sconnierider
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Why the 6.5 caliber?
- Thread starter rharfo
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Danehunter
Well-Known Member
I got "started" in the 6.5 school through the 6.5 Creedmoor in a Ruger Precision Rifle for competition. Seemed like the right cartridge for shooting out to our steel range's 1,100 yard maximum. Also my Gen. 1 RPR had far more features for the price than anything else on the market four years ago.
Next I bought a Browning X-Bolt Pro in 6.5 CM and it was very accurate.
Recently I sold the 6.5 CM X-Bolt and got another X-Bolt Pro in 6.5 PRC. Yeah, you might say I really like that Pro design and its many "semi-custom" features.
But the 6.5 PRC makes a lot of sense to those of us who hunt big game here in the western states. Ranges are longer and lethal ft. lbs. of energy need to be maintained out to those longer distances.
And I also sold my .300 Win. mag. Browning A-Bolt because I have the 6.5 PRC.
Eric B.
Next I bought a Browning X-Bolt Pro in 6.5 CM and it was very accurate.
Recently I sold the 6.5 CM X-Bolt and got another X-Bolt Pro in 6.5 PRC. Yeah, you might say I really like that Pro design and its many "semi-custom" features.
But the 6.5 PRC makes a lot of sense to those of us who hunt big game here in the western states. Ranges are longer and lethal ft. lbs. of energy need to be maintained out to those longer distances.
And I also sold my .300 Win. mag. Browning A-Bolt because I have the 6.5 PRC.
Eric B.
Mike Matteson
Well-Known Member
6.5 or 264 is very good caliber for BC. If you are trying to reduce the recoil Non Mag's are the way to go. I do own a 65. x 55 and a 264 Win Mag. I generally use a Mag type of round. Have a Muzzle Brake put on. I hand loading to highest Vel. and the tightest groups. Them look at what it does to the animals next.
What I do see is a lot talk about how the different rounds are or aren't going through the animal. I don't see how much the bullet are blooding shots the meat. If the round come unscrew hitting an animal. I don't use that round again.
I haven't seem much in wound channels with that round. I have seen over 100 deer shot with 270 with a 130 gr. Sierra SpBT at about 3100 fps. Shot from almost any direction you think about. i seen the bullet cut 7 or 8 ribs, shoulder shot, heart shot, lung shot, liver shot and gut shot. Shots at close range and out 400 yards which was long shot. At that time we didn't have range finders, and didn't have much in scopes. I have seen several hundred deer go down in my time. The 270 with the 130 grain bullet did the lease amount of damage to the meat in the animal overall. Very little blood shot at any time. No matter what direction the round enter and left. Hitting what ever bones a long it's path.
I use a 25/06 taking somewhere around 50 deer with it. I started out with a 100 gr. Nosler Partition. After taking my first deer with that 100 gr. It blood shot the entire left side of the animal. I put that box of bullets up and have never used them again. Change to a 120 SpBt Nosler. Under 80 yards there was some blood shot, but beyond that only about a 2" circle at entering point. Nothing on the other side. The only problem they don't make that 120 gr. any longer. I haven't tried their 115 gr. bullet.
The little Rem. 721 with a 22" barrel It's is a 1/3 moa at a 100 yards. Under 3" at 500 yards. I use 52 gr. of MRP with Win Case, and Fed 210 primer in that 25/06. I have gotten great groups in several 25/06 rifle with that load.
Hunting for animals with a rifle now which includes Deer, Elk, Bear, I am using a 338 win mag. I changed several years ago to a bow. So I haven't done much rifle hunting except in Africa.
what I am wondering how much blood shot meat are people getting with these long range shots.
Mike
What I do see is a lot talk about how the different rounds are or aren't going through the animal. I don't see how much the bullet are blooding shots the meat. If the round come unscrew hitting an animal. I don't use that round again.
