The good, the bad, and the ugly of 6.5mm magnums
- Thread starter Jayph
- Start date
Don't forget the 6.5mm RM and the 6.5x68, which is a real screamer. There is also the 6.5mm STW, and, IIRC, someone here had a 6.5mm-.300WinMag.
I would take the .264 Win Mag for ease of reloading and finding factory ammo. The other two you listed are wildcats and would require a fair investment to build the rifle and get custom dies.
If I were to go for a wildcat I'd likely choose a 6.5mm-06, but that is not a magnum so it doesn't help you.
I would take the .264 Win Mag for ease of reloading and finding factory ammo. The other two you listed are wildcats and would require a fair investment to build the rifle and get custom dies.
If I were to go for a wildcat I'd likely choose a 6.5mm-06, but that is not a magnum so it doesn't help you.
.264 Win Mag
+1
I have a .264 Win Mag on a Rem 700 action. Very nice to shoot. Factory ammo ballistically very similar to the .270 Win, though. To get the most out of it requires a careful reload workup.
+1
I have a .264 Win Mag on a Rem 700 action. Very nice to shoot. Factory ammo ballistically very similar to the .270 Win, though. To get the most out of it requires a careful reload workup.
If factory ammo is a must, there aren't many options for the venerable .264 magnum. I'd consider it strictly a reloader's gun as are most of the 6.5 mags. .270WSM or 7mm STW are far better choices if you are stuck with factory ammo....if not, then my vote goes to the .264. Definitely not the most accurate gun/calibre I've ever owned but I'm sure its death count is over 50, including everything from coyotes to moose.
- Location
- Lloydminster
6.5-284?
Oh, stop trying to flog your junk..
Not quite a magnum. How about a 6.5-375 Ruger
Now that could keep a barrel maker in business. Probably equal the 6.5 STW in performance too. Best part: no steenking belt. Like it matters
We had 6.5 WSM rifles built a few years ago and our experience was that the SAUM would likely be a more efficient case to work from. We got good grouping and barrel life (Catnthehat is still shooting the 30" barreled "rifle" after his 28" barreled "carbine" started to throw flyers). We built on B78 actions, so were not constrained by OAL issues.
If I go the magnum route again, I will try the SAUM ( I do have a Mod 70 in 264, but it is disappointing). Generally, for all round use, the 6.5-06 can be loaded as a magnum as is the 270 (the whole "secret to that cartridge is the fact that the max pressure is up in magnum level!). You wind up with a poor man's 256 Newton ( yes, I have one of those too, in a Newton rifle!).
If I go the magnum route again, I will try the SAUM ( I do have a Mod 70 in 264, but it is disappointing). Generally, for all round use, the 6.5-06 can be loaded as a magnum as is the 270 (the whole "secret to that cartridge is the fact that the max pressure is up in magnum level!). You wind up with a poor man's 256 Newton ( yes, I have one of those too, in a Newton rifle!).
I love the 6.5mm bores. I own several non-magnums, and have owned the 6.5mm Rem Mag and several 264 Win Mags. A 264 Win Mag built with a 26-30" barrel is a force to reckon with. With a big load of H5010 or Retumbo, I reached 3300+ pennies with the 140 Partition, and this is a flat shooting load, indeed. With the 264, I have shot all manner of big game, including Moose & Elk. Even the lesser 6.5's seem to kill well, due to excellent penetration of those High BC slender bullets. If I had a yearning to build a new Magnum 6.5 wildcat, I would build one on the SAUM platform, for sure. Regards, Eagleye.
Pathfinder
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Northeast Ontario
Ive enjoyed shooting my 264 WM but Ive got to admit its a little finicky to load for and she heats up pretty good so its not the ideal gun for someone who wants to blast away at the range , I think she will definitely be at home up north on a Caribou hunt where long ranges are a norm.
Ive chronied some factory ammo and the results were disapointing, I guess they thought it was finicky to load for too !
Ive chronied some factory ammo and the results were disapointing, I guess they thought it was finicky to load for too !
The only one I have in a Magnum is a 264 built on a pre 64 win with a 26 inch pipe.
As Pathfinder mentioned mine was very picky as to what it wanted to shoot! I had a hard time finding a sub moa load but when I did it behave very predictable at any range.
I love the gun, catrtridge combo. I have only harvested 1 animal with it, however it worked very well.
The 6.5 mm caliber does not lack much! I have used 6.5x55s and x284s for lots of game and the 6.5s did as well as my 30 cals 338s and 350s.
The only down fall, and I am not being picky but the 6.5s from the 284 win case up have a tendancey to burn out throats quick. Now that being said round count is around 1000 before you will notice anything, and again for a hunting rifle you will notlikely get to that stage. The positive is you do not have to throw your barrel away you can get them set back and your back in business!
As Pathfinder mentioned mine was very picky as to what it wanted to shoot! I had a hard time finding a sub moa load but when I did it behave very predictable at any range.
