What 6.5 cartridge?

[Dessert]

If you want a cartridge that is big, fast, and powerful, unexcelled at long range and exquisitely accurate. Go for the 6.5/.284. I have 10 years experience with this wonderful cartridge. Flat shooting, accurate and if you treat the barrel with kindness, 2500 rounds easily. Don’t let the armchair experts dissuade you from this fine cartridge. Dessert.

 

[captben]

They don"t run anywhere if you break there spine.

Just an opinion.

 

[jmatters]

Not being a hunter, I will leave it up to those experienced in such matters to comment, but a 30" 6.5x284 in an 8 twist with the new Sierra or Cauteruccio 150/155 bullets with Reloder 23 or 26 might be the ticket for bigger game, while throttling back to a 130 gr for pdogs...

 

[Kracken McGraw]

If you stick with the 6.5 and use the thinking above...you come up with the 6.5-06...I built one for my wife and the more I work with it the more I like it...I'm getting near 264mag numbers on a standard bolt face. You can find brass on every trip to the range (25-06, 270, 280 or 30-06). When I first decided to build one I was thinking how terrible it was going to be to get brass, but I've warmed up well to the idea of making my own.

Like said...the Sweds have been killing moose for years with the 6.5x55, so knowing you have to be a better hunter is not such a bad thing! My wife has been ringing steel out to 400yds since I built the 6.5-06 for her. Then my wife shot her first deer (an exceptional 8pt) at 307yds with my 264wm on her first trip into the woods with her first shot ever at a live animal. I know that's not a monster long range shot. But it was a bang flop...DRT...my point she had the confidence to take the shot becasue of all the trigger time with her 6.5-06...I'm sure if I had her 06 with us the results would have been the same.

6.5-06 might be a little tough on a D-Town...but how often are you going to do that? My bet you will be ringing plates more regularly than shooting rats.

For the life of me I can't understand why the 6.5-06 is not more popular! I'm going to build one for myself...I pick up 6.5 Creedmoore brass on every ranger trip and just can't waste the money on one knowing I could have a 6.5-06!

The 6.5-06 sounds very good for a long action build. If you you were just loading 140 grain bullets up to the new 150s, would an 8twist barrel be the ticket, or would you go faster than that?

 

[RustyPin]

I just purchased my 1st RWS Brass in 6.5x65mm, and I tell you what,,, this must be the biggest secret in the Hunting & Target World. My purpose differs from yours, but if you're a Reloader this is worth a hard look.

 

[rardoin]

I just purchased my 1st RWS Brass in 6.5x65mm, and I tell you what,,, this must be the biggest secret in the Hunting & Target World. My purpose differs from yours, but if you're a Reloader this is worth a hard look.

I bought 300 cases along with a reamer when I got into the BJAI version. I am just starting on the first post fire forming loads and it is stout brass. The primer pockets are almost too tight . The necks are about 0.012-0.015" longer than Lapua which is a little nicety. It is a bit pricier than Lapua and the rim thickness is greater which can make fitting it into a shell holder a little tricky for about 10% of the cases, but easily remedied.

 

[mikegaiz]

The 6.5-06 sounds very good for a long action build. If you you were just loading 140 grain bullets up to the new 150s, would an 8twist barrel be the ticket, or would you go faster than that?

1-8 works great for 140 , Best at 2950 to 3000; H4831sc , H4895 or H4350.

 

[Richard Coody]

simple solution. One rifle 2 barrels.

a 6 dasher for targets and PDs

and your choice for hunting as long as you kept the standard boltface

not really a difficult solution to accomplish

 

[seymour fish]

What 6.5 cartridge should I build? Will be used for targets/long range steel, prairie dogs, deer, an elk or moose some day. Will be shot quit a bit. I was thinking 260 rem or 260ai. Would the ai be to much of a barrel burner for what I want?

256 Newton

 

[007]

6.5 Creedmoor. Hate to say it. It's everything everyone says and factory ammo makes hand loading an option.

I bought a Savage 12 LRP to see what all the fuss was about. It shoots very small groups at crazy distances with factory ammo for around $1000. Very satisfying but it does make me wonder why I am spending more on custom builds sometimes.

