The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Medium Bore Rifles 6.5 x 284 or 7mm Rem Mag????????Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
| 6.5 x 284 or 7mm Rem Mag???????? | Login/Join |
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I am in the market for a new rifle and I would just like to hear your opinions. I'm gonna try one of the new Savage 111 Long Range Hunters and I can't decide whether to go with the 6.5 x 284 Norma or the 7mm Rem Mag. I have a Savage Model 12 target rifle chambered in 6.5 x 284 and it is a great shooter!!!!! I'm just not sure that I want to buy one to hunt with. I will hunt deer, pigs, and hopefully elk with it. I think the 6.5 would be great for deer and pigs but i'm not real sure how good it would be on an elk at 500+ yards. Now I would hope that I would not have to shoot that far but if that was the only shot I had would the 6.5 be enough to take care of business?  | ||
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Either will work. I prefer the 7mm bullets for long range Elk hunting. Sometimes the 160+ gr bullets come in handy. As usual just my $.02 Paul K | |||
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Unless you already have some 7mm components, I would just get the 6.5x284. I can't imagine that the .013" in bullet diameter would matter. You can go with the 160 grain bullets for either if you really needed to. I had a 7mm mag once. I sold it and never looked back. It beat the crap out of me and didn't kill any better than my 264WinMag or 6.5x284. Now if you just need another rifle, and we all do, then go with the 7mm. Larry "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history, when everybody stands around reloading" -- Thomas Jefferson | |||
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If you handload, I would go for the 6.5x284. If you don't handload, I vote for the 7mag. Not a whole lot of selection in factory loads for the 6.5x284. I hear the berger 139gr VLD in 6.5 is a good game bullet with great ballistic properties. Good luck! Matt Matt FISH!! Heed the words of Winston Smith in Orwell's 1984: "Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right." | |||
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 Not only is the 7mm.Mag the superior cartridge but brass is still reasonable, better bullet selection,less expensive dies, Ammo on the shelf, more widely reloaded if needed in the field and easier to sell or trade. IMHO., the ".020"" larger dia. gives the hunter an edge in killing adequacy for the larger game.  rogerOld age is a high price to pay for maturity!!! Some never pay and some pay and never reap the reward. Wisdom comes with age! Sometimes age comes alone.. | |||
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Get the one you want, both will do the job you are asking them to do. Bullet placement is, as always, the key. Get the one you think you will shoot the best. Both are accurate cartridges with the edge going to the 6.5/284. I have both and like both.........Tom SCI lifer NRA Patron DRSS DSC | |||
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What Bartsche said +1. Aim for the exit hole | |||
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I do handload, and I would have to buy all the crap to start loading 7mm. Bartsche, Why do you think it is a superior cartridge? | |||
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Cary, I have 2 7RemMags and 1 6.5x284 and another on the way. Since you mentioned LRH, have you seen the youtube vid of the 925 yard elk with the 140 Berger VLD from a 6.5x284? Or how about the 500 yard elk with a 7mm Rem Mag, 168 Berger VLD? I'd say flip a coin in terms of reloading purposes but if you are going to be hunting a lot of elk and frequently, then I recommend the 7mag for not only the reasons previously mentioned, but also because it's great caliber to have that will serve you well, AND you already have a 6.5. Just invest in the dies and brass. You won't be disappointed. But, don't forget you can buy Lapua brass in 6.5x284. That, in part, should also be a deciding factor. It was for me. Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns | |||
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 I, personally, consider the 7mm bullets a minimum for elk. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill | |||
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All the crap???  A $28-30 set dies and a shell holder? Pretty much the same powders. You don't really need a mag primers in the 7mag. Sounds like you pretty well have your mind made up. If a set of dies is a deal breaker.  If you never need a bullet heavier than a 140 then there really isn't any difference. If you need heavier then the 7mag wins. I feel there is a larger selections of bullets for the 7mag. While I handload and never had it a problem the 7mag ammo is available everywhere.As usual just my $.02 Paul K | |||
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Exactly right.  | |||
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On performance the 6.5x.284 will deliver a 160 grain bullet at max.2850fps .the 7mm mag. can do 3075.The 7mm can deliver a 175gr. bullet at over 2900 fps. That bullets energy and trajectory will ace out the 6.5x.284 hands down.  Now if you just want something a little different go ahead and do the 6.5. As far as the 7mm being considered the minimum cal. for elk, well I kinda sway in that direction also. Then,however, I take into consideration that Ray Atkinson, his Dad and his Grandpa cleanly killed many Elk with a 25-35! Figure?Golly I hope I didn't bore you.  rogerOld age is a high price to pay for maturity!!! Some never pay and some pay and never reap the reward. Wisdom comes with age! Sometimes age comes alone.. | |||
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Thanks I didn't know they made 150-160gr 6.5s. As usual just my $.02 Paul K | |||
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One consideration - and not a big one. How good are you at "house keeping?" Hand loading for two different rifles in the same cartridge - unless you go to the lowest common load - requires you to keep the ammo separate. What happens when you show up at hunting camp with loads for gun A and bring gun B? | |||
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I don't have a dog in this fight. I think both rounds will kill anything in north america quite efficiently. I would like to point out to those that think the 7mm is so much superior, that the 6.5x55 has been the main moose round in scandinavia for a hundred million years. Rounds that shoot heavy for caliber bullets penetrate a mile. Whether its a 140-160 in a 6.5 or a 160-175 in a 7mm, I don't think any animal on earth is gonna notice much of a difference in the field. I'm not a long range hunter by any stretch. I like slower rounds at shorter ranges. I would have a similar dilemma choosing between the 6.5 Swede and the 7x57. Six and one or half a dozen or the other. Matt FISH!! Heed the words of Winston Smith in Orwell's 1984: "Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right." | |||
