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What about the 6.5mm Rem Mag?
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What is wrong with the 6.5mm Remington Mag? Seems to me it is an excellent choice in 6.5mm. why the 6.5x284 and the 6.5-06 when we already had the original 6.5 short mag?


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Posts: 12818 | Registered: 16 February 2006Reply With Quote
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Absolutely. The 6.5 Mag is an excellent ctg. Its death was dictated by Remingtons poor marketing strategy when they chose to produce the ctg in rifles that were short action or had a rib down the barrel that had no purpose and looked like a picket fence. Short action offerings made shooters seat bullets too deeply taking up usable powder volume. The 6.5 does just as good as the 6.5x284 and comes VERY close to the wildcat 6.5x300 WSM.


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Posts: 1652 | Location: Deer Park, Texas | Registered: 08 June 2005Reply With Quote
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So, the cartridge would be better served using a standard length action, thus not restricting the overall length?

I'm wondering if this cartridge is too high intensity/pressure for a Mauser action, say a VZ 24, not reheat treated?

Also, I'm wondering about feeding issues. I expect that the feed rails will need to be opened. I have a like-new Mark X bolt with a Mag bolt face that fits into the military Mauser action like it's supposed to. It just needs a notch for the handle to drop into.

Will a different folower other than the standard follower serve better? Perhaps I can get one of the short mag followers from Ruger or elsewhere that will work in the Mauser, thus allowing the fatter cartridges to stack better.

What do ya think? Should I go ahead, or should I look for another action?


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Posts: 12818 | Registered: 16 February 2006Reply With Quote
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You can pick up a Remington 673 in 6.5 mag for pretty cheap, yeah its got that god aweful front sight and rib but its in a model seven length action and they are pretty cheap.Thats what i would do, could always take off the rib.The excellent 6.5-284 doesnt have a belt that take up mag space and is otherwise useless, plus the 6.5-284 has great Norma brass, while the 6.5rem mag is pretty much a dead duck.
 
Posts: 9 | Registered: 21 January 2009Reply With Quote
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The only thing wrong with 6.5 Rem is the idea in many peoples head that they can only exist in the butt ugly model 600 ,660's and the newer 673's with short barrels. Thank the Remington advertising for most of that.I have a mauser 98 with a 24 inch barrel and a longish throat that allows bullets to be seated out and not rob valuable powder space. Yes the bolt face had to be opened up and the feed rails touched up a bit,but it feeds just fine now.Mine likes RL22 with the 125 gr Partions and the 129 gr Hornadys. Velocity is only about 100 fps slower than a couple 264 winchesters I load for friends and a 6.5x68 I have.Like the short fat mags wether they be SAUM's or WSMs accuracy is good with every bullet I have tried from 120 thru 140 gr. I have not shot any 160s.How does it kill? About like any other rifle that pushes a 125 to 130 gr bullet in the 3100 to 3150 fps range.Kind of like a 6.5-o6 or a 270 and thats not bad company.Magazine capacity is down one round from an 06 based case but that short fat case seems to be less fussy on what loads you feed it. I'm not sorry I built mine.
 
Posts: 2443 | Location: manitoba canada | Registered: 01 March 2001Reply With Quote
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My wife got me a MGM barrel for x-mas its chambered in 6.5 rem mag that is 22" with a 1:8 twist. I havent started a work up of it yet but I have broke it in and in my light encore carbine it has mild recoil and I'm certain it will shoot well with 129 and up weight bullets.
 
Posts: 40 | Registered: 20 June 2008Reply With Quote
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I rebarreled a 300 win mag Browning BBR into a 6.5 rem mag. The detachable mag was short for a 300 win mag but there is plenty of room for those long 6.5 bullets to be seated way out there



On the first one I used a #4 Douglas barrel 1 in 8 twist and I can shoot 140 gr bullets at 3000 to 3100 fps and 130 gr bullets to 3100 fps + all day long.

When a friend shot mine, he had to have one on a Vanguard 300 win mag that he didn't like the recoil on. He chose a Shilen #5 contour 1 in 9 and it is a real shooter also.

Neither has a feeding issue. Only Remington brass is available. My usual dies (Lee Collet, Redding Body, RCBS Comp seater, Lee Fac Crimp) were readily available.

Mine really likes the 140 gr Sierra Game King with about 60 gr RL25 or the 130 gr Scirrocco 2 with 57 gr RL22, always Fed215 primers.


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Posts: 2750 | Location: Houston, Tx | Registered: 17 January 2005Reply With Quote
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Remintont did its usual number. Bring out a great caliber, put it in the wrong platforms, make piss poor selections of factory ammo and don't advertise it. Voila! The Remington recipe for killing a cartridge. Unless its a 7mm, having REM on the name is more then likely gonna kill it. From what little I have ever read about it in current magazines, also seems they were a bit zealous with the velocity claims. On top of that, as usual, testing and advertised velocity was from very hot rounds in a 24" pressure barrel, not the short carbine length barrels sold on the rifles. IMO, like the x57 family, and the 284 wildcats, too long for a short action, too short for a long action. A VZ24 should work just fine, gives you some box to play with.


