New Weatherby Cartridge 6.5 RPM

[WeatherbyFan]

Weatherby is going to introduce the new 6.5 WBY RPM cartridge on Sept 1st, it basically looks like an extended 6.5-284 with the rebated rim and a 35 deg shoulder angle, specifically designed to be used in there 6 Lug Mark V action line up, looks like a good cartridge.
Weatherby is really stepping outside the box on this one with no belt and radius shoulder !

 

[STOMP442]

So essentially a 6.5-06 Improved. I love the 6.5-06 Improved and this looks really interesting to me mainly for the factory brass availability, even though it will cost an arm and a leg because it has a big "W" stamped on it.

 

[Evan]

Neat, but I'm not a fan. Weatherby has always been a bit of a romance thing. ditching the radiused shoulder makes it just another cartridge. I'd have been excited to see the 257 necked up to create a 264 Weatherby Magnum instead.

 

[Nomosendero]

So essentially a 6.5-06 Improved. I love the 6.5-06 Improved and this looks really interesting to me mainly for the factory brass availability, even though it will cost an arm and a leg because it has a big "W" stamped on it.

Actually more than a 6.5-06 Imp. because it is a rebated rim, so more like a 6.5-284 "stretch" or limo, so it will have more capacity. It appears the factory ammo is mild, which is as much out of the box for Weatherby as offering a cartridge w/o a belt and w/o their famous shoulder, their ammo is usually pretty warm. But really all they had to do was show this round to be a tic faster in potential than a PRC, I believe they will do that, as the PRC and 6.5-06AI are very close if both are chambered correctly and loaded to same pressure.
This new round if done correctly should be just a little slower than a .264WM, a good place to be. I sure won't be selling my 264 anyway soon.

Maybe Weatherby has learned from the current marketing pros, Hornady, we shall see. If they offer the ammo at a decent price and the brass I think it will take off when you consider there are guys like me with '06 case head actions laying around, I think the brass sale potential is large. One of the main goals was to have this round in the smaller, lighter 6 lug action but they offer in the Vanguard (likely) and one or 2 other brand rifles come out with it, I believe it will take off.

I agree with Stomp about past prices of brass with the W stamped, I have a 257 Wea and can relate. But Wea. has left Taxifornia and may have more selling price flexibility now. Plus, we have several "aftermarket" brass companies that we did not have just a few years ago, no doubt at least one of those will offer the brass if it takes off at all.

I have a Rem 700 in .270 in my safe, I was leaning toward the 6.5-06IMP over buying a PTG mag faced bolt for a 6.5PRC but now I am looking at waiting 3 months or so & research this new round and it will likely be my path.

 

[Red Elk]

Launching a 140gr at around 3000fps...doesn't sound like much new. Brass will be proprietary, so ...expensive.
7 Rem Mag will do that...

 

[B23]

I talked to Weatherby the other day about their new 6.5 RPM

The case length is 2.570 and case capacity is 81gr H20 which is just a little more than what a 6.5WSM is and quite a bit more than a 6.5-06AI.

If the brass turns out to be fairly decent stuff, this could be a pretty cool cartridge on a standard bolt face long action.

 

[Lee in Texas]

What is the case capacity?

 

[Nomosendero]

Launching a 140gr at around 3000fps...doesn't sound like much new. Brass will be proprietary, so ...expensive.
7 Rem Mag will do that...

A 6.5x284 will do that, illogical to think it would not do a good deal more.

 

[B23]

What is the case capacity?

81gr H20

 

[Lee in Texas]

81gr H20

Wow. Identical case capacity as the 8x68S.

 

[wboggs]

I talked to Weatherby the other day about their new 6.5 RPM

The case length is 2.570 and case capacity is 81gr H20 which is just a little more than what a 6.5WSM is and quite a bit more than a 6.5-06AI.

If the brass turns out to be fairly decent stuff, this could be a pretty cool cartridge on a standard bolt face long action.

Close to a 264 win mag, more than the sam.
Small additional velocity gain will come at the cost of barrel life. Not sure where it fits in the overall scheme of things. It is a hunting cartridge so maybe barrel life is not important.

 

[Evan]

It is a hunting cartridge so maybe barrel life is not important.

But they named it "precision magnum" which just reeks of a ham-fisted attempt to catch some of the PRS market. I'm really quite disappointed by it on my second pass of this thread. It feels like a betrayal of what Weatherby has always been. Why are they doing it? What real purpose does it have in a world with the better supported 6.5 PRC and faster 26 Nosler? It's not like they don't chamber rifles in non-weatherby cartridges and need something in 6.5 to fill the gap between the 257 and 270 in their lineup. A beautiful Mark V in 257 Weatherby Mag is one of my fantasy guns. No need or use for it, but I want it for reasons I cannot explain.

 

[wboggs]

I used to have a .257 wby. It was fast but the long throat hampered my accuracy despite a krieger target barrel. If you have one built, get a custom chamber with a shorter throat.
Recoil was not bad at all. I used mine for deer in Texas and it was very effective If I wanted a small caliber long range hunting rifle, a fast 6.5 would be my choice due to a superior selection of bullets. Limit shot strings and don't try every bullet/powder combination. Barrel life will be plenty long enough for hunting for years to come.

 

[FrankG]

If you run it like a F class gun.....barrel life of 500 to 600 rounds and it’s toast!

Carbon build up I for see being a problem like most overbore/over case capacity rounds.

Hunting rifle and not getting the barrel hot and or shooting hot loads you can get more.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

 

[Three44s]

They should have gone for broke! A 6.5 mm x 378 WBY!

Three44s

 

[284winner]

With wildcatting a 6.5 cartridge, sky's the limit. Sensibility is key when cartridging any caliber. If it's sheer velocity that's the hook and barrel life means nothing, go for it. Accuracy, velocity and barrel life all go hand in hand IMO. Barrel life meaning the least. Accuracy meaning the most. According to Weatherby, the velocities are 3000 fps with 140s. That's a very modest number for that cartridge. One that shouldn't kill barrel life immediately. Push it to it's maximum potential and like Frank said, it's toast, fast. It's really user preference. All the barrel makers love their customers. Especially when they go thru barrels after 500-600 rounds.

 

[Downeast]

I've always enjoyed Weatherby's. Growing up they were considered the "working man's" custom rifle. Roy and his clan were light years beyond the competition in the '50's. The only drawback being that no one could produce bullets that could withstand their velocities. Then along came Nosler with his Partition and the rest is history. Weatherby has always focused on hunting rifles. They were never known for supreme accuracy but for killing stuff they were hard to beat. My .300 "Bee" is still one of favorites for big game. And my .257 is simply death on whitetails. They should maintain their hunting rifle standards and traditions and let the others in the industry handle the shooting "games", IMO.

 

[Evan]

They should maintain their hunting rifle standards and traditions and let the others in the industry handle the shooting "games", IMO.

Agreed. This RPM is no Weatherby! A real weatherby is a beautiful mark V in fine claro walnut and a chamber with a double radius shoulder. It should preferably be more than 200fps faster than the closest off-the-shelf poser "magnum" and burn at least 10gns more than said "magnum". It's all about the show; like pulling into the grocery store parking lot in a 3500HD with all the chrome and leather trimmings and a receiver that's never seen a hitch while shaking your head at those silly yuppies next to you that wasted their money on an "over-priced" BMW SUV.

 

[AZ BR FAN]

81gr H20

 

[Shinbone]

The .264 Win Mag has a case capacity of 82 grams of H2O.

Based on the near-equal case volumes, it seems the 6.5 RPM will have ballistics almost identical to the .264WM, but in a more modern case design.