6.5-300 wsm
- Thread starter ishootkittens
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
yobuck
Well-Known Member
Thats what I used in a 26" also. As I recall 63 gr with a 140 Berger is what I finally settled on. I had tried lots of powders but that was best in my gun.
7828 worked pretty well also, and thats what I use in the 7x300 Weatherby. My 7x300 Weatherby is what finally caused me to chuck the 6.5 overboard. Same thing that had happened years ago with the 6.5x300 Weatherby when Hornady introduced the 162 gr 284 bullet. We all need to touch the wet paint and find out for ourselves. lol
WildRose
Well-Known Member
Nothing magical about it. The advantages are exactly what I listed.Some will have to explain to me the thrills if this magical PRC case. Remington came out with the 6.5rem mag in 1966 which is almost identical to the wsm case if you were to improve the shoulder and remove the belt. No they didn't have VLD high bc bullets then so I can understand why it wasn't popular back then. But we've had the wsm AND saum cases since 2001 that is the same concept as the 6.5 rem mag. Magnum power in a small action. No one gets excited still....
But then when Hornady comes out with the creedmoor which is a shorter .260 rem. Everyone acts like Hornady invented a magic cartridge when they just keep re-inventing the wheel just as they have done with the Prc which is just a 300 rcm necked Down to 6.5 cal. The 300 rcm cane out 6 years after all the other shortmags. Handloaders have been necking the Saum and WSM cases to 6.5 for years and I still haven't seen an improvement on the design from Hornady.
Case capacity is more with the WSM. COAL is going to be restricted with both cases so if I'm constricted to 2.950" then why would I not want a matter case with more powder to compensate for the deep seating.
I can get brass from 5 different manufacturers for the WSM cases, including hornday and most of all NORMA which I believe is 2nd to only Lapua brass. But I can also use the popular 270wsm along with 300/325 wsm if needed. Which gives me a hell of a lot more/ better/ cheaper choices than the PRC. I haven't bought a box of ammo in years so factory ammo means nothing to me. Factory offerings (rifles) don't mean anything to me because I'm GOING to change the barrel regardless of what factory rifle I buy. So that doesn't really matter in this case.
As for being limited to mag length, 7 rds of WsM with vld type bullets at 2.950 isn't a terrible thing. All things equal in terms of length, why would I not want the case with more capacity. I want a short action because I want a stiffer action, lighter action, smaller OAL of gun withoug sacrificing velocity, and in high stress situations, I don't want to short stroke a long action. Bolts are smaller as well and with a large bolt knob it takes NO effort manipulating the bolt even with hot rounds. Smaller stiffer springs and firing pins are also a plus. Long actions also require a stock that is notched or have a low cheekpiece because u can't remove the bolt. If I were going to build on a long action, I wouldn't be interested in a short magnum. I have too many long action guns as it is.
Lastly, those big horns look awesome for the price, but I can buy a Savage 10/11 for under 500 and it already has the accutrigger which I like. I can also change out boltknobs/ bolt faces and get a prefitted barrel and change quickly if I don't like the WSM for some reason. And I'll catch hell over this but I like the floating bolt head design as I feel that it removes the need for truing.
Anyway, maybe someone can prove to me why the PRC is better than the wsm/saum but I just don't see the lore behind it. I feel like Hornady is always playing catch up with their carteidges but they sell because people drool over them as if they are magic.
Thanks for all the replies guys!
The PRC can't even match the performance of the old tried and true .264wm but it has the support that none of the other HV .264's will ever have other than perhaps the 26 Nosler which I'm still not convinced will still be around a decade from now.
The PRC on the other hand fills a niche and with both Hornady and Ruger along with GAP firmly behind it, it has staying power the 26N may well lack.
Personally knowing what I know now instead of buying the 6.5LRM I wish I'd just simply gone with the 3.5-375R with the shorter neck and greater case capacity but I'd still be stuck with a wildcat and all the issues that come along with same.
If someone wants a high performance 6.5 though exceeding the .260, 6.5CM, and 6.5x55 without going the wildcat route the PRC and .264wm are still the smartest way to go.
WildRose
Well-Known Member
Just be careful with the RL26. It is a fantastic powder but will pressure out considerably faster than RL33 or H1000.
If you know anyone with QL get them to run the RL26 numbers for you.
ishootkittens
Well-Known Member
Just not sure why? The wsm is almost 20 years old. People love the 270 offering and brass is readily available and it's a commercial cartridge that has parts and pievea a
But why?
The wsm case has been around almost 20 years after people said it was a fad. The 270 wsm being the most popular works out for me as there are 5 different manufacturers of brass and they are readily available in 3 different calibers. If Winchester would have came out with the 6.5 wsm a few years ago, we wouldn't be having this conversation about the prc. Or maybe we would since Hornady seems to mimic what works.
