6.5-08 or .284 for moose/deer/bear

CyaN1de

CyaN1de

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
89   0   0
Location
KTSA Regular
So I am pulling one of my F-Class guns apart and building a hunting rifle with it.

SA Rem 700 SPS Stainless action, SPS stock and DM from a 308.

I have 2 barrels to choose from, one being the 6.5-08 Kreiger that is currently on the action or a take off 284 Shehane barrel (also Kreiger)

The 6.5 should feed from the mag with no modification but the 284 is a wider case and I will have to play with opening it up to allow the case to feed from the magazine.

Which would you choose and why?

My current hunting rig is a Savage 270 but I just want something custom.
 
The Shehane would get my nod.

I think loaded with some heavy VLD type bullets in the 180 grain range and you've got a great cartridge for deer/black bear/elk/moose sort of thing.

And I say this as a guy who doesn't own anything in the 7mm/.284 category, but do own .264, .277 and .308.
 
I would rechamber and recontour either barrel to remove all the erosion from those long strings at the range:) The 120gr TTSX in 260 rem=good all around game getter. Same for a rechamber to 7-08 and use the same bullet. Low recoil, flat shooting, field proven. Suggest 23" recontoured to a standard factory dimension. Or 22" with a thin barrel for packing around the hills. If it twer me...and currently I am doing the same...the 260 Rem gets the nod in a Short Action, with the 7-08 a very close second. You already have a time proven long action hunting round in the 270 win. And you have already determined the 260s viability at long range....not much more to say there. I am sure you have some retired Lapua hunting brass screaming for some use in the field some where. May be better to find a Long action for the 284 Shehane to gain the benefits from case capacity on a long throated barrel if you are not considering a rechamber. BTW...darn envious for having some great barrels to play with. If I am not mistaken the kriegers may be have the least issues with recontouring. Have fun shooting bug holes with them. Elkys two cents....
 
Last edited:
The .264 140gr TTSX has a 98% weight retention. (Presumeably %2 is the plastic tip)
My old favorite is the Trophy bonded bear claw, which sadly nolonger comes in .264"
Closest thing is the TSX or TTSX.

There's a good thread;
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=162814
Everything from 85gr speer TNT to 160gr seirra naturalist.
 
Last edited:
Ya I have a few (hundred) lapua brass for the 260 laying around. :-D

Was considering Matrix 168gn FB for the Shehane if I go that route to fit mag.

And will definitely be cutting the barrels and contouring as the 260 is 28" and the 284 is 30"........both straight blank 1.25" dia barrels.
 
Just shoot the one you can shoot best.

Any animal you shoot won't be able to tell the difference what it has been hit with, if you do your job and put a good bullet into the boiler room (lungs).

If you are one of those that insists on breaking the shoulder knuckle, use a tougher bullet.

Personally, I prefer a bullet that goes all the way through and expands well, while retaining at least half of its original weight.

The difference between the two cartridges you have is mostly technical but not different enough to make a real difference in how well the animal goes down.

If the barrels are heavy weights, you may want to turn one down, so that it's comfortable to carry and if necessary, shoot offhand.

The rifle that needs the ways opened to feed would be the latter choice for me.

I've used 6.5 bullets to take Elk, Moose, Bears, Deer, Wolves, Coyotes, Marmots and Gophers. If you use well constructed, 130-140 grain bullets, hit the vitals well, there won't be any issues.

To give and example, a now deceased but good friend and I went on a Moose hunt to Pink Mountain in northern BC, back in 1999. It was a late season hunt, early November. Cold, wind, driving snow, you name it it happened. Cleared up and the temp dropped to -25 during the day.

There were 6 of us in all on that hunt, as we met some fellows up there that had LEH draws as well. To make a long story short, we all ended up in our tent, because it was the only one with a decent stove.

After the 2nd day of the hunt, the only rifle that was functioning properly, was my Remington 700 in 257 Roberts.

All of the 338 Win Mags, 300 Win Mags and a 30-06, that all there considered to be the absolute lightest cartridges and calibres for moose, were non operational.

The first day, one moose was shot with a 300 Win Mag, half a dozen times. Both front quarters were blood shot.

The rest of the moose we took, 5 more, were all shot with my 257 Roberts, loaded with 120 grain Hornady Interlock, flat base, spire points, over a crushed load of H4831, over CCI 250 Magnum primers.

Every one of those moose went down within 20 yards of being shot. None required a second shot.

One received a second shot in the head because the hunter I loaned my rifle to, just couldn't believe the animal was dead, or close to it.

One thing, all of these fellows, were being extra careful about shot placement. In their minds, the extra power their personal rifles had, made up for the lack of energy delivered to the animal.

Now, at longer ranges, say 300 meters or more, that extra horsepower may be needed. Then again, if the shooter is doing their part, maybe not.