I haven't seem much in wound channels with that round. I have seen over 100 deer shot with 270 with a 130 gr. Sierra SpBT at about 3100 fps. Shot from almost any direction you think about. i seen the bullet cut 7 or 8 ribs, shoulder shot, heart shot, lung shot, liver shot and gut shot. Shots at close range and out 400 yards which was long shot. At that time we didn't have range finders, and didn't have much in scopes. I have seen several hundred deer go down in my time. The 270 with the 130 grain bullet did the lease amount of damage to the meat in the animal overall. Very little blood shot at any time. No matter what direction the round enter and left. Hitting what ever bones a long it's path.
I use a 25/06 taking somewhere around 50 deer with it. I started out with a 100 gr. Nosler Partition. After taking my first deer with that 100 gr. It blood shot the entire left side of the animal. I put that box of bullets up and have never used them again. Change to a 120 SpBt Nosler. Under 80 yards there was some blood shot, but beyond that only about a 2" circle at entering point. Nothing on the other side. The only problem they don't make that 120 gr. any longer. I haven't tried their 115 gr. bullet.
The little Rem. 721 with a 22" barrel It's is a 1/3 moa at a 100 yards. Under 3" at 500 yards. I use 52 gr. of MRP with Win Case, and Fed 210 primer in that 25/06. I have gotten great groups in several 25/06 rifle with that load.
Hunting for animals with a rifle now which includes Deer, Elk, Bear, I am using a 338 win mag. I changed several years ago to a bow. So I haven't done much rifle hunting except in Africa.
what I am wondering how much blood shot meat are people getting with these long range shots.
Mike
Groot
Well-Known Member
I dont know very many people, actually anyone who would say a 6.5 is better than a 30 of some sort for moose... so I would hope they would be using a bigger bore for a much much larger animal
FEENIX is correct... the 6.5's have been the standard military issue and Europe's go to hunting caliber since the 1800's. The reason they didn't take off in the US was initially due to the success of the 30-06 which the post WW 1 & 2 soldiers carried. It worked remarkably as an all around hunting caliber. Later the 270 became very popular due to Jack O'Conner. Then the 308 became the NATO cartridge that took us from the 1960's to a decade ago. It certainly didn't help in the 1960's when Remington botched the marketing and barreling of the 264 Win Mag then later in the 1990's with the 260 Remington. Had they done it right Remington could have started a 6.5 frenzy.
If you look at a ballistics chart, the BC of a 6.5 bullet is higher than every other caliber bullet across all calibers except for the heaviest 30 and 338 caliber bullets that btw typically have 25+% greater recoil. There is 25% to 50% less drop and wind drift at 1000 yards and beyond, using less powder and less recoil therefore its natural for target shooters to get very interested, very quickly. The 6.5 CM & 6.5 PRC was created by Hornady to be a very accurate long range competition cartridge. When inherent accuracy is the platform both target guys and hunters get interested very quickly.
and because Hornady is the creator of those two rounds, the ammunition is top quality and very accurate out of the box and brass will be available for decades. The average Joe buying one of those two offerings will not have to roll their own later on to get the hunting or target loads they need like I do now for my 260 Remington. Lastly, because of Hornady supporting it, all the major gun makers have started chambering for it so hunters and target guys can easily arm themselves. Uncle Digger.
If you look at a ballistics chart, the BC of a 6.5 bullet is higher than every other caliber bullet across all calibers except for the heaviest 30 and 338 caliber bullets that btw typically have 25+% greater recoil. There is 25% to 50% less drop and wind drift at 1000 yards and beyond, using less powder and less recoil therefore its natural for target shooters to get very interested, very quickly. The 6.5 CM & 6.5 PRC was created by Hornady to be a very accurate long range competition cartridge. When inherent accuracy is the platform both target guys and hunters get interested very quickly.
and because Hornady is the creator of those two rounds, the ammunition is top quality and very accurate out of the box and brass will be available for decades. The average Joe buying one of those two offerings will not have to roll their own later on to get the hunting or target loads they need like I do now for my 260 Remington. Lastly, because of Hornady supporting it, all the major gun makers have started chambering for it so hunters and target guys can easily arm themselves. Uncle Digger.
Turnbolt53
Well-Known Member
You might want to actually look at the available bullets (probably not a ballistics chart) before making that assumption.
