Love the round or loathe it, the 6.5 Creedmoor has long proven it is no flash in the pan. A quick search of new and used listings turns up hundreds, if not thousands, of such chambered firearms.
After years of testing dozens of guns, here are a handful of our favorites for pursuing varmints, pronghorn, deer, or even larger game.
Spoiler alert: they’re not all bolt actions, nor are they all even rifles. Curious? Read on.
LONG RANGE HUNTING: Browning X-Bolt Mountain Pro
The X-Bolt Mountain Pro is young but already garnering a following. A member of Browning’s proven X-Bolt family, the Mountain Pro is a lightweight, backcountry-style big game rifle. The full carbon-fiber stock uses 360-degree braid, along with a carbon-fiber bedding block and modern camo graphics.
There’s a 22-inch barrel with a choice of either Burnt Bronze or Tungsten-toned Cerakote metalwork. The spiral fluted bolt looks good and runs smooth. Browning’s proprietary Recoil Hawg muzzle brake is advertised to reduce felt recoil up to 75 percent. Hunters using a suppressor should look to the Mountain Pro SPR with its 4-inch-shorter barrel and belled muzzle ready for a can.
While we’re high on the Mountain Pro family for the included features and built materials, it’s difficult to be disappointed by the accuracy and features on any of Browning’s many X-Bolt rifles these days. For more affordable buys, check out the related X-Bolt Speed and Stainless Stalker.
Dig old-school wood stocks? Feast your eyes on the X-Bolt Hunter with its walnut stocks, or better still, the X-Bolt White Gold with its engraved stainless against glossy maple and rosewood.
RELATED: Into Hell’s Canyon – Browning X-Bolt in 6.5 Creedmoor
Honorable Mention: Savage Arms 110 High Country
HUNTING MEETS COMPETITION: Mossberg Patriot LR Tactical
One of the newest guns on the block, Mossberg’s Patriot LR Tactical is also one of the best budget buys in its class. The Patriot LR Tactical is, of course, built on the company’s proven Patriot bolt-action family. However, this latest iteration bridges the hunting and competition shooting markets with a full-featured rifle capable of doing both.
The 6.5 Creedmoor uses a 22-inch medium bull barrel that is threaded and ready for brakes or cans. The rifle feeds via an AICS-style magazine, giving it a 10+1 round capacity out of the box. The rig is quite customizable, especially with an MDT stock that’s adjustable for both length of pull (LOP) and comb height.
The vertical grip and user-adjustable trigger help with comfort and accuracy. There’s a 20-MOA top rail, spiral fluted bolt, and M-LOK forend rails. While there are more expensive, loaded, hefty rifles in its class, Mossberg’s version is too solid an entry point – with impressive distance accuracy – to ignore.
Honorable Mention: Daniel Defense Delta 5
RELATED: New Mossberg Patriot LR Tactical Bolt-Action Rifles
LEVER ACTION HUNTERS: Henry Long Ranger
Few hunters think of a lever action when asked about the best 6.5 Creedmoor hunting rifles. However, overlooking brands like Henry Repeating Arms is always a mistake. Long Rangers offer chamberings seldom found on lever guns, each built for fast cycling and accurate shot placement.
It’s no surprise the 100-percent American-made Long Ranger comes dressed in American walnut furniture. The 6.5 Creedmoor uses a 22-inch round blued-steel barrel. Hunters have a choice of either a sighted model with iron sights or a standard model that ships with scope mounts.
Long Rangers feed via a steel dropbox magazine, and each ships with a hammer extension ease of accessibility with a scope mounted. Bolt actions may dominate the 6.5 market, but more traditional hunters are sure to appreciate the Long Rangers, available not only in 6.5 Creed but also .223 Rem, .243 Win, and .308 Win.
Honorable Mention: Browning BLR Lightweight
RELATED: Henry's New 6.5 Creedmoor Long Ranger
AR-STYLE HUNTERS: POF Revolution
Many hunters are quick to write off AR-style firearms. However, the 6.5 Creedmoor serves double duty on such rigs, and POF USA is proof of that success. POF’s Revolution 6.5 Creedmoor actually uses a 5.56 NATO bolt carrier and related parts for a more compact overall size and reduced weight.
Though these modern sporting rifles look tactical, they are more than capable on the hunt as well. The 6.5 Creedmoor is available on either a gas piston or direct impingement action. There’s a single-stage match-grade trigger, nitride heat-treated bolt, ambidextrous Tomahawk charging handle, and fully adjustable buttstock.
The 6.5 Creed uses a 20-inch fluted, threaded barrel with a brake and a unique modular railed receiver (MRR). Buyers have a choice of either black or burnt bronze finishes, with the latter looking darn sharp in the field, while offering lightning-fast follow-up shots.
Honorable Mention: Daniel Defense DD5
RELATED: Daniel Defense Adds 5 New Rifles to DD5 Line
HUNTING HANDGUNS: CVA Scout V2 Handgun
The 6.5 Creedmoor on a handgun? Yes, please. Believe it or not, there are – or have been –several such animals on the market over the years. The one that offers the greatest bang per buck is certainly Connecticut Valley Arms’ (CVA) Scout V2 single-shot, break-action pistol.
A spinoff of the company’s successful and affordable one-shot Scout rifle family, the handgun versions offer many sweet features. They use a synthetic pistol grip and short forestock for controllability. Stainless metalwork and a DuraSight optics rail come standard.
The 6.5 Creedmoor model sports a fluted 14-inch barrel that is threaded and capped, making it ideal for brakes or suppressors. The trigger breaks surprisingly light, crisp, and clean. For the price, usually well under five bills, these handguns shoot lights-out.
Honorable Mention: Savage 110 PCS
RELATED: First Look at Savage’s 110 PCS Bolt-Action Handgun
BUDGET BOLT ACTIONS: Ruger American Predator
The Ruger American line of rifles, like this Go Wild model, is one of the more budget-friendly yet high-performing bolt-action options on the market. (Photo: Jeff Wood/Guns.com)
