6.5 - 2900 ft/s most efficiently?

[Edd]

The 6.5 Creed, 260 & 260 AI, 264 WM, 6.5 WSM/RSAUM and 6.5-284 will all fit this request. Just depends on what your preference is.

You Sir are spot on with your "real world" velocities from the 6.5 CM. I hear stories of 2950 with the new 150 SMK from 26" barrels. Blows me away. I built a CM for a good friend and he is at around 2700-2750 accuracy wise and barely getting in the mid 2800s with 140s with Max compressed loads. Again without calling guys liars, your pushing that CAM to dangerous pressures if getting 2950 with a 150.

What happened in 3-1/2 hours that made you change your mind?

 

[Navarro1]

I also am shooting a 6.5-06 A Imp. Shilen 26" 1/8 twist. I really like the 6.5 caliber had a 260 but sold it and built the 06 imp .I am using Imr7828sc Powder but reading about some of your loads guess I will try some of them. I have not shot many of the 140 ,143s yet and do not have any recorded velocity on any of my loads yet. Thanks for all your information.

 

[codyadams]

What kind of accuracy are you getting with that 264 win mag? I'm debating rechambering my 260 AI barrel to 264 Win mag.

I'm assuming you have a long action, single shot or something so going from a sa to la cartridge wont matter.

Accuracy is fantastic. Less than 50 rounds down the tube and it's holding well under .5 MOA, last long range group I shot was 1.3" ctc at 507 yards. Ruger M77 mkII action, Boyds pro varmint stock that I fully pillar bedded the action. It is turning out to be a fantastic long handled hammer.

 

[VLD Pilot]

Hello VLD, glad that you gave me a response to my posts. I agree that there are better long range rifle calibers, however for me this caliber will meet my expectations for what I am hunting and for my own shooting capabilities. I am not going to be trying to win any long range matches with this rifle. I am planning on 400 or "maybe" 500 yards tops. I have shot deer at 450 yards with 140 grain Nosler partitions; DRT! For me the .270 Winchester is the best caliber for my hunting needs. I cannot walk as I once used to, so something with the capabilities to knock a whitetail or down at 400-500 yards will probably be the furthest shot that I will be making. I also like the felt recoil of the .270 over the calibers using a heavier charges of powder. This poster never did state what he wanted to do with the rifle he intends to build other than shoot bullets faster than 3000fps.? That is a variable that also has to enter into the equation. I appreciate the information about bullet coefficients and will do more research on that. Thanks

I certainly don't see why the 270 will not equal the 264 or 284 calibers for deer hunting. For the long range target shooting however, the 6.5 and 7 mm will be superior rounds. I personally hunt with a 270 quite often in an autoloader and have harvested several whitetail deer with it . It is tough to beat the 270 as a deer cartridge

 

[Jmmcquirk]

That sounds like a 6.5 SAUM, 6.5 Sherman short magnum or 6.5 PRC or 6.5 WSM if you want a short action. 6.5-284, 6.5-06, 6.5 sherman for the long. I'd go with the 6.5 SAUM or PRC if it was me.

I agree here, I have the 6.5 GAP 4s (saum) and (2) 6.5-284 .all I shoot around 3000 ft/s .with a little tweking could get that velocity down. Choose a short action or long then you limit yourseld to which caliber. If I was getting another 6.5 right now it would be the PRC, manners stock, with detachable mags.

 

[xsn10s]

I'm assuming you have a long action, single shot or something so going from a sa to la cartridge wont matter.

No but am considering getting rid of some 98 Mausers so that would free up money. And a good friend is a R&D machinist in the industry, so rechambering isn't an issue.

 

[D_Oaks]

What 6.5 cartridge will comfortabily shoot, with multiple powders (not just RL 26 because that is hard to find these days), a 140-143 gr bullet, from a 24 inch barrel, at 2900 to 3000 ft/sec the most efficiently...meaning the least amount of powder (least amount of recoil)? And preferrably without having to run super hot loads the whole time. Maybe a quickload question?

I'm going to build a 6.5 rifle and the 2900 ft/sec mark is what I want to achieve in a 24 inch barrel, and want to use the least amount of powder to get there.

Options I'm currently looking at are 6.5-284, 260ai (maybe stretching it with just a 24 inch barrel), 6.5-06, etc. I don't care to go over 3000ft/ sec so options like 264 win mag are probably out.

I have a 6.5x284. I load 52.2 grains of H4831SC and am right at 2925 with 143 ELDX and has performed very well.

 

[Longranger7mm]

What 6.5 cartridge will comfortabily shoot, with multiple powders (not just RL 26 because that is hard to find these days), a 140-143 gr bullet, from a 24 inch barrel, at 2900 to 3000 ft/sec the most efficiently...meaning the least amount of powder (least amount of recoil)? And preferrably without having to run super hot loads the whole time. Maybe a quickload question?

I'm going to build a 6.5 rifle and the 2900 ft/sec mark is what I want to achieve in a 24 inch barrel, and want to use the least amount of powder to get there.

