Suggestions for 6.5 build

nctta

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Just sold a 6.5-06 and looking to build another 6.5. I have a LA M70 and SAUM M700 to use for the build. Not wanting to deal with extensive case prep but the 6.5saum has me interested because I already load for the 7saum and 300saum and I have plenty of brass. The 6.5wsm is also of intrest because I have several hundred pic of new 7wsm brass. Any thoughts on pros and cons of:

6.5saum, 6.5wsm, 6.5/284, 6.5-06, or something else?
 
Just sold a 6.5-06 and looking to build another 6.5. I have a LA M70 and SAUM M700 to use for the build. Not wanting to deal with extensive case prep but the 6.5saum has me interested because I already load for the 7saum and 300saum and I have plenty of brass. The 6.5wsm is also of intrest because I have several hundred pic of new 7wsm brass. Any thoughts on pros and cons of:

6.5saum, 6.5wsm, 6.5/284, 6.5-06, or something else?

What made you decide to let that 6.5-06 go? Would like to have one of them or a 6.5-06 AI, or a 6.5 Sherman would be nice. Haha
 
Depending on how far down the dark depths of wildcatting you want to go.

Shallow waters, 6.5 SAUM:)
Deaper 6.5/300 WSM:cool:
The murky depths of joyful wildcatting, the 6.5 Sherman Short Magnum in your SAUM action. Mohahaha. :D:D:D
 
They will all have their pros & cons. The 65-06 is easy to form & luckily Lapua makes -06 brass. With that thickness neck turning is probably a must. Switching to the Ackley Improved version offers more capacity & subsiquently more velocity. Fire forming is very easy with the proper knowledge & the Ackley shoulder angle reduces brass flow a good bit.

The SAUM is also easy to form & with Norma brass finally becoming somewhat available, you'll be hard pressed to do better with less brass work. The Shorter OAL of the SAUM will also aid in feeding from a short action magazine.

I have the WSM, as far as powder capacity is concerned, the WSM is as good as I can think of. To maximize capacity, the OAL is too long in my opinion to function thru a short action magazine. Mine runs about 3.100". The WSM should yield the maximum horsepower of a short action 6.5.

The SS version (sherman short) offers the best of many worlds but you pay for it in bras preperation. The advantage of a long neck & the Ackley style cartridge body offer improvements over the SAUM & the WSM besting both for user-friendly function & power in a short action. From what i've, Rich's SS is pushing pills just as fast as my WSM. I will admit i'm being nice to nearly impossible to find brass however, I wouldn't expect to see more than 100fps over the SS version at this time.



t
 
I have a 6.5 Sherman. It's made from 270 Win brass. The only pain is fire forming, and it's not a big deal. I am shooting 140 Bergers @ 3030 fps with a mild load. I was going to build a 6.5-06 or the AI version. I choose the Sherman because of the availability of 270 brass. I can load it up to 3150-3200. It shoots better than I can.


Jay
 

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I would think 6.5-284 would suit your needs quite well if you're looking for something that has great brass and zero case prep work.

Also, not sure how long a barrel you are looking to hang but if you're only looking to use a 24in tube or less, maybe take a look at a 6.5x55 or 6.5x55 Ack. Imp. In shorter barrel lengths they run pretty close to the others but with less powder.
 
Can you go for a totally wild wildcat? How 'bout a 9.3X64 necked to 6.5 and blown out to .010" taper. Throw in some Weatherby radii with a full caliber length neck. And lastly, no belt. Barely larger than a .264 Win Mag with longer barrel life due to a longer neck.
 
Personally I like the 6.5 Lapua magnum.

But B23's suggestion of the 6.5 X 55 Ackley Improved is a good one. That particular old cartridge has plenty of case capacity and will have even more with the Ack. Imp. blowout. Plus the Ackley Improved in that case tolerates high pressures for more reloads than most large 6.5 cartridges.
 
Might look at a 6.5 Dakota (7mm Dakota cases ran threw 6.5 dies) 140 grain berger at 3450 with 76 grains of retumbo. Just a little shorter than the 26 nosler, which might be an excellent choice as well. dead coyote at 803 yds 2 days ago. Case life seems to be almost infinite and accuracy is much better than my old .264 win mag. just my 2 cents
 
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