Help! 6.5x284 vs 28 Nosler

[BabyBerserker]

Hi Guys! Im new to this website and already love it. I am wanting to build a custom hunting gun/long range shooter. I hunt deer, antelope, and elk mostly, here in Nevada and Utah/Idaho. I spoke with the gentleman who I think I'm going to have build my rifle at In Rut Rifles. I was dead set on the 28 Nosler. He steered me towards the 6.5x284. I think mostly because he doesn't have lots of experience with the 28. He also said the brass for the Nosler is nasty expensive which I already know. He also sited the better BC for the 6.5 bullets. What are your thoughts. I know the 6.5 is a sweet round I'm just in love with the 28 Nosler but don't want to make a mistake because I don't have the money to build several different rifles right now. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[toddc]

Hi Guys! Im new to this website and already love it. I am wanting to build a custom hunting gun/long range shooter. I hunt deer, antelope, and elk mostly, here in Nevada and Utah/Idaho. I spoke with the gentleman who I think I'm going to have build my rifle at In Rut Rifles. I was dead set on the 28 Nosler. He steered me towards the 6.5x284. I think mostly because he doesn't have lots of experience with the 28. He also said the brass for the Nosler is nasty expensive which I already know. He also sited the better BC for the 6.5 bullets. What are your thoughts. I know the 6.5 is a sweet round I'm just in love with the 28 Nosler but don't want to make a mistake because I don't have the money to build several different rifles right now. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

If you are new to this I would go even further and have you build a straight 284. Both the Nosler and the 6.5 will smoke a barrel within 1200 rds MAX in most cases. It takes OVER 1200 rds to learn to shoot LR. A straight 284 would get you REAL close to the wind resistance of either of the other 2 AND would last long enough for you to learn to shoot LR.
I have always been a barrel burner to get that last 100 FPS but its really not smart ESPECIALLY for a learner gun.
For your stated purpose I think a 7mm of some sort would be better for LRH than a 6.5. A 6.5 doesn't have a lot of INSURANCE for elk. At 600yds with a TOF of .6 seconds an elk COULD move 15 ft or 15" while the bullet is in the air.
The recent move to smaller calibers for LRH which I feel is driven by PRS and steel shooting in general is a mistake in my eyes. Miss by 12" with a 338 and it can be a real hassle. Miss by 12" with a 6.5 and it can be a real DISASTER.

 

[FEENIX]

Hi Guys! Im new to this website and already love it. I am wanting to build a custom hunting gun/long range shooter. I hunt deer, antelope, and elk mostly, here in Nevada and Utah/Idaho. I spoke with the gentleman who I think I'm going to have build my rifle at In Rut Rifles. I was dead set on the 28 Nosler. He steered me towards the 6.5x284. I think mostly because he doesn't have lots of experience with the 28. He also said the brass for the Nosler is nasty expensive which I already know. He also sited the better BC for the 6.5 bullets. What are your thoughts. I know the 6.5 is a sweet round I'm just in love with the 28 Nosler but don't want to make a mistake because I don't have the money to build several different rifles right now. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Keep it simple and go with either 7MM Rem Mag or .300 WM. My go to chambering for antelope to elk size game up to 1K yards is the .300 WM; load it with 215 Berger and you're golden ...

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/comparing-berger-210-vld-215-hybrid-88657/

 

[tbrice23]

If you are new to this I would go even further and have you build a straight 284. Both the Nosler and the 6.5 will smoke a barrel within 1200 rds MAX in most cases. It takes OVER 1200 rds to learn to shoot LR. A straight 284 would get you REAL close to the wind resistance of either of the other 2 AND would last long enough for you to learn to shoot LR.
I have always been a barrel burner to get that last 100 FPS but its really not smart ESPECIALLY for a learner gun.
For your stated purpose I think a 7mm of some sort would be better for LRH than a 6.5. A 6.5 doesn't have a lot of INSURANCE for elk. At 600yds with a TOF of .6 seconds an elk COULD move 15 ft or 15" while the bullet is in the air.
The recent move to smaller calibers for LRH which I feel is driven by PRS and steel shooting in general is a mistake in my eyes. Miss by 12" with a 338 and it can be a real hassle. Miss by 12" with a 6.5 and it can be a real DISASTER.

Outstanding advice,
Sage wisdom.

 

[WildRose]

Since you're just starting out I'd say go with something simple in a long action like the 7mm Rem or 300wm. Both have great ballistics and a whole lot of great bullets to choose from and both will handle the game you are seeking at any range you are competent to shoot at.

If you don't shoot them hot they will last for a very long life and by the time you shoot either of them out you will have had plenty of time and opportunities to hone your skills.

You could save a lot of money going with a Ruger Hawkeye FTW, or Remington 700 Gen 2 both of which are available in .300wm and if mine are any example ridiculously accurate for factory rifles. Both were shooting sub MOA for me with factory ammo and I ran some reloads tonight through the Ruger and shot the smallest 200yds group I have ever shot with anything other than my .220 swift.

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

Never send a kid to do a man's job !!!

