The 6.5 Creedmoor is a solid round that has been increasing in popularity significantly over the course of the last several years. Today, there are more makes and models of rifles chambered for this round than ever before.

But if there is one part of your rifle that is more important than all other parts to ensure that your rifle feeds properly, it’s the magazine. Sometimes when you are encountering jams or feeding issues, it’s not always an issue with the rifle itself or the ammunition you’re using. Sometimes, it’s issued with the magazine that’s causing stoppages on your rifle’s action. Hence, the reason why having the best quality magazines that you can get is so important.

Top Pick	Magpul PMAG 5 AC Magazine	Affordable Lightweight Made of high-quality polymer Retaining tab that holds the magazine is relatively low	$33 Shop NowClick to read my review
	MDT Short Action Metal Magazine	Patented Cerakote finish for superior surface weara and corrosion resistance Robust spring mechanism ensures reliable feeding Tight, secure fit on many AR-10 lowers May require modifications if you chamber short action arounds into it	$67 Shop NowClick to read my review
	Savage Arms 10FC/ 11FC 4RD Magazine	Durable steel construction Lightweight steel constructions Sits flush to the rifle for a clean look Small capacity	$50 Shop NowClick to read my review
	D&H Industries, Inc AR .308/ 6.5 Creedmoor Magazine	Durable and reliable build Has witness holes to view magazine rounds High-visibility orange followers Fitting issues with the 20 round magazine	$21 Shop NowClick to read my review
	Legacy Sports International HOWA 1500 Detachable Magazine	Beginner-friendly, drop-in installation Durable, lightweight molded polymer build Good indentation for easy handling Kit comes with a small magazine release	$69 Shop NowClick to read my review

But if there is one part of your rifle that is more important than all other parts to ensure that your rifle feeds properly, it’s the magazine. Sometimes when you are encountering jams or feeding issues, it’s not because of an issue with the rifle itself or the ammunition, but rather because of the magazine. This is why having the best quality magazines that you can get is so important.

Pro Tip: Want to lower the recoil of your 6.5 Creedmoor? Install a good 6.5 CM muzzle brake!

Why Go With The 6.5 Creedmoor?

The 6.5 Creedmoor is the one centerfire rifle round that has been rising in popularity faster than any other centerfire rifle round these last few years.

Previously, the .308 Winchester had been the best-selling and most common centerfire rifle round for decades. And while the .308 still holds that distinction now, the 6.5 Creedmoor is undoubtedly the one caliber that has been threatening its reign.

The 6.5 Creedmoor is designed to function in rifles with the same short action design as the .308 Winchester. Despite this, the 6.5 Creedmoor offers much superior ballistics. Unlike the .308, which belongs in the .30 caliber rifle category, the 6.5 Creedmoor belongs in the 6.5mm category. However, the .308 Winchester may be a solid round, but the 6.5 Creedmoor can hit harder and shoot flatter at longer ranges while also offering just a little bit less kick.

The 6.5mm series of calibers, which originated in Europe, has long been praised for their high velocities and flat trajectories at longer ranges. Today, there are more rifles chambered for the 6.5 Creedmoor than there ever have been before. This holds true for both semi-automatic rifles such as the 6.5 Creedmoor and bolts action rifles such as the Remington 700, Howa 1500, or the Ruger 77.

And as an added benefit, the 6.5 Creedmoor can also function in most .308 Winchester magazines since the dimensions are so similar. In other words, if you have an AR-10 in .308, you can swap it out to a 6.5 Creedmoor by replacing the barrel and upper receiver, but you will not need to swap out the magazines.

How Many Magazines Should You Stockpile?

Just as you can never truly have enough guns or ammunition, you can never truly have enough magazines either.

While it is impossible to have too few magazines, it is possible to have too many.  You should stock up on as many magazines for whatever caliber you plan to use, considering the current state of gun and parts shortages.

Even if you only use two or three magazines at a time, there is no harm in storing up more magazines. It is easier to fire more rounds at the range if you have a number of magazines on hand.

