Why the 6.5 caliber?

[Gcan]

6.5 bullets vs 270,284,308. Why has the 6.5 taken off and if you believe the hype - taken over? I have been sucked into the hype with one 6.5 PRC with a second to follow. Is it just bullet type and availability? The 270 bullets just can't keep up because they don't exist yet? The 284 must be heavy for caliber like the 308 to compete with the 6.5? Why why why is the 6.5 the new "King"?
Just wondering....

6.5 bullets vs 270,284,308. Why has the 6.5 taken off and if you believe the hype - taken over? I have been sucked into the hype with one 6.5 PRC with a second to follow. Is it just bullet type and availability? The 270 bullets just can't keep up because they don't exist yet? The 284 must be heavy for caliber like the 308 to compete with the 6.5? Why why why is the 6.5 the new "King"?
Just wondering....

Why the Mullet haircut? Why the hula hoop? Why do blondes have more fun? Why have democrats at all?
Cause.

 

[Clark]

While I handload for ~70 cartridges, I only have reamers for half as many.

The sweet spot in balancing projection of power and range with light weight rifle, I seem to like:
17HMR 17 gr
22LR 40 gr
223 55 gr
6mmBR 95 gr
250 Sav 100 gr
6.5-06 120 gr
280AI or 7mmRM 140 gr
300 WM 150 gr
338WM 250 gr
12 ga 3" #4

 

[Mike Matteson]

Harp has it nailed. The rifles being made in 6.5 traditionally have an 8 twist. Why would bullet makers make anything that has no rifle to shoot them. Look at 257 and 277. Can you find any factory rifles with out a 10 twist. I'm actually shocked Berger made the 170 in 277. Black jack is changing the 25 game. Awesome job too. On the 6.5 you have that long history of the old cartridges killing anything on Earth. You got the 6.5x55 being one of the most accurate rounds of it's time. And the 6.5 still does just about anything we ask of it. Add in Jebel with his thoughts on bullet technology being to great just adds to it. We are living in a very exciting time for shooting sports. Heck almost every day there's something new. I'll take one please.
Shep

 

[11confederate]

The 6.5 CM may currently be a LR favorite. Does what it is designed to do. Make pretty little holes in paper targets from a long way away and not dislodge brain cells. Good round for varmints or for the military sniper perhaps.

Although I am willing to purchase a 6.5 CM to practice with, it will never be my goto hunting rifle for large game.

300 magnums remain my LRH favorite. Whatever the 6.5 can do, my 300 RUM can do better. 300 Weatherby also.

Have a good "1"

 

[nicholasjohn]

Initially I thought you were asking about the popularity of the 6.5 cartridges, I believe that is directly attributable to the availability of great high bc bullets. After reading your post again I had to rethink my response. "Why did the gun industry choose the 6.5 to develop and leave others behind?"
I think there is a beautiful balance found at the 6.5mm diameter bore. I remember not too long ago the 7mm bore had a better selection of high bc bullets than the 6.5, however to achieve the same BC those bullets weigh close to 200gr that equates to some serious recoil energy. Had the mfgs gone down to 6mm instead of 6.5 we would be looking at bullets in the 120gr range which some would think too light for big game hunting. Lots of competition shooters have dropped down to 6mm from 6.5 to lessen recoil and component costs only giving up a slight edge in bc, but most of the hunting world would not make that compromise. As others have said, the twist rates of existing platforms dictates ammunition sales and production as a byproduct. Mfgs won't invest in tooling to make bullets that won't sell so the .25 caliber languishes when it could fill the same spot as the 6.5. The 270 is close but has the same high BC recoil problem that the 7mm does. I think in the end it boils down to being the best balance of bullet weight to BC ratio and the 6.5mm bore has enough weight for hunting medium game and light enough recoil to shoot comfortably for extended range sessions.

You just said darn near everything I was going to write about this subject. While it's not the whole story, it's the better part of it. If you want the nicest combination of high BC bullets for trajectory & wind drift, coupled with high sectional density for terminal performance on game, the 6.5mm is definitely in the sweet spot.

You can get the same thing in all bullet diameters, but as soon as you try to push your 210-215 grain .308 bullets to the preferred velocities, you're into a cartridge that requires a rifle that is pretty heavy to carry up the elk mountain. Dropping down to 7mm will help a little, but maybe not get you there. The .277 diameter currently has a bullet selection problem ( which will likely work itself out in the near future.) The .257's maybe be the next big thing, but the 6.5's are doing the trick right now. They've got a running start on whatever is going to be the next thing to come down the chute.

