6.5 creedmore vs. 25-06 vs. 260 Remington?

[Tjurgensen]

Im looking for a new long range coyote rifle. I have a few rifles picked out depending on the caliber. I cant decide between the 260 remington, the 6.5 creedmore, and the 25-06. Ill be exclusively hunting coyotes at most any ranges within 500 yards, and I may be doing some target shooting farther than that. I dont need a fur friendly cartridge so that isnt a problem. Recoil also wont be a problem and I think factory ammo cost is pretty similar between the three. I dont have any experience with the three so any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
~TJ

 

[Sully2]

Ive got a 260 and a 25-06.....Id go with the 250 alone if I had to do it all over again

 

[Clay Target Guy]

I have a 260 and a 25-06 as well and love them both.
If you are planning on running lighter than 100 gr bullets the 25 is the way to fly. However if you are going to run 100 plus gr bullets, I would go for the 260.

Be aware that 25 cal bullets are not as easy to come by as 6.5 bullets are (at least not in my neck of the woods).

 

[gillettehunter]

You don't really have a bad choice in the bunch for what you are doing. I'd lean towards the .26 calibers because the bc's are noticeably better than for the .25 caliber. At longer ranges it does make a difference.
A couple of months ago was discussing the Creedmoor vs the .260 w/ my gunsmith. He leans towards the Creedmoor. Honestly I forget why.....
I have a 25-06 and a 6.5-06. Really do like the 6.5 more. Lot bigger selection of bullets for the 6.5. Best of luck. Bruce

 

[Michael Courtney]

Im looking for a new long range coyote rifle. I have a few rifles picked out depending on the caliber. I cant decide between the 260 remington, the 6.5 creedmore, and the 25-06. Ill be exclusively hunting coyotes at most any ranges within 500 yards, and I may be doing some target shooting farther than that. I dont need a fur friendly cartridge so that isnt a problem. Recoil also wont be a problem and I think factory ammo cost is pretty similar between the three. I dont have any experience with the three so any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
~TJ

If your shots are squeezed for time and you can't get a good range reading, then the 25-06 is probably the better choice because it is higher velocity for flatter trajectories and less sensitivity to range estimates.

If you are skilled at getting ranges fast, the 260 Rem is the better choice because you can dial in the drop and 140 grain high BC bullets will move less in the wind.

The weakness of the 25-06 is that there are no bullets with BCs above about 0.475 and it will always be moving more in the wind than 140 grain bullets in a .260 Rem.

The .260 is a clear winner for shooting paper targets at known ranges.

 

[jlamb]

I've been shooting a 25-06 for years. It's good for coyotes to about 400 yards using the 85-87 grain bullets. I recently had a 260 built. I shoot the 142SMKs thru it. Due to the high BC of the 6.5mm bullets, I'd take the 260 out any day over the 25-06. The 6.5mm bullets buck the wind better and have better downrange performance.

 

[Shane1]

6.5 creed or 260 no question. They're ballistic twins. I'm running 2900 fps with 140 vlds in my 6.5 creed. With a .612 BC it shoots extremely well to a 1000+ for me 6.5 compared to .25 was a no brainer but I'm not limiting shots to 500. Any of your choices would work great inside 500. Over and the 6.5's will really shine. You might also consider a 7.5 or 8 twist 6 mm or .243 of some sort. There are some great high BC bullets and good velocity from many different cartridges in that family.

 

[wbm]

You don't really have a bad choice in the bunch for what you are doing.

The 6.5 Creedmoor is pretty much a proprietary offering from Hornady so you would be limited in component choices so the 260 Remington is better in that regard. The 25-06 is never a bad choice for your intended use.

 

[chas3stix]

The 6.5Creedmoor is great for long range coyotes. Granted, it's not as fast as the 25-06 but it's easier on your shoulder. My 6.5Creedmoor has taken a mule deer and an antelope in the past two years. I wouldn't think twice about using it on a "yodel pup" hunt.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

The 6.5 Creedmoor is pretty much a proprietary offering from Hornady so you would be limited in component choices so the 260 Remington is better in that regard. The 25-06 is never a bad choice for your intended use.

Nosler will soon be making 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition so it will no longer be just hornady. Other companies will probably follow Nosler. I personally would go for the Creed because thats my personal coyote weapon. Its a very devastating coyote cartridge!

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

And Nosler will also be making brass so you will have some decent brass.

 

[jlamb]

Shane-agree with the 243! Very accurate and so close to the 25-06 with a better selection of bullets.

 

[Shane1]

As far as 6.5 creed brass is concerned the hornady brass has been excellent and easy to obtain, nosler is coming, others will follow suit. You can also make it out of 22-250 or anything from the 308 family so that point is really meaningless. Hornady also has excellent factory loaded match ammo thats cheap. 6.5 creed fits in short actions better then 260 with bullets loaded close to the lands and ballistics are equal.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

As far as 6.5 creed brass is concerned the hornady brass has been excellent and easy to obtain, nosler is coming, others will follow suit. You can also make it out of 22-250 or anything from the 308 family so that point is really meaningless. Hornady also has excellent factory loaded match ammo thats cheap. 6.5 creed fits in short actions better then 260 with bullets loaded close to the lands and ballistics are equal.

+1 on that. I think people will see many more companies start making ammo and reloading components for the Creedmoor.