 

[srhaggerty]

If you are new to this I would go even further and have you build a straight 284. Both the Nosler and the 6.5 will smoke a barrel within 1200 rds MAX in most cases. It takes OVER 1200 rds to learn to shoot LR. A straight 284 would get you REAL close to the wind resistance of either of the other 2 AND would last long enough for you to learn to shoot LR.
I have always been a barrel burner to get that last 100 FPS but its really not smart ESPECIALLY for a learner gun.
For your stated purpose I think a 7mm of some sort would be better for LRH than a 6.5. A 6.5 doesn't have a lot of INSURANCE for elk. At 600yds with a TOF of .6 seconds an elk COULD move 15 ft or 15" while the bullet is in the air.
The recent move to smaller calibers for LRH which I feel is driven by PRS and steel shooting in general is a mistake in my eyes. Miss by 12" with a 338 and it can be a real hassle. Miss by 12" with a 6.5 and it can be a real DISASTER.

Todd nailed it. I actually have two .284. I have a SA and LA (almost all put together). I was at the range today just playing with the Berger 168 classic hunters running a little over 2900 fps. My range only has steel out to 700. It got so boring I resorted to shooting clay pigeons. Just my .2 cents.

 

[WyoElk2Hunt]

I have both and if I could only have one it would be the 28 Nosler. 6.5x284 great deer and antelope but a little light for elk IMO. The 195 Berger in 28 Nosler hard to beat in BC. Get what you want or you will still want it after you get something else.

 

[Wachsmann]

I will say that what everyone is saying is good sound advice. But here isthe double edge sword. If you want something custom in a certain round/caliberand you settle for something less then you will always be left thinking what ifI would of got the 28 Nos instead of getting something smaller like a 280Remington or a 280 AI which there is ready fire formed brass or the 7mm Rem magwhich also is a nice round. As long as you know what the draw backs are goinginto say like the 28Nos being a barrel burner/expensive brass, etc., then Iwould say go for it. If you want something to learn on for long range that hasa high BC bullet then I would think the 7mm rem mag or the 300 will be a goodsecond choice. Not too expensive for a brass, generally everywhere, and can getover the counter rounds almost from any gun sporting goods store or Walmart.The 6.5 is a delight to shoot and it is very easy to learn on but you will bebuying lapua brass, and don't ever expect to see this at a Walmart or local gunstore. It's not any more than the others when you consider about 10 reloads percase for as expense. Only down fall is it won't produce the down range energythat the other 2 will with similar BC rated bullets. As for as high BC bulletsthe 180's and 195's by Berger are hard to beat. The 210's and 215's 30 cal by Bergerare also great. The 208's and 212's by hornady will also work very well in the30 cal (300 win mag.) The 195's by Berger really need some special throatingthen a stock 28Nos reamer is my understanding. There is one smith on this sitethat has done some really great work with the 28Nos and 195 Berger's. Just don'tremember his name.

 

[FEENIX]

Never send a kid to do a man's job !!!

LL!

 

[srhaggerty]

I will say that the .284 doesn't need to be done on full custom. Both mine are savage actions with pre-fit barrels.

 

[BabyBerserker]

Thanks for the advise guys. There is lots to think about. It doesn't sound like I can go wrong with any choice. Since it will be a hunting gun first and long range plinker second I think the .284 calibers would be a better bet. I'm. It too concerned about the cost of barrels or brass. I'm sure I will have more questions later. Thanks again.

 

[toddc]

Thanks for the advise guys. There is lots to think about. It doesn't sound like I can go wrong with any choice. Since it will be a hunting gun first and long range plinker second I think the .284 calibers would be a better bet. I'm. It too concerned about the cost of barrels or brass. I'm sure I will have more questions later. Thanks again.

Just remember you need to do a LOT of long range PLINKING to prepare for long range HUNTING. I have been LRH for 35 yrs now and between load development, verifications and just getting comfortable with a new rig I generally run 300+ rounds before I really know the rigs characteristics and capabilities. This is a best case scenario and involves zero learning on LR shooting. That could very well be 1/3 of a barrel on a 28 Nosler.
If you are an experienced LRH guy then the Nosler will be a fine hunting rig, your question however leads me to believe that you are reasonably new to this area and would be better served giving up 150FPS for 1K extra shots.
Also remember that the big 7mms and long bullets can get "twitchy" and be harder to work with than a tamer 7mm or something like the 300 WM. You can download a Nosler somewhat but then you can run into node issues and other problems.
I'm not trying to steer you away from a dream but I have seen this happen a lot of times over the years. LRH demands extreme precision, SD and ES. If you haven't been reloading for a while for LRH achieving this can be difficult with an easy to load for rig that has tons of data about it. The Nosler is a cutting edge rig that is still being figured out, whereas the 300 WM or something similar has had much more research and data available. This is part of the reason for a guy new to LRH I would council something that a lot of people have shot at LR a LOT and that is known to be easy to load for with very low ES easily achievable..
Just MHO.

 

[toddc]

Thanks for the advise guys. There is lots to think about. It doesn't sound like I can go wrong with any choice. Since it will be a hunting gun first and long range plinker second I think the .284 calibers would be a better bet. I'm. It too concerned about the cost of barrels or brass. I'm sure I will have more questions later. Thanks again.

I would look at this website to get a feel for what is consistently doing well at LR. The 1st part of LRH is hitting where you aim, the second part is the terminal performance. See what these guys are shooting in 1k BR and F-class and then figure out which one will have the HP you want to KILL at these ranges.
Hope this helps.

http://forum.accurateshooter.com/