Options I'm currently looking at are 6.5-284, 260ai (maybe stretching it with just a 24 inch barrel), 6.5-06, etc. I don't care to go over 3000ft/ sec so options like 264 win mag are probably out.

6.5 rem mag will bo that with many different types of powders.

 

[VLD Pilot]

What happened in 3-1/2 hours that made you change your mind?

Regarding ???

 

[9.3davison]

Well let me chime in here, hopefully the "6.5ers" are not too harsh here. I have been going through the same dilemma for about two or three months now!!While looking at the various load data from the various reloading manuals, it is IMPORTANT to look at the barrel lengths for the specific load data that you are looking at and making a cartridge determination and selection from. Even the same manuals will give data using a 24 inch barrel on one bullet weight and a 26 inch barrel on other weight bullets. There is a lot of data to look over, however it is not all the same due to the barrel lengths. I hope that I am not being too basic here, however giving my two cents worth; and, hopefully helping make a decision. I have looked up and down at the 6.5 data as well as the 7mm data. With all the excitement about the 6.5s, I have taken a very close look at the .270 Winchester as a common-sense approach to a long range rifle for my hunting purposes. I have two Ruger 77, tang safety, .270 rifles in my gun safe, if I were to start from scratch I would be building a .270WSM as I find that cartridge to be the best choice for the .270s. I thought about a .270 AI, however the load data is a bit sparse and according to Ackley the .270 Winchester is about as efficient in that barrel diameter. I also like the .280AI, however with the exception of the ability to use heavier bullets, I really do not see a great advantage to the caliber. I suggest that you compare all of the 6.5 calibers of the same bullet weight at the .270 Winchester round, and no matter what you will find that you are within 200fps in either direction. And...if you choose to build a .270WSM, you probably will come out on top or equal to the NOSLER super calibers. When looking at ballistic coefficients for the .277 130 grain you're looking at .459 in the Nosler and for the 150 gr Accubond long range a bullet coefficient of .625. Again make your comparisons, however remember it is important to remember barrel length for your comparison data. All of the reload data that I have read for the Nosler 26 and 28 are out of 26 inch barrels, where the only data that I can find in a manual for the .270 are out of 24 inch barrels. Good luck with your build and enjoy the fun when it is done.

I don't think the 270 WSM will touch the Nosler.my 28 is shooting 168 gr Barnes LRX's at 3280 FPS out of 26" Smith 1 in 8 gain twist barrel with no pressure signs. It's best group was 3 shots that could be covered with a dime.

 

[VLD Pilot]

Tough to beat any of the Noslers for top performance. The .277 isn't in the same ballistic category as the .284 caliber of projectiles. Still, again it's tough to beat the .277 for white-tailed deer at reasonable ranges.

 

[Longtooth32]

Tough to beat any of the Noslers for top performance. The .277 isn't in the same ballistic category as the .284 caliber of projectiles. Still, again it's tough to beat the .277 for white-tailed deer at reasonable ranges.

A .277 170gr Berger HVLD traveling @ about 3225fps gets close...

 

[VLD Pilot]

A .277 170gr Berger HVLD traveling @ about 3225fps gets close...

Yep the Berger 170 is the only exception thats about equal to the .284/.280 with 180 VLDs. Unfortunately that's one of the couple great BC bullets offered for the .277. It just never excelled in long range competition due to the 6.5/7mm competition.

 

[Alibiiv]

I don't think the 270 WSM will touch the Nosler.my 28 is shooting 168 gr Barnes LRX's at 3280 FPS out of 26" Smith 1 in 8 gain twist barrel with no pressure signs. It's best group was 3 shots that could be covered with a dime.

Hello, I totally agree that the 28 Nosler caliber is a faster shooting caliber than the .270WSM, however there is a price to pay for that, and most of it for me is felt recoil. Another is that it burns a lot more powder and barrel life is shortened much for as a result. I am not trying to win a long-range, steel plate shoot by any means. I am a 400 maybe a 500 shot person maximum. I read a lot about BC, and I have done some research with drop tables/charts. From what I can determine from the drop tables, it takes a great deal in the BC of a bullet to make that much difference in drop for the distances that I mentioned about with the calibers that we are making comparisons with and that we are referencing from. A .270 Winchester vs. a .280 AI is not really showing me that much difference in bullet drop to make that much of a difference to me, "based" upon the distances that I plan to shoot. .270 Winchester is the #5 best selling ammunition on the market; components are not hard to find. And....its important to remember that I am shooting a deer at those distances, not an elk, or a moose, or anything larger. I might hunt coyotes, however I will be looking at 100-120 boat tail bullets at that same distance. I two long-action Ruger 77 in .270 Winchester. I am seriously thinking about turning them into .270WSMs. I figure with the longer action, I can leave the bullets out far enough so they can touch the lands without compromising feeding from a shorter magazine. I have to check with the people who are going to be doing the rebarrel work to find out if this is feasible to do. I totally believe that the .270WSM is the best of all three factory calibers. The .270WSM is on a par with the .270WM and it does it more efficiently with less powder and less felt recoil. Thanks for your input with this.