More recently I have been shooting a 6.5-284 and 6.5-06 Ackley Improved. I was totally disappointed in the field performance of the deeply rebated rim of the 6.5-284 and how it fed into a Model 70 with the long spring Mauser extractor. The other issue I had was I had to deep seat the bullets with the longer than WSM, 284 case. I like the long neck of the 6.5-06 AI, which allows half neck sizing, so the bullet is centered in the case. It has almost identical volume as the 6.5 WSM. It is a good choice in a long action. I have learned that .25-06 brass is a better choice for brass than the .270 Win.
I have worn out two of my 6.5 WSM barrels and I am "saving" my best for hunting. I think the short WSM case, in the 3.15 Model 70 WSM action is more accurate that the '06 based wildcat. I am happy with the seating depth of the WSM action. Last Fall, my shooting friend picked up a $5200 rifle from "R-Bros". Travis said that he and his brothers had lightweight 6.5 WSM rifles built on custom Remington clones. With Reloader 26, they were getting 3300 fps, with 24 inch barrels, shooting 140 Bergers. I don't push my Nosler brass and Bartlein barrels that hard, but I agree you can't be carrying a better deer rifle than a 6.5 WSM.
