wilkup
Well-Known Member
Started this a few months back and figured I'd share my progress with this amazing round by using a thread on here for support and promotion of it!
Stay tuned
Stay tuned
6.5 Sherman Build =)
- Thread starter wilkup
- Start date
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Why do you have to tease us this way?
It is a cool round. I study a bunch of 6.5s before building a 6.5 Sherman. I think you came to the right place. I have been trying to conect with a hog, but so far they haven't cooperated.
Jay
Jay
wilkup
Well-Known Member
Rich asked me to post/share my progress on this round after chatting with me today. I'd post more info, pics of the rifle/targets, etc but I'm out trying to catch the bear that got away last night...
Here's a bit more info on the gun:
Howa 1500 stainless action
Fully floated, 24" Bartlein 5r barrel 1-8" twist, fluted with radial muzzle brake
B&C Medalist stock with aluminum skeleton , glassed action
Vortex Viper HSLR 4-16X44
Talley rings
Ammunition
Norma 280 Remington brass
CCI BR2 primers
150gr Matrix VLDs
I've used MagPro, H50 BMG, RL33
I shot the best 3 shot group of my life using H50 at 100yd - 0.359" edge-to-edge... <0.1MOA!!!
I've been using RL33 to push these bullets at 3184FPS. Last night I attempted to tag a bear but had the bullet explode on brush before contacting him! I figured this out today after searching for blood over 3 hours and finally calling Rich to ask if there is any way this round could have failed and just penciled through on him...
Before you call BS on the bullet shotgunning on a bush, I know there's no way I could've missed because I made the shot from no more than 40 yards.
I'll be posting pics of the rifle, targets, loaded ammunition, and God willing - the game I shoot this season and distances they're taken at.
Here's a bit more info on the gun:
Howa 1500 stainless action
Fully floated, 24" Bartlein 5r barrel 1-8" twist, fluted with radial muzzle brake
B&C Medalist stock with aluminum skeleton , glassed action
Vortex Viper HSLR 4-16X44
Talley rings
Ammunition
Norma 280 Remington brass
CCI BR2 primers
150gr Matrix VLDs
I've used MagPro, H50 BMG, RL33
I shot the best 3 shot group of my life using H50 at 100yd - 0.359" edge-to-edge... <0.1MOA!!!
I've been using RL33 to push these bullets at 3184FPS. Last night I attempted to tag a bear but had the bullet explode on brush before contacting him! I figured this out today after searching for blood over 3 hours and finally calling Rich to ask if there is any way this round could have failed and just penciled through on him...
Before you call BS on the bullet shotgunning on a bush, I know there's no way I could've missed because I made the shot from no more than 40 yards.
I'll be posting pics of the rifle, targets, loaded ammunition, and God willing - the game I shoot this season and distances they're taken at.
elkaholic
Well-Known Member
Congratulations Wil! It sounds like your rifle is shooting very well. If anyone doubts what the Matrix will do, check out the thread "new 150 matrix test".This bullet did not pencil through at 440 yards.......Rich
.......Rich
Sounds like I need to get some of those 150s. I have some 142s and 160s, but haven't tried them
yet. I may need to try some H 50 as well.
yet. I may need to try some H 50 as well.
waspocrew
Well-Known Member
I just spoke with Rich- I'm pretty sure I'll be building a 6.5 Sherman in a few months. Just have to order a barrel and stock. These results are encouraging to say the least!
wilkup
Well-Known Member
You won't be sorry. I love efficiency, and this round is the epitome of that for me. I started flirting with the 6.5mm 4 years ago and bought my first a year later - Savage m16 in 260 Rem. I originally thought I'd move up to a 270 or 280 improved, but after extensive research, chatting with Rich, and finding a 270 barrel with a fast enough twist impossible to come by, I went all in on his 6.5mm. What a great decision it was! This round shoots extremely accurately, loads relatively easily, and gets serious magnum speed/performance with a standard, non-belted case! What's not to love?!
Pics coming guys
waspocrew
Well-Known Member
Are you guys only running Norma brass to form? I found 150 pieces of new Remington 280 Rem. brass for a great price- I haven't reloaded enough to decide if I have a preference for brass or not... Just curious to hear!
elkaholic
Well-Known Member
I have used lots of RP brass and it works fine. It just takes more sorting and prep to be as consistent as Norma and it won't last as long......rich
wilkup
Well-Known Member
As promised... I tried to upload some pics today but for some reason I can't get them on here without having them online...? I thought I could pull them straight from a file on my hard drive, but it's not working.
Unfortunately, the teasing continues...
Unfortunately, the teasing continues...
wilkup
Well-Known Member
I've only used the Norma brass with mine. Let me know how the Rem brass goes as things progress.
wilkup
Well-Known Member
Here's a little bit more detail on things, since I couldn't get any pics up today.