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 There is truth in every word you posted.Sometimes you are forced to use the tools at hand (Scandia.6.5x55). I've seen film sometime back of Eskimos shooting polar bear with a .223.  That doesn't mean the situation couldn't be made more than barely adequate with a larger caliber cartridge delivering greater killing power. Are Nordic meese as big as their Alaskan kin?  rogerOld age is a high price to pay for maturity!!! Some never pay and some pay and never reap the reward. Wisdom comes with age! Sometimes age comes alone.. | |||
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I would agree. I do use a 6.5x55 and a 7mm Rem Mag. The difference between 6.5-.284 and 6.5x55 at 300 yards, both using a 140gr partition is 200fps and 3" of drop. The 7mm Rem mag w/ a 140gr has about 200fps over, and 2" less drop than the 6.5x.284 at 300 yards. It is when you pass 300 yards that the 7mm shines. But, realistically how many times do most hunters ever take a 300 yard shot? Past 400 yards the 160gr class out perform the 140 in 7mm Rem mag. For 500 yards + the 7mm rem mag gives some insurance IMHO. | |||
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Maybe once per season or just under that. As an example, my doe last Saturday was dropped at 289. Not 300 but close. My set up this evening will require up to 390 yards to a treeline. Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns | |||
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On my last hunt in Namibia I had two between 250 and 300 yards. The rest (11) were over 300 with four of those over 400. I was shooting a 7mm Wby, but my 6.5/284 would have worked just as well. By the way, I used 15 rounds.......Tom SCI lifer NRA Patron DRSS DSC | |||
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So far, I have killed exactly one head of BG beyond 300 yards. And that was for reasons other than "I couldn't get no closer so's I took a potshot at it and got lucky." Aim for the exit hole | |||
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Swedish moose in my area big bull 700p carcass weight, in the mountains they can be bigger. If you want to notice the difference in bigger cal. than 6,5*55 you have to use a .338wm,.358nm, 9,3*62 or similar. | |||
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I should have stated "average" hunter. Where I live almost everything is under 100 yards. 300..400 is possible, but not the norm. Most kills here are under 50 yards. My 1st Muley, Elk, and Whitetail were at about 30 yards. Muley and Elk were in Colorado 30 years ago w/ a 12ga. slug gun. 400 yards unsupported is not that easy. My 6.5x55 Model 1600 has a ballistic reticule that takes me to 300 yards. That is respectable and guaranteed to fill the freezer. The 7mm Rem mag is still the winner overall. | |||
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Still think the 9.3x57 or 8x57 would do the trick! | |||
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Cary, The 7 Mag is just more gun in all respects than the 6.5 x 284. It will shoot flatter and hit harder at close range or way out there. I've shot a 6 x 284 and a 6.5 x 284 some and they are great rounds and with their mimimal recoil are very easy to shoot but there not what I would want if I thought I'd have to break bones on an elk. The 160-180 gr 7 Mag bullets will just do it better. Mark MARK H. YOUNG MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES 7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110 Office 702-848-1693 Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED E-mail markttc@msn.com Website: myexclusiveadventures.com Skype: markhyhunter Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 | |||
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It looks like I'm gonna have to move to the "Small bore" group. I couldn't find the 7mm so I went with the 6.5 x 284. | |||
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Everything bartsche said plus: "Different" isn't better only "different" Different for differences sake alone is kinda dumb. AD If I provoke you into thinking then I've done my good deed for the day! Those who manage to provoke themselves into other activities have only themselves to blame. *We Band of 45-70er's* 35 year Life Member of the NRA NRA Life Member since 1984 | |||
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Even a 160gr 7mm Rem Mag only has about 1,300 ft/lbs of energy at 500 yards. In energy equivalence, that's like shooting an Elk close up with a 223. That doesn't leave much of a margin for error for anything but a broadside rib shot. Can it be done? Sure...should it be....not by me. | |||
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Why do so many ppl have to act like guys who shoot over 300 yards at game can't hunt? I personally spend many hours learning how the game in my area travel so I can set myself up for maximum coverage of their routes. This involves me having to shoot 300+ yards almost all the time. But it also maximizes my chance of success the few days a year I do get to actually hunt. Molon Labe New account for Jacobite | |||
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Although I reject the Craig Boddington type mentality that bigger is better in all things gun related, I basicaly agree with Vapo that 7mm is a good place to begin with a basic Elk caliber. That being said though, I wouldnt hesitate to use a 6.5/284 on Elk. Even at what i would consider long shots (for Elk hunitng). It is an amazing round and with the combination of todays bullets and the uber high SD inherint with 6.5 pills the 6.5/284 is a lethal combibnation. Even the Swede has a reputation for killing better than it should be able to. I hunted with a 7Rm for several years and it is a great round. Personaly I have come to like the 280 rem better though. Do what makes you warm an fuzzy..  AK-47 The only Communist Idea that Liberals don't like. | |||
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I have a 264 Win Mag and a 7mm Rem Mag. I have cleanly taken Elk to 450 yards with the 264.  | |||
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Cary, here's something I bumped across in another thread. You can see it's by D. Humbarger. Make sure you check out his embedded link. Once there, be sure to note the regular .284 fps with RL-17. Good luck! friar Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain. | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Medium Bore Rifles 6.5 x 284 or 7mm Rem Mag????????
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