Im looking at getting a custom 6.5 made and was thinking of a 6.5/300wby but what do you guys think the barrel life will be? it will be mainly a deer hunting rig in the western states so load development and then just zeroing shots nothing major. Do you think instead of using the weatherby case i should use the 300 Win Mag case? Any help would be greatly appreciated
6.5-300wby or 6.5-300wm?
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Shooter264
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Does it have to be either of those? Either would be fine but why not the 6.5 saum? I've had several with two different reamer designs and brass prep is fairly simple with the .300" reamer I have. You can easily push a 140 at 3200 with a 26" bbl and have the same bbl life or more than the two you mentioned and you can do it in a SA platform. I have one that runs the 140 JLK's at 3190 in a 24" tube. At 6000' that's only 18 Moa @ 1000 with 1334ft lbs of energy. Just my $.02
Predator 22
Well-Known Member
Thats alot of powder to burn for a 6.5mm but between the two I would use the win mag case or just get a 26 nosler for about the same performance with load data available and no belt. Have you looked at the 6.5 saum? Great performance with a lot better barrel life.
Varberger757
Well-Known Member
Really, I do think that both of your suggestions are far too much overbore. Take a deeper look at all the good alternatives you find today as the 6,5 - 284, 6,5 Sherman and many, many more.
I have two 6.5-300wm's. One is a 28" barrel that shoots 140's 3300fps with Retumbo. It's faster with R-33 but more accurate with Retumbo. The other is a 26" barrel and it shoots 123's at 3425fps with Retumbo and 3500fps with R-33.
I just chambered a 6.5saum with a 24" Bartlein barrel so I can compare it to my 6.5-300wm's soon.
I just chambered a 6.5saum with a 24" Bartlein barrel so I can compare it to my 6.5-300wm's soon.
375fan
Well-Known Member
If it's just going to be used for a deer rifle, try a 6.5-06. Easily push 140's at 3000 from 26 in barrel.
D
Deleted member 46119
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Barrel life will be about 3 shots more than a 26 Nosler. LOL.
sorry had to do it.
From AmmoGuide.com:
Developed by LTC Paul Wright, the 6.5x300 Weatherby-Wright-Hoyer Magnum used the .300 Weatherby case as a basis for this 1,000 yard match competition cartridge.
Reportedly, Hodgdon labs experimented with the .300 Wby-Wright-Hoyer and achieved over 3,400 fps with H-202 powder behind a 139-grain match bullet, generating 55,000 psi.
benchracer
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With the off-the-shelf choices currently available, I don't believe either of the mentioned wildcats are the way to go. If you want that level of case capacity in a 6.5, the 26 Nosler would be a better and easier choice. However, the tradeoff for going that route involves more than barrel life. I am seeing reports of shootability issues as case capacity increases, such as a tendency toward pressure spikes in the 26 Nosler.
I own a .264 Win Mag. Even though it has less case capacity than the cartridges you are considering (and the 26 Nosler), it is still a VERY overbore cartridge that does its best work with some of the slowest powders in existence. Based on my experience with it, I don't find the idea of even more case capacity to be very appealing. I am very fond of my .264, but I feel it is right at the practical capacity limit for the 6.5 bore size.
If more speed than the 3150-3200, that is typical of the .264 with 140 class bullets, is desired, lighter monometal bullets (and/or longer barrels) may be a better answer than more case capacity. For example, I would expect it to be possible to safely push a Cutting Edge 130 MTH (with a 550 G1 bc) to 3450ish from a 26" barrel with a .264 Win Mag class cartridge.
I would expect cartridges like the 6.5 SAUM and 6.5 SS (Sherman Short) to be able to deliver similar performance.
I own a .264 Win Mag. Even though it has less case capacity than the cartridges you are considering (and the 26 Nosler), it is still a VERY overbore cartridge that does its best work with some of the slowest powders in existence. Based on my experience with it, I don't find the idea of even more case capacity to be very appealing. I am very fond of my .264, but I feel it is right at the practical capacity limit for the 6.5 bore size.
If more speed than the 3150-3200, that is typical of the .264 with 140 class bullets, is desired, lighter monometal bullets (and/or longer barrels) may be a better answer than more case capacity. For example, I would expect it to be possible to safely push a Cutting Edge 130 MTH (with a 550 G1 bc) to 3450ish from a 26" barrel with a .264 Win Mag class cartridge.
I would expect cartridges like the 6.5 SAUM and 6.5 SS (Sherman Short) to be able to deliver similar performance.
I couldn't have said it better myself...I have a 6.5-284 and 6.5 Saum. We all have our performance goals...but these rounds don't give up much to the big 6.5s in overall performance. So you dial 10 moa or 11 moa what's the difference?
That being said if you are chasing speed look at the 26 nosler or Kirbys 6.5 which I believe is a Dakota necked down so to speak...
I guess I should have mentioned my 6.5-300wm's both function perfectly through a standard Remington long action magazine with no alterations. The loaded cases are just over 3.6" so they fit without doing a Wyattt mag box. The 6.5-300 Weatherby will get you another 100fps but it won't work through a standard mag box very well at all unless the throat is insanely short.
I have a 6.5x68 Imp in the works too. I'm trying to get the same velocity that the 6.5-300wm gets in Winchester brass but using RWS brass in the 6.5x68 Imp. I only get 3230fps in RWS brass in my 6.5-300wm as it loses about 3.5grs of capacity. RWS brass is the toughest brass I've ever used and many report 35-50 firings using it. I have some with 10+ firings using some seriously hot loads and the primer pockets are like new. Anymore I build a rifle around good and easy to get brass. RWS brass isn't always easy to get but if it last a long time a small amount goes a long ways. Most of it can be had for 2.00 a case or less if you search for awhile. So most of what I shoot says RWS or Lapua on the case head if I shoot it much. I paid 280.00 for 140 6.5x68 cases and they should last a minimum of 3-4 barrels. Many standard cases cost 1.00-1.50+ per case anymore and last 5 firings so your money ahead to get brass that last awhile longer IMO. BTW Weatherby brass is some of the softest brass and it's 2.00+ per case. I wouldn't use it as a basis for any case if there was a close alternative like a 6.5STW in this case.
I have a 6.5x68 Imp in the works too. I'm trying to get the same velocity that the 6.5-300wm gets in Winchester brass but using RWS brass in the 6.5x68 Imp. I only get 3230fps in RWS brass in my 6.5-300wm as it loses about 3.5grs of capacity. RWS brass is the toughest brass I've ever used and many report 35-50 firings using it. I have some with 10+ firings using some seriously hot loads and the primer pockets are like new. Anymore I build a rifle around good and easy to get brass. RWS brass isn't always easy to get but if it last a long time a small amount goes a long ways. Most of it can be had for 2.00 a case or less if you search for awhile. So most of what I shoot says RWS or Lapua on the case head if I shoot it much. I paid 280.00 for 140 6.5x68 cases and they should last a minimum of 3-4 barrels. Many standard cases cost 1.00-1.50+ per case anymore and last 5 firings so your money ahead to get brass that last awhile longer IMO. BTW Weatherby brass is some of the softest brass and it's 2.00+ per case. I wouldn't use it as a basis for any case if there was a close alternative like a 6.5STW in this case.
Jim in Cali
Well-Known Member
6.5-06 or the Ackley version. Plain, simple, cheap and very effective.
