6.5 284 or 6.5-06 improved

B

budman

Guest
i am rebuilding a shot out savage 110 and im thinking of going with a 6.5 284 or a 6.5-06. I am leaning toward the 6.5-06. Any info would be great. also if I go with the 6.5-06 should i have it improved?
 
the only observation I have is that the 6.5-06 might feed better in some guns.
 
Not enough reason to improve a 6.5/06, in my opinion. You can get all the speed accuracy will allow with the unimproved case. Beyond that, both of the above posts have merit. Is this a single shot or a repeater?
 
it is a repeater, and that was why i was leaning toward the 6.5-06, because it will feed. But i will probably just use it as a bench rifle thats why i was considering the 6.5x284. what are the pros and cons between the two?
 
6.5-284 or 6.5-06 improved

I have both the 6.5-284 and standard 6.5-06. I struggled to get 3000 fps with a 120 gr with the 6.5-284 with a 24" barrel. The 6.5-06 shoots the 120 gr Barnes TSX at 3130 fps from a 24" barrel and is very accurate. I'm using Win 270 brass necked down sorted to insure neck runout is .0015" or less, about 80% meets requirements. The rifle likes this brass better than 30-06 Lapua necked down. Feeds like a dream from the Rem 700 magazine. I finished it a couple of years ago and it has accounted for 3 antelope and two deer, all one shot kills at ranges from 80 yards to 399 yards. Given the choice, I would go with the 6.5-06 again in a heartbeat.
 
my 6.5x284 is a dream rifle. feeds good, shoots better, best brass there is that is ready to go and cheap dies. many folks shootin it so load data is easy to come by as well.
 
I've burned out three 6.5-06 barrels over the years, with the hassles with the brass, I vote for the 6.5/.284. No brass hassles, just load and shoot. As I get older, I find the less hassle with a hunting rifle the better I like it. The good thing about the life of a 6.5-06 barrel is most people don't shoot enough to know how fast these barrels burn out, A lot worst than a 6.5/.284 which ain't great.

In fact it's made me try the 6.5X55 AI, that really puts a smile on my face, just like the standard 6.5X55. Barrel life has gotten much better.

The 6.5mm is just and interesting caliber to mess with.
 
Two bad days

Big Al said:
The 6.5 mm is just and interesting caliber to mess with.
Click to expand...

My choice would be a 6.5/ 06 AI for hunting and something with less powder for targets. Several hunters from around here years ago used them with very good results.

About the 6.5 mm being an interesting caliber, It was a Italian 6.5 Carcano that was used to assassinate JFK and it was a .264 Winchester that was used in the University of Texas Tower killings. I am sorry, I lived through both of these terrible events and the 6.5 is in my brain that way.

Concho Bill
 
Bill Wynne said:
My choice would be a 6.5/ 06 AI for hunting and something with less powder for targets. Several hunters from around here years ago used them with very good results.

About the 6.5 mm being an interesting caliber, It was a Italian 6.5 Carcano that was used to assassinate JFK and it was a .264 Winchester that was used in the University of Texas Tower killings. I am sorry, I lived through both of these terrible events and the 6.5 is in my brain that way.

Concho Bill
Click to expand...

I believe you are mistaken about the Texas tower weapons. Charles Whitman used a 6mm Remington as his long range rifle, not a 264 Winchester.

"In his old Marine footlocker Charlie packed an array of supplies. He brought a radio, 3 gallons of water, gasoline, a notebook and pen, a compass, a hatchet and hammer, food, two knives, a flashlight and batteries, and various other implements which made it clear he was prepared for a lengthy standoff. Additionally, he packed guns—a 35 caliber Remington rifle, a 6mm Remington rifle with a scope, a 357 Magnum Smith & Wesson revolver, a 9mm Luger pistol, and a Galesi-Brescia pistol. Later that morning he would buy two more weapons, a 30 caliber M-1 carbine and a 12-gauge shotgun."

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/mass/whitman/battle_5.html

Stryker60
 
Stryker60 said:
I believe you are mistaken about the Texas tower weapons. Charles Whitman used a 6mm Remington as his long range rifle, not a 264 Winchester.

"In his old Marine footlocker Charlie packed an array of supplies. He brought a radio, 3 gallons of water, gasoline, a notebook and pen, a compass, a hatchet and hammer, food, two knives, a flashlight and batteries, and various other implements which made it clear he was prepared for a lengthy standoff. Additionally, he packed guns—a 35 caliber Remington rifle, a 6mm Remington rifle with a scope, a 357 Magnum Smith & Wesson revolver, a 9mm Luger pistol, and a Galesi-Brescia pistol. Later that morning he would buy two more weapons, a 30 caliber M-1 carbine and a 12-gauge shotgun."

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/mass/whitman/battle_5.html

Stryker60
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Stryker60, You are right. I can clearly remember the day this happened and what I was doing. I was 24 at the time and a young carpenter. The .264 Winchester was a very hot rifle at that time and it may have been mentioned in early news reports. I have researched the story and found from other sources that you are right. Thank you for the correction.

Concho Bill
 
Bob Pastor shoots them both, I'll drop him an email and see what his take is.

6.5-06, not improved..I mean
 
Hi Ben

I compete with a 6.5-06 Gibbs 35 degree shoulder. It's a wildcat all the way. I've changed a few small dimensions to enhance the powder to volume ratio. It will shoot consistantly at 3,159 fps. Yes it's work to make the brass but it's part of the game if you want a Ferrarri instead of a Porshe. The case has 5% more capacity over the 6.5-284 which finds it's accuraccy node at no more than 3,000 fps. on a good day. Barrel life is not an issue I deal with. For bench rest, the first 100 rounds just break the barrel in for me. Between 100 and 600 is prime time, with a recrowning at 300 rounds. After that I usually find a friend that needs some help with a barrel and I give them away with the condition that he can't use it against me in competition. (Just Kidding).

6.5-06 unimproved: I did some research on this caliber a few years ago and found some old 100 and 200 bench rest match results in upstate New York. Low and behold it won matches in the hands of Wally Harts father or uncle, but then the Harts can shoot anything that goes bang and win.

I'm writing this response from your email and can't find the original post but if the person looking for advice isn't really into bench rest work, I'd suggest a caliber he can find brass for and just have fun.

If I can help with something more specific concerning this caliber, just let me know.

With Best Regards,
Bob
 
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Found original post

Bob Pastor said:
I compete with a 6.5-06 Gibbs 35 degree shoulder. It's a wildcat all the way. I've changed a few small dimensions to enhance the powder to volume ratio. It will shoot consistantly at 3,159 fps. Yes it's work to make the brass but it's part of the game if you want a Ferrarri instead of a Porshe. The case has 5% more capacity over the 6.5-284 which finds it's accuraccy node at no more than 3,000 fps. on a good day. Barrel life is not an issue I deal with. For bench rest, the first 100 rounds just break the barrel in for me. Between 100 and 600 is prime time, with a recrowning at 300 rounds. After that I usually find a friend that needs some help with a barrel and I give them away with the condition that he can't use it against me in competition. (Just Kidding).

6.5-06 unimproved: I did some research on this caliber a few years ago and found some old 100 and 200 bench rest match results in upstate New York. Low and behold it won matches in the hands of Wally Harts father or uncle, but then the Harts can shoot anything that goes bang and win.

I'm writing this response from your email and can't find the original post but if the person looking for advice isn't really into bench rest work, I'd suggest a caliber he can find brass for and just have fun.

If I can help with something more specific concerning this caliber, just let me know.

With Best Regards,
Bob
Click to expand...

Hey Ben, When I Posted from the email it took me to here. I'm thinking the original poster is a hunter because he's concerned about feeding (from a magazine?) Perhaps he should go with a .270. Great hunting round, easily found commercially, he can reload for it and it has knock down power.
 
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6.5-06

The comments about making brass for the 6.5-06 seems a little timid to me. If you can full length size 6.5-284, you can make 6.5-06 the exact same way. If a guy doesn't want a non-standard caliber, then maybe the 6.5 isn't the way to go. I can't remember the last country store where I saw any 6.5 caliber ammo on the shelf. Great argument for the 30-06 as caliber of choice, however there is the recoil and ballistic performance things that lead us right back to the mild recoiling, very accurate 6.5-06.
 
Riflemeister said:
The comments about making brass for the 6.5-06 seems a little timid to me. If you can full length size 6.5-284, you can make 6.5-06 the exact same way. If a guy doesn't want a non-standard caliber, then maybe the 6.5 isn't the way to go. I can't remember the last country store where I saw any 6.5 caliber ammo on the shelf. Great argument for the 30-06 as caliber of choice, however there is the recoil and ballistic performance things that lead us right back to the mild recoiling, very accurate 6.5-06.
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You still have to blow out the cases for the improved 6.5-06. Out of the box 6.5-284 Lapua brass is very, very good.
 
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