Englander

6,5-284 does everything the little 260 rem or 260 imp can plus a bit more. I guess your buddy must seat the 160 grain bullets far down in the case to fit the magazine of a model seven. Ack imp is im my opinion not worth the trouble and extra costs

There is only one maker of cases for 260 to my knowledge. 6,5-284 is made by three A 6,5X55 loaded to the same pressures will out perform the 260

Cheers
/ JOHAN

I am in the process of putting together a 6.5 cal rifle for use in the UK on all species of deer. It will be used from high seats and on open hill / woodland. Do any of you have any experience of other 6.5's other than the obligatory swede? I am thinking along the lines of 6.5-55 Improved, 6.5-284 or 6.5-06. I am leaning towards 6.5-284 at present.

Andy

I have a Swede and I would not be without it. I consider it is the perfect all-round chambering for UK stalking, what with its wide spread of bullets, and plenty flat enough for the hill at ranges under 250 metres.

Do you just fancy something a bit diffrent? Or what?

Richard, that is just it, I do fancy something different. I have several friends who swear by 6.5-55 in the UK and they use it for moose in Sweden. However, It just doesn't appeal to me. I also have a fancy to enter F class benchrest and have thought of using a stalking rifle in 6.5 due to the large choice of bullets available in this calibre. I can just switch stocks if I decided to have a go at benchrest.

Andy, the 6.5x55 is not really my cup of tea. It may definitely be useful on moose at short ranges with heavy bullets.

If you are however looking for a long range gun in the 6.5mm or like then I would personally rather go for the 6.5-284 or 6.5-06 or even just the 270Win. They all beat the Swede by a large margin in all aspects, with a possible exception in precision if you are mainly thinking of benching.

Regards

I don't think you can meaningfully improve a 6.5x55. What action are you planning on using?

I plan to use Rem 700 / Win mod 70 or a Tikka 695 as a base, that is dependant on what is available as a donor. It will then be rebarrelled and placed in a Mcmillan stock.

Andy,



No direct expirience here, but I recall that Trevor Proctor the rifle builder was singing the praises of the 6.5x57mm and i am guessing that could be "improved" in the same manner andwith similar benifits as the .257Roberts (Improved)



Regards,



Pete

As the 6.5x284 is now a standard round and has certainly proven itself as a target round , that would be the way to go. I've used the 6.5x55 for many years as my deer rifle and I can only praise it.

Andy Mass

I had a 6,5-06 and it's a fantastic cartridge, 140 grainers are flying flat. The disadvantage is that it's a wildcat.

With the selection today, I would go for a 6,5-284 Norma over any of the other cartridges. You got three makers of quality brass, Norma, Lapua and Hornady. It's easy to find dies and reamers. It is a sensible step up over the 6,5X55/57. 6,5X65 is to my knowledge only manufactured by RWS and in their current catalouge only one load is offerd Norma offers two loads for the 6,5-284 Norma

I would go for a 25 or 26 inch long barrel with 1-8 in twist. Geoffery Kolbe at borderbarrels should be able to help you with a barrel and completeing the rifle. David Ryan at Minsterly ranges is also a very nice person to deal with. David might have a suitable donor rifle for this project.

My personal alternative would be the 6,8X64 a.k.a. 270 win. You can find ammo under almost any rock or tree across the globe

Cheers
/ JOHAN

Andy, the faster you make your bullets go, the more destructive your round is going to be. If I'm not much mistaken, the smaller deer (muntjac, roe and maybe up to fallow) will probably be what you have the chance to hunt the most. Correct?? With the calibers you are considering (basically 06 sized cases, albeit in a short action for the 6.5-284), you'll be approaching or exceeding .270 Win velocities. As much as I love the .270 Win, I have all but stopped using it for roe, I just find it too much. A 140 grs bullet from a 6.5x55 or a 6.5x57 makes a lot of sense for roe sized animals. All the other options you consider shine ballistically, but you may well be disappointed if you want to utilize the venison. If you were primarily hunting reds (in open terrain, like Scotland, say), the situation would be different. There you can benefit from a .270 Win class cartridge - albeit sometimes at the cost of lost meat.

Best of luck whatever you get
- mike

Well



All this nag about high velocity and meat loss. I have worked with meat, seen quite alot of game shot with different bullets and calibers. The ammount of blood shot meat at game depends on how long the animal lives after the shot. The connective tissue is getting deposits of blood the more, the longer animals lives.



If you use a good bullet like the Swift A-frame in 270 and place the shots you will have very nice meat, very little will be lost, even on a roe buck. If you use German style "cluserbomb" bullets you will have more loss compared to other bullets. If you want zero in meat loss head shot is recommended, but then there will be a ethical dilemma.



A 6,5-284 with a swift a frame 140 grains will do 3000-3100 fps.



-JOHAN

Why not a 6.5x68mm ?

6.5x68.... that's what I was thinking.

Gentlemen, thanks for your assistance. I think I will go for 6.5-284 as it seems to have the edge as far as trajectory goes over the other choices, (6.5-06 excepted). I can obtain reloading components easily and to cap it all Redding make their s-dies in this calibre. With regards to comments over meat damage, I have used 270 and have a very nice 25-06 both are of similar velocity to 6.5-284.
In my humble experience these calibres create no more meat damage than .308 and .243, thankyou.