In 2008, Hornady Manufacturing Company expanded the rather short list of factory-loaded match ammo, which has limited police rifles to the .223, .308 and .300Win Mag chamberings with the introduction of the 6.5 Creedmoor, a cartridge designed for precision shooting at ranges out to 1000 yards. A handful of gunmakers saw the potential of this cartridge early on, including DPMS. That company’s new Panther 6.5 Creedmoor is the subject of this review.

Cartridge Details
Over the past decade or so, the 6.5mm bore won the favor of long-range competitive shooters in NRA high power, F-Class, and 1000-yard benchrest disciplines. For the most part, the wildcat 6.5mm-.284Win has been king of the hill, since it can propel high BC (ballistic coefficient) 139- to 142-grain bullets to 3000 fps (feet per second) out of 28- to 30-inch target barrels with accuracy on the order of 1/2-MOA (minute of angle) at 1000 yards.