Thinking about a 6.5x284

[sable tireur]

...but I sold one and rechambered another on a long action to the 6.5 Wby RPM.

The new RPM would be a good choice for standard long actions, if you are willing to endure the pain and cost of obtaining brass and dies.

Like most decisions being made by brass manufacturers these days, Weatherby has surprised me with the omission of the market availability of brass for this cartridge. But there is plenty of loaded ammunition available, just no brass... I did find one stash of brass at a warehouse supplier a while back and managed to get enough for some testing and hunting.

A handful of writers find it impossible to avoid the comparison between the 6.5-284 and the 6.5 Weatherby RPM. Yes the case uses a similar head and rim with a longer body. The case capacity though is significantly different. They try to justify the comparison by using shorter barrels on the RPM and longer barrels on the 6.5-284. One article even tried to use lighter bullets in the x284 and heavier in the RPM. They all got paid just the same...

I have a ladder loaded for each of the two cartridges using the Berger 130 gr. AR Hybrid and the Hornady 153 A-Tip. The AR hybrid favors the 6.5x284 for magazine length loads (2.925" DBM) while the 153 gr. is for longer range hunting past 300 yards. Should be fun!

 

[reconrover]

I just finished up a chassis build 6.5 x 284 on a Tikka action. I was able to find plenty of lapua brass, but loaded ammunition was a bit tough to find, until...I ran across Reed Ammunition. I got several boxes for a very reasonable price. I'll use this in dialing the rifle in, and load testing. I have not used it to hunt yet.

 

[Gibbshooter43]

I've used Reed Ammunition in the past and found it to be very accurate and consistent. Just a check mark on that box…

 

[Highvoltage]

But there is plenty of loaded ammunition available, just no brass...

Every sportsmans warehouse I've been too lately has a top of 6.5 rpm brass….extremely expensive but it's around.

 

[Longrangers]

My son has one in a savage and shoots great. So far he is one shot one kill on whitetails and black bear.

 

[Frosty5050]

My 6.5x284 is in a Savage 111 Long Range Hunter. Out of the box with factory ammunition it shot to 1/2 moa. It shoots about the same with a variety of handloads. Most of my original handloads utilized fireformed Winchester .284 brass although I have also been using the Lapua brass and mainly H4831sc. It has proven accurate and deadly on deer, antelope and elk with Nosler Partitions, ELD-X and SSTs. While I have mainly used the SSTs for fire-forming, they are extremely effective on antelope. It's a great, fun cartridge to shoot with mild recoil and long brass life. Within some range limitations, it's a very much do-all cartridge.

 

[dougduey]

I own a 6.5-284 and love it. It's on its second barrel. Virtually no recoil with a muzzle brake. Typically, the sweet spot with 140 gr pills is 2950-3000 fps. My Berger 140 VLD load is at 2997 fps. H4831 is the gold standard powder, but you'll get more velocity out of Retumbo or RL23. Brass is easy to find. Lapua and Petersen make brass for it, as well as Nosler and Norma.

I have a hot rod load with the 109 gr Absolute Hammer that's going 3511 fps. It's my pronghorn set up. While this cartridge will kill elk, I think it's better suited to deer and pronghorn sized game. My 7 STW, 300 WSM or 338 Lapua get to go elk hunting instead of my 6.5.
Every deer, hog or pronghorn I've shot with the 6.5-284 has been a bang flop. One of the Gunwerks guys shoots this cartridge for pretty much everything (not sure if he has changed recently). Watched past episodes were he killed zebra, kudu and wildebeest in Africa without an issue. This cartridge was once the darling of the 1000 yard matches not too long ago. Plus, it's been around for awhile, so lots of load info out there. It punches above its "fighting weight".

 

[gkempf]

I use the 140 Amax with great results in deer. They've been my go too bullet for 15 years. Wound up buying 2000 of them and the same number or 162 Amax bullets. Turns out the 140 ELDM is the same bullet in everyway. Plenty of those out there.

Love the 140 Amax myself. Have a custom 260 that i am giving to my grandson. Hence the reason for the 6.5x284 questions.

 

[Hard rock]

Love the 140 Amax myself. Have a custom 260 that i am giving to my grandson. Hence the reason for the 6.5x284 questions.

It's been my most carried whitetail gun for years. Currently run a Berger 140 vld with Retumbo @ 2,952fps. I can't say anything bad about 6.5x284 are the parent case 284Win. Would I buy are build again yes. I would recommend the Lapua brass as mentioned in previous post, don't rule out the 120gr class projectiles I played with just a few rounds before deer season one evening with a hammer hunter 121gr and Hybrid 100 with some great speed so I'll be chasing a load this spring, good luck.

