6.5-284 Short or long action.

[coupalr]

Should I build a 6.5-284 on a long or a short Remington action?

 

[2644ever]

If your intention is to use it as a single shot, get a short action but if you want to use the magazine and have enough case capacity, go for the long action.

 

[arky65]

Hey guys I am new to this forum, but not to shooting. This thread is about a question I have been wandering about so I would like to ask a few more questions about long vs short action for the 6.5/284.

Background to the question so you will now where I am coming from and what I plan on doing.
I shoot a .260 and have for some years. It is great out to two hundred yards with my loads. I have for the last two years on occasion shot out to 500 yards with what I consider poor results. My best to date group is 3.86". Most are 5"-6". I shoot a Ruger M77 Tangsaftey,lets not get into the Ruger issue please) with a 24" Shilen ss barrel I do not know the exact contour but is not a pencil barrel and not bull barrel some where in between, bedded and floated, timmeny trigger. This rifle shoots .4@100yards when I am on. most of the times I can keep them in the .5's. at 200 yards the groups are .75"-1.35".

My questions are

1) is a 6.5/284 with 24" barrel on a short action enough to get 500 yard 1/2 moa accuracy as a single shot rifle.

2) can I take this same combo and use it as a multiple shot rifle and expect to get moa at 500 yards.

3) what grain and brand bullet will be best to achieve either or both

arky65

 

[Raptor]

arky65,
Ok, I won't get into the RRRRRRuger thing, but I will say that I shoot a 260 and it shoots very well to 1000yds.

You don't mention your load or your shooting experience both of which will affect accuracy at longer ranges.

I used 140s and 37 to 38grs of Varget in my 260 and have lately switched to the Lapua 123s using 43grs of H4350. Both of these loads shoot very well to 1000yds. The 123s are shooting .5moa and under @ longer ranges if I do my part.

I have had a couple of 6.5x284s and loved them but they were just to hard on barrels for the amount of shooting that I do. The 6.5x284 is the best long range round I have ever shot. All 3 of mine shot extremly well to 1000yds and were the most consistant rifles I owned.

I really like the 260s and they make a fine long range round in my opinion. Let us know what your load is and what your long range experience is so we may better help you out.

 

[DesertLefty]

Arky,

,1) If you've got a Rugxx that shoots 5-6" groups at 500 yds, then you're doing pretty darn good.

,2) I can,sometimes) shoot 2-3" groups at 500 yds, but only with a long-range match rifle. Your barrel, action, stock and/or scope could all be holding you back.

,3) What kind of brass do you use? Which bullets? "Jammed" or "jumped"? What's the ES on your chrono? The longer the range, the more these things matter. Lapua .243 brass worked well for me. Sierra 142s are VERY popular,because they shoot well in a lot of guns), but the .260 is just a tad undersized for this bullet weight. If you're not trying to stretch much beyond 500 yds, the Lapua/Sierra 123 might be better.

,4) At 500 yds there's not a real big ballistic difference between .260 and 6.5-284. The reduced wind drift from the extra 150-200 fps you get with the 6.5-284 matters more at very long range,or if you're trying to win a benchrest match). At 500 yds the .260,with proper bullets) is still going strong and is a very sweet load.,It might even have the edge due to lower recoil and longer barrel life.)

,5) Lastly,and back on topic for this thread), if you want to have a 6.5-284 repeater, you'll find it a lot easier to do with a long action, especially if it's a Remxxx.

Good luck,

"Lefty"

 

[arky65]

Raptor, Glad to here from another .260 fan.

I will try to fill you and Lefty in on what I am working with.

Load: Lapua 308 Brass necked down with a Lee .260 Die and fireformed. After fireforming I use Redding bushing die with a 289 bushing. SMK 120 Grain bullet, 38.5 grains of Varget. Loaded .005 off. This has for years been my most accurate 100yd load. I have lately played with 38.5 grains VIT 150 which shoots just as well at 100 yds and better at 500 as the varget loads,with much better ES and SD.

Rifle: Ruger M77 Tang saftey trued and squared and acton job,and a timmney trigger adjusted as low as I can get it and still not slamfire. Action bedded, 24" SS Shilen barrel free floated into a Boyds laminate Varminter stock.

Scope: Leupold 24xBR in Ruger Factory rings was used at the last 500 yard session. This my be enough power for some out to 500 yards but I have just put a 36Xbr with dot on it for the next session. Both scopes are sound with no issues.

I use a Hoopes front rest with owl ear bag and Caldwell rabbit ear rear bag.

Experience: My buddy got me into reloading about 12 years ago I wanted to save money and shoot more.LOL. It all started out just wanting to get a more accurate .270 hunting load. Now I seldom hunt and spend most of my off time loading and shooting paper. For 10 years shot about 1-2K rounds a year with several different rifles at 100 yards and on occasion out to 200 yards. Until a couple years ago I seldom shot at more than 100 yards.Me and the .260 could hold our own and it was tit for tat out to 200 yards against my buddy and his rem 700 .308. Then the same buddy set up a 500 yard range at his camp, spends a couple weeks pay having his rem 700 tricked out. Now I can not come close to competing with him now. His rifle consistently shoots 2.25" at 500 yards in a nice little cluster. My groups have no consistent pattern. No two group looks alike.

 

[Raptor]

arky65,
I haven't shot any of the 120SMKs so I am not sure how they shoot in the 260s. It sounds like you may be a little short on experience when shooting out to 500yds.

Its something that takes practice. A slight shift in wind can send a bullet out of your group or anyone of a dozen other things that we do when shooting will really magnify at longer ranges. I have also found that groups that shoot well at 100yds may not shoot so well at 500yds.

I do most of my long range load testing at 400yds. You will also find that using the 24 or 36X scopes will be like shooting through a swimming pool when it gets warmer. The mairage will be horrible at those powers. I use the 10X to 14X out to 1000ys with no problem. I would suggest shooting as much as possible and see if the groups get better if not try a different load. Good luck in your quest.