6.5x284norma For Long Range Hunting?

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hello everyone

I am currently trying to figure out and pick a calibre to get a custom made long range sheep gun made up and i have for the most part settled on the 6.5x284norma but i am concerned on its hitting power at longer ranges. I would be using it for both sheep and elk and hoping to be able to use it out to 1000 yards. I figured you guys would be able to help me out with if it is capable of having the fps and energy at those ranges to still take down animals no problem and have no issues with penetration and expansion on the bullet.

Thanks for the info and help in advance!
 
I don't intend any offense but I think most who would consider hunting that far would already have a lot of time shooting those distances and would have a good handle on what cartridge/bullet would be capable of such a task.

Under ideal conditions at sea level with a 140 Berger I would think 800 would be about max though there is much better options for elk.
 
thanks for the reply, no offence taken at all. im newer to the reloading and wanting to get into the longer range shooting, not planning to get a gun made up and go attempt a long shot on an animal until ive spent lots more time shooting further and becoming better and what not just wanting to get info on it and get a gun that is capable of it and that i can learn with and become capable myself then consider longer shots.
 
Sounds like a good plan. 6.5's are good choices for longer range shooting and you might also consider a 6.5-06, 6.5 Saum or a 6.5 Sherman with the 140 Berger or 150 matrix. 7mm would also get you out there with a 180 Berger or possibly some of the new accubonds. There is of course options in 30 cal too.

In my experience lighter guns (like 6lb sheep rifles, or the light weight scopes usually found on them) don't always lend themselves to long range shooting so perhaps you would be willing to trade some weight for a more stable platform.
 
You won't get much expansion at that range due to the low velocity, which is bordering on subsonic. That said you get plenty of penetration so it will poke a hole though. It would be like shooting a whitetail at 125m with a .22lr....you would want to be very confident in your skill level to take that kind of shot.
Years ago the PGW boys were pretty active on here and I remember a few hunt pics they posted of some deer taken at 600-800m. They were using .338 lapua (and their own PGW made rifles) which dropped them on the spot. Those boys can shoot though...lol.
Here is a good read on the plane jane .284 and what it's capable of.
http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek088.html
 
im currently using a sako 300wsm just was thinking of a smaller cartridge for long range instead of the big 300 and ive heard lots about the 6.5's and the other one i was suggested was a 280ai but heard the 6.5 would outperform them in long ranges.

thanks for the info and i will deff read that info on the link.
 
We had bullet blowup at 500+600 yards on cow elk with 168gr "Burger" bullets.[orange box] From a .300 RUM.......sketchy performance at best IMO......Harold
 
Have to agree here that at 1000 yards you don't have "very much gun", especially not for Elk.

Even for sheep at 800 yards with that caliber you would be lucky to still be packing 1500 fps/700'ish pounds with a 130 grain bullet.

I would step up to a magnum caliber looking at the kind of distance (like maybe a 257 Wby or a 26 Nosler for sheep).

And for Elk at 1000 yards I would be looking for a caliber that started with a 3 and ended with Magnum, plus a new shoulder to swap out the old one after shooting enough to actually ethically take a shot at 1000 yards.
 
Running a hunting vld at 1000 yards, at my elevation and temps you would still be close to 1600fps and 800lbs which may be a little light, but would get the job done. I would worry more about learning the wind than being under gunned with the 6.5-284. If you atart playing the ling distance game You will find bullet selection to be more important than what you fired it from. The 6.5 with a berger vld will do better at 1000 then a 300rum with a 180 partition.
 
Always interesting to hear everyone chime in on the ethics of long range hunting. You gotta have stones to say you want to shoot an elk at 1000 yards around here with anything less than a 50BMG or 105mm Howitzer. I think if your end goal is to put an elk on the ground from a grand, you should talk to the guys at Gunwerks, they have been doing that for quite some time now and have done a good job perfecting the craft. They have several rifle platforms they build and sell that can do it, however they are extremely pricey, but more importantly they have developed their own 7mm long range cartridge designated the 7LRM, which I believe is a 375 Ruger case necked to 7mm. It is on my bucket list of cartridges to try before I get planted, and I am sure it will do what your looking for.
 
I have bin looking at 26 nosler I like its has 400 yard point blank range so I think I can safely shoot just about any thing out to 400 yards
I know past 400 yards will be way beyond my shooting skills and it's too far for me to pack haahaa
 
For the ranges and animals you're talking about, the best choices are the 7mm or 300 RUM, using Matrix bullets or Accubonds not Bergers. My 7 RUM drives 160 ABs at 3500 FPS from a 26" barrel and my 300 RUM will do 3300 with 200 gn ABs from it's 26" barrel and both these guns will shoot 1/2 moa for 3 shots, when I'm having a good day.
1000 yards is a long ways out............but not impossible after a few thousand rounds of practise.................and a very accurate range finder.
 
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