.Build that 6.5 -284 with a 1-7.5 twist 26 in barrel,have the muzzle threaded for a brake if you decide you need one . Both of my 6.5 - 284s are not braked . I'm shooting the 121 gr Hammer hunter at 3342 fps on a max load in a 1-9 twist . Then built a 6.5 prc in the 1-7.5 twist now I can take advantage of the heavier 131 gr Hammer hunter . That bullet will do any thing a 140 or 150 class lead core bullet will do and then some ,you can't overspin the lighter monos so you will gain stability on those and still are versatile enough too shoot a cup and core . All the Swedish 6.5 x55s had a 1.-7.5 twist so it's really nothing new Bartlien make a great 5r 1-7.5 cut rifle barrel . Best of luck

 

[WildRose]

Wild rose you say great cal bul limited ammo, where in the heck are you going too find 6.5-375 Ruger ammo ,that sounds funny too me . Just kidding with you ,if you build either one of those you better get your reloading hat on

Just covering them all. It's a given with Wildcats you're going to work harder.

I'm going to call QC and see if I can get them to make me some custom head stamped 6.5-375Ruger or 6.5-300PRC and .338-375 Ruger brass so I can take them to Africa.

It's a pain and there's always the possible issue of getting separated from your ammo and having no alternative source but at this point much of my hunting is just to try different cartridges, bullets, etc.

At worst in Africa I can always borrow a .375 H&H or .375 Ruger or 6.5x55 and never miss a beat if that should happen.

After 30 years of shooting the 7mm STW I've learned to plan ahead and carry along an extra 30-06 or .300wm as a backup "just in case".

Of course I also shoot the now near orphaned .260 Rem.

 

[WildRose]

Wow.............this is the first reply that I have read on this forum in reference to the 6.5-06!! I consider myself, and....I also have been referred to as "ole school", however I am also a common sense person. I get that there's the Creedmoor crowd on here, it is an "okay" cartridge, however once one gets past the marketing hype it is not all that great compared to some of the "ole school" cartridges. A few years back I was going to do a build and was considering the 6.5-06, however after more deliberation I ended up building a .270 Ackley Improved. I am also a fan of the 25-06, .280 Ackley Improved, 338-06 and my favorite the 35 Whelen. The latest and the greatest capitalistic hype cartridge is the 6.8 Western, and it is the latest and greatest because all of the gun writers and gun magazines are touting the round. The .270 WSM will outperform the 6.8 Western any day of the week, yet now....the Western is the go to round. But....we'll get the selling factor on the 6.5-.284 is that the round will fit into a short action and save weight. In my opinion the amount of weight saved between a short actioned rifle and a long actioned rifle is discernible in a hunting rifle.

The problem is that in the era the 6.5-06 came along they didn't think up a cool name for it and mass market it as a SAAMI spec cartridge.

There was also an automatic prejudice against pretty much all things 6.5/.264 because of the "barrel burner" wrap the .264WM and 6.5WBY earned early on.

It took Americans a long, long time to come around to the 6.5's.

 

[Nomosendero]

Like most decisions being made by brass manufacturers these days, Weatherby has surprised me with the omission of the market availability of brass for this cartridge. But there is plenty of loaded ammunition available, just no brass... I did find one stash of brass at a warehouse supplier a while back and managed to get enough for some testing and hunting.

A handful of writers find it impossible to avoid the comparison between the 6.5-284 and the 6.5 Weatherby RPM. Yes the case uses a similar head and rim with a longer body. The case capacity though is significantly different. They try to justify the comparison by using shorter barrels on the RPM and longer barrels on the 6.5-284. One article even tried to use lighter bullets in the x284 and heavier in the RPM. They all got paid just the same...

I have a ladder loaded for each of the two cartridges using the Berger 130 gr. AR Hybrid and the Hornady 153 A-Tip. The AR hybrid favors the 6.5x284 for magazine length loads (2.925" DBM) while the 153 gr. is for longer range hunting past 300 yards. Should be fun!

I look forward to your results! I notice some boohoo the RPM and act as though it would not be much faster than a 6.5x284. I understand diminishing returns and how it applies in this case to a relatively small bore but it seems to me with a 24' barrel for both
we would expect 2950-3050 fps with a 6.5x284 and 3150-3200 for the RPM and I would expect the vel. difference to grow as the bullets get heavier assuming both are chambered in a matter to get optimal results.
I have a M700 .270 that I am looking at converting to a REMAGE, I could go either way but I think an RPM with loads that are mild but still outrunning a PRC or 6.5x284 by a little has some merit. Getting a REMAGE tube in RPM could be a challenge but Likely to be available by someone.

 

[WildRose]

I look forward to your results! I notice some boohoo the RPM and act as though it would not be much faster than a 6.5x284. I understand diminishing returns and how it applies in this case to a relatively small bore but it seems to me with a 24' barrel for both
we would expect 2950-3050 fps with a 6.5x284 and 3150-3200 for the RPM and I would expect the vel. difference to grow as the bullets get heavier assuming both are chambered in a matter to get optimal results.
I have a M700 .270 that I am looking at converting to a REMAGE, I could go either way but I think an RPM with loads that are mild but still outrunning a PRC or 6.5x284 by a little has some merit. Getting a REMAGE tube in RPM could be a challenge but Likely to be available by someone.

All they need is the reamer so you should be able to get one from any of the manufacturers doing any sort of 6.5 Remage barrels.

 

[Nomosendero]

Sounds good, thanks!