I have always been impressed by how much a small calibre bullet, driven at moderate velocities can do and underimpressed at the big, hard kicking magnums.

I used to use a 338-06 for everything. I got the big boomer bug. I'm recoil shy though and hated shooting the 338 Win Mag with a passion. So I went to the 338-06 with 225 grain Hornady Interlock, flat base, spire points at just over 2500 fps.

Then, a worn out rotator cup even made that to painful and for the last five years, I use the 6.5x55 for everything.

Your .260x308, will do anything the 6.55x55 will do.

Your choice. Your labor and fooling around with the rifle. As long as the extractor will work on the 308 case rim, the 260 would be my choice
 
RickF said:
Pick a good bullet and go kill stuff, either will work fine.
Click to expand...

Best advice ever...... Thanks Rick. ;-)

Hope to see you at one or 2 of the shoots this year and if you bring moose I promise not to overcook it again. LOL.

Based on possible resale in the future...... I think 6.5 is the way I am leaning. That and the the fact that I have so much brass for it, it just makes sense.

The Shehane would be a awesome hunting round for anything wandering the woods around my place but apparently so would the 260.

Might keep it slightly heavier contour (thinking Sendero) than a standard "sporter"
 
Last edited:
Split the difference. 6.5 x 284. Will do all. I think the 260 rem is an amazing cartridge as well and not such a barrel burner I that's an issue for you. Have fun.
 
I have chambered many short action 700s to 284 variants and have never had to change a thing as far as feeding goes, no rail work or ramp work they feed just fine as they are. As advised the 6.5-284 is an outstanding cartridge and capable of taking all medium sized game out to extended ranges. I believe it to be a superior cartridge to both the 260 Rem (6.5-08) and the 284 Win. I have used many 284 wildcats over the years and highly recommend them.
 
c-fbmi said:
I have chambered many short action 700s to 284 variants and have never had to change a thing as far as feeding goes, no rail work or ramp work they feed just fine as they are. As advised the 6.5-284 is an outstanding cartridge and capable of taking all medium sized game out to extended ranges. I believe it to be a superior cartridge to both the 260 Rem (6.5-08) and the 284 Win. I have used many 284 wildcats over the years and highly recommend them.
Click to expand...


###222
 
When the Stock and Mag arrive I will try the Shehane brass in it and see how much (if any) dicking around is needed to feed before I make a firm decision.
 
Tried a 284 in 2 current 700 SPS would not feed correctly in either. In fact those 2 SPS short actions one in 308 and the other in 708 would not feed properly right from the factory. Had to alter the internal mag box and stretch the mag spring. I switched the 708 over to a Kwik Clip because it will become a 284 one day.
 
CyaN1de said:
Best advice ever...... Thanks Rick. ;-)

Hope to see you at one or 2 of the shoots this year and if you bring moose I promise not to overcook it again. LOL.
QUOTE]

Sounds good! I plan to shoot some F Class a wee bit later in the summer. Pretty tied up until mid-June but after that... Looking forward to catching up with you guys.
Click to expand...
 
So I decided to go with the 260 (6.5-08 HABU to be exact) as I have the reamer and several hundred fireformed Lapua brass that I can use in it and they fit in the magazine unlike the .284 with even 168gr bullets.

Picked up an SPS stock off the EE, with a WTB ad, that has a removable mag, I dropped the barreled action off with the gunsmith this weekend and hope to have it back when I return to Calgary in mid July. He most likely would have done it this week, and I could have picked it up next weekend, but my shooting partner forgot to bring the reamer with us this weekend. DOH!!!

Barrel will be 25", .700 at the muzzle and contoured to fit the stock (will open up the stock if need be to keep the heavier contour).

Can't wait to get it back and take it to the range.......my first custom Hunting gun.......giggidy, giggidy. :D
 
Last edited:
Probably like most of us on this forum, I already own a .243 (approx. 6mm) and a .270 (approx. 7mm; often referred to as a 7mm-06).
Both of these cartridges have world-wide popularity for very good reasons:
- they provide high velocity with a flat trajectory,
- they are inherently very accurate (usually 1 moa accuracy or less with factory ammo),
- they more than adequate for most N.American small-to-big game,
- factory ammo for them is available everywhere, and always dirt-cheap to buy.

I always read these posts about the popular in-between or similar cartridges (e.g. 6.5x55mm, .260, .284) with great interest.
But really, I like to own what I need. And on a need basis, its difficult to justify the expense of getting into another 6-7mm cartridge.. one in which:
- you either have to buy a new rifle or (as mentioned above) modify an existing firearm to shoot them, and
- you pretty much have to hand-load your ammunition (because factory ammo is unavailable, and/or prohibitively expensive; e.g. factory 7mm-08 ammo is often $40/box).

But as I said, I am interested. And I bet I'm not alone in wanting to know .. what real advantages do these cartridges provide ??
(over and above say the typical combination of a .243 and a .270)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom