New to 6.5-284 Norma

[Blacksnake0]

Recently acquired a 6.5 x.284 also so tagging post to follow along.

 

[Greyfox]

Grey Fox 1.1 at 500 is pretty special. Do you like the 210M better than the BR2 or have you tried the BR2 or any other primers?

I have been using BR2 with H4831SC probably based on accurateshooter or some other site. May need to revisit.

Been watching your exploits with the 6.5x284 for a while now you look like your having some fun.

Good luck and shoot straight all

Bob

I had initially(about 8 years ago) tried Winchester LR, and CCI BR2's as well but found that my best accuracy and lowest ES was achieved with the Fed 210M's. I just stuck with them and didn't bother to revisit testing other primers.....even with a couple of additional 6.5x284's I have acquired since. If you are getting good results with the BR2's, I'd stick with them. I do know other 6.5x284 shooters that have had very good success with them.

Yes, I am having fun! Particularly since I decided to seriously pursue hunting at long range about about a dozen years ago. Having been an avid hunter since a kid back in the 60's, getting into the LR aspect added a whole new dimension to the sport that I expect to last until they stick me in the ground. While there are lots of good LR cartridges available, for me, the 6.5x284 provides a nice balance of accuracy, ballistics, killing power, and low recoil that fits well in a nicely balanced rifle that inspires a lot of confidence for my methods of hunting.

Good Shooting!
Art

 

[Clucknmoan]

RL26 gives crazy speeds in my 6.5x284. Shot a pressure test last week to get max loads, 140 VLD's @ 15 jam. Didn't hit pressure till 3240 FPS. There's a node right around 3180, will have to see how hard it is on brass. A good 200 fps faster than I've been able to push Retumbo, probably 300 fps faster than H4831. All with equal accuracy and single digit SD.

 

[scottishkat]

I had initially(about 8 years ago) tried Winchester LR, and CCI BR2's as well but found that my best accuracy and lowest ES was achieved with the Fed 210M's. I just stuck with them and didn't bother to revisit testing other primers.....even with a couple of additional 6.5x284's I have acquired since. If you are getting good results with the BR2's, I'd stick with them. I do know other 6.5x284 shooters that have had very good success with them.

Yes, I am having fun! Particularly since I decided to seriously pursue hunting at long range about about a dozen years ago. Having been an avid hunter since a kid back in the 60's, getting into the LR aspect added a whole new dimension to the sport that I expect to last until they stick me in the ground. While there are lots of good LR cartridges available, for me, the 6.5x284 provides a nice balance of accuracy, ballistics, killing power, and low recoil that fits well in a nicely balanced rifle that inspires a lot of confidence for my methods of hunting.

Good Shooting!
Art

Thanks for the reply Grey Fox. Accuracy has been good with BR2 not 1.1 at 500 good though but easily MOA. It's very easy to start picking nits with this cartridge. We were playing around out west of here and I shot 3 golf balls at 200 yards that's with 130 HVLD's at 3,000. 1 of them was kind of winged the other 2 we couldn't find a piece of.

My dad is still shooting them at 86 keep on trucking brother. I am going to try RL 26 in the off season this year and see if I can get the velocity up. The groups in my cooper open up at max loads it's why I have been shooting 130's.

Good luck and shoot straight

Bob

 

[C.O. Shooter]

I have a semi custom 6.5-284 built by Cloud Peak Gunworks. Awesome rifle, awesome caliber. I have had really great success with a 140 Berger VLD Hunting, 49gr H4350, Lapua Brass, Fed210M Primers = 3072 FPS. H4350 is a great powder for the 6.5.

 

[CaptnC]

Does any one else make brass for this cartridge?

It's pretty pricey...threw a bunch away a few months ago that I accidentally picked up at the range...wish I had started collecting my junk brass then...I'd still have it.

 

[johnnyk]

Lapua, Norma and Hornady. I used Lapua in my first barrel, which was a stock Savage barrel(112BVSS). I bought a hundred pieces and went through it 9 times with no problems. Heck, the first 200 rds were neck sized only as I didn't have a FL die. I pushed these cases hard and never lost one due to splits or expanded primer pockets. I think I annealed them twice during their time with me and traded them off with that factory barrel. A shooting buddy wanted that barrel and brass more than I did and traded me a brand new Savage heavy barrel .308 for them. It was shooting under 1/2 MOA when I screwed it off! Probably the most accurate and consistent factory barrel I've ever owned.
I replaced that barrel with a Lothar Walther stainless, 28" prefit and it has turned out to be quiet the gem also. Using Norma brass this go round and so far it seems very good. I haven't put many rounds through it this past year but hopefully the weather will get better and I can get back to my weekend shoots with my buds.
I tried H4350/H4831/RL17/H100V/RL22/IMR4831 but just wasn't happy with the results. A great powder I did like was AA3100. This original barrel really liked it with 120gn NBT's, sadly, they discontinued it. Another powder I latched on to was RL25. Good velocity and accuracy. After all these I tried Retumbo and haven't looked back. 59.0gn's was tops in the first barrel but the Lothar Walther likes 58.5gn's and I use CCI BR2's almost exclusively.
Even though I bought a 8lb jug of Retumbo last fall now I really want to try RL26 in my Norma. I got phenomenal velocity and accuracy with this powder in my .300WinMag and 212gn ELD-X's. I also tried it in my son's 700P/7mmRemMag with 169.5gn Wildcats this weekend and was pleased with the results. It's getting hard to find around here, grab some if you can. JohnnyK.

 

[Aoudad shooter1975]

I've used both H4350 and IMR 4831...both have worked good and push a 140 berger around 2950 in my gun. I can get the load posted tomorrow when I look in my manual

 

[Longtooth32]

RL26 gives crazy speeds in my 6.5x284. Shot a pressure test last week to get max loads, 140 VLD's @ 15 jam. Didn't hit pressure till 3240 FPS. There's a node right around 3180, will have to see how hard it is on brass. A good 200 fps faster than I've been able to push Retumbo, probably 300 fps faster than H4831. All with equal accuracy and single digit SD.

I am here with RL26...the groups are starting to close up @ 3124 fps with the Nosler 140 gr RDF bullet...

I am glad someone else has gone past 3200 fps...

I have an ES going below 28 @3170fps for a ten shot string. I think if I increase the velocity I may be able to close this up...3180fps+...here we come...

28" Proof Research 1-8 barrel...Long Action...using Nosler brass...and a Russian Mag primer...

No pressure problems...

 

[Greyfox]

I have used Lapua almost exclusively in my 6.5x284's with excellent results. My primary hunter is a 26" Cooper in 6.5x284 which has been on the same original 100ct box of Lapua Brass for about 8 years and is approaching 1000 rounds down the tube. The primers pockets are still tight and the necks are in great shape. Accuracy/zero test remains at .25MOA @ 200yards. I have not had to re-zero for four years(same lot of Retumbo/210M primers). I have not yet annealed since my ES has continued to hold at <12 FPS and the necks(sized to .292") are still springy. While I have run my other 6.5x284's at higher velocity(3050+), playing around with different loads(recently including Reloader 26 which I like), I have kept the velocities with my Cooper in the 2975-2985FPS range. I'm not sure the benefit of an extra 100-150 FPS is worth trading off the familiarity and consistency I have established with my rifle/load. Used with the Berger and JLK VLD's(mostly), my throat has "zero" erosion. I rarely if ever shoot hot, use the very slow burning Retumbo which seems to be easier on the throats over the faster/hotter burners, and make sure that there is no carbon build up in the throat area. Most importantly, at this velocity I have had excellent terminal performance over a broad range of distances on a few dozen deer and antelope: from 150-1000+ yards, most, DRT. I like 900-1100 foot pounds minumm on the animal depending on its size.

 

[CaptnC]

This being my first 6.5x284...do they normally have a long throat?

I bought a package deal. Dies, Lapua brass and a factory Savage pull off barrel. I loaded some ammo for it last week and the bullet don't seat very deep if I stay close to the lands.