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Posts: 2287 | Location: CO | Registered: 14 December 2007Reply With Quote
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quote:
when they chose to produce the ctg in rifles that were short action


This was the only purpose of the 6.5 Remington- to produce .270 like ballistics in a short action.
It is pointless in a longer action.
 
Posts: 13978 | Location: http://www.tarawaontheweb.org/tarawa2.jpg | Registered: 03 December 2008Reply With Quote
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quote:
Originally posted by SR4759:
quote:
when they chose to produce the ctg in rifles that were short action
This was the only purpose of the 6.5 Remington- to produce .270 like ballistics in a short action. It is pointless in a longer action.
Precisely! A man who knows his history. BTW the rib was intended to distract the shooter's eye away from the "so skinny it was scarey" barrel. The 6.5 Rem Mag M600 accomplished all it's design objectives...two generations too soon. On a long action it does nothing the 6.5'06 can't do as well with less fuss.
 
Posts: 1733 | Registered: 31 January 2006Reply With Quote
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quote:
Originally posted by nordrseta:
On a long action it does nothing the 6.5'06 can't do as well with less fuss.


Seems to me the 6.5 rem mag is less fuss than the 6.5-06. At least you can buy brass 100 for $51 for the 6.5 rem mag. If you buy brass for the 6.5-06 then it is 20 for $36. Making brass for the 6.5-06 from 25-06 or 270 is more fuss and will not be headstamped correct and probably need extra turning and trimming (more fuss).

Buying ammo off the shelf would be more fuss with the 6.5-06 since you couldn't do it.

The 6.5 rem mag has more dies available including dies from Lee and L.E.Wilson. The Lee Collet Neck Sizer in particular makes reloading easier (less fuss).

I have nothing against the 6.5-06 and think it would make an excellent caliber but the 6.5 rem mag has a slightly larger case capacity and physics is physics so to me that means that I could push my 6.5 rem mag to a higher velocity than I could a 6.5-06 (if I wanted to).

Saying a 6.5 rem mag is pointless in a long action is like saying the 6.5x284 is pointless in a long action. The point is that you can seat the high BC long 6.5 bullets way out and keep all your case capacity for powder. Kinda thoughtless to say it is pointless.


____________________________________
There are those who would misteach us that to stick in a rut is consistency - and a virtue, and that to climb out of the rut is inconsistency - and a vice.
- Mark Twain |

Chinese Proverb: When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others.

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Posts: 2750 | Location: Houston, Tx | Registered: 17 January 2005Reply With Quote
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quote:
Originally posted by woods:
quote:
Originally posted by nordrseta:
On a long action it does nothing the 6.5'06 can't do as well with less fuss.


Seems to me the 6.5 rem mag is less fuss than the 6.5-06. At least you can buy brass 100 for $51 for the 6.5 rem mag. If you buy brass for the 6.5-06 then it is 20 for $36. Making brass for the 6.5-06 from 25-06 or 270 is more fuss and will not be headstamped correct and probably need extra turning and trimming (more fuss).

Buying ammo off the shelf would be more fuss with the 6.5-06 since you couldn't do it.

The 6.5 rem mag has more dies available including dies from Lee and L.E.Wilson. The Lee Collet Neck Sizer in particular makes reloading easier (less fuss).

I have nothing against the 6.5-06 and think it would make an excellent caliber but the 6.5 rem mag has a slightly larger case capacity and physics is physics so to me that means that I could push my 6.5 rem mag to a higher velocity than I could a 6.5-06 (if I wanted to).

Saying a 6.5 rem mag is pointless in a long action is like saying the 6.5x284 is pointless in a long action. The point is that you can seat the high BC long 6.5 bullets way out and keep all your case capacity for powder. Kinda thoughtless to say it is pointless.


The original design intent of a the 6.5 Rem Mag was for a short action. If you want a long action the .264 Magnum was originally considered a "short magnum". If you want to seat the bullets out long then you don't really want a 6.5 Rem Mag as is out of the factory box you want something else.
 
Posts: 13978 | Location: http://www.tarawaontheweb.org/tarawa2.jpg | Registered: 03 December 2008Reply With Quote
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quote:
Originally posted by 30378:
Absolutely. The 6.5 Mag is an excellent ctg. Its death was dictated by Remingtons poor marketing strategy when they chose to produce the ctg in rifles that were short action or had a rib down the barrel that had no purpose and looked like a picket fence. Short action offerings made shooters seat bullets too deeply taking up usable powder volume. The 6.5 does just as good as the 6.5x284 and comes VERY close to the wildcat 6.5x300 WSM.

If my memory serves me correctly, I believe you failed to mention the biggest reason the 6.5 Rem.Mag failed was Remington only offered it in a 20" barrel. A 6.5 cartridge is over bore capacity in any case larger than appox. a .284 case and needs a full 24" barrel to get full use of the powder. Remington has made a bunch of foolish decisions over the years with regards to barrl lengths, twist rates and cartridge selections in various models.