But how many magazines should you get? Honestly, at this point, as much as your budget can afford. Many people will argue that buying too many magazines is simply a waste of money and may claim that two or three is really all that you need. But the truth is that the whole purpose behind buying numerous magazines is not so that you can carry all of them on you at once while you are using your rifle. Rather, the point is to stockpile them for later use.

A good general rule is to ensure is to have at least five or six in your possession, or more to be truly comfortable. The bottom line is this: when you purchase a 6.5 Creedmoor magazine, don’t just use the magazines that ship with the gun. Buy a few extra magazines when you buy the firearm as well.

Parts of the Magazine

Follower

The part of the magazine where the ammunition rests. The follower is pushed upwards by the spring, which enables the rounds to be loaded into the magazine. Spring tension will always push the follower upwards to feed the rounds consistently.

Spring

The Spring pushes the follower up to feed rounds into your AR. A properly working spring is absolutely critical to get consistent feeding of your AR Cartridges. You should choose a magazine with a heavy-duty, heat-tempered spring.

Floor Plate

The floor plate is the bottom piece of the magazine connected to the spring. It forces the follower upwards at all times.

Body

The body of the magazine is the metal or polymer construction that holds all the other components and houses the actual cartridges. It’s also the part of the magazine that you handle directly and is responsible for the general performance of your mag. You need to choose a durable material that can survive the external elements. A poorly made magazine will dent and deform when dropped and can cause feeding issues later on.

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Buyer’s Guide For Finding The Best 6.5 Creedmoor Magazines

These are the most important factors to consider when looking for a new magazine for your 6.5 Creedmoor rifle:

Finishing

If your magazine is built out of metal, aluminum, or steel, it should ideally come with a high-quality finishing that helps to enhance the durability of the magazine as well as make it more resistant to rain and corrosion. One of the very best options is black nitride or an oxide finish, the latter of which will help make your magazine easier to grab onto in slippery conditions. Take note that magazines made out of polymer will not come with a finish over them but will still be very resistant to the elements.

Build Materials

Almost all magazines are built out of either polymer or steel material. Between the two, steel and metal magazines are definitely more expensive, but they are also a lot more durable, and even more so when coated in a rust-resistant finish. Polymer magazines may not be as durable as metal, but they are still durable in their own right and come with the added benefit of being very lightweight.

Smooth Feeding

This is absolutely imperative for your magazine. The whole point of a magazine is to feed ammunition into the chamber in order to ensure continuous firing until the firearm is empty. If anything, the magazine has a greater impact on the reliability of your rifle than anything else. The magazine should have a very robust spring and a high-quality follower to guarantee optimal reliability.

Non-Slip

Finally, the magazine should come with a design that’s easy to grab onto in wet or slippery conditions. It may come with a finish that offers greater friction. Alternately, it may have lines or indentions on the outside that make it very easy to grab onto as well. Alternatively, it may have a flared base so it will be less likely to slip in your hands as well.

Smooth Ejection

Last but not least, your magazine should eject smoothly and freely out of your rifle as well. In other words, when you hit the magazine release button, the magazine should drop freely from the weapon without you needing to grab onto it to remove it yourself.

The Best 6.5 Creedmoor Magazines

Now that we’ve covered why you need to upgrade your magazines, here are the top four best magazines available for your 6.5 Creedmoor rifle:

Magpul PMAG 5 AC Magazine

If you’re looking for a lightweight and affordable 6.5 Creedmoor magazine, then try out the Magpul 5 round PMAG AC magazine. This magazine is designed to fit in an AR-10 lower, will work for the .308 Winchester, and should also run the 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition as well.

This Magpul PMAG magazine is built out of high-quality polymer and is considered the gold standard for polymer magazines. Although not as durable as metal, this polymer mag provides enough give to allow the rifle to function properly while also being extremely lightweight. The flared base of this magazine also makes it very easy to get a hold of, whether it’s drawing it from a mag carrier or ejecting it out of the rifle.