For example, I am unaware of a 6.5 bullet with a G1 BC greater than the 7mm Berger 195 EOL with a G1BC of .755
Lenny Foffa
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I see no real reason other that marketing in order to sell more new stuff!! Nothing wrong with that !!! The .270 150 Grn Nosler LR has a G 1 BC of 625/G 7 BC of 317. the 170 grn. Berger in 270 has an even higher G 7 BC. The case capacity of the new 6.5 PRC is greater that the case capacity of the 6.5 Creedmore and approaches the case capacity of the .270 Win. The 6.5 X 284 has almost the same case capacity as the .270 Win. so . Compare .264 vs .277. 6.5mm 143 Grn with a G 7 BC of 315 vs .270 with a 150 grn. with a G7 BC of 0f 317. It seem they are trying tp make a .270 Win, without calling it a .270 Win!!! I have built an 8 twist heavy Barrell .270 Win, and in first testing show excellent 300 yard 1/3 moa groups with the 150 Grn Nosler Accubond LR. Much more testing to do in the spring.
Lenny Foffa
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I see no real reason other that marketing in order to sell more new stuff!! Nothing wrong with that !!! The .270 150 Grn Nosler LR has a G 1 BC of 625/G 7 BC of 317. the 170 grn. Berger in 270 has an even higher G 7 BC. The case capacity of the new 6.5 PRC is greater that the case capacity of the 6.5 Creedmore and approaches the case capacity of the .270 Win. The 6.5 X 284 has almost the same case capacity as the .270 Win. so . Compare .264 vs .277. 6.5mm 143 Grn with a G 7 BC of 315 vs .270 with a 150 grn. with a G7 BC of 0f 317. It seem they are trying tp make a .270 Win, without calling it a .270 Win!!! I have built an 8 twist heavy Barrell .270 Win, and in first testing show excellent 300 yard 1/3 moa groups with the 150 Grn Nosler Accubond LR. Much more testing to do in the spring.
SavageHunter11
Well-Known Member
Problem with the large majority of 270 Winchester's is that none of them have the twist rate to stabilize any of those high BC bullets unless twist rates have tightened up in the last few years.
Thescandinavian
Well-Known Member
Right. The bore diameter won't influence BC or SD. The more popular calibers or calibers that are traditionally long range calibers will have better selection in bullets with high BC.
6,5x55 and several .30 calibers was militarily cartridges and now the 338.
Lenny Foffa
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My target gun has a 29 inch Heavy hart barrel with an 8 twist to make use of the long , skim heavy 270 Bullets. I hope
SavageHunter11
Well-Known Member
Notice I said most, which honestly implied the factory market, and not your custom barreled rifle. Custom rifles will never drive the market, normal consumers will, and the normal consumer's 270 Winchester doesn't have the twist rate needed.
Lenny Foffa
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I see your point and I agree with that . Two of my .270 Win hunting rifles have a 10 twist. I'm not sure about the twist my 270 Weatherby Mag Mark V , New in 1973. It shoots 150 Grain bullets pretty good, but I have never tried the 150 grn Accubonds LR in that rifle.
Roughwater
Well-Known Member
I belive it's a combination of things that all worked together well that made this round so popular so quick. Slightly larger diameter than the 6mm/243 caliber. I always felt that the 243 is a great little round that never quite made it as good as it could have been due to it's generally limited 10 twist factory barrels. The 6.5 gun manufactures right off the bat came out with faster twist barrels allowing this smallish diameter round to shoot heavy, High BC bullets for caliber.
Again, something the 243 could not generally do well as the 10 twist limited the weight and BC of the bullet that it could fire accuractly. It's also a very suitable size and weight bullet for deer at long or short range which eveyone hunts. There are always some of us wanting to try something new, well to some extent this was or is it. Ammo, reloading supplies, powders etc all became available pretty quickly as did inexpensive rifles. With several 6.5 rounds now you don't have to buy a expensive custom or semi-custom rifle to be able to shoot the round. Also it's a near perfect round for a young hunter to start out with at least in the case of the smaller 6.5's like the Creedmoor.
