Two of the most popular cartridges in the world are the 6.5 Creedmoor and the 9mm Lugar. Both of these rounds have seen extensive use in both the civilian world and military world. However, these two rounds are very different and are used for very different tasks. So let’s see why they are so different and what makes them different.
Here is the short answer:
The 9mm is a handgun cartridge commonly used for self-defense, while the 6.5 Creedmoor is a rifle cartridge primarily used for long-range shooting and hunting deer size game.
Now that we have looked at the short answer, we can look in-depth at each cartridge, their ballistics, and how they compare in-depth.
In-depth look at the 9mm
The 9mm is a versatile and widely used handgun cartridge. It is also known as the 9x19mm Parabellum, 9mm Luger, or 9mm NATO. It was first introduced in 1902 and has since then become the most popular handgun cartridge in the world and has been adopted by all major military at some point or another.
The 9mm cartridge is known for its manageable recoil, high velocity, and relatively low cost. This pistol cartridge is considered to be the most versatile as it is inexpensive to shoot, small enough to carry around easily, and has enough power to be used for home defense.
Here is a ballistics chart of the 9mm 124-grain jacketed hollow point:
| range (YD) | drop (IN) | wind drift (IN) | velocity FPS | energy ft-lb |
| 0 | -0.9 | 0 | 1150 | 364 |
| 25 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1095 | 330 |
| 50 | 0 | 1.1 | 1049 | 303 |
| 75 | -2.4 | 2.5 | 1010 | 281 |
| 100 | -7 | 4.3 | 977 | 263 |
| 125 | -13.8 | 6.6 | 948 | 247 |
| 150 | -23 | 9.2 | 921 | 234 |
| 175 | -34.8 | 12.3 | 897 | 221 |
| 200 | -49.1 | 15.6 | 874 | 210 |
In-depth look at the 6.5 Creedmoor
The 6.5 Creedmoor is a relatively new cartridge that was developed in 2007 by Hornady. It is designed for long-range shooting and is often used in precision rifles for target shooting and hunting. It is a cartridge based on the 308 Winchester case but necked down to 264 (6.5) caliber. This allows the cartridge to shoot higher ballistic coefficient bullets that produce better long range performance.
The 6.5 Creedmoor is popular not just because of its flat trajectory but also because it is a cartridge with minimal recoil which makes it a popular choice for smaller frame shooters. The 6.5 Creedmoor is a popular choice for deer hunting as it has enough energy to take deer effectively within 500 yards but will still cause minimal meat damage.
Here is a ballistics chart of the 6.5 Creedmoor 140-grain soft point bullet:
| 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 |
In-depth comparison
The 9mm and the 6.5 Creedmoor are two very different cartridges that are designed for different purposes. The 9mm is primarily used in handguns for self-defense, while the 6.5 Creedmoor is used in rifles for long-range shooting. However, these two cartridges can still be compared if you were to look at the 9mm as a PPC round rather than a pistol round.
One of the significant differences between the two cartridges is their velocity. With a 17-inch barrel, the 9mm will produce roughly 1450 feet per second in velocity while a 6.5 Creedmoor can launch bullets upwards of 3000 feet per second. As you can imagine this also translates over the energy as the 6.5 Creedmoor has significantly more energy than the 9mm. This power and velocity difference is due to the much larger case size of the 6.5 Creedmoor which allows it to hold more powder.
Another significant difference between the two cartridges is their recoil. The 9mm has significantly less recoil than the 6.5 Creedmoor. However, for most shooters, both of these cartridge won’t be an issue to handle.
When it comes to cost and availability, both these rounds will be easy to find and are very common. However, the 9mm will cost significantly less to shoot per round than the 6.5 Creedmoor.
If you want a cartridge for plinking at close range, the 9mm is the better cartridge. For long range shooting or hunting, the power of the 6.5 Creedmoor makes it a far better cartridge.