Two of the most common long range shooting cartridges are the 6.5 Creedmoor and the 338 Lapua. Both of these cartridges have made their reputation as two of the best long range shooting cartridges out there. While these two rounds are used for a common task, they achieve it differently. So in this article, we will compare these two rounds to see why they are used for what they are used for, and how they compare.
Here is the short answer:
The 338 Lapua is a powerful long range cartridge designed for extreme distances. The 6.5 Creedmoor is a less powerful cartridge that is cheaper to shoot, more common, and can be used for hunting animals like elk or deer.
Now that we have looked at the short answer, we can look closer at the cartridges, their history, their ballistics, and see how the two cartridges compare in-depth.
An in-depth look at the 338 Lapua
The 338 Lapua was developed in the 1980s as a cartridge that would be used for long range snipping. Today it is still used to shoot as far as 2000 yards, but is slowly becoming less and less used as cartridges get more developed and more efficient at long range shooting in smaller and smaller cases.
Compared to other 338 cartridges the Lapua stands out. The first and most notable is the fact that it has a larger case than most other 338 cartridges such as the 338 Win mag or the 340 Weatherby Magnum. The other most prominent feature is that it uses bullets which are 50-100 grains heavier than any other 338 cartridge. Basically, the 338 Lapua magnum takes the performance of all the other 338 cartridges and steps it up a level.
As you can imagine, there are some issues with a cartridge of this size. The first is that the 338 Lapua produces a significant amount of recoil. The second issue is that the 338 Lapua is very costly to shoot due to its large case size. The third issue is that the 338 Lapua is not very versatile and can only be used for long range shooting as it is either too heavy or too powerful to be used as a hunting cartridge.
Here is a ballistics chart of the 338 Lapua with a 300-grain Accubond bullet:
| Range (YD) | drop (IN) | wind drift (IN) | velocity FPS | energy ft-lb |
| 0 | -1.5 | 0 | 2650 | 4678 |
| 50 | -0.1 | 0.1 | 2588 | 4461 |
| 100 | 0 | 0.4 | 2527 | 4253 |
| 150 | -1.3 | 1 | 2467 | 4053 |
| 200 | -3.9 | 1.8 | 2407 | 3860 |
| 250 | -8.1 | 3 | 2349 | 3674 |
| 300 | -13.9 | 4.4 | 2291 | 3495 |
| 350 | -21.3 | 6.2 | 2234 | 3324 |
| 400 | -30.5 | 8.3 | 2178 | 3159 |
| 450 | -41.6 | 10.6 | 2122 | 3000 |
| 500 | -54.5 | 13.2 | 2068 | 2847 |
An in-depth look at the 6.5 Creedmoor
The 6.5 Creedmoor was introduced in 2007 by Hornady as a long range target shooting and hunting cartridge. It quickly gained popularity among hunters and competitive shooters due to its excellent accuracy, low recoil, and versatility.
Popularity for the 6.5 Creedmoor started to pick up after the ballistics showed just how well this cartridge performs. The 6.5 Creedmoor offers ballistics similar to that of its parent case 308 Winchester, only with less recoil, better energy retention, and better ballistics. Because the 6.5 Creedmoor can do everything from hitting targets out to 1000 yards to take game as large as elk.
There are no real downsides to the 6.5 Creedmoor. it is a well-rounded cartridge that can handle almost every task. Now obviously it can’t take game like moose, and it is on the lighter side for elk, but for anything other than that this round is a strong contender.
Here is a ballistics chart of the 6.5 Creedmoor with a 140-grain soft point:
| range (YD) | drop (IN) | wind drift (IN) | velocity FPS | energy ft-lb |
| 0 | -1.5 | 0 | 2750 | 2351 |
| 50 | -0.1 | 0.2 | 2647 | 2177 |
| 100 | 0 | 0.8 | 2546 | 2014 |
| 150 | -1.2 | 1.7 | 2447 | 1861 |
| 200 | -3.8 | 3.1 | 2350 | 1717 |
| 250 | -8.1 | 5 | 2256 | 1582 |
| 300 | -14.1 | 7.4 | 2163 | 1455 |
| 350 | -21.9 | 10.3 | 2073 | 1336 |
| 400 | -31.7 | 13.7 | 1985 | 1225 |
| 450 | -43.5 | 17.5 | 1899 | 1121 |
| 500 | -58 | 22.1 | 1816 | 1025 |
An in-depth comparison
When comparing the 338 Lapua and the 6.5 Creedmoor, it is important to consider their intended purposes. The 338 Lapua is a heavy-hitting cartridge designed for extreme long-range shooting, while the 6.5 Creedmoor is a versatile cartridge that is ideal for medium to long-range shooting.
The 338 Lapua is much more powerful than the 6.5 Creedmoor, with a much heavier bullet and more significant recoil. It is designed for shooting far beyond 1000 yards or for tactical situations where long-range precision is critical. However, due to its power and recoil, it is not suitable for most game or target shooting.
In contrast, the 6.5 Creedmoor is a lighter, more accurate cartridge with low recoil. It is suitable for hunting medium-sized game such as deer and antelope, but it is also an excellent choice for long-range target shooting due to its exceptional accuracy.