6.5 mm short action round choice

Getting good velocities with Hornady Superformance pushing the 129AMAX out of a 6.5CM. Haven't finished load development so I can't comment on accuracy, but it might be another powder to try. Meters like a dream too.
 
Funny you should ask about the 6.5, i was just talking to a gunsmith about putting a 6.5x55 for me, i have 2, .260's really like both of them. I have a old 6.5x55 sweade in krag action, fun rifle to shoot. But, have been getting serious about 6.5x55 with a 26'' barrel, remington 700 trued action, timney trigger, and B&C stock, not sure about the barrel just yet, but, i'm leaning toward a little bit heavier profile than normal, but, not a varmint profile. I've got a couple of barrel makers i in mind but, haven't settled on that just yet. . Plan on shooting 140 Amax bullets at this time. I should add, IMR 4350 is my go too powder, i really like the results i get with the .260
 
Funny you should ask about the 6.5, i was just talking to a gunsmith about putting a 6.5x55 for me, i have 2, .260's really like both of them. I have a old 6.5x55 sweade in krag action, fun rifle to shoot. But, have been getting serious about 6.5x55 with a 26'' barrel, remington 700 trued action, timney trigger, and B&C stock, not sure about the barrel just yet, but, i'm leaning toward a little bit heavier profile than normal, but, not a varmint profile. I've got a couple of barrel makers i in mind but, haven't settled on that just yet. . Plan on shooting 140 Amax bullets at this time. I should add, IMR 4350 is my go too powder, i really like the results i get with the .260

What's your muzzle velocity with a 140 and IMR 4350 in your .260s?
 
I Like the 260 Rem. I can get the 140 VLD's to cycle for the mag with the bullets seated to the lands(2.88"COAL) in my Savage LRP. Velocities run 2825FPS out of my 24" barrel with sub.25MOA accuracy. I use this rifle for competition and it's a great companion to my 6.5x284, my 1000 yard hunting rig.

please note, the basic action length of a Savage is roughly 5/32" longer than a short action Remington 700. The SAMMI spec is 2.8" for the COL in the .260. Will be the samething for the .260AI, as the case length is not supposed to change (don't believe that). Of course you can seat the bullets out much deeper with the Savage and yet still cycle them thru the magazine.

The difference between the .260 and the .260AI is slightly more than nil. Your moving the neck around, and expanding the shoulder diameter about .006". How one would gain 200fps to 300fps is similar to walking on water. Perhaps 100fps max is in order.

gary
 
I will probably be one of the only Ackley guys on the entire internet machine who will agree with Gary. I got 2840fps max out of my 26" 260 Rem and 2930fps max out of my 28" 260AI, same pills and powder. Take two inches off the 260AI and you're probably looking at more like 50fps gain. But I like never trimming my brass and I like having something a little different. Plus it's a sexy looking cartridge with a cool name. Haha. When that barrel is done I will buy another 260AI.
 
Its true that you don't gain much by Ackley improving the .260 but what it does get you is just enough to put you right in the sweet spot for the 140 Bergers and puts you just about neck and neck with the 6.5-284 performance while using much less powder which results in less barrel wear, less recoil, less trimming and more shooting.
 
The 6.5 SS will get you up to 3300' with 140's in a 26" barrel and will cycle through the savage to boot. In fact, you can cycle the 150's through the action and reach 3200 with the bullets seated where they are supposed to be. You can not do that with a SAUM, GAP, 6.5/284, any of the A.I.'s, etc. If you don't need that kind of performance, you can load it down to 3000' and have very mild pressures and great accuracy. It is already easier on barrels than a 6.5/284 even at higher velocity.......Rich
 
You will have to give us an update on the actual barrel life. That would be the biggest deciding factor for me.

We have a couple of 6.5 Shermans with around 2000 rounds that still shoot very well. The Sherman shortmag holds 4 grains less powder, has a .020" longer neck and the same shoulder. There is no reason to believe that it should not be even better than the Sherman but we haven't shot them enough yet to say for certain. Mine has around 650 rounds through it and I suspect that there are others with that many.....Rich
 
Warning! This thread is more than 10 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.
Top