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 6.5 mm is just and interesting caliber to mess with.
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
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
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
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.