The 257 Weatherby and the 6.5 Creedmoor are two very popular big game hunting cartridges, but which cartridge is better? Why is one better? When would you want one over the other? In this article, I will answer those questions and more.

Here is the short answer:

The 257 Weatherby has more energy and less drop than the 6.5 Creedmoor. However, the 6.5 Creedmoor is a more available cartridge and is less expensive to shoot. If you are looking for maximum energy go with the 257 Weatherby, if you want availability, go with the 6.5 Creedmoor. 

With the short answer out of the way, we can look in depth at each cartridge, see what each cartridge is good at, and see when you would want one cartridge over the other. 

6.5 Creedmoor

The Creedmoor was made in 2007 by Hornady ammo. This cartridge was made specifically for long-range target shooting and it is great at that task. The 6.5 Creedmoor was made by taking a .30 Thompson case and necking it down to fit a 6.5 caliber bullet.

The 6.5 Creedmoor is typically used for long-range target shooting and big game hunting. 6.5 Creedmoor is great for hunting deer, antelope, and hogs due to its high energy, low wind drift, and high velocity. This cartridge is common among target shooters because of its great BC (ballistic coefficient). Ballistic coefficient is basically just a summary of a cartridge’s ballistics put into a calculation. 

The 6.5 Creedmoor, with a 200-yard zero, has 48 inches of drop at 500 yards, which is similar to the drop of a 270 or 308 Winchester. Energy-wise, the 6.5 Creedmoor has just under 2500 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle and just over 1000 foot-pounds at 500 yards. Overall, the 6.5 CM is a good choice for any hunting application within 500 yards and any target shooting application.

257 Weatherby

The 257 Weatherby, also known as, the 257 Weatherby magnum, is a high-power cartridge that has high velocity and a lot of energy. The 257 was introduced in 1948 and was made by taking a 375 H&H magnum, shortening it to 2.5 inches, and then necking it down to a .257 caliber bullet.

The 257 Weatherby magnum was a cartridge that was made to be a super fast shooting cartridge that can be used for hunting and long-range shooting. Because the 257 is a small bullet with a big case it has a lot of energy so it is popular among deer and elk hunters. This cartridge is good for big game hunting and occasionally finds its way into long-range target shooting, but that is all it is used for.

Launching a bullet well over 3000 feet a second is a title not claimed by a lot of cartridges, but the 257 Weatherby can claim that title. The 257 Weatherby shoots a 110-grain bullet at over 3400 feet a second and has almost 3000 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle. At 500 yards, with a 200-yard zero, the 257 has about 30 inches of drop and 1350-foot pounds of energy.

Which cartridge is better

Now that we have looked in-depth at each cartridge, we can look closer at which cartridge is better and why.

If you are looking for the most powerful cartridge out of the two, then you will want the 257 Weatherby Magnum. The 257 is a faster-moving bullet in a bigger case so it has more energy than the 6.5 Creedmoor. However, for hunting deer size animals, then either two cartridges will do. 

Availability wise the 6.5 Creedmoor far outcompetes the 257. The 6.5 CM is a cartridge that has blown up in popularity in the past years so it is far more available than the 257, which never gained too much popularity.

As far as which cartridge has less recoil, the 6.5 Creedmoor takes the cake. While the 257 Weatherby is not a very heavily recoiling cartridge, the 6.5 Creedmoor is in a smaller case so it does have less recoil.

When it comes to long-range shooting or plinking, the 6.5 Creedmoor is a better choice than the 257 Weatherby Magnum. The 6.5 Creedmoor was made for long-range target shooting and is known for being great at such a task so, it is the better option. And if you were to go plinking, the 6.5 CM is cheaper to shoot making it better for plinking. 

Conclusion 

If you are hunting animals such as elk or deer, you will want the 257 Weatherby. The 6.5 Creedmoor is a better choice If are going to be shooting a lot or doing long-range target shooting.