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Barrel life of 6.5/06

Waynzee

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Jan 21, 2016
Messages
732
Hi Fellas, anybody have experience with the 6.5/06. What is the barrel life, would it be better than the other 6.5 calibers?
 
Hi Fellas, anybody have experience with the 6.5/06. What is the barrel life, would it be better than the other 6.5 calibers?

Depends how mean you are to them. I have put a serious hurtin on one in a week of turtle shooting with fast powder and 100gr bullets. Smoked it in probably 800 rds. Had others make it 1800 with Retumbo or 7828 and 140s in the winter on rocks and mammals.
Take it easy on one and you can see 2k+.....hot rod it in the summer with 4350 and fast strings.....cant get 1k.
I don't have a big 6.5 right now but with the 147 out it may be revisited.
 
I am north of 1800 on a m24 contour 6.5-06.
The only thing I've ever shot out of it is h100 and
140 Bergers @3050. It will consistently shoot in the .2 and.3s
 
As a benchrester or hunting rifle, that's the question ? I don't think many will need bench rest accuracy out of this old warhorse but they do show up from time to time on the 1000 yard match circuit, so as far as hunting goes, the rest of your life it'll still be able to hit any deer or elk with it with no problem, one of the oldest if not the oldest 6.5 hot rod...myself I think it might be the best 6.5 going, a big jug of 4350-H and your good to go....great cartridge !
 
I don't know that the accurate barrel life of a 6.5x06 would be 'better' than any, but certainly would be worse than some.
A 260AI is loaded to the same accurate nodes, with the same bullets and powders, but using ~10gr less powder. So it's barrel life, and IMO pretty much everything else about it, is better.
You can see this at reloadersnest. The Rifle Section @ www.reloadersnest.com

Keep in mind that barrel life, and accurate barrel life are completely different.
Truly, 'barrel life' in itself, is as long as you can still fire bullets out of it.. And many folks don't understand accuracy, qualifying of it, or recognition of it's degradation.
With this, there are always wild claims to filter through.
There are some here who actually reach peak load potentials, and can spot loss of that accuracy, to the shooting session. The rest chase their tails until it's undeniable..

If I really loved use of a 6.5x06 cartridge, I would get a barrel for one melonite treated, to pretty much remove barrel life as a concern. This, provided carbon is well managed.
 
There is a lot to like about the old 6.5/06 for many reasons, but I personally would recommend the A.I. version. You won't lose any barrel life and you will gain performance and case life with it. I shot the barrels out of 2 of them, but it took a lot of rounds if you are considering hunting accuracy. I was well over 2000. I built the Sherman in 2008 and gained even more performance, but there is nothing wrong with the '06. Also, plus 1 on nitriding.....Rich
 
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