistics of the 25-06, the 6.5 Creedmoor, or the 270 at typical hunting ranges
9:39
Yes, the 270 does carry a little bit more energy downrange than the other two
9:44
And yes, the 25-0-6 does have the flattest trajectory of the bunch
9:48
And yes, the 6.5 Creedmoor is the least susceptible to wind coriander
9:53
However, all three are relatively flat shooting, and they all hit hard enough for use on a wide
9:58
variety of game out to several hundred yards. Now, external ballistics don't tell the whole story, though, and there's more to picking a hunting
10:05
cartridge than just comparing kinetic energy, bullet drop, or wind drift at various ranges
10:10
For instance, the 25-06 and the 270 are relatively mild recoiling cartridges themselves
10:16
but the 6.5 Creedmoor also has a well-deserved reputation for low recoil
10:20
For example, when fired from the exact same rifle, a 143-grain ELDX 6.5 Creedmoor load has slightly less
10:30
recoil than a 110 grain ELDX from the 25-L-6 and about 16% less recoil than the 145 grain ELDX from the 270
10:41
Most shooters should be able to handle the recoil of all three cartridges but the 6 certainly has the edge in this respect Don underestimate the impact that recoil has on the ability of a person to shoot accurately either
10:55
Regardless of how well a given person handles recoil, all other things being equal, they will absolutely shoot better with a milder recoiling cartridge
11:04
Now the 6.5 Creedmoor also has an advantage when it comes to bullet selection
11:08
Since it was originally built for competition shooting, the cartridge was specifically designed to use the longest and heaviest 6.5 millimeter bullets available
11:17
This is why most 6.5 Creedmore rifles have a fast 1 and 8 inch rifling twist rate
11:23
The cartridge typically uses bullets in the 95 to 160 grain range, with 120, 129
11:30
140, and 143 grain bullets being the most common. As we covered earlier, those longer and heavier 0.264 inch bullets have a higher ballistic coefficient
11:40
than popular bullets used by the 25-06 and the 270. They also have a higher sectional density
11:47
Sectional density is a measure of the ratio of the diameter of a projectile to its mass
11:52
All other things being equal, a heavier projectile of a given caliber will be longer
11:58
and therefore have a higher sectional density and consequently penetrate deeper than projectiles
12:03
with a lower mass and lower sectional density. For instance, since most 25-ought-6 rifles have a one-and-year-old
12:10
10-inch rifling twist, they usually won't stabilize bullets heavier than about 120 grains
12:16
By the same token, 150-grain bullets are the heaviest projectiles typically available in the 270
12:22
A 120-grain, 0.257-inch bullet has a sectional density of 0.260, and a 150-grain.27-inch bullet has a
12:33
sectional density of 0.279. However, a 143-grain, 6.5 millimeter bullet, has a sectional density of 0.293, which compares favorably to those other bullets I was just talking about
12:47
In short, the competition shooting routes in 0.264 inch bullet diameter of the 6.5 Creedmoor
12:53
have resulted in a really big selection of high BC and high sectional density match-grade hunting bullets available for that cartridge
13:02
On the other hand, since the 25-06 and the 270 have almost exclusively been used as hunting cartridges
13:08
the major bullet manufacturers have not invested nearly as much time developing heavy for caliber
13:14
high BC.257-inch, or 0.27-inch bullets. That's not to say that the 25-06 and the 270 aren't accurate cartridges
13:23
or that they're only suitable for hunting small game at short range
13:27
Indeed, they're both quite accurate in the right hands at typical hunting ranges, and they can be extremely effective on game up to and including elk and even moose
13:36
regardless of whether you're using a 25-06, a 6.5, or a 270
13:41
no pronghorn, deer, or elk will go far if you put a well-constructed bullet into the vitals
13:48
However, the low recoil and wide selection of high BC match-grade hunting bullets for the 6.5 Creedmoor
13:54
facilitates exceptional accuracy and helps maximize the shooting abilities of the hunter using that cartridge
14:01
to a greater degree than the 25-06 or the 270. The high sectional density bullets used by the 6.5 Creedmoor also assist with penetration to help the cartridge punch above its weight in a manner similar to the 7mm Mouser or 9.3 by 62
14:18
Now let's talk about rifle and ammo selection. The 25-06 Remington, the 6.5 Creedmoor, and the 270 Winchester are all relatively popular cartridges among hunters
14:29
But right now, the 270 is by far the most widely used of the three
14:33
The 6.5 Creedmoor seems to be steadily growing in popularity, though it remains to be seen if it'll ever be as popular as the 270, the 30-0-6
14:44
The 25-0-6 probably doesn't have as large of a fan base as the other two
14:49
but it still does have a pretty sizable and very dedicated following of hunters
14:53
who absolutely love it. With all that in mind, the big ammo companies like Barnes, Black Hills, Federal, Hornity
15:00
Norma, Nossler, Remington, and Winchester, all produce a number of high quality 25-06, 6.5, and 270 factory ammo choices suitable for hunting
15:11
Most of the major bullet styles designed for big game hunting are available in these cartridges as well
15:17
like the Barnes TTSX, the Berger VLD, the Hornity, ELDX, GMX, Interlock, and SST
15:24
the Nossler Acubon, ETIP, and Partition, the Remington Core Lock, and the Winchester PowerPoint
15:30
The same goes for varmint hunting bullets like the Hornity V-Met, Prices and availability vary from region to region, but ammo for all three cartridges is widely
15:39
available. The 270 Winchester is a little more common and a little less expensive than the other
15:45
cartridges, though. Reloading components for all three are also widely available, since they use
