I am building a gun but i am not sure about a few things to start with is there any difference in a 6.5-284 norma ,winchester,hornady, if so what? i would like to put a hart #5 barrell and i plan to shoot 140 bergers vlds through it. what twist 8 or 9. also what throat lenght. I am not building a bench gun so i wong go for the neck tension standards like the 1000k shooters.it will probally be a 299 or 300 no turn neck. this gun will be along range hunting rifle and milk jug killer. what are your opinions and thoughts on this. thanks any help appreciated
6.5-284 build on a long action 700
- Thread starter twmule
- Start date
The confusion over names and specifications is a result of the cartridge originally being a wildcat, and in that form is often referred to as 6.5-284 Winchester, as the parent case was the .284 Winchester, necked down 19 thou' from 7mm to 6.5mm calibre. The .284 Win was a fat but short cartridge with a COL of 2.8" designed to be used in short rifle actions.
To get the best from it in either 6.5mm or 7mm form you need an extra half-inch of cartridge length and a suitably throated barrel, this also requiring a long action. When Swedish company Norma Precision picked up on the wildcat, they registered it as 6.5-284 Norma with a COL of 82mm (3.228") and the barrel throated suitably 'long'.
This allows the cartridge to use heavy = long bullets without their having to be seated with their bases below the shoulder. The Hornady Reloading Manual has stuck to the original (wildcat / Winchester) version with a 2.800" COL and bullets seated deep. This reduces the powder charges that can be used, and so the data is very conservative for a true 6.5-284 Norma version. Other manuals that include the cartridge all use the Norma (long) version.
Since you're using a long action, the Norma version is the logical one to have the barrel chambered for. 1-8" rifling twist rate is the norm, although some long-range match shooters prefer 1-8.5". They allow you to use very long match and hunting bullets up to 142gn.
Have a look at the 6.5-284 section on the main (www.6mmBR.com) website - there is a lot of good information there including advice on components and match load powders and charges that should suit you equally well for long-range hunting.
The thing to watch with this cartridge is barrel life. Many target shooters keep their loads below maximum to get another 200 or 300 rounds life out of it. This may be less of an issue for you depending on how many milk jugs you 'kill' in a year and how much testing and practice you do.
The alternative to 6.5-284 is the long-throat version of the parent case - ie a return to the 7mm / .284 Winchester version, but with the barrel also throated to have bullets seated at around the 3.3" COL mark. This is another fine accurate and very effective long-range cartridge that allows the use of very high BC 175 and 180gn bullets. Whether it suits you better than the 6.5mm version depends on what you plan to shoot and whether a heavier / larger calibre bullet is better or worse. You would lose on the recoil side of the equation, but gain in barrel life, this running aorund 2,000 rounds with sensible loads.
Laurie,
York, England
To get the best from it in either 6.5mm or 7mm form you need an extra half-inch of cartridge length and a suitably throated barrel, this also requiring a long action. When Swedish company Norma Precision picked up on the wildcat, they registered it as 6.5-284 Norma with a COL of 82mm (3.228") and the barrel throated suitably 'long'.
This allows the cartridge to use heavy = long bullets without their having to be seated with their bases below the shoulder. The Hornady Reloading Manual has stuck to the original (wildcat / Winchester) version with a 2.800" COL and bullets seated deep. This reduces the powder charges that can be used, and so the data is very conservative for a true 6.5-284 Norma version. Other manuals that include the cartridge all use the Norma (long) version.
Since you're using a long action, the Norma version is the logical one to have the barrel chambered for. 1-8" rifling twist rate is the norm, although some long-range match shooters prefer 1-8.5". They allow you to use very long match and hunting bullets up to 142gn.
Have a look at the 6.5-284 section on the main (www.6mmBR.com) website - there is a lot of good information there including advice on components and match load powders and charges that should suit you equally well for long-range hunting.
The thing to watch with this cartridge is barrel life. Many target shooters keep their loads below maximum to get another 200 or 300 rounds life out of it. This may be less of an issue for you depending on how many milk jugs you 'kill' in a year and how much testing and practice you do.
The alternative to 6.5-284 is the long-throat version of the parent case - ie a return to the 7mm / .284 Winchester version, but with the barrel also throated to have bullets seated at around the 3.3" COL mark. This is another fine accurate and very effective long-range cartridge that allows the use of very high BC 175 and 180gn bullets. Whether it suits you better than the 6.5mm version depends on what you plan to shoot and whether a heavier / larger calibre bullet is better or worse. You would lose on the recoil side of the equation, but gain in barrel life, this running aorund 2,000 rounds with sensible loads.
Laurie,
York, England
rcw3
Site $$ Sponsor
See reamer attached. Just had one built up on a Rem 700 long action. You don't need to go larger than .298" for the neck. JGS reamers are very high quality with very clean and sharp cutting edges (i.e. makes for a very nice finish in a chamber, throat and free bore).
Robert Whitley
Robert Whitley
Attachments
My personal experience with the 6.5/284 differs from most people. As a hunting rifle you should be able to get 2000 rounds out of a barrel with proper care. Now as a competition rifle where you CAN'T control barrel heat because of time limits, the 600-1000 rounds is the norm. Just remember the 6.5/284 is mainly used for long range competition pushing the caliber to it's limit round after round. Giving it more "barrel burner" comments than it deserves. The bottom line is, barrel life depends on your shooting style. If you shoot fast and hot,you'll smoke one in no time!
therifler
Silver $$ Contributor
I have shot 6.5x284 for a couple years . All 140 gr bullets JLK,Bergerand Amax all my barrels shot well out to 600yds. 1/2 minute or less. The last long range hunting rilfe i built was for coyote medicine. He is shooting 140 berger hunting tips and getting good results . If you would like to see this rig go to www.therifler.com under side tab marked customer testimony.
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