Which 6.5 to build

[Idaho Lefty]

deer, sheep and antelope that's it for that gun 500yrd type thing

Either, the 6.5 X 47 or, 6.5 Creed, is FINE to 500 Yards on Medium sized, Big Game, they HAVE, LOW Recoil and they, are NOT,.. "Barrel Burners" !
You have, good Elk / Moose Rifles, already. The 6.5 Creed is, VERY Popular Today for,.. a REASON !
With, Lots of, GOOD, Brass & Bullet, choices !

 

[arch408]

6.5 SAUM. M700 short action, Wyatt's magazine box, throated so you can take full advantage of the case with the 140 grain bullet. Or, truth be known, the 6.5 PRC might be a more logical choice. But what does logic have to do with anything when you want to build the ideal rifle!

 

[65WSM]

The answer to the "which 6.5" question is how much barrel are you willing to walk around with? The second question should be "How much Reloader 26 do you own?" I have been building 6.5 WSMs since the 300 WSM case became available. Before that I carried a couple of .264 Win Mags. Reloader 26 is a game changer. It produces so much more velocity than other powders it should be in your plans while you collect components. Reloader 26 is also more temperature stable than Retumbo, Accurate Magnum or H-1000. I have not yet investigated VV N-565. I like the 6.5 SAUM cases from Alpha or Peterson and they have been more available than Nosler or Norma .270 WSM brass. It would be hard to tell the 6.5 SAUM from the 6.5 WSM. Travis, who builds over a hundred custom rifles a year as "R-Bros", built 24 inch 6.5 WSM deer rifles for himself and his brothers. He shoots 140 Berger at 3300 fps from those rifles with Reloader 26. Have fun with 6.5s. It is hard to leave them at home in the safe once you have had success with them.

 

[Dragoon300]

Since you seem to like the SAUM and RUM's I would go with your first thought and do a 6.5 SAUM. It will also be 50-100 fps faster than the PRC. I like my PRC, it is very accurate and with my 31" barrel I'm getting 3311 fps with 156 Berger's, so I am happy. If you want more velocity, do a 26 Nosler. Personally, I like the PRC and 26 Nosler cases better than the rebated or belted cases, but all are ok and have their own pros & cons. The PRC will be more common and available from a consumers stand point, if and when our government gets out of the way.

 

[matt_3479]

With your 500 limit even pushing a touch further I'd 100% do the 6.5x47 lapua or 260 rem/ai. Both have great brass, aren't the hottest ticket at the moment so easy to find brass, plenty enough for medium game out too 600-800 yards, super accurate and easy to load with less recoil, powder, better barrel life!!

 

[Rick Richard]

I had a SAUM and was not really what I wanted for my intended use so I rebarreled to a 300 WSM.

I also have a 6.5X47 and it it by far my favorite gun for deer and range work because it is supper accurate and has little recoil. I have several hundred rounds through this setup and it consistently shoots in .3s and less with either 130 or 140 Bergers. With 110 HH it will shoot one hole groups on a regular bases. So, my recommendation goes to the 47.

100, 200 and 300 yard groups with HH 110.

 

[leadpillproductions]

What about past 500yrds. you just never know lol

 

[FEENIX]

Whatever you decide, buy the brass FIRST!

^^^This!^^^

 

[Idaho Lefty]

Brass, Bullets and,.. the Dies !

 

[nealm66]

I've been extremely happy with the 6.5-300 and 156 bergers with n570. Brass life has been very good as well. Don't have to push it to get good velocity. Was popping clay pigeons at 600 yards a couple weeks back

 

[Dragoon300]

I've been extremely happy with the 6.5-300 and 156 bergers with n570. Brass life has been very good as well. Don't have to push it to get good velocity. Was popping clay pigeons at 600 yards a couple weeks back

I've been loading 64 grains of N570 in my PRC, and with a 31" barrel getting 3311 fps avg with 156 Bergers. I thought about building the 6.5-300 Wby, but decided to go a bit more conservative. I always have liked high velocity, grew up with a Mod 70 220 Swift. What is your barrel,, and what are you getting for velocity? And if you don't mind sharing, how many grains of N570 are you using? I really like this powder, it works great in both my PRC and 338 LM.

 

[Mikecr]

If you decide bigger than 260AI, go ahead and have 2 barrels finished for it at the same time.
The first should last long enough to establish a full use, accurate life, for the second barrel.

But 6.5x47L with 130 bullets should suit your intent hassle-free. Easy as it gets there.
Keep in mind that the most powerful of ballistic attributes is accuracy. And accuracy is what you manage in the long term.
With this, it should be nobody's goal to replace brass and barrels at a high rate.

 

[Dragoon300]

Or you can make it 2" long, and set it back when the time comes.

 

[Jpistolero02]

6.5X47 would be my vote. It's just about my favorite cartridge for light skinned game and fun target shooting. It's easy to load for and the brass lasts forever.