15:50
the same diameter bullet as popular cartridges like the 257 Roberts, the 257 Weatherby
15:55
the 260 Remington, the 264 Winchester Magnum, the 270 WSM, and the 270 Weatherby
16:03
There are plenty of 0 0 and caliber bullets of various weights and styles to choose from Along with the plethora of ammunition choices available in these cartridges
16:16
there are also lots of quality rifles manufactured in them as well. Just like with ammo though, 270 rifles are the most common
16:22
and 25-06 rifles are the least common, though they're by no means rare
16:28
With the exception of the AR-10 and 6.5 Creedmoor, bolt-action rifles make up the vast majority of rifle choices available
16:35
in these three cartridges. Among others, the Remington Model 700, the Browning Expold
16:41
Mossburg Patriot, Savage Axis, Weatherby Vanguard, and the Winchester Model 70 are all available in 25-06 Remington
16:49
6.5 Creedmore, and 270 Winchester. A few others, like the Ruger American and the Weatherby Mark 5
16:55
are available in 6.5 Creedmore and 270, but not 25-0-6. So, which one is right for you
17:03
The 25-0-6 Remington, the 6.5-3. Seedmore and the 270 Winchester are all flat shooting cartridges
17:08
wonderfully suited for hunting thin-skinned, small to medium-sized animals like varmets, pronghorn, mule deer, white-tailed deer, or fallow deer
17:17
The flat-shooting characteristics of all three cartridges, but particularly the 25-0-6, make them great choices for hunting in open country
17:26
While they really shine on deer-sized game, these cartridges are also suitable for bigger creatures
17:31
under the right circumstances, with well-constructed bullets and proper shot plays, they will absolutely do the trick when elk and even moose hunting at reasonable range
17:41
For instance, I know a guy who's had great success with his 270 on caribou, moose
17:45
Blue Wildebeest, Zebra, and Kudu. Additionally, Scandinavian hunters have taken untold numbers of reindeer and moose with the 6.5
17:53
by 55 Swedish, also known as the 6.5 Swede or the 6.5 Swedish Mouser over the years
18:00
That cartridge has ballistics very similar to the 6.5 Creedmoor and is a good example of
18:05
what a properly placed high sectional density bullet will do on really big game animals
18:11
That being said, all three cartridges are in a completely different league from heavy hitters
18:15
like the 7mmy ton Magnum and the 300 wind mag when it comes to hunting really big
18:20
tough, or dangerous game. This is especially true with the 25-06, which is really hampered
18:27
by a lack of bullet choices heavier than 120 grains. Now, do you primarily hunt a medium-sized game
18:34
like feral hogs, black bear, or deer at ranges within 200 yards
18:38
All of those cartridges are more than capable of getting the job done if you do your part
18:43
and there isn't a lot of difference between them ballistically inside of 300 yards
18:47
Go the 270 if you want the cheapest or the easiest to find ammo. Now what if you're looking for a great cartridge for hunting game like pronghorn or deer in open country
18:56
where you might need to take a shot at several hundred yards? They'll all work in this role as well, but the 25-0-6 has the flattest
19:04
trajectory of the three and carries enough energy out to four to 500 yards to cleanly take
19:09
deer-sized game without any issues. Consider going with either the 25-0-6 or the 6.5 Creedmoor
19:16
both of which have very light recoil. Are you looking for a great cartridge for mountain goat
19:21
sheep, or tar hunting where you need a heavy-hitting cartridge with manageable recoil in a lightweight
19:27
and easy-to-carry rifle? All three will fit the bill here, but I'd probably lean towards the 270
19:33
Winchester. Jack O'Connor considered the 270 to be an ideal sheep cartridge, and even though he did
19:39
most of his mountain hunting many years ago, it's still a great cartridge for big horn sheep, mountain goat
19:45
Himalayan tar, and Shamwa hunting. Now, do you want a cartridge well suited to hunt Kudu
19:50
Eland, Moose, and Red Stag, or even Oak with? Though they wouldn't be my first choice for this task
19:56
the 25-06, the 6.5, and the 270 will all work in a pinch, but I'd
20:03
personally lean towards the 6.5 Creedmoor with its higher sectional density bullets of the three, though
20:09
Now the 25-06 Remington, the 6.5 Creedmoor, and the 270 are all great rifle cartridges
20:15
and the purpose of this episode isn't to dog on any one of them, and it's impossible to choose the best one from the group
20:22
On the contrary, they all have their own strengths and weaknesses, and they're suitable for a range of hunting tasks
20:28
Even so, the differences between them aren't as great as some people think, and the animal will never know
20:33
the difference if your shot is placed in the right spot. Get a good hunting rifle, chambered in the
20:38
cartridge you think fits your needs the best. Learn to shoot it well, use quality bullets, and you'll be
20:44
all set for most hunting situations. Now if you enjoyed this video, then please make sure you
20:50
subscribe to my YouTube channel right now. Just click that red subscribe button below to make sure
20:55
you don't miss out on any of my new videos on hunting gear reviews, cartridge comparisons, and more
21:00
Now for more detailed information on the 25 lot 6, the 65 Creedmoor, and the 270, and how they compare
21:06
to other popular hunting cartridges, click on the link in the description below or go to
21:11
Hunting Guns101.com to get a free e-book I have written on the best hunting calibers
21:19
So now I'm going to turn it over to you guys. Which cartridge do you prefer out of these three
21:24
And what game have you successfully taken with it? Let me know by leaving a comment on this video right now
21:30
Thanks for watching. Have a great day and good hunting