Which 6.5???

Johnny_Canuck

Johnny_Canuck

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In the next year or so i plan to build myself a rifle. It will be for punching holes in things, paper, cans, deer, coyotes, pretty much anything i point it at and want to poke a hole in out to about 1000 yards or so, maybe farther on a calm day. Specifically i want to poke holes that are .264 inches in em. My questioning to the fine members of this site, which may or may not stir the pot is, Which 6.5??

6.5x55 the trusted and tried swede

.260 Remington with its honorable .308 genes

6.5/284 for the much flaunted preformance but semi difficult to attain brass

6.5-06 because .270 is just too big (please .270 lovers no need to comment, i love my m-70 featherweight in it)

6.5 rem mag, because just cause winchester did it first doesn't mean they got it right

and finally .264 win mag, everyones favorite flat shooter, if not for the 7mm rem mag

I am fully aware of peoples prejudices against the win mag because its a "barrel burner", that is if you fire long strings of shots and don't clean it, i'm looking for opinions, and experiences with any and all aforementioned. right now, from other forums and such I've shortlisted to the 6.5x55,.260 and the .264 winny, but all input is 'preciated

p.s. I did not list the grendel, yes it would be a much better people getter than the .223 and the army should pick it up. .223 is an underweight poodle shooter, no that does not mean i'd like to get hit by one, i just don't want to do the grendel
 
Easy, the 6.5/284 gets my vote. Why, just because, thats all one needs. Secondly I would go with the tried and true 6.5x55. I am looking forward to building one of these in the coming months. Just working on the particulars now.
 
I've shot 'em all, and off all of the cartidges listed , and it would be a tos up between the .260 and the 6.5X55.
Ccase streatch was a bit less on the .260 IIRC.

I really like shooting my 6.5WSSM, but it's a wildcat, and you may not be into something like that, same as the 6.5WSM which I found to be a very good long range hunter and target shooter.

Less hassle than with the .264 mag after you initially turned the necks.
The 6.5/284 is an excellent cartridge also , my son has been shooting his for a number of years now.
It's pretty much the same ballistics as the 6.5/06, so if you are looking at cheap, the '06 wildcat is the way to go.

Cat
 
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Swede. It does it all and there are superb components available. As a someone in the barrel business, I love people that use 6.5X284's, notwithstanding its propensity for eating barrels, it is arguably the most accurate, but there are those that would disagree in favour of the swede.
 
A couple of questions I had for myself when deciding on a medium caliber LR rig were accuracy and recoil.

I wanted something with the best chances for great accuracy. That being said as long as you are using quality brass (Lapua, Norma, ECT...(Very important and make life easier in prep)) and proper loading techniques, any of the cartridges listed "should" work. But which one has the best chances. The only real proof of inherent cartridge accuracy is in the numbers, or to look at what is most commonly being used for the type of shooting you plan on doing. If it's working for the majority chances are it will work well for you. If you’re into experimenting that’s great, I know I am now, however at the time I only wanted the one gun and I didn't want to waist time messing around trying to get the gun to group.

Recoil is something I didn't really understand at the time but I had read enough to know I wanted something reasonable. Now I understand the purpose for that is to be able to recover and see the hit (or miss). Not only that but too much recoil can affect how a person shoots and how much they shoot. Too much and you will end up reducing your overall accuracy, and I know it has been said countless times before but good technique and time behind the trigger are the biggest factors in making the shot. What good is a gun that shoots 1/2MOA if you can’t? With all that being said the recoil can be controlled by the gun you decide to build. More weight = less recoil or possibly a muzzle brake to reduce it. The size of cartridge you choose may have more to do with the size/type of gun you want than its overall performance.

I did not make my choice based on these two things alone but I felt they were a big part over all. In the end I gave up a little horse power for the sake of accuracy (which was good for fuel economy also) and built a heavier gun to reduce the recoil.

I'd tell you which cartridge it was but that is the cartridge that fit into what I wanted and may not be what you want. I will say that all the cartridges listed will do the job. I just though I'd give some insight into how I made my choice, hope it helps.

Dave
 
6.5x55 and .260 are both nice choices. Personally prefer the Swede, due to ability to push the bullet little quicker and Lapua brass.

DSC02262-vi.jpg
 
roberti11 said:
I have a 6.5-270WSM and I love it, but I fear it will be a bbl burner.
My next will be a 6.5-47 Lapua.
Click to expand...
I put 2,500 rounds through my first barrel in 6.5WSM.
It was still shooting under 4" at 500 meters.
Good enough for hunting, but that won't generally win any matches!
Of course, there was a full 4" of throat washed out as well!:redface:
Cat
 
Why not the 6.5 Mystic? From what I have read on the site in mysticplayers sig line, it sounds like a very nice cartridge. It uses less powder than a 6.5x284, which means longer barrel life. And mysticplayer seems to very well with it in F-class.

LeRoys .02 cents
 
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