New Build Caliber Question

[Jud96]

The 30-06 bolt face will need to be opened to fit anything bigger than the 30-06 family. In that case, I would keep the '06 or go to 280 Remington.

PTG will make a bolt to fit which ever caliber you decide. I would go with a 300 Win due to the balance between energy and barrel life. The 300 RUM is hard hitting but barrel life is limited. The 6.5-06 is real flat and bullet selection is awesome but again, your barrel will suffer. My last 300 Win barrel saw 1147 rounds before it had to be replaced. Some get more, others less but 1200-1700 is expected.

I wouldn't say the 6.5-06 is a barrel burner. It is a pretty mild 6.5mm cartridge compared to the larger 6.5s such as the .264 WIN Mag and 6.5 WSM.

 

[Countrystyle4life]

Well, since you snagged the calibers from my page lol. Run a 6.5-06 ackley and have great performance and barrel life. The other option would be a new bolt and run a 7 rem mag. Both will work perfectly from the detachable mag setup. Most stw's run around 1200-1400 rounds of accurate life. There is always an exception, but it can also be as short as 800. I have worn out 13 stw barrels over my time using them.

Hey thanks for hoping in! What is the 6.5-06 look like down range ballistically for maximum range? Does it have good down range performance on medium size game? what is your estimate on barrel life? I don't really want to rebarrel it every year are two. (Sorry I have lost of questions lol)

 

[TMR]

I have a couple customers with around 2500 rounds on their 6.5-06 ackleys and they are still shooting perfect. 3100-3150 with a 150 berger is the norm. Run the numbers through a program and you can see the different values.

 

[Smag]

6.5-06 in a good cut rifle barrel will last plenty. Down range its got plenty of punch. Been shooting one and had at least one in my pouch of possibles for over 20years. if you hunt and dont mind carring a long barreled rifle they are they way to go. 280 AI is just as good and ya can git a little more lead to flyin big wind!

Smag~

 

[elkaholic]

The 6.5 Sherman will get you 150' on the 6.5-06 with the same bolt face and IMO, with little, if any, loss of barrel life because of the case design. If you run the ballistics, it is a very capable rifle at 1000 yards for big game with a 150 grain high b.c. bullet leaving the muzzle at 3150' or the 160 grainer at 3050'. Cases are easy to form and dies are in stock.
If you want more punch and excellent barrel life, the 300 Sherman is right on the heels of the 300 WM with 13 grains less powder. My hunting load was a .311 b.c. bullet (G7) of 190 grains at 3050'( 28" barrel).................Rich

 

[Countrystyle4life]

The 6.5 Sherman will get you 150' on the 6.5-06 with the same bolt face and IMO, with little, if any, loss of barrel life because of the case design. If you run the ballistics, it is a very capable rifle at 1000 yards for big game with a 150 grain high b.c. bullet leaving the muzzle at 3150' or the 160 grainer at 3050'. Cases are easy to form and dies are in stock.
If you want more punch and excellent barrel life, the 300 Sherman is right on the heels of the 300 WM with 13 grains less powder. My hunting load was a .311 b.c. bullet (G7) of 190 grains at 3050'( 28" barrel).................Rich

what is the 6.5 Sherman, what is its history. Im a sucker for any wildcat cartridge

 

[elkaholic]

what is the 6.5 Sherman, what is its history. Im a sucker for any wildcat cartridge

I shot an A.I. for years and they are great. When I shot the second barrel out, I decided to try to improve the performance. The Sherman uses a 270 or 280 case to gain length, it has less taper and the shoulder is moved forward for a net gain of approx. 5% capacity. It still has nice .300" neck. We are reaching 3100 with the 160 Matrix and 3200 with the 150. Barrel and case life are good and forming is quite easy. It is the most you can get out of an '06 head size case...............Rich

 

[Scot E]

what is the 6.5 Sherman, what is its history. Im a sucker for any wildcat cartridge

Some good reads on the Sherman history.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/6-5-sherman-q-125601/
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/6-5-ss-sherman-shortmag-q-129771/
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/6-5-ss-sherman-shortmag-q-129771/
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/6-5-ss-final-design-109263/

There's lot more on the search page. Search for "sherman", 300 sherman, 6.5 sherman, etc.

Scot E.

 

[Countrystyle4life]

Some good reads on the Sherman history.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/6-5-sherman-q-125601/
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/6-5-ss-sherman-shortmag-q-129771/
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/6-5-ss-sherman-shortmag-q-129771/
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/6-5-ss-final-design-109263/

There's lot more on the search page. Search for "sherman", 300 sherman, 6.5 sherman, etc.

Scot E.

Cool, Thanks! So will these run out of the box mag that is currently in that 06 rifle? or do need to change it out in order to get them to load when loaded with high BC bullets?

 

[elkaholic]

Cool, Thanks! So will these run out of the box mag that is currently in that 06 rifle? or do need to change it out in order to get them to load when loaded with high BC bullets?

I run mine flawlessly through a 1970 model 700 Rem. BDL with any bullet. (long action version). The SS is a rem 700 SA. It will cycle the 140's full length but I run an AICS mag to gain the extra length desired for the 150 and 160 grainers........Rich

 

[Gray R]

Also off your list I'm a huge fan of the 6.5x284. It's capable a lot farther than I am and the recoil is negligible and brass is over the counter. If you're into forming then I would look seriously at elkoholics Wildcats. They offer some very cool performance benefits based on the many hours I've spent reading those threads. Only trouble with em is it makes it harder to decide. Good luck!

 

[Countrystyle4life]

Right on thanks guys! I think once I gather the cash up I'm going to be going with your wildcat Rich, so I'll be in touch and get some more into from you directly thanks for all the help guys and will do a write up once I start blasting away! gun)

 

[elkaholic]

Right on thanks guys! I think once I gather the cash up I'm going to be going with your wildcat Rich, so I'll be in touch and get some more into from you directly thanks for all the help guys and will do a write up once I start blasting away! gun)

Just let me know. Christmas is coming...........Rich