I chose the Howa as my base for the build after being advised to choose either that or a Tikka T3 as my donor action, or go with a full blown custom action. I found a really good deal on a stainless Howa 1500 chambered for 270 Winchester at Sportsman's Warehouse I couldn't pass up and scooped it up. Well that was in January and at that point I was planning to build a 270 Ackley. I eventually found out about the 270 Sherman and thought that sounded better and fit my end goal better - a rifle I could hunt anything in the northwest with. After speaking with Rich about the round I was convinced it was what I needed. I began shopping for barrels with a fast enough twist to stabilize some of Marshal's amazing VLDs over at Matrix Ballistics. Finding a barrel to meet my needs within the price range I was willing to spend seemed impossible. In my communication with Rich, I learned he actually preferred his 6.5mm Sherman round over the 270, which stirred my curiosity as a prior 260 Remington owner. I did some research on fast 6.5s, talked to Marshal again to find out what his options for this round were, decided to go shopping just to see how easy it was to get a Bartlein 5r in 6.5. I found one the week I started looking.
My rifle was finished completed about a month after purchasing the barrel. My smith, Sam Chapman, works at the Mel Doyle Gunshop in Plummer, ID and did a wonderful job cutting the chamber, glassing the action, threading the barrel and installing his personally designed muzzle brake to match the barrel contour of this rifle.
When I received my rifle back from Sam, I dropped it off locally with a machinist, John Taylor of Taylor Machine, here in Washington to have the barrel fluted. He was able to pull about 13oz off the barrel and get it to balance spectacularly! I couldn't be happier with the finished product.
I mounted the rifle with medium Talley Lightweight Rings purchased from Weatherby for their Vanguard, through my Vortex Viper HSLR 4-16X44mm on the rifle and headed to the range to do some fire-forming of my Norma cases.
Our first outing was a serious success! I bore sighted the rifle beforehand and was all set at 100 yards after 5 shots! I shot at two targets while at the range that day. The first target I used Nosler 140gr BTs, loaded at various depths with 54.4gr MagPro and basically shot the X out of the target with 25 rounds. (When I figure out how to post pics, you'll see it.) My next 30 rounds were with the Matrix 150gr VLDs, also loaded with 54.4gr MagPro and created a little larger group. I was delighted with the success/accuracy of my rounds I was only there to fireform!
My next trip to the range I brought 40 rounds of the newly fireformed 6.5mm loaded with the Matrix VLDs loaded to a COAL of 3.43'' on top of varying amounts of MagPro and H50BMG. This round proved to be EXTREMELY accurate, as I've previously stated.
As things progress, please expect continual updates on this thread and anyone else who's putting one of these highly efficient rounds to good use in their own rifle feel free to use this page to brag, post pics, etc I'm not going to get all territorial on you; I just want to give this round its due admiration!
I chose the Howa as my base for the build after being advised to choose either that or a Tikka T3 as my donor action, or go with a full blown custom action. I found a really good deal on a stainless Howa 1500 chambered for 270 Winchester at Sportsman's Warehouse I couldn't pass up and scooped it up. Well that was in January and at that point I was planning to build a 270 Ackley. I eventually found out about the 270 Sherman and thought that sounded better and fit my end goal better - a rifle I could hunt anything in the northwest with. After speaking with Rich about the round I was convinced it was what I needed. I began shopping for barrels with a fast enough twist to stabilize some of Marshal's amazing VLDs over at Matrix Ballistics. Finding a barrel to meet my needs within the price range I was willing to spend seemed impossible. In my communication with Rich, I learned he actually preferred his 6.5mm Sherman round over the 270, which stirred my curiosity as a prior 260 Remington owner. I did some research on fast 6.5s, talked to Marshal again to find out what his options for this round were, decided to go shopping just to see how easy it was to get a Bartlein 5r in 6.5. I found one the week I started looking.
My rifle was finished completed about a month after purchasing the barrel. My smith, Sam Chapman, works at the Mel Doyle Gunshop in Plummer, ID and did a wonderful job cutting the chamber, glassing the action, threading the barrel and installing his personally designed muzzle brake to match the barrel contour of this rifle.
When I received my rifle back from Sam, I dropped it off locally with a machinist, John Taylor of Taylor Machine, here in Washington to have the barrel fluted. He was able to pull about 13oz off the barrel and get it to balance spectacularly! I couldn't be happier with the finished product.
I mounted the rifle with medium Talley Lightweight Rings purchased from Weatherby for their Vanguard, through my Vortex Viper HSLR 4-16X44mm on the rifle and headed to the range to do some fire-forming of my Norma cases.
Our first outing was a serious success! I bore sighted the rifle beforehand and was all set at 100 yards after 5 shots! I shot at two targets while at the range that day. The first target I used Nosler 140gr BTs, loaded at various depths with 54.4gr MagPro and basically shot the X out of the target with 25 rounds. (When I figure out how to post pics, you'll see it.) My next 30 rounds were with the Matrix 150gr VLDs, also loaded with 54.4gr MagPro and created a little larger group. I was delighted with the success/accuracy of my rounds I was only there to fireform!
My next trip to the range I brought 40 rounds of the newly fireformed 6.5mm loaded with the Matrix VLDs loaded to a COAL of 3.43'' on top of varying amounts of MagPro and H50BMG. This round proved to be EXTREMELY accurate, as I've previously stated.
As things progress, please expect continual updates on this thread and anyone else who's putting one of these highly efficient rounds to good use in their own rifle feel free to use this page to brag, post pics, etc I'm not going to get all territorial on you; I just want to give this round its due admiration!
My 6.5 Sherman is on the wat to Idaho. She is getting a Defensive Edge muzzle brake
