Experience with 6.5-06 AI on elk sized game out to 400?

[Beauregard]

I am a .270 fan, just curious about the reason that you just don't keep the rifle in .270 and load lighter bullets to practice with and go heavier when elk hunting? Form your post it appears that you reload, it seems like everyone forgets that cartridges can be "down loaded" as well as get "maximum" velocities out of their reloads. As for bullets and their availability, "ANY" configuration/brand/style bullet that you can find for the 6.5 caliber you will be able to find for the .277 caliber. There's a lot to be said about accuracy ("that" we all strive for) but......there's also a lot to be said about sight acquisition, trigger time and just plain getting used to the ergonomics of the rifle. For the 6.5 Ackley Improved, it too is a great cartridge, however for me I find fire-forming brass a bit time consuming and a PITA at times. I have two rifles built on Ruger 77 actions in .270 Ackley Improved, they both shoot really well, and ballistics are great, however I think if I had it to do over again I would build them in .270 Winchester short magnum just due to eliminate the fire-forming process. I can eek out a little more velocity from the Ackley Improved over the .270 WSM, however I do not believe that it's worth the difference in time and the work put into fire forming brass.

Thanks for all the great replies on here very well-thought-out. These are great points! I was playing with the ballistic calculator last night and I just don't see any advantage to change it. Now I just need to figure out how to change the barrel!

The boys do you like reloading we do it all.

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[Beauregard]

What is the expected max range you plan to shoot an elk at?

400

 

[Alibiiv]

Thanks for all the great replies on here very well-thought-out. These are great points! I was playing with the ballistic calculator last night and I just don't see any advantage to change it. Now I just need to figure out how to change the barrel!

The boys do you like reloading we do it all.

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That's great that your boys like to reload, and.....that you are making great memories that will last them a lifetime!! I have been around the sun more times than I care to admit (75 orbits), and....still making those memories with my son. We too do it all, at the range as much as possible, oftentimes we are shooting .22s just to spend time together and also to get that sight and trigger time in; and....to see who can get their .22 to shoot better groups that the other. My son took up black bear hunting with me seven years ago, it's been like we're planning next year's hunt while we are on this year's hunt.

I think that you have made a good choice, it make sense and I suspect that the .270 will be around for a very long time. I did learn something that their is a 6.5-06 A Square, did not realize it was a SAAMI cartridge, although not certain if both the AI and the A Square are the same cartridges. For the .270 components are acquirable, not so much right now but suspect they will be easier to find than the 6.5-06 A Square; and....at a reasonable price. I just found some Norma 30-06 brass @ $128/100, cannot imagine what some of the more exotic brass is going for???? Good luck with your new build.

 

[xsn10s]

I put a brake on my .300RUM and my 11 year old daughter shot her first bull with it. 175 SMK @ 3080 (reduced load), and it was one of the fastest kills I have ever seen. (You can see the bull down right above the scope through the trees).
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Must be one of those bonded SMK's Nice bull congrats!!!!

 

[meatyrem]

Btw since there is so much talk on the hammers. Does anyone have a used one to show. I've never seen one. I'd imagine this is a tough task to accomplish tho.

 

[wkdwdg66]

I would use a brake but I'm not a fan of the added sound they make. Thanks for the personal experience with the 6.5.

Just put a good butt pad on it. Recoil from that cartridge in an 8.5 lb rifle is easily tolerated by average folk.

 

[meatyrem]

I'd go with the 6.5 ackley. It just has one of those cool factors that you cannot just grab from the store and slap a scope on it. 6.5 slugs everywhere and as others have stated will get the job done.

 

[dogz]

Btw since there is so much talk on the hammers. Does anyone have a used one to show. I've never seen one. I'd imagine this is a tough task to accomplish tho.

I'm not a lot of help with your Q other than to offer my observations of the recovered one's I've seen on this forum. To me, they look exactly like a TTSX that's lots all 4 of its petals. Basically a fairly long wadcutter. With that in mind, one's not going to find a lot of them just like the TTSX.

As well, a great majority of the Nosler Partitions that have blown off the front end are similar in stature, aka basically a wadcutter.

The beauty of this of course is that one ends up with an exit hole a good share of the time which is something I dote on especially for elk.

Just my 3 cents on what I've observed via the pics on this forum.

Tons of good bullets to choose from these days and lots of way to put a critter on the turf

 

[Bang4theBuck]

I would use a brake but I'm not a fan of the added sound they make. Thanks for the personal experience with the 6.5.

I am a huge fan of muzzle brakes, but on my elk hunt last week, I fired 3 shots to check zero and then 2 shots at my elk (got em), and was pleasantly surprised at not having any ringing ears at all out of my custom 6.5x284 shooting in the wide open countryside. Not needing the brake was nice especially in light of the fact that the rifle was built as a light-weight rig. Just 2 cents.

 

[Alibiiv]

Btw since there is so much talk on the hammers. Does anyone have a used one to show. I've never seen one. I'd imagine this is a tough task to accomplish tho.

What are you asking for? If you go to their web sight there are photos of them. I have 100 of their .30 caliber bullets, they are a really nice bullet. The company is a great company to deal with. They will either answer the telephone or.....ask you to text them a message and they will get back to you. I hunted with their 223 grain .35 caliber bullets this past bear season, however never got to use them. I only hunt with monolithic bullets, to date I have never recovered any monolithic bullet because they have been pass throughs every time. I am impressed with their bullets, they use a bit of a different design on them, I will be purchasing some of their .277, 126 grain Hammer Hunters in the very near future for a .270 Ackley Improved on a white tail deer hunt. And.........I'll probably order 50 of their .300 grain, .458 Shock Hammers for a bear hunt next season; save on shipping. I have been a total Barnes bullet hunter for years, these Hammer bullets are every bit as good as the Barnes and.....they are available.

 

[Ace Quackhunter]

I begin with a 6.5 X 55 that was used for deer hunting, throwing 140 grain partitions it proved to be a great combination. Later I loaded 155 grain Mega, not as fast but great penetration. The 6.5 X 280 AI would be a great elk round with the right bullet.