6.5/06 advantage?
- Thread starter Waynard
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
longrangehunterII
Well-Known Member
Honestly either one will get the job done. At this years CD Steel Safari the two top shooters were using the 6.5/06 and a 140 Berger Hybrid moly coated going 3050 fps. There isn't a target or an animal in the world that could tell the difference between just how fast/slow a bullet is going. The two shooters from Butches Reloading have always done well know matter what they're shooting.
Bottom line.... Dial the dope for whatever you're using and make hits if you guess the wind correctly. I don't care for a lot of work forming brass because I shoot a lot, and I have a 280 AI, but I've always bought my brass fire formed already. So I didn't have to in my rifle.
The 6.5/06 has more brass around then anything out there, and Lapua makes it just like the 6.5/284. Necking down will cause the neck to thicken from .308-.264 and depending on the reamer used so you might find neck turning required. Neither of which is a huge deal once done, but depending on how much time you want to invest at the loading bench I'd look at it that way?
You'll want a reamer so the bullets are seated out to the neck/shoulder for the 6.5/06, the 6.5/284 already does that in most cases. I have three 6.5's, 6.5x47 Lapua, 260 Remington and a 6.5/300 WSM. My first 6.5 was the 264 Win. Mag. 20+ years ago. The WSM is the only one that involves an extra step, but that's just as easy as running a 270 WSM up into a die and you're done. That cartridge was used only because the gun was already a 300 WSM, if I had a long action I would have gone with the 6.5/284.
But like I said, neither cartridge will make a difference other then the name on the case head.
Bottom line.... Dial the dope for whatever you're using and make hits if you guess the wind correctly. I don't care for a lot of work forming brass because I shoot a lot, and I have a 280 AI, but I've always bought my brass fire formed already. So I didn't have to in my rifle.
The 6.5/06 has more brass around then anything out there, and Lapua makes it just like the 6.5/284. Necking down will cause the neck to thicken from .308-.264 and depending on the reamer used so you might find neck turning required. Neither of which is a huge deal once done, but depending on how much time you want to invest at the loading bench I'd look at it that way?
You'll want a reamer so the bullets are seated out to the neck/shoulder for the 6.5/06, the 6.5/284 already does that in most cases. I have three 6.5's, 6.5x47 Lapua, 260 Remington and a 6.5/300 WSM. My first 6.5 was the 264 Win. Mag. 20+ years ago. The WSM is the only one that involves an extra step, but that's just as easy as running a 270 WSM up into a die and you're done. That cartridge was used only because the gun was already a 300 WSM, if I had a long action I would have gone with the 6.5/284.
But like I said, neither cartridge will make a difference other then the name on the case head.
Last edited:
elkaholic
Well-Known Member
I have 2000 rounds thru my sherman and it still shoots well. Brass life is good if you don't try to run everything at max pressure. This is what is so good about the cartridge. You can run it at very low pressures and still beat a 6.5/284 by a bunch and have FAR better barrel life than the 6.5/284. Reamers and quality dies are available upon request, and the Norma brass is working out very well. I know I am biased
, but I can not imagine why one would build anything else on an '06 bolt face if velocity is a goal. Especially when you can get this kind of barrel life and accuracy......RichJerry M
Well-Known Member
I had a 6.5X06 for a while and as stated it fed great.
Good luck
Good luck
mgood
Well-Known Member
I'm just about sold on the 6.5 Sherman. I've been reading a lot here. I just finished reading all 54 pages of a thread on 260 vs 6.5-06. And several other threads, short and long. You keep mentioning the performance of your 6.5 and I am very interested.I have 2000 rounds thru my sherman and it still shoots well. Brass life is good if you don't try to run everything at max pressure. This is what is so good about the cartridge. You can run it at very low pressures and still beat a 6.5/284 by a bunch and have FAR better barrel life than the 6.5/284. Reamers and quality dies are available upon request, and the Norma brass is working out very well. I know I am biased
I want a 6.5mm of some sort.
A short action would be nice, but it just doesn't look like I can get what I want without going to the short-fat magnums.
(No free lunch, it would seem. I want a rifle that hits like a 416 Rigby, shoots as flat as a 7mm STW, kicks like a 223 Rem, weighs about 5 lbs, and costs about $300. But this is the real world.