 

[ofbandg]

About thirty-five years ago I walked into a gun store and there was a barrel of Swedish mausers at the end of one isle. The price tag was $50.00 so I bought two. I put sporter stocks on both, shortened the barrels to 26 inches, re-tapered the barrels to get rid of the steps, altered the bolt handle and drilled and tapped both for a scope. They were 6.5 x 55 of course so I had to find brass and bullets but once I did I was amazed at the accuracy. One of the rifles a friend wanted so I put a Timney trigger on it and traded it for some work on my house, (he's a carpenter). It shoots 3/4 inch groups all day long and he has taken a number of large mule deer with it. The one I kept isn't as accurate but it will shoot minute of angle and put 125 grain Nosler partitions out at 2900 fps. with a good load of Reloader 19. It came out of the Carl Gustav factory in 1901 according to the date on the rifle. When I bought these rifles I was told that in Sweden they have been using them to hunt Moose for generations and are very good at it. The fact that my rifle is accurate with bullets as light as 100 grains and as heavy as 160 grains (Woodleigh and Hornady) is a plus, but just being out there with a 118 year old rifle that will still do the job is kind of fun.

 

[if4not]

I'm still waiting to be wowed. I spent a lot of money building an AR-10 in 6.5 CM. And with 2 harvests under my belt I'm not seeing anything special. But I want to, I really want to! But I've hunted with a lot of calibers looking for that perfect deer round...I think my biggest issue is that I hunt in Texas and shots are almost always under 200 yards. I'm starting to believe that at 200 there a better calibers. But I'm not giving up. I need a few more kills to say definitively.

Keep the 6.5 part, but make it a Grendel. For 200 yards or less (maybe out to 300), it'sa lighter, fun to shoot option that will do everything you're describing. Plus, it'sa reason to buy a new rifle!

 

[Huntz]

Funny thing two years ago I hunted moose in Finland.I saw a higher percentage of 308 and 30/06s being used then by any 6.5 cartridge.I asked why and was told because 308 diameter bullets put moose down faster.Second was 9.3X57 or 9.3X 62.Go figure?

 

[Uncle D]

6.5 bullets vs 270,284,308. Why has the 6.5 taken off and if you believe the hype - taken over? I have been sucked into the hype with one 6.5 PRC with a second to follow. Is it just bullet type and availability? The 270 bullets just can't keep up because they don't exist yet? The 284 must be heavy for caliber like the 308 to compete with the 6.5? Why why why is the 6.5 the new "King"?
Just wondering....

 

[FishxHunter]

The 6.5 mm caliber has been around for over a 100 years and has been successfully used on lighter game in Scandinavia. A special target loading was developed by Hornaday In the 6.5 Creedmore cartridge. There is nothing special about 6.5 mm as opposed to any other cartridge so don't believe the hype.

The laws of physics haven't changed and don't be misled by all the hype

 

[FishxHunter]

Funny thing two years ago I hunted moose in Finland.I saw a higher percentage of 308 and 30/06s being used then by any 6.5 cartridge.I asked why and was told because 308 diameter bullets put moose down faster.Second was 9.3X57 or 9.3X 62.Go figure?

The laws of physics, didn't change but politics changes military then Manufacture the advertisement customers believes.

 

[waveslayer]

Its bullet selection, and short action availability with a long action performance

 

[rharfo]

The 6.5 is a great round but when it comes to elk I'll stick with the
.300 win mag personal preference that's all

Love the 300 Win mag. If I could only have one it's a 300 WM. Followed by my 280AI.

 

[30calyooper]

6.5 bullets vs 270,284,308. Why has the 6.5 taken off and if you believe the hype - taken over? I have been sucked into the hype with one 6.5 PRC with a second to follow. Is it just bullet type and availability? The 270 bullets just can't keep up because they don't exist yet? The 284 must be heavy for caliber like the 308 to compete with the 6.5? Why why why is the 6.5 the new "King"?
Just wondering....

Late to jump into this string, but hey...
Honestly I don't see the 6.5 as "King" here in this arena, but it does have some useful characteristics...besides the obvious features of bullets with high BC's and (let's be honest, folks!) a variety of new calibers to play with over the last few years...

The 6.5's as a group in general offer good long range accuracy without the recoil of a number of the more traditional long-range cals. With the right bullets the big 30's still do offer great accuracy at way-out-yonder distances including 1000-yard competition...but try shooting 50 rounds of 300 WinMag (much less say a 300 RUM) in anything lighter than an F-class rifle, then compare that to shooting the same with a 6.5 Creedmoor or even that 6.5 PRC! I'm not the kind of guy who fears recoil, but there is something to be said for avoiding shooter's fatigue. Same reason the 7-08 caught on 40 years ago...accuracy without the punishing kick, and usually cheaper to shoot too!

So - the 6.5's are sort of new here in the USA. Been pretty popular over in Europe for as long as we've been fans of the 30-cal genre. And with the newer pills and powders they're a pretty good addition...but give it time. Lots of good pills available for long-range work in the 30-cal family, and 7mm too...the others (you mention 270) won't be far behind. Who knows what the next "latest & greatest" craze will be? Remember when it was long heavy bullets for the 223?