6.5-06/6.5-06AI questions from a big fat noob.

manbearpig

manbearpig

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I am seriously considering rebarreling a .25-06 Sendero to 6.5-06 or 6.5-06AI.
my dilemma is that i am just getting into reloading (been putting it off for ages), and 6.5-06 is a reloading-only proposition. so if i decide i am not into reloading, i am pretty much screwed -- selling a custom rifle at a huge loss on the EE is not my idea of a good time.


im looking for a 'do it all' (in Ontario at least) cartridge that is ideal for coyote up to deer/black bear, and the 6.5-06 may also be loaded with something like the 85gr Sierra varmint bullet for long range groundhogging. people out west may think im out of my mind wanting to shoot varmints with a 6.5-06 - but every year i go out groundhogging there are fewer and fewer to be found. when youre bagging ~15 groundhogs as opposed to 150 gophers, you may as well make them count. the .25-06 was my groundhog/coyote gun.


am i biting off more than i can chew? should i just make my life easier and rebarrel to a heavy .270 match barrel? that way i have the option of reloading (even light varmint loads?) or just buying from a wide selection of factory ammo off the shelf. 6.5-06 is ballistically superior to a .270, but is the difference significant enough to lock myself into a wildcat cartridge? how is barrel life compared to a .270?

im open to other suggestions as well. thanks in advance
:cheers:
 
I would go the 6.5 route. I don`t care for the 25/06, had one and didn`t keep it long. I do like the 6.5 i have a couple of 6.5x55 and a pair of 264 win mags and am concidering another 6.5 just need to decide which one. I`ve also been reloading for 40+ years so i don`t really care about factory ammo. I don`t really know why i don`t like the 25 bore but they leave me underwhelmed. You do have a good point about trying to sell a custom rifle, not many are willing to pay what they cost to build. In the end only you can decide what to do, we can only sit back and encourage you to spend,spend,spend.:D
 
Have your Sendero rechambered to 25-06AI, reload and shoot it.....then if you think relaoding a wildcat is up your alley....get it rebarreled in 6.5-06...after shoot the heck out of the factory barrel of course...:D
 
Your going to pay more for wild cat dies but it is the only way to go if you want a 6.5-06. A 6mm-06 would be another good choice for what you want/need. I would fast twist what ever you go with, leave the short 85gr sierras at the store and shoot high BC bullets.
 
reloading can become very adictive ......

but since you have a 25-06 why not reload for that ? ( or is the barrel shot out ? ) .

the cost to set up for reloading is going to be the same regardless of what caliber you choose .
i would start with what you have . then if you decide to rebarrel to 6.5x06 , all you have to do is buy a set of dies .

in fact all your 25-06 brass can be necked up to 6.5mm , assuming they are not wore out . many of the powders out there are also used between the 2 calibers ...... and large rifle primers are used in almost everything :D
 
i guess ill just leave it as a .25-06 for another year and squeeze out whatever barrel life it has left in it, and dive into reloading first for what i have.

dan belisle said:
Buy a 260 Rem. It's the short version. - dan
Click to expand...

id really like a .260, but i dont want to buy any more guns and i was looking for a LA cartridge to rebarrel to.
i have a Savage .308 that will eventually be rebarreled with one of mystic's prefit barrels.
 
Personally I'd go 260AI and then if you keep putting off the reloading you can still shoot factory ammo.
 
If you're going to go 6.5-06 then go 6.5AI since you're going to reload anyway.

If you are worried about the whole custom caliber thing, why not consider a straight .264 win mag? More powder and more noise, but no custom dies and factory ammo helps the wallet a bit.
 
I have no experience with the 6.5-06 AI but I do with the regular version. I don't see any real reason for the AI version as there is already empty powder space in the regular version. I think the attributes of most AI cartridges is that the brass requires less trimming but I don't find that an issue with the regular version. I neck up 25-06 brass with the 6.5-06 die and it comes up short and doesn't need to be trimmed back except for just trimming them to be a uniform length. Fresh brass shoots just as good as fired brass. I use h1000 powder and 140 bergers just under 3000 fps so it's great for longer ranges. I think the dies are fairly easy to come by too. I have an 8.5 twist barrel
 
6.5-06 dies are not much more than regular popular dies (50+ new rcbs). Its a good chambering, I guess it all depends what else you have in your arsenal....for me its so damn close to 270 win. that I can flip a coin.....I still have one of each. Rechambering your 25-06 AI is also a good option if you're looking to change things up.
 
Well if you want to stay with a LA cartridge, nothing wrong with the 6.5-06. I have one, it is a great long range hunting round. You can buy Euro factory ammo as the 6.5x64,but there isn't a lot of that around,either. It is very easy to handload for though, and I think it's a better cartridge then the 270 Win. FWIW - dan
 
Its a good chambering, I guess it all depends what else you have in your arsenal....for me its so damn close to 270 win.
Click to expand...
i dont own a .270, or anything between .22 and .30 cal with the exception of this .25-06.


i have a few more questions:

1. reading some other threads, it seems that the consensus is that a 1:8 twist barrel is ideal for .260/6.5mm-06. any thoughts on barrel length? this is intended to be a LR varmint/coyote gun, not a gun for bench shooting - so i will need to carry it around. has anyone ever put a chopped piece of heavy contour barrel on a scale? roughly how much weight am i looking at per inch of barrel? with .308 not much velocity is lost until you start going below 20" barrel lengths. is there an equivalent 'sweet spot' in .260/6.5mm-06 barrel lengths? would a 24" barrel be acceptable?

2. any clue what the factory Sendero barrel contour equivalent is? id need to know this when ordering, or if there is a reason to change to another contour then i may have to open up the barrel channel on the HS Precision stock.

3. if im sending my rifle to a smith, and the barrel is going to be removed and a match barrel installed, would i be stupid not to have the action trued at the same time?
ballpark what am i looking at for truing an action, installing a barrel, cutting a chamber, finishing the barrel, etc? itll be stainless so no bluing needed.
 
My barrel is 24 inches and I get just under 3000 fps with a 8.5 twist. A 9 twist stabilized the 140s in a 264 win mag sendero 26 inch barrel at 3140 - more velocity can let you get away with a little slower twist I believe.

The sendero contour is plenty heavy enough for accuracy and you can just order that contour from a barrel maker as it is usually listed under their contour chart

I don't know about how much benefit you might get from truing action will have, maybe someone else will. Mines built on a sako and wasn't touched
Barrel 450ish
Chambered and screwed on 250ish
Just have the barrel bead blasted, that's not much
 
Talk to Sean at North Shore Barrels, he is very reasonably priced and he does great work. I think he away on vacation right now, but drop him a pm (jaun valdez on cgn) and I am sure he will get back to you when he returns.

I am watching this thread with great interest as I would like something very similar to what you are talking about here. I have a 260 in a heavy target rifle and it shoots awesome, I think the 6.5-06 in a long range hunting rig would be very useful. Good luck!
 
I guess action length might be a factor but what about a 6.5/284? Similar powder capacity and a SAAMI registered cartridge with factory brass and loaded ammo available.
 
Crashman said:
Talk to Sean at North Shore Barrels, he is very reasonably priced and he does great work. I think he away on vacation right now, but drop him a pm (jaun valdez on cgn) and I am sure he will get back to you when he returns.

I am watching this thread with great interest as I would like something very similar to what you are talking about here. I have a 260 in a heavy target rifle and it shoots awesome, I think the 6.5-06 in a long range hunting rig would be very useful. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Ill second talk to Sean about the barrel...he rebarreled a Savage for me last year in 6.5-06 (shilen)
 
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