And I'm not sure what issues you are running into with a wildcat cartridge but I am a handloaders and it's what we do. I don't care if Hornady comes out with 100 different types of ammo, my gun may not like any of them, hence the handloaders.The 26 nosler is overbore even by my standards and law of diminishing returns kicked in about 20gr ago. The 28 nosler is nice though and I may have one later but the 26 is just ridiculous. I feel like it needs super duper slow powders and a long barrel to really get going along with 20gr(h2o) of unnecessary case capacity. Just my opinion which doesn't mean much. I get WHY Hornady came out with the PRC, I just don't know why or how the PRC is better than the WSM case.
And appreciate the advice on r26, haven't got my hands on any yet but there are a few powders I'd like to try out. Like to find a nice temp insensitive powder
Wedgy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2013
- Messages
- 3,276
I have found Reloder 26 to spike in velocity from about ~84F and up, it really starts to climb fast in pressure/velocity, same as RL33, 7828SSC. It is very stable in the cold all the way up to ~84F. H1000, Retumbo, and H4350 are my go to powders as we see temps well over 100F all summer.
I do use RL 26 in several cartridges and it gives great speed, well over all other powders I have tested, my 7mm RUM with 143 grain Hammer bullet is ever 3,600 fps....a very fun gun !
I do use RL 26 in several cartridges and it gives great speed, well over all other powders I have tested, my 7mm RUM with 143 grain Hammer bullet is ever 3,600 fps....a very fun gun !
My 6.5x300wsm is pretty simple by wildcat standards, a simple pass through with a FL die using 270wsm brass and turn the necks to the desired thickness and load just like any other round.
It is a little on the overbore side but I know that I use it for hunting only. You be easy on the barrel and just hunt with it, it will last along time.
It is a little on the overbore side but I know that I use it for hunting only. You be easy on the barrel and just hunt with it, it will last along time.
antelopedundee
Well-Known Member
I'd start with a rifle that left the factory chambered for the 270 WSM so that way you know that the action fits the cartridge.
ishootkittens
Well-Known Member
I agree I think I'm going to go with the 11 in 300wsm. Found one for $399. I talked to a stocky rep today and they found me a nice b&c stock with aluminum bedblock and adjustable cheekpiece for 390$ and they are going to send it to CDI to have it inletted with their bottom metal.cdi will inlet it for free if you purchase their bottom metal (200$). I think that will be my easiest and cheapest route at this point. For now at least, I'm still searching for a deal or better route
grabagun.com/savage-110-bear-hunter-375rug-moinf.html
Long action, large shank inleted for heavy barrel if so inclined, great trigger, aluminum skeleton accustock.
And you have a spare barrel in a powerful chambered spare barrel for sending big freight when your so inclined.
Long action, large shank inleted for heavy barrel if so inclined, great trigger, aluminum skeleton accustock.
And you have a spare barrel in a powerful chambered spare barrel for sending big freight when your so inclined.
WildRose
Well-Known Member
It was a fad that never gained a great following.
Remember the big manufacturers are making their money on volume not on satisfying nuts like us.
Nosler and Hornady have decided to challenge Remington and Winchester's prior hold on proprietary cartridges and have done so brilliantly from a marketing standpoint.
They haven't reinvented the wheel and haven't really improved much if any on existing cartridges but they own the majority of the ammunition and brass production in the US today and keep making smart moves where Winchester and Remington keep making stupid moves as reflected in their repeated reorganizations, bankruptcies etc.
There are advantages to going with the tried and true and satisfaction from wildcatting but that isn't where the future is for the big manufacturers and never will be.
If anything the case design of the .375 Ruger and everything that can be done off of it shows a level of brilliance neither Winchester or Remington has shown in a century.
It is what it is, no magic needed, just an understanding of economics and the market.
Over time the Nosler and Hornady cartridges are simply going to run away from the wsm's and wssm's and those shooting them will be stuck trying to buy hard to find very overpriced brass when everyone else is buying cheap abundant brass and factory ammo to get the same or better results.
Hey, I've been decrying the downfall of the 6.5RM and .264wm for more than 30 years but it hasn't made them any more popular. I've just accepted reality.
WildRose
Well-Known Member
I get that but you're probably shooting VLD's loaded into or very close to the lands aren't you?
I also understand that lots of us shoot all summer, working up loads etc but then how much actual hunting time is spent in temps over 80 degrees particularly in the northern 2/3 of the country?
Generally I've found that if I'm not pushing max loads in the summer I'm not going to have any issues in the winter either and even if there is a drop off in velocity it is very predictable and can be accounted for in our various ballistic programs which have that information pre programmed.
WildRose
Well-Known Member
All powders have some level of powder sensitivity, we can account for all of it with ballistic programs.
There are also pluses and minuses to all of them such as consistency of that variation and how dirty they burn.
Retumbo generally has a reputation for good stability but it's also the dirtiest powder I've ever run and I get much better and more consistent velocity with RL26,33, and H1000.
As much as I like RL26 I really wish it was a bit more suited to the .308 case because if it was it'd be all I run in my .260's.