This magazine costs a lot less than many factory AICS pattern magazine. It will work just as well if not better allowing you to easily purchase and replace magazines should you need to. You’ll also be able to find a 10 round version if you need a little more rounds in your magazine.

MDT Short Action Metal Magazine

If you’re looking for an AICS style magazine, then look out for the MDT Short Action Metal Magazine. The MDT Short Action Metal Magazine comes in 5-, 10- and 12-round capacities. Each magazine is built out of high-quality steel giving your durable options for whatever capacity you choose.

The MDT Short Action Metal Magazine comes in a proprietary Cerakote finish inside and out. So, it gives you amazing surface wear and corrosion resistance while giving you minimal friction for a smooth feed.

They’re designed to secure tightly onto your rifle and drop freely upon ejection. The advanced spring mechanism is very robust on the MDT Short Action Metal Magazine. Thus, ensuring reliability on your magazines after every round.

Savage Arms 10FC/ 11FC 4RD Magazine

If you’re looking for a versatile compact hunting magazine, then you might want to try out the Savage Arms 10FC/11FC 4RD Magazine. These AICS patterned stackable magazines only hold four rounds, making them great for transport but a poor option if you’re looking to shoot at full auto.

The Savage Arms 10FC/11FC 4RD Magazine is formed from durable welded high-quality steel with a heat-treated spring for a flawless, reliable rifle feed. This small capacity magazine is also compatible with the 243 Win, 7mm-08 Rem, 6.5 Creedmoor, 260 Rem, 308 Win cartridges.

D&H Industries, Inc AR .308/ 6.5 Creedmoor Magazine

If you’re looking for a no-nonsense magazine, then it’s worth checking out the D&H Industries AR 308/ 6.5 Creedmoor Magazine. These magazines are some of the most reliable, lightweight metal magazines on the market. This is in part to this magazine’s slick Teflon compound finish that promotes smooth feeding and offers great corrosion resistance.

The D&H Industries AR 308/ 6.5 Creedmoor magazines have witness holes that allow you to see when you’re running out of ammo. To keep rounds in place and aligned, these magazines come with high-visibility orange, anti-tilt followers designed to work similarly to Magpul anti-tilt followers.

The D&H Industries AR 308/6.5 Creedmoor Magazines come in 5- and 20-round magazine capacities. However, some people have reported fitting issues with the 20-round variant so it might be worth sticking to the 5 round capacity instead.

Legacy Sports International HOWA 1500 Detachable Magazine

The Legacy Sports International Howa 1500 Detachable Magazine Drop-in Kit is one of the very best magazines to go with if you have a Howa 1500 in 6.5 Creedmoor. This magazine comes in a 5- or 10-round capacity magazine that also includes a drop-in bottom metal assembly that replaces your rifle’s trigger guard, hinged floorplate, and the surrounding frame.

The Legacy Sports International Howa 1500 detachable magazine is built out of a high-quality impact-resistant polymer with lines and indentations that make it easy to grab onto in slippery conditions. Even though it lacks a coating or finish as a polymer magazine, it should still hold up well in rough conditions.

Wrap Up

And that concludes our list of the top four best magazines for 6.5 Creedmoor rifles for 2022.

For our top pick, we go for the Magpul 5 Round PMAG AC Magazine. This lightweight and durable Magpul PMAG AC magazine is one of the very best choices for an AR-10 in 6.5 Creedmoor. It’s affordable, plentiful, and well-made.

The magazine of your rifle is absolutely integral to ensuring that the weapon functions reliably and that rounds feed without issue into the cylinder. The respective magazines we’ve covered here may or may not be compatible with your rifle styles.

Alternatively, if you have a firearm that will not accept the magazine above, just follow our buyer’s guide that we outlined above when looking for one.

Let us know what you think in the comments, whether you own any one of the four mags we’ve covered here today or you have different ones.

Relevant Reads:

• Best 6.5 Creedmoor Muzzle Brakes
• 20 Best 6.5 Creedmoor AR for Long-Range & Hunting
• Best 6.5 Creedmoor Uppers

Featured image by RobEvans123