.260, 6.5 Creed, 6.6X55 Sweed

[Goldengun]

The .260 isn't old, or new for that matter. And I don't believe the 6.5 caliber is any more aerodynamic than any other caliber. Having said that I think some of the milder 6.5's are in a real sweet spot for the average medium game hunter and can do adequate triple duty on large game and varmints if needed. So far I've only used my .260ai on deer, hogs and a speed goat. Hoping to pull a elk/mule deer double with it one of these days!

 

[snox801]

Well the creed doesn't help that it has sales reps saying thing like it's the same as a 300 win mag but less recoil and more accurate
. I heard a cabelas sales guy say that.
Second a guide I e used for years hates the creed says it can't kill anything. Hence why I continue to bring mine and prove him wrong. Same guy thinks the 7mm-08 is the perfect round. Well we all know it's splitting hairs between the two. Only difference is new hunters tend to buy the cool 6.5 and take bad shots and grab whatever bullets they can. Where most 7mm guys know what they are getting and pick correct bullets and seem to know the limits a bit more. Same as the guys that say the 6.5 creed is better than the swede they may have never looked at the ballistics on the swede. So dang close to each other.

 

[justinp61]

My .260 shoots good it's just heavy with the muzzle diameter of 0.850".

Being LH my options for a hunting weight rifle were limited if I wanted a LH rifle.

I scored a LH Ruger Predator off GB for less than it would cost to have another barrel spun up in .260.

Unfortunately 7mm-08 was the only choice I could select but then the old Nosler.260 brass sure did come in handy after a trip thru the 7mm-08 FL sizer die.

Let's see someone do that with anything Creedmore.

That's why I bought LH Savages to build my 260 and 22-250 rifles on. I used varmint weight barrels on both and they're both a little less than 9 1/2 pounds with the magazines loaded.

 

[Alberta Wexit]

Love the 6.5 caliber. Have a Swede, 260 Rem, 6.5x284 and the 6.5x 300W.M. All great mid range calibers. Swede used extensively to shoot their moose somewhat smaller than here.

 

[hudgic]

6.5x55 hand loaded the way it should be in this modern world will beat to 260/6.5needmor

 

[skipglo]

6.5x284(NORMA) !!!!!! Definitely my favorite caliber

So I've been told........wait till I find you a Moosealo!

 

[Benman73]

I have a 6.5x55 and like it a lot. But does anyone shoot/plink with the 120 class bullets? Seems like the 123 bullets would make a great sub 500yd, light recoil, practice round.

I shoot the 123 ELDM's out of my 6.5x47 sometimes. Very accurate to at least 500 yards and low recoil, which makes spotting hits and misses easier. Also took a deer this year with that bullet with great results.

 

[fp4]

My .260 shoots good it's just heavy with the muzzle diameter of 0.850".

Being LH my options for a hunting weight rifle were limited if I wanted a LH rifle.

I scored a LH Ruger Predator off GB for less than it would cost to have another barrel spun up in .260.

Unfortunately 7mm-08 was the only choice I could select but then the old Nosler.260 brass sure did come in handy after a trip thru the 7mm-08 FL sizer die.

Let's see someone do that with anything Creedmore.

I'm a lefty also, and bought the same LH Ruger Predator.

I'm shooting 140 Accubonds in it and it shoots great,really happy with it.

 

[ntsqd]

Working in a shop during the mid 80's only the old timers showed any interest in the 6.5mm bore, and usually then only for the 6.5x55 Swede. The .264 Mag had a rep for being a real throat burner and few would spend the considerable dollars for a rifle like that. The 6.5 RM just didn't even register on anyone's radar, but we kept 2 boxes of ammo on the shelf for it too. Maybe one in 100 customers would have ever considered rebarreling a rifle as being a normal thing to do. Most saw a rifle with a burned-out throat as being used up and in need of a complete replacement - not just a new barrel.

One of my two bosses occasionally commented that it was too bad that bullet selection in 6.5 was so bad and tended towards being round noses only (at the time). It was he who pointed out to me how high the 6.5 bullet's weight to bore size was. He figured with a good bullet selection that the 6.5mm bore could have easily dominated hunting North American light skinned game.

Mike didn't live to see this recognition of what he saw many years ago, but I smile every time I think about it. I'm sure that he'd be excited about it.

 

[Idaho Lefty]

My grandson has, abscounded ( long Term, borrowed ) my, L-H Tikka, in .243 Win. ( and shot, his First Deer ) that WAS, my "Play" and Deer, Rifle,..
So, I INVESTIGATED, the Facts / Fiction of, the Horrible, chitty, LOW Powered, wimpy, 6.5 Need's MORE to, replace,.. the .243 !
Hey, it AIN'T so "Bad" after, all ! I will NOT, use it for Elk, as I HAVE, a .270 WSM "Lazer", a "SURE Thing" Elk Slayer at, "Reasonable" Ranges,..
But for, Deer / Antelope and "Playing" on Steel Targets with, much LESS Recoil than, my .270 WSM,.. IT's,.. GREAT !
ALL my Tikka's, ARE,. "Matched" with,. the same Mod's and Trigger Pulls, so EASY to, switch back to, the .270 WSM for, Elk !
First Groups, are running Sub, 3/4 MOA some, even BETTER ,. Gotta Love those,.. Tikka's !
And I really LIKE, the 6.5 Creedmoor,.. NOW ! And YES,. I was, skeptical, too because of, the Internet,.. BS !

