6.5x284 or 270 win for deer only

[bozo699]

FWIW I have a .270 and like it very much and I have a 6.5*284 f-class savage and like it very well. You can buy great brass for both (Lapua) or (Norma) IMO the only advantage I see in the .270 is the availability of factory ammo. What I havn't seen is a .270 win on the 1000 yard line(WINNING) However the 6.5*284 is
Wayne.

 

[zcrackshot]

I personally have owned six (6) rifles chambered in 270 Win not counting my wife's and son's rifles and not a single one would push any type or brand of 150 gr bullet past 3050 fps with any lot of powder WITHOUT pressure signs but thats probably just something I'm doing wrong. Now with the temp at 10 degrees at the altitude which I hunt at (7000+) I know the bullet will carry farther, I don't need anyone to tell me that as I have made dope charts with real world data just for that purpose. The truth in this scenario is that I've laid in my truck bed at 6500 ft in 10 degrees with the wind cutting through everything I had on at the time and have shot to 1000+ yards with my 270 and a host of others. My rifle, a Remy 700 sports a Pac Nor 24.5" 10 twist and a Leupold 4.5-14 LR with an elevation turret. I have also done the same with my 6.5-284 which is also a Remy that wears a Pac Nor 27.5" 9 twist and currently a NF NXS 3.5-15. Bottom line is that in my hunting realm, the 270 win has no advantage over a 6.5-284. I won't say that I can hit a deer easier than anybody else but if it came down to a nasty snow storm with blistering winds and I had to make a 600 yard shot on a big muley on the last day of a hard earned hunt, I'd surely want my 6.5 in my hands!

 

[Frankr]

Well im at 800 to 1200Ft . I never said the .270 was a better deer round or did i say it was a target round. i said it was my pick, beacuse of my beloved kimber 8400 and that i have never see the velocity out of the 6.5/284 that gave it enough of a edge in real world hunting condition under realalistic hunting ranges for me to pick it over my .270. i did say it has a ballistic advantage but i do not believe it to be significate enough at hunting rifle ranges to make much of a argument. so think what you want.

cfvickers i do believe you are getting the velocity you say you. i have not had any luck with the 264 bore at all,but i love that 140 vld with a 640BC has to be good and at the velocity's you been getting sould be spectacular. a good friend of mine just got rid of a savage long range hunter in 6.5-284 because he could not get it to shoot, he did make 3,050FPS with the 140 VLD but it would not shoot accurately at that velocity and thats the problem i had with the few 264 bores i delt with.

zcrackshot: I can give you many loads for the .270 but i wont. I will give you one-NOW REMEMBER ANYTIME SOMEONE GIVES YOU SOMETHING ON THE INTERNET(or any where else)USE YOUR HEAD
when you start a load, im not sure where to tell you to start,you decide...
WIN case, rem 9 1/2 large rifle primer,powder is IMR 4350 charge is 54.0gr ,bullet burger 150 VLD . velocity out of my rifle's 24" barrel is 3,050FPS. now i have gone to 55grs at over 3,100FPS but that is smoken hot. NOW my buddys rem 700 he shoots the same load 54.5grs at 3,080FPS and i can shoot that load also.I personaly would not be afraid to pick up any .270 win and shoot my load in it with out any signs of pressure. me and my buddy,his dad and several others have been shooting this load for a long time. I have shot my same cases @7-8 times. the load maybe on the warm side but it has allways worked in any .270 i have seen and between us guys that has been alot of rifles over the years. i would never give someone something that i thought might get them hurt, but proceed with caution..Yea i have even had 150's at 3,050FPS out of a 22'' tube. I should'ent say i,we have had 130's over 3,200FPS .Yea in a regular .270 win .And this load has been quite accurate in several rifles.This load is right out of a very old hornady loading manual, i think it's the very first manual they ever had, I know that at one time hornady offered to buy it back and replace it with a new one but my buddy wont part with it.it was his grandpaps.

 

[zcrackshot]

FJIM,
Thanks for taking the time to post that data for me. I researched my latest load info for my 270 and noticed that the charge you are using for 150's is half a grain hotter than what I use under a 140 VLD. I ran into pressure at 53.8 gr of IMR 4350 in a Win case with a CCI primer so I backed the load off to 53.5 gr. I've been using 54 gr of HYBRID 100V with better velocity and accuracy than the 4350 load so I think I'll stick with that for now. IMR 4350 and H4831 have always been my go to powders in the 270 win though. I always try to make them work first!

 

[cfvickers]

FJIM The Savagte LRH is real finicky. I was at first getting amazing accuracy with it then it just fell off. I realized finally that the stock was not set right. That accustock, while it can give a significant advantage, has to be adjusted every time you take it off the gun, and it can take a while to get it just how you need it to make the gun accurate again. I lovethe gun, but not yet determined on the accustock. Mine is shooting groups well under a half inch at 200 yards. with a 130 VLD and 51.8 grains of RL17 doing from 3175-3300 depending on the outside temp with an SD under 5 FPS regardless.

