Do I invest in a 6.5-300 PRC reamer? 6.5RUM or other mental 6.5...

I recently made the choice myself. I have a 6.5-300 Norma and a 6.5 STW.

I really like the STW. I am running 120gr MTH Cutting Edge Bullets, with a bc of .500 at 3,700fps. I chose the STW over the 6.5-300WBY due to the price of brass, and the fact I can shape the 6.5 STW out of many cartridges.

I have not had a chance to work up loads for the 140 class bullets yet. I like the idea of the Sierra MK in 150, but this is a hunting rifle and I like to stick with hunting bullets.
 
sable tireur said:
The limitations which will confront you are:

Barrel length
Powders available (very slow for heavies, more practical for lighter bullets)
Reamer designed for bullets chosen.

I have the 6.5-300 Weatherby, 26 Nosler and 6.5-300 PRC, all just about 100 grains of H2O. It's actually easier to load for the lighter bullets than those real heavy for caliber ones.
Click to expand...
I like what sable tireur had to say. Sounds like he has the most experience with some of these cartridges. I'll add my two cents worth. It seems like a 6.5 rum would be so overboard it'd be dealing with pressure issues it may just be adding more powder to get similar velocities to say a 26 Nosler. I had a 7 rum and I now have a 28 Nosler. With less powder I can get better velocities out of the 28 Nosler with the same bullet and I could with the 7 rum while burning less powder.
 
If you're looking for just raw horsepower, go with the 6.5 RUM and be happy. The 6.5/300 PRC will be the ballistic twin of the 26 Nosler and 6.5/300 Weatherby. I worked with a 6.5/375 Ruger for a while well before the 26 Nosler was out and it duplicated what the Nosler is doing now. The 6.5/300 PRC Improved would duplicate the 6.5/375 Ruger, but have a longer neck.

I still have a 6.5x338 RUM Improved and it's the upper limit (possibly a little beyond) the max amount of powder you can use in the 6.5 bore. As is, I can stuff the case full of H50bmg or US869 and still hit pressure before I get 100% case fill with a 160gr Matrix bullet. Unlike what others have experienced, I've found that the very overbore cases perform much better using the heaviest bullets available. I wouldn't waste my time or barrel life trying to shoot a 123gr bullet 3600 fps when I could get a 160gr bullet to 3400 fps. In fact we shot out a 6.5x338 RUM improved barrel in less than 200 shots doing that exact thing. I'm up to 415 rounds through my current 6.5x338 RUM and it's still holding .75 MOA to 1000 and the only load I've shot through this one is the 160gr Matrix VLD and US869.

The 6.5 RUM will have essentially the same case capacity and performance as the 338 RUM improved, just at a slightly longer OAL. The same can be said for the 270 RUM and the 270x338 RUM improved, both of which I've worked with.

When folks say that they can get the same velocity in a smaller case with less powder, I tend to think that they weren't using the larger case to it's full potential. Bigger cases are best used for heavy bullets and slow powders. If you want to shoot 140gr bullets really fast, then get something like the Nosler/Weatherby/PRC variants. If you want to shoot the 160gr bullets then go for something bigger like the RUM.
 
Thanks for the tips folks. The 6.5-300 PRC I did actually like the look of because brass will be available soon in Aus. It's pretty crap down here for the availability of anything. 28 Nosler is also on my to do list. No one else here really is all that interested in the sherman sadly, I am, but can't seem to inspire others. There is no denying a 257 weatherby with a 120 gr bullet is a phenominal mess maker in an off the shelf package, but I do want to chamber something a tad special. Right now it's just coming down to brass availability. I'll get back to you on a final decision soon.
 
How available is 6.5x68 Brass in your area? If it's affordable you could do the 6.5-300 PRC Long version.
 
Just breaking ground with a 6.5 Ultracat essentially an improved 6.5 RUM. 1-6" twist with intentions of a heavier mono bullet. With 32" barrel a 137 Hammer gets to 3700 fps.
 
Steve at Hammer Bullets has a 6.5 Lapua Improved that runs their bullets close to 4,000 fps and there is no recoil. I have a 7mm RUM that I was going to burn the 9 twist barrel out so I could rebarrel and shoot heavies but the 143 grain Hammer at over 3,600 fps is just so much fun I am keeping it !
 
Wedgy said:
Steve at Hammer Bullets has a 6.5 Lapua Improved that runs their bullets close to 4,000 fps and there is no recoil. I have a 7mm RUM that I was going to burn the 9 twist barrel out so I could rebarrel and shoot heavies but the 143 grain Hammer at over 3,600 fps is just so much fun I am keeping it !
Click to expand...

Does he now? Steve, buddy, you holding out on me!?!?
 
TXAoudadKlr said:
Personally the 6.5-300 Norma came to mind first.
Click to expand...

And that's as good or better place to start than most other suggestions.

I'm not a fan of the cruise missile format of rifle cartridges. The STW, RUM et al, where you get to stick to the .532 bolt face but the cartridge lengths start to exceed 4" or better. Then you are also confronted with the distinct possibility of using them as a single shot...:eek:

I should acknowledge that this took place quite a while ago...:oops:

A small hand full of us pooled our resources and talents to form a small company which specialized in wildcats and barrels made to work with them. We were blessed with nothing but the the very best of clients who were looking to the future while trying to push the extremes of velocity boundaries and bullet construction, all at the same time.:D We started at the top of course, .50 BMG but the lack of decent and available powder curtailed that pretty quick. But we struck pay dirt with the .50-378 WBY followed by the 6.5 on a shortened .416 Rigby case. This is what turns out to be the 6.5 Norma Mag basically, not exactly the same but in the family. It was a hoot to shoot!:eek::D

Nothing really took off and we all had family obligations so practicality took over and moved us all around into more pragmatic forms of gunsmithing and design.

It's easier now because we can jump on the internet, order some brass and make a set of dies while waiting for the reamer to show up. We have actions designed for the Rigby bolt face, brass built to take some decent pressures and barrels made to stand up to those hot streams of plasma racing down the bore.

The 6.5mm on the Norma Mag case suits everything in my opinion. Even when using the longer solids or the heavy for caliber bullets, it's easy to accommodate either and still stay within the 3.600" boxes. We even have the option of going longer when using some of the DBM systems.

The only thing it doesn't solve is that persistent itching to try something different!:rolleyes::D:D
 
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