Even the spec on COL is long...most everything I load the boat tail is normally inside below the neck of the brass, but not so with 140gr HPBT match bullets. These are the Midway USA factory seconds.

I bought two pounds of R-26 overy the weekend but going to start off with known powder charges to see what the bareel can do. So I've loaded H4831sc and Hybrid 100V.

I was told the barrel has around 50 shots down the tube so I make try a short break session first to make sure the barrel is ready to go.

 

[Clucknmoan]

Completely agree Art. No way I would mess with those results.

I rebarreled last fall and wanted to try the 147's so i went with RL26 right out of the gate because of the outrageous speeds I was hearing. I shot them @ 3010 for the season and they shot well but not excellent.

I was working a load for my cousins Creedmooor a few weeks ago and it showed with RL26 I could drive the 140 Berger substantially faster than the 147's. Faster than the effect of 7 grains, must be the bearing surface. 2700 vs 2900+.

Got me wanting to at least see what the combination would do in my 6.5x284. It shows a ton of promise. I havent messed with seating depth at all, there's about a 1.5 grain span where it shoots 2 real tight and then the 3rd out about .4" consistently. I think I can tune that out with depth.

This isn't a rifle I will shoot much for pleasure, so I don't really mind running it that fast. It's also not something I will shoot in the summer, so I'm not too concerned about the instability in hot weather.

Bottom line is I will run whichever it shoots better. It will be real hard not to run this combo though if it comes in like it should. 140's at 3180 negates any BC advantage those 147's might have at the speeds I can push them.

 

[Greyfox]

I have a Savage LRH in 6.5x284 with a 24' barrel that I have owned since their introduction about 8 years ago. Pretty much bone stock except for removing the pressure tab at the end of the fore-end and more recently replaced the trigger/bar with the Timney(excellent trigger!). It is as accurate as my Cooper and Custom rifles and surprisingly generates velocities equal to my 26" tubes. Using 57gr of Retumbo with F215M's it generates velocity in the 3035FPS, SD 5, and sub .25MOA accuracy. It does 2940FPS/SD4 with 53 gr of H4831sc(shown a couple of posts ago). I started playing around with a recently purchased lot of Reloader 26, and it looks very promising so far. Given that published loads/Quickload reports seem to vary, I started a few ladders from 53.0-54.0gr. range using Fed 210M primers and 140 HVLD's/.075" off the lands. The velocity in this charge range increases 5FPS/.1gr., pretty similar to my other powders. Velocities for a 5 shot average is 2937FPS/53gr to 2989FPS/54gr. Vertical dispersion for all shots run within.25MOA@200 Yards and SD's range from 3-7. I haven't honed in on accuracy testing yet but 53.7 looks good at 2975FPS/SD5, with groups in the 25-.5 range. I have seen no pressure signs in this load range and there looks to be ample room in the case at least a couple of grains more powder. If the 5fps/.1gr and pressure holds true, 3100-3200FPS should be very doable as many have reported. I'll continue to play with this rifle/Reloader 26 and try pushing the velocity over the next few months. I will be also adding an MPA Chassis to this rifle which I use mostly for practice/steel/targets at long range. Depending on how it works out, I might give the chassis s try at LRH. It will be a close match to my 6.5x47 PRS rifle but a few pounds lighter.

 

[santee116]

Tagging in, love the 6.5-284 discussion.

I've got a 28" proof barrel on mine that also shows impressive speeds with RL-26. Haven't done any serious load work yet, just pressure and speed tests.

My normal load of 55.5 grains of H1000 with a 140 VLD nets me 3015 fps.

I tested up to 54.8 grains of RL-26 with a 140 amax that clocked in at 3135 fps.

Here's a question to you 6.5-284 vets, what kind of barrel life have you seen? I'm currently sitting right at 1100 rounds and accuracy is still great. I'm guessing run normally (i.e. no crazy long competition type strings), you should see 1500-2000 rounds, maybe more with slower burning powders like H1000, Retumbo, RL-26, etc...