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

Yeah, the 6.5x55 Swede is a fantastic cartridge, and the others are right up there, I think just for kicks, and because I have one I'd go with the 6.5x55mm and never worry.
On the African thing, are you sure you're not thinking about the 6.5x57mm Mauser? and Walter D.M. "Karamojo" Bell, and I think he used a 7x57mm Mauser though many say he had a 6.5x57mm Mauser with him, that he "may" have capped a few with. Just thinking out loud. Cheers

You are correct on the 6.5X57 Mauser. The 6.5X55 has it's share of Game all through Europe and Africa. The 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Schoenhauer was a notorious elephant killer.
I We are big fans of the 6.5. Got my first 260 back in late 90s. Before that it was called the "6.5-08".
Here is an article from Hawks.

The 6.5mm (.264 Caliber) Rifle Cartridges

By Chuck Hawks


It is hard to understand why 6.5mm (.264") cartridges have never really caught on in North America. The more I have learned about the various 6.5's, the more I have come to appreciate them. Most North American hunters are missing out on a good thing, although in recent years the 6.5's have been gaining in popularity and new 6.5mm cartridges have been standardized and factory loaded.

In Europe the 6.5's have been popular since the introduction of smokeless powder during the last decade of the 19th Century. The Europeans evidently recognized a good thing when they saw it.

Whether in standard length magnum form for ultra-long range shooting like the 6.5x68S or .264 Winchester Magnum, true short magnum configuration like the long range 6.5mm Remington Magnum (which duplicates the ballistics of the famous .270 Win.), or standard form like the .260 Remington, 6.5x57 Mauser, 6.5x55 Swede, or 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Schoenauer, the 6.5mm cartridges have much to recommend them.

The recoil of the standard 6.5mm cartridges is moderate, the trajectory is adequately flat for most purposes (including hunting in the mountains or on the plains), and their killing power is generally excellent due to the high sectional density of most 6.5mm bullets. Within their individual ranges, the 6.5mm cartridges are suitable for almost all of the medium to medium-large game animals on earth (game up to about 500 pounds). And even larger animals are within the purview of the 6.5mm Magnums.

The advantage of deep penetration conferred by the excellent sectional density of 6.5mm big game bullets should not be underestimated. It is the secret of the 6.5mm cartridge's success. It is what allows 6.5mm bullets to get deep inside of even large animals, where they can do the most damage.

For instance, the light 120 grain 6.5mm bullet has a SD of .246, the same as a 165 grain .30 caliber bullet. The 125 grain 6.5mm bullet has a SD of .256, equal to that of a 170 grain .30 caliber bullet. The medium weight 140 grain 6.5mm bullet has an outstanding SD of .287, which is essentially the same as a 190 grain .30 caliber match bullet. And the heavy 160 grain 6.5mm bullet has a SD of .328, about like a 220 grain .30 caliber bullet. Ponder these comparisons for a moment and it becomes clear why the 6.5's kill almost as well as the larger calibers, but with much less recoil and muzzle blast.

That the 6.5mm cartridges are suitable for most of the world's big game cannot be disputed. The record of the 6.5mm cartridges in Africa, for example, is well documented. 6.5's became the favorite cartridges of many well-known professional hunters in Africa, a number of who wrote about these cartridges. The legendary ivory hunter W.D.M. Bell was among these, and he went so far as to use his 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Schoenhauer with 160 grain solid bullets for brain shots on elephants. He liked the moderate recoil and the deep penetration of the 6.5mm bullets. He also used the 7x57 Mauser with 175 grain solid bullets for the same purpose. With these two calibers he is reputed to have killed over 1000 elephants.

This is not to recommend any 6.5mm cartridge for pachyderm hunting. The point is that the 6.5's are very efficient cartridges with excellent killing power. In the hands of a good shot they are adequate for game from the size of the smaller African antelope and North American javelina up to Canadian caribou, Swedish alg, Spanish red stag, and African Hartebeest.

As demonstrated in Africa by Bell and a slew of other professional hunters, the benefits of low recoil should not be taken lightly. Less recoil makes for more accurate shooting, that is a fact. Good bullet placement is by far the most important factor in killing power. If a hunter can get almost any reasonable bullet deep into the lungs or heart of an animal, that animal is not long for this world. 6.5mm rifles make it easier for hunters to do just that.

Due to their high killing power and relatively low recoil, the standard 6.5mm cartridges are particularly well suited for the popular lightweight hunting rifles called "mountain" or "scout" rifles. When an lightweight, fast handling rifle is combined with a light recoiling but effective game cartridge that the average hunter is able to shoot accurately, the result is liable to be a lot of game taken. That is perhaps the best recommendation for 6.5mm hunting rifles.

 

[Andrew Massi]

Fyi with R26 you can get 2900 fps in the creed with a 140 class bullet. Berger has 2977 for their 135 classic with R26. This is very close to the 6.5 284.

I wonder how fast will r26 push a 140 out of the 6.5-284?

 

[cajun]

I wonder how fast will r26 push a 140 out of the 6.5-284?

80 fps difference. I'll take it. Cheaper brass, ammo availability. Not worth it.

 

[338 dude]

So I've been told........wait till I find you a Moosealo!

I wonder how fast will r26 push a 140 out of the 6.5-284?

I've been up to 3100 ft./s before I saw pressure signs