)Standard (30-06 length) action would be fine. That gets me looking at your wildcat. AND I already have a Kimber 84L 25-06 and a Savage 110 30-06. Either action might get re-barreled in the not-too-distant future.
I really don't use the 30-06 and have considered selling it. And if the 6.5 does what it should, I probably won't have much use for a 25-06 after I get it.
elkaholic
Well-Known Member
I'm just about sold on the 6.5 Sherman. I've been reading a lot here. I just finished reading all 54 pages of a thread on 260 vs 6.5-06. And several other threads, short and long. You keep mentioning the performance of your 6.5 and I am very interested.
I want a 6.5mm of some sort.
A short action would be nice, but it just doesn't look like I can get what I want without going to the short-fat magnums.
(No free lunch, it would seem. I want a rifle that hits like a 416 Rigby, shoots as flat as a 7mm STW, kicks like a 223 Rem, weighs about 5 lbs, and costs about $300. But this is the real world.
Standard (30-06 length) action would be fine. That gets me looking at your wildcat. AND I already have a Kimber 84L 25-06 and a Savage 110 30-06. Either action might get re-barreled in the not-too-distant future.
I really do not think you would be disappointed in the performance of the Sherman. When you can have a 6.5 that will take less than 20 moa at 1000 yards and carry 1000 ft. lbs. beyond that, it is pretty tough to beat! Speaking of the short action, it is a short fat magnun, in fact shorter and fatter than most, but the 6.5 SS will equal the performance of the long action version. If you want to discuss either at length, pm me and I can give you my phone #.........Rich
R.Morehouse
Well-Known Member
The 6.5-06 Baer is another option. It is the 06 case with the shoulder blown forward and set at 35*. 140's at 3150....And like it's been said Lapua brass..gun).....................................
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
The 6.5-06 Baer is another option. It is the 06 case with the shoulder blown forward and set at 35*. 140's at 3150....And like it's been said Lapua brass..gun).....................................
That's the description of all the Baer calibers... So, he basically just took an Ackley and put 5* less angle in the shoulder? That's original...
elkaholic
Well-Known Member
I have been getting some questions on the Sherman design and decided to post a pic of the parent cases along with some of the Sherman cases. I hope this helps. The 270/280 is the parent for the 6.5 Sherman and larger, the 375 ruger is the parent for the 30/375 S.I., and the 7mm or 300 saum for the 6.5 and 7 SS
R.Morehouse
Well-Known Member
That's the description of all the Baer calibers... So, he basically just took an Ackley and put 5* less angle in the shoulder? That's original...
There really isn't anything that hasn't been done in one way or another. 35* shoulder in a case that hasn't had all the taper taken out of it tends to feed a bit better than some of the others. Many out there tag there name on things that have very little or zero difference to other offerings of the same product and many others modify an existing chamber with maybe a tweak to the case and don't say squat then compete and win......over & over & over............
mgood
Well-Known Member
Thank you.
mgood
Well-Known Member
Metric calibers tend to not be all that successful here in the U.S. other than the cult of 7mm enthusiasts. And the 6.5mm-06 sits between the very popular 25-06 Rem and the HUGELY popular 270 Win. I've been doing a lot of reading and find that there are quite a few variations on the basic 6.5-06 idea; 6.5-06 A-Square (was a factory loaded cartridge at least by A-Square before they went out of business, might still be made by someone), 6.5-06 Ackley Improved, 6.5x64mm Brenneke (was available from Brenneke, at least in Europe, might still be), 6.5-280 Ackley Improved, 264 Hawk (available from Hawk Cartridges), 6.5 Gibbs, and probably others. We're talking about one wildcat developed by a guy on an internet forum, not someone at a big ammo company or firearm company. If it gets popular enough, who knows what could happen? Many factory rounds were originally wildcats. Right now, I see it as the best of the bunch.
Last edited:
I think the 6.5 offerings have been pretty active with this caliber over the last few years with the the 6.5 Creedmore, 260 Nosler. Add the 6.5x284 Norma, 264 Win Mag, 6.5 Remington Magnum, 260 Remington,6.5 Swede, and 6.5 Grendel.....it's hard to imagine the manufacturers thinking that another 6.5 is needed.