 

[RHux]

Performance
The 6.5x55 has generated a huge amount of interest throughout the world since the influx of surplus military rifles became available on international markets. Articles relating to the Swede appear in every gun magazine yet there is still a lot of misinformation over the performance of the 6.5x55 on game. Authorities state that the Swede is useful for all game up to the size of Moose with its long for caliber bullets giving deep penetration. Comments have also been made that beyond 200 yards the Swede ballistically out performs the .270 while giving less recoil. In truth, the Swede is a rather modest performer. With factory ammunition, performance is generally in the same class as the .30-30. Wounding is slightly narrower than the .30-30 but penetration is usually deeper. The trajectory of factory ammunition is poor.

With light 120 grain bullets hand loaded to between 2900 and 3000fps, the Swede is a fast killer on lighter medium game. Most 120 grain bullets produce shallow penetration therefore this bullet weight is not particularly well suited to larger bodied game unless using the 120 grain Barnes TSX or XLC.

The hand loaded 130 grain bullet weight is neither fish nor foul. It has neither the high SD’s and BC’s of the 140 grain bullet weight or high velocity achieved from hand loaded 120 grain bullets. Performance is identical to budget .270 Winchester factory ammunition at 2900fps.

The 140 grain bullet is the most versatile bullet weight in the Swede. Hand loaded to between 2750 and 2800fps, this combination produces the best balance of wounding versus penetration. Nevertheless, regardless of high BC’s and SD’s, the Swede can be a slow killer at ranges beyond 200 yards. Conventional projectiles, regardless of SD, often fail to produce deep penetration. The 6.5x55 is simply not in the same class as the .270 which it is often compared to, regardless of hype.

At ranges beyond 200 yards, the hunter should aim to break the foreleg bones of game. Both rear lung and neck shots often result in very slow killing at extended ranges. With care to shot placement, the Swede gives excellent results, so much so that it is all too easy to become lulled into a false sense of security. It is therefore not unusual to have a string of successes followed by an abysmal failure after neglecting the above mentioned shot placement.

 

[Flouncer]

Performance
The 6.5x55 has generated a huge amount of interest throughout the world since the influx of surplus military rifles became available on international markets. Articles relating to the Swede appear in every gun magazine yet there is still a lot of misinformation over the performance of the 6.5x55 on game. Authorities state that the Swede is useful for all game up to the size of Moose with its long for caliber bullets giving deep penetration. Comments have also been made that beyond 200 yards the Swede ballistically out performs the .270 while giving less recoil. In truth, the Swede is a rather modest performer. With factory ammunition, performance is generally in the same class as the .30-30. Wounding is slightly narrower than the .30-30 but penetration is usually deeper. The trajectory of factory ammunition is poor.

With light 120 grain bullets hand loaded to between 2900 and 3000fps, the Swede is a fast killer on lighter medium game. Most 120 grain bullets produce shallow penetration therefore this bullet weight is not particularly well suited to larger bodied game unless using the 120 grain Barnes TSX or XLC.

The hand loaded 130 grain bullet weight is neither fish nor foul. It has neither the high SD’s and BC’s of the 140 grain bullet weight or high velocity achieved from hand loaded 120 grain bullets. Performance is identical to budget .270 Winchester factory ammunition at 2900fps.

The 140 grain bullet is the most versatile bullet weight in the Swede. Hand loaded to between 2750 and 2800fps, this combination produces the best balance of wounding versus penetration. Nevertheless, regardless of high BC’s and SD’s, the Swede can be a slow killer at ranges beyond 200 yards. Conventional projectiles, regardless of SD, often fail to produce deep penetration. The 6.5x55 is simply not in the same class as the .270 which it is often compared to, regardless of hype.

At ranges beyond 200 yards, the hunter should aim to break the foreleg bones of game. Both rear lung and neck shots often result in very slow killing at extended ranges. With care to shot placement, the Swede gives excellent results, so much so that it is all too easy to become lulled into a false sense of security. It is therefore not unusual to have a string of successes followed by an abysmal failure after neglecting the above mentioned shot placement.

Comparing it to a 30-30 is ridiculous. Breaking legs of game at 200 yards ? Punch the 140 Sierra game King at 2500 fps in JBM calc and you will see the soft point has plenty of steam at 300 and 350 yards to expand many or most hunting bullets. And 2500 fps is very conservative, look at Lapua and Norma factory ammo. Any bullet must be carefully placed on game. With this as fact, aiming for "breaking legshot" is just wrong. Swede has been used with success at 1,000 yards competition; 30-30 ???

