Not another 6.5 question.

Great little round, but brass that's extremely hard to come by and sub par performance compared to the others.
Sub par performance! my son-in law has one that I've seen many times shoot -.5 m.o.a. at 500 yards running right at 3200fps
Great little round, but brass that's extremely hard to come by and sub par performance compared to the others.
 
I apologize, for not being clear on the headstamp brass issue. From what I've read, is someplaces you travel, require brass to match rifle ie stamp on brass to match stamp on barrel. Maybe one b could get by with the 260 ai being both say 260? I will reload and only use factory ammo in emergency situation only, ( if ammo got lost).
 
I apologize, for not being clear on the headstamp brass issue. From what I've read, is someplaces you travel, require brass to match rifle ie stamp on brass to match stamp on barrel. Maybe one b could get by with the 260 ai being both say 260? I will reload and only use factory ammo in emergency situation only, ( if ammo got lost).
Yep, with the places you'd be traveling where that might be a requirement the customs folks won't know the difference between the .260 on the headstamp and the AI following it on the barrel.
 
.260AI has no factory headstamped brass. But is a great choice, and you can still shoot .260 Rem ammo in a pinch.
6.5x47L is a fantastic round, but there are others that are faster to extend ranges.
I am no supporter of the 6.5 CM either. Too mainstream for me.
6.5x55 Swede (or an AI version)
6.5-.284 Win (or Norma) gets you better speed yet
.264WM, but with a short barrel, probably not the best choice.
6.5 SS or 6.5 SST (no factory headstamped brass, but these cartridges are amazing)

What about a fast twist hot 6mm? Run from 55 to 117 grain bullets.
.243 Win
6mm Rem
6x47L
6x47 Swiss Match
6XC
6 Dasher
6 PPC
.243 WSSM

I'll throw a vote in for the .260 as well, but I also agree with lancetkenyon that you might look at something in the 6mm range.

I still regularly grab the first rifle I ever built which was a "plain old" 6mm Remington. With 105gr bullets I took a deer at 787 and a couple in the 5's. I've gone down to the 95gr bullets and shot coyotes out in the same range (never had a chance at a coyote where it was safe any farther). This would be burning just a little more powder but bullets cost a little less than the 6.5's do......just food for thought. Good luck with your quest!
 
I'm a "KISS" kind of guy. You can't go wrong with the .260 Rem, 6.5CM, or 6.5x55.

I would not go the route of the 6.5x47 as in order to get close to matching the ballistics of the other two you really have to run it super hot.

The tried and true .264 wm will outperform all of the above considerably even out of the 20-22" barrel with the right powders such as RL19, 23, or 26.
I agree about not going with the 6.5x47Lapua, but not for the velocity. I have both, my wife runs the 260 and I have the 6.5x47 I run same velocity less powder,less barrel length brass is harder to come by. The Creedmoor is the competition. But bring them all, there is not a bit of difference. I have never seen a more accurate cartridge than the Creedmoor. The 6x47 Lapua is the king in the 6's larger than the 6br. Amazing round. The 6 Creedmoor is neck and neck. The 6.5x47 Lapua is pure sex. If you reload there is no hands down winner! There is a pre 64 model 70 .264 Win Mag in Rock Springs Wyoming. Under 1000$. It's a steal but it's been sitting there for awhile. I don't know of a great coyote round in the 6 or 6.5 if you do please share
 
I agree about not going with the 6.5x47Lapua, but not for the velocity. I have both, my wife runs the 260 and I have the 6.5x47 I run same velocity less powder,less barrel length brass is harder to come by. The Creedmoor is the competition. But bring them all, there is not a bit of difference. I have never seen a more accurate cartridge than the Creedmoor. The 6x47 Lapua is the king in the 6's larger than the 6br. Amazing round. The 6 Creedmoor is neck and neck. The 6.5x47 Lapua is pure sex. If you reload there is no hands down winner! There is a pre 64 model 70 .264 Win Mag in Rock Springs Wyoming. Under 1000$. It's a steal but it's been sitting there for awhile. I don't know of a great coyote round in the 6 or 6.5 if you do please share
I'd probably be all over that .264 if I knew where it was.

I've been piling up a whole lot of coyotes with the .260's, especially with the AR.

The .220 Swift however is probably overall my favorite coyote round which is why I will always have at least one laying around.

The issue with coyotes though is high volume shooting and high velocity are both barrel killers.

The .260 isn't as fast but beyond 300yds the high BC bullets make up for it real fast as compared to the .22's and .204's and really smacks them both hard if the wind is blowing.
 
I know your mind is made up already but I guess I just like to hear my own opinion:
I've got a 6.5x47L and a 6.5 Creedmoor. I prefered the 6.5 CM cartridge due to the little bit of extra velocity I could get out of it.

Now I've been reloading for about 17 years now so factory ammo was never much of a consideration for me. But this year we had a kid... and then I got busy at work... and then busy with this... and that... and before I knew it, deer season was upon me and I had nothing loaded to shoot! What the heck!?

So humble me drives down to the local academy where I found multiple options in 6.5 CM. I picked the 147 gr Match ammo for $28.00/box. Four shots later I'm sighted in. Now, I didn't try any pokes farther than 300 yards so not real applicable to "long range" but DANG it was nice to be able to go buy ammo in a pinch and get through deer season without lack of reloading time getting me down.

I've always enjoyed those awkward little cartridges that require special attention but after this busy year I'm pretty set on buying rifles chambered in commercially available cartridges... JUST IN CASE!

That said, I'm sure your 6.5 GAP is going to be awesome.
 
All good choices. I'm a little surprised that there isn't more support for the 6.5x284 as it fills the requirements well
 
All good choices. I'm a little surprised that there isn't more support for the 6.5x284 as it fills the requirements well
It has a whole lot of support but earned a reputation as a "barrel burner" which is always a limiting factor.

If you're a high volume shooter in the US and want a 6.5, especially one with a ready supply of factory ammo it's the 6.5CM, 260 Rem, or 6.5x47. Hornady's new 6.5PRC will probably work it's way into the top four as well due to their marketing with Ruger but for now, those three are pretty well "It".
 
Warning! This thread is more than 7 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.
Top