I love the gun, catrtridge combo. I have only harvested 1 animal with it, however it worked very well.
The 6.5 mm caliber does not lack much! I have used 6.5x55s and x284s for lots of game and the 6.5s did as well as my 30 cals 338s and 350s.
The only down fall, and I am not being picky but the 6.5s from the 284 win case up have a tendancey to burn out throats quick. Now that being said round count is around 1000 before you will notice anything, and again for a hunting rifle you will notlikely get to that stage. The positive is you do not have to throw your barrel away you can get them set back and your back in business!
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I have a Browning Safari in .264WinMag. An extremely frustrating cartridge, in this rifle. It is very accurate with 85gr hollowpoints, poor with anything else. I would not want to shoot big game with an 85gr varmint bullet.
I know you mentionned a magnum, but for most purposes, a 6.5x55 would be hard to beat. If you want a bit more oomph, have the chamber cut for AI.
I know you mentionned a magnum, but for most purposes, a 6.5x55 would be hard to beat. If you want a bit more oomph, have the chamber cut for AI.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
tiriaq, I wonder if your twist is a bit slow. The 6.5's I've had the opportunity to own or shoot have been wonderfully accurate, and they have all be with fast twist barrels.
The 6.5-.284 is, I believe, the best 6.5 round available at this time. I very nearly chose it for my target rifle, but at the last minute fell back to my comfort zone and chose the .308.
The 6.5-.284 is, I believe, the best 6.5 round available at this time. I very nearly chose it for my target rifle, but at the last minute fell back to my comfort zone and chose the .308.
The 6.5 Rem Mag is the equal of the 6.5-'06, and to the 6.5-.284 Win when loaded to fit a short action. It's a touch behind the .264 but uses much less powder, and when both are fired from a 24" bbl the difference is negligible.
That said, it'd be a hell of a lot easier to load (and even faster) if it were chambered in long-action rifles, like the 6.5-285 Norma.
I'm loading the 130 grain Accubond in mine; gets 3100 with a full case of RL22 to essentially duplicate the classic .270 Win loading, with a slightly better bullet.
That said, it'd be a hell of a lot easier to load (and even faster) if it were chambered in long-action rifles, like the 6.5-285 Norma.
I'm loading the 130 grain Accubond in mine; gets 3100 with a full case of RL22 to essentially duplicate the classic .270 Win loading, with a slightly better bullet.
Our family shoots the 260 Rem Ackley (6.5-08 Improved). Our reamer sets the 142 Sierra out a long way, so there is lots of powder room.
With 51 gr of RL22 we get about 3025 fps. With H1000 and RL25 we can get 3,075. This is only 100 fps less than what I was getting in the 6.5-284, with 5 grains less powder.
These are used at all ranges from short range (300 yards) to 1000 yards. My previous long range calibers were 6.5-06, 6.5x55 and 6.5 -284.
Barrel life with the bigger cases was noticably less than with the 6.5x55. The 260 Ackley has about the same case capacity as the Swede.
I have had some real accurate screamers before, and they are fun, but the fun evaporated along with the rifling.
If I was going to build a hot 6.5 for hunting, I would compromise a couple hundred feet per second and a scoop of powder for barrrel life. In a short action I would go for a 6.5-285 or the 260 Rem Ackley. In a longer action I would look at a 6.5 x 55 Ackley. This case would gain in capacity because it has a lot of taper to blow out.
I have a nice M70 in 6.5x55 and looking at the reamer drawings it looks like a 6.5-284 might go in and remove the chamber material without having to re-headspace the barrel.
Anyone here ever convert a Swede to a 6.5-284?
With 51 gr of RL22 we get about 3025 fps. With H1000 and RL25 we can get 3,075. This is only 100 fps less than what I was getting in the 6.5-284, with 5 grains less powder.
These are used at all ranges from short range (300 yards) to 1000 yards. My previous long range calibers were 6.5-06, 6.5x55 and 6.5 -284.
Barrel life with the bigger cases was noticably less than with the 6.5x55. The 260 Ackley has about the same case capacity as the Swede.
I have had some real accurate screamers before, and they are fun, but the fun evaporated along with the rifling.
If I was going to build a hot 6.5 for hunting, I would compromise a couple hundred feet per second and a scoop of powder for barrrel life. In a short action I would go for a 6.5-285 or the 260 Rem Ackley. In a longer action I would look at a 6.5 x 55 Ackley. This case would gain in capacity because it has a lot of taper to blow out.
I have a nice M70 in 6.5x55 and looking at the reamer drawings it looks like a 6.5-284 might go in and remove the chamber material without having to re-headspace the barrel.
Anyone here ever convert a Swede to a 6.5-284?
Pathfinder
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Northeast Ontario
Not too hot for a swede ? I wanted to convert one to 6.5-06 but I was told not to, a few smiths refused outright.
