Cartridge ballistics

6.5 Creedmoor ballistics chart

The 6.5 Creedmoor trajectory with a 140-grain match bullet: drop, wind drift and retained velocity from a 100-yard zero out to 1,400 yards.

Overview

The 6.5 Creedmoor is the cartridge that made practical long-range shooting mainstream. It fits a short action, feeds from AICS-pattern magazines, recoils mildly, and pushes a 140-grain 0.6-plus G1 BC bullet fast enough to stay supersonic past 1,200 yards in most conditions.

It does nothing that older 6.5mm cartridges could not, but it does it in a compact, efficient, factory-supported package with excellent match ammunition available everywhere. For a first dedicated long-range rifle it is still the default recommendation.

Typical uses: Long-range target and PRS competition, steel challenges, and deer- to elk-sized game inside sensible ranges.

Sample load

The trajectory below is calculated for this representative factory load in a standard ICAO atmosphere. Your rifle will differ — enter your own chronographed velocity and verified BC in the calculator for numbers you can dial.

Bullet
Hornady 140 gr ELD-M
Muzzle velocity
2,710 fps
Ballistic coefficient
0.326 (G7)
Zero
100 yd

Open this load in the calculator

6.5 Creedmoor trajectory table

Zeroed at 100 yd. Drop is bullet path relative to line of sight; elevation is the come-up to dial. Wind column is a 10 mph full-value crosswind. Italic rows are subsonic.
Range (yd) Velocity (fps) Energy (ft⋅lb) Drop (in) Elevation (MIL) Elevation (MOA) Wind 10 mph (MIL)
1002,5702,0530.00.00.00.2
2002,4331,841-3.80.51.80.3
3002,3011,646-13.41.34.30.5
4002,1731,469-29.62.17.10.7
5002,0501,306-53.23.010.20.9
6001,9301,158-85.14.013.51.1
7001,8141,023-126.35.117.21.4
8001,701900-178.16.321.31.6
9001,592788-241.97.625.71.9
1,0001,485686-319.59.030.52.2
1,1001,382594-412.810.635.82.5
1,2001,282511-524.412.441.72.8
1,3001,188439-657.214.348.33.1
1,4001,102377-814.816.555.63.5

This load passes below the speed of sound at roughly 1,400 yards in standard conditions. Trajectory predictions become unreliable through and past the transonic zone.

Learn more

New to reading a table like this? These guides explain the numbers:

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