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Posts: 1521 | Location: Just about anywhere in Texas | Registered: 26 January 2008Reply With Quote
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I made up several along the way the latest being a Douglas barrel on a 700 LA and the same thing happened as before. The "paper" ballistics didn`t match the chronoed at all. I even left the barrel at 26" to fully realize the benefits of slower powders. I tried RL-22, H-4831, 4350 to name but a few with both 129 and 140s and just didn`t get the velocity/accuracy I wanted. I also purposely chambered without a throat and then cut the leade to allow the 140 Sierra Gameking [my favorite-let the flames begin!! Bullet] to be seated way out to allow total case capacity. No difference. To me it SHOULD have produced better! Accuracy was good but velocity lacking. The barrel ultimately became a VERY good 264 Win.
Aloha, Mark


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Posts: 978 | Location: S Oregon | Registered: 06 March 2004Reply With Quote
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Rem did make a run of M700 in 6.5 Rem. mag in the 70s with 24" bbl, bought mine in the early
80s used. Shoot 129gr Hrn. with H4831sc 90% of the time(3100fps), set bullits to fit magazine.

Have a 6.5-06 on a M98 22 bbl.shoots same bullit
@3000, got this one 5 years ago and use it more
than the rem.becuse of the look and feel more than any diffrence in praformance.As far as brass goes I just run 25-06 over the ball and load. Have two 6.5x55s and a Kimber 260.rem killed game with all (dear & yots)and out to 300 are so can't tell much diffrents wether useing 120 to 140 gr bullits . If I was only keeping one it would be the Kimber.
 
Posts: 3 | Location: northern Cal. | Registered: 29 December 2007Reply With Quote
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Ruger made a run of its M77s in 6.5 Rem in the 1970s with 22" barrels. I owned one that I loaded 120 grain Sierras to about 3200 fps. Killed one coyote and one deer with it (both one-shots), then sold it to someone who gave me a $25 profit for having owned it. Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.

Incidentally, I used reformed .264 Winchester brass that worked just fine. I still have a few rounds buried somewhere in the closet from that batch.
 
Posts: 13264 | Location: Henly, TX, USA | Registered: 04 April 2001Reply With Quote
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quote:
Originally posted by Rae59:
quote:
Originally posted by 30378:
Absolutely. The 6.5 Mag is an excellent ctg. Its death was dictated by Remingtons poor marketing strategy when they chose to produce the ctg in rifles that were short action or had a rib down the barrel that had no purpose and looked like a picket fence. Short action offerings made shooters seat bullets too deeply taking up usable powder volume. The 6.5 does just as good as the 6.5x284 and comes VERY close to the wildcat 6.5x300 WSM.

If my memory serves me correctly, I believe you failed to mention the biggest reason the 6.5 Rem.Mag failed was Remington only offered it in a 20" barrel. A 6.5 cartridge is over bore capacity in any case larger than appox. a .284 case and needs a full 24" barrel to get full use of the powder. Remington has made a bunch of foolish decisions over the years with regards to barrl lengths, twist rates and cartridge selections in various models.


I think the marketing groups of the big gun companies get input from the so called gun buying public that is no very accurate and hs not passed a smell test.
Winchester built the Super X1 shotgun that was excellent. However it was priced at a premium compared to the Rem 1100 and had that crummy Winchester rib. They also built the 1400 with choke tubes but did not put choke tubes in the Super X1. Dumb, Dumb, Dumb.

As far as the 6.5 Rem Mag goes everyone wants a short light rifle that kills at a mile plus....That is until they get to hear the muzzle blast and feel the recoil and pay the cost. Then they go back to the old 30-30 or such.
 
Posts: 13978 | Location: http://www.tarawaontheweb.org/tarawa2.jpg | Registered: 03 December 2008Reply With Quote
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quote:
Originally posted by Bohica:
I made up several along the way the latest being a Douglas barrel on a 700 LA and the same thing happened as before. The "paper" ballistics didn`t match the chronoed at all. I even left the barrel at 26" to fully realize the benefits of slower powders. I tried RL-22, H-4831, 4350 to name but a few with both 129 and 140s and just didn`t get the velocity/accuracy I wanted. I also purposely chambered without a throat and then cut the leade to allow the 140 Sierra Gameking [my favorite-let the flames begin!! Bullet] to be seated way out to allow total case capacity. No difference. To me it SHOULD have produced better! Accuracy was good but velocity lacking. The barrel ultimately became a VERY good 264 Win.
Aloha, Mark


Hey Bohica

Were you expecting more than 3050 fps with the 140 gr bullets or more than 3150 fps with the 129 gr bullet?

And I too like the 140 Sierra Game King for deer sized game.


____________________________________
There are those who would misteach us that to stick in a rut is consistency - and a virtue, and that to climb out of the rut is inconsistency - and a vice.
- Mark Twain |

Chinese Proverb: When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others.

___________________________________
 
Posts: 2750 | Location: Houston, Tx | Registered: 17 January 2005Reply With Quote
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