 

[ttfreestyle]

ok now for the hard question.... whats a good hunting load for the 6.5x284... i am using h4831sc and smk 142 for my target load ... would like to try the 120 or 140 nosler ballistic tip.... any suggestions. thanks

 

[Roe]

Many loads will will do the job you're asking.

As you are looking at Nosler BT bullets, also have a look at Hornady Amax 120, 123 and 140gr. I've used the 120gr for maybe 25 deer, the 140gr for a few more and the 120 Nosler BT for double that. I find that they behave the same in deer, dropping them perfectly. I haven't been able to get the 123gr Amax which is the bullet I'd like to use as I have a 20" barrel.

Powder I use is Norma MRP ( about Reloader 22? Confer with a burnrate chart) and I get 840 m/sec (2750 fps) with the 140gr bullets and 880 m/sec (2890 fps) with the 120gr bullets.

I used published max loads from Norma:
http://www.norma.cc/sortimentladd.asp?Kaliber=6,5-284 Norma&Lang=2

In your case I'd just try switching the SIerra with an Hornady and see what happens for accuracy and POI.

 

[kyreloader]

Why not the 140g Berger Hunting VLDs?

I would also look seriously at the 130g Swift Scirocco (BC 0.571).

 

[Erik Cortina]

Why not the 142 SMK's? They work on game too!

 

[cfvickers]

That was my hunting load in my last post. OAL is 3.195 and it is a berger hunting VLD 130 gr. I shot quite a lot ut I am in no way ready to compete for anything. Some days I go out and nothing feels right to me and it shows on the paper.

 

[roninflag]

KILLED A LOT OF TARGETS AND OnE DEER WITH THE 6.5-284. the .270 kills more deer every year though . it is more popular as a hunting round. never shot against a .270 in a match but would like to.

 

[JabaliHunter]

I would say that if you are going the whole hog and building a custom rifle then pick the 6.5. If its a factory gun and/or you want the versatility of factory ammo, then pick the .270. There is nothing overkill about the .270 - its very effective and versatile.

 

[2506]

If you are shooting deer and know your stuff the deer will not know the difference in either. If you are deer hunting and know your stuff you don't need a rifle that will feed from a magazine. The one that was in the chamber is the only one you will need. ;D

 

[headhunter1111]

6.5-284 with Berger 140 VLD's has made more DRT kills than any other rifle I've ever seen. One Oryx, three elk (one on the run that rolled about ten feet and died), 3 antelope, numerous coyotes at various ranges. Lungs are totally pulverized by these bullets and suprisingly little meat damage. This is a G7 .313 BC 140 gr bullet at 3000 fps that packs a punch, maintains velocity (therefore kinetic energy) and is deadly accurate. I suggest using Berger hunting VLD's either way you go though. .270 pushing the 130 gr VLDs at around 3000fps should have the same effect with slightly lower BC and range. IMO the 6.5-284 feeds reliably, I've never seen a failure to feed in a long action, Short actions will probably have problems with mag length with the VLD bullets. JMO

 

[distinguished]

I had a 6.5-284 and the bolt would over ride the round often enough that I didn't trust it for more than the first shot. I also have a 6.5-06 [ballistic twin of the 6.5-284] and it feeds perfectly. Brass is cheap and easy to form just run a .25-06 case through the size die. In a hunting rifle I definately want reliability. All that said, When I go hunting, it seems I almost always go out the door with my .270 in hand.

 

[bozo699]

If you are shooting deer and know your stuff the deer will not know the difference in either. If you are deer hunting and know your stuff you don't need a rifle that will feed from a magazine. The one that was in the chamber is the only one you will need. ;D

I have shot deer with guns ranging from .22 rimfire to .460 weatherby mag and even up to 58 cal muzzle loaders with 710 grain steak buster bullets and sometimes one isn't enough! I agree if you do your part
(shot placement) its usually a bang flop but not always!
The will to live never seizes to amaze me while out hunting. Like I said I have put wounded deer out of there misery with a .22 rimfire, bang flop done. I also have hit them in the boiler room with a 710 grain bullet and have had them run out of sight, Oh it killed them, I just had to find them.I think any of the legal hunting calibers out there are capable of cleanly killing a deer.
The 6.5*284 or the .270 is a wash, its simply a preference thing. The 6.5*284 is more accurate @ least @ extended ranged but most hunters don't take those ridiculously long shots most hunters shoot inside of 500 yards and either of the two guns mentioned are more than capable of doing that! It comes down to preference ONLY! do I want to have to always load for my rifle or do I want to be able to buy off any Ma & Pa's country store shelf? Do I already own one or the other or do I own both and already know which one I like best. But one is not better than the other for killing a little deer. both are capable of 3000 fps with the same weight bullet so it then comes down to size .277or .264
.277-.264=.013 do you think a deer will notice .013 :
I don't think so.
Wayne.