Comparing it to a .270 is just as wrong.

Where was that copied from ??????

 

[RHux]

https://www.ballisticstudies.com/ this site has amazing amount of research backed up with real world pics.

 

[FatOldMIHunter]

The 140 grain bullet is the most versatile bullet weight in the Swede. Hand loaded to between 2750 and 2800fps, this combination produces the best balance of wounding versus penetration. Nevertheless, regardless of high BC’s and SD’s, the Swede can be a slow killer at ranges beyond 200 yards. Conventional projectiles, regardless of SD, often fail to produce deep penetration. The 6.5x55 is simply not in the same class as the .270 which it is often compared to, regardless of hype.

At ranges beyond 200 yards, the hunter should aim to break the foreleg bones of game. Both rear lung and neck shots often result in very slow killing at extended ranges. With care to shot placement, the Swede gives excellent results, so much so that it is all too easy to become lulled into a false sense of security. It is therefore not unusual to have a string of successes followed by an abysmal failure after neglecting the above mentioned shot placement.

I'm really not sure how much to agree or disagree with this. Comparing cartridges to other cartridges seems kind of silly with all the variations of powder, twist, and bullet thrown into the options. I've shot a few whitetails with 140 gr Nosler Partitions from a short-barreled M38 and it is devastating with either a shoulder punch or a behind-the-shoulder double lung. But I wouldn't take a shoulder shot beyond 200 yds with a round loaded for old mauser military rifles. Even with a modern firearm, I would try to get behind the shoulder.

I like the cartridge enough that I bought a Howa 1500 that I plan to use for deer and yotes out to 400 yds. Because the lead tips of the 140 gr NPs can be pretty inconsistent, I'll be comparing its performance to plastic-tipped 140s and the 127 gr Barnes LRX.

For moose, I would strongly consider the 160 gr round nose bullets, but they can be hard to find. Moose are typically shot at shorter ranges and need deep penetration, so the high SD is potentially required. Anything smaller than moose but larger than coyote and further than 200 yds should get a 140 gr performance bullet or the Barnes TTSX or LRX. The 120-140 gr range seems to be the sweet spot for modern 6.5X55 long distance performance. For varmints, you can go as low as the 85 gr Sierra HP if you take the time to develop a good stable load for it, but the 100 gr might be a better choice.

But I also like the .308 for versatility. I don't have prairie dog towns to think about. It would be hard to get a barrel warm shooting any local varmints, but if that's a rare use for the rifle and the increased recoil is not an issue, sometimes wider is better. It's hard to beat a blood trail that's wider than it is long.

 

[nakneker]

Reading this thread reminds me when I was a kid and my Grandpa and my Uncle use to debate who’s truck was better. Grandpa drove a 79 3/4 ton Chevy with a 350, my Uncle drove a 76 f250 with a 390 long block.

 

[FatOldMIHunter]

Reading this thread reminds me when I was a kid and my Grandpa and my Uncle use to debate who’s truck was better. Grandpa drove a 79 3/4 ton Chevy with a 350, my Uncle drove a 76 f250 with a 390 long block.

Yep. Only with a lot of grandpas, uncles, and way more types of trucks.

 

[JBT47]

390 long block was a beast

 

[perry42]

In the 6.5x55AI 123gr bullets would be fine PDogs, coyotes, and other small/light game. My AI using 4831SC and 142 gr SMK's easily tops 2950fps and matches my 6BR in accuracy at ranges over300m. With several manufacturers bullets ranging from 120>160 gr in weight all N American can be taken.


perry42

 

[ab_bentley]

Barely stretching her legs with 140s.

 

[kris bassett]

6.5prc! The 140 class 6.5 Bullets are more than capable of taking anything in the lower 48.

Thousands of elk are killed every year with a .243.

I broke my back last year so I could not shoot my 280 or my 450 Bushmaster. So I used my 6.5 Grendel. I killed a very nice mule deer buck and a cow elk. Those 123 grain Bullets did a wonderful job as far as terminal damage and penetration.