Federal's High-Pressure 6.5 Creedmoor +Peak Earns Guns & Ammo Award

Guns & Ammo magazine has named Federal's 6.5 Creedmoor +Peak its Ammo of the Year for 2026, Hunting Life reports. It is the second year in a row the magazine has honored Federal's Peak Alloy case technology.

Key points

• Repeat honor: The 2025 award went to Federal's 7mm Backcountry, which also uses a Peak Alloy case.
• Fits current rifles: The +Peak load keeps the outside dimensions of a standard 6.5 Creedmoor, so it works in rifles already chambered for that round.
• Higher pressure: The patented one-piece alloy case is loaded to 80,000 psi, compared with 65,000 psi for brass cases.
• Speed: The announcement cites velocities up to 300 fps faster, topping 3,000 fps in select loads, with similar perceived recoil. It also says the round outpaces 6.5 PRC by up to 100 fps.
• Who benefits: The release points to shooters who favor smaller, lighter, shorter-barreled rifles, often set up for suppressors.

Quick take

Tom Beckstrand, Rifles & Optics Editor at Guns & Ammo, said the design lets more shooters try Peak Alloy without buying a new rifle, and that a 130-grain Terminal Ascent load gains roughly 300 fps over a brass-cased version. Jesse Whiteside, Federal's vice president of product development, said winning two years running "speaks volumes" for the future of centerfire ammunition.

Read the full story at Hunting Life.