Thoughts on the 6.5-284 Norma, Please. I am thinking about buying one. The more I research this round, the more I hear about short barrel life. What is the closest thing to it that gives decent barrel life? Thanks!!

quote:

I hear about short barrel life

Can't say I have heard that one. Except in maybe 1000yd shooters not in a hunting rifle. You are less overbore with a 6.5x284 than you are with a 25-06. Never heard of a 25-06 having short barrel life. Same for a 6.5-06. Heck a 264Wmag will last longer than most care to shoot them as long as you don't abuse the barrel with real high heat.

If the 284 or 06 capacity case bothers you look to the 6.5x57, 6.5x55 or 260.

The 6.5-284 is considered one of the finest long range rnds. available today among long range match shooters, 6-1000yds. Some I know have been shooting the round for more than a decade now and have expressed the issue of short barrel life. Keep in mind that what is short life to a match shooter may well far exceed rnds. shot by a hunter, casual sport shooter. Number often heard is that the throat is gone in some 1200-1400rnds?? and irregardless of barrel maker. For an active match shooter, and if the number is real, more than one barrel a year and that adds up w/ quality Krieger, etc., barrels.
Other issue which may not impact on you is the method/way the match shooters use the rifles. Getting the barrel hot is not really an issue for you will shoot something in the neighborhood of 20-25rnds in 30 minutes if not quicker and the barrel is too hot to touch with the bare hand. If you find a lull in the wind, good conditions, the rate of fire would pick up so more heat generated. Just part of the game and don't really have any control over the heat of the barrel. Typical day match would concist of something closer to 75rnds plus/day or even more. Most barrels will suffer throat loss/wear, etc. with such shooting regardless of caliber. 300WinMag suffers the same issues if not more based on my experience, so a lot of the problem is the application/use of the firearm. See a lot of the rnd. on the firing line, but been too lazy or cheap to switch from the old standby, 308.

To add to what MFD said 1200-1400 rounds is the average but... just have the barrel set back and your good to go for another 1200 +. The funny thing about the 6.5-284 is most times it will shoot even better after the barrel is set back than before. Mine shoots .3 five shot groups a 200 yards.

Here is a good article http://www.6mmbr.com/SixFive284.html

look into the 6.5x47 Lapua

Its a proven long range round in competition and by their standards its a barrel burner. If its used mostly to shoot game and the barrel can be kept reasonably cool barrel life may not be so much an issue. Depends on how you use the rifle and how much accuracy loss is acceptable before you consider it shot out. One thing I don't like about the round is the rebated rim. You probably want it to feed well if using it on game and the rebated rim may not help with that. Wind drift is comparable to a 300 Win Mag but it doesn't start out with as much energy of course. One of the reasons this cartridge does so well at distance is the streamlined nature of the 6.5 mm bullets. You can take advantage of that with the .260 Rem, 6.5x55 swede, 6.5 Credemore or 6.5x47 Lapua. All of these should be easier on the barrel than the 6.5x284. To get the most out of a cartridge like the 6.5x284 you also need a long barrel, which may not be so ideal for hunting.

Accurate, very accurate. I've got kills on prairie dogs out to 798 yards and coyotes out to 732 yards. On medium sized deer animals I haven't had to shoot over 275 yards yet, but I'm confident that it will double that easily.

Barrel life depends a bit on how you load it. I load mine with 46 grains of H4350 for 2800 fps with the 142 grain SMKs. I see a lot of match shooters shooting 48-50 grains of H4350 with the same bullet. 49 grains wears out Lapua brass in two shots in my gun.

Shumba,
Bench shooter friend of mine also highly suggests that round. Says the 6x47 actually performs better than the 6.5 version and does feel that the barrel life would be extended over the 6.5x284 and I can see that to be likely.
He's a good guy and well experienced, but I joke with him and tell him to climb off that bench/seat and get down on the ground w/ sling, mat, and peep sights and we'll see just how good the round is!! He pays little attention to me.

Excellent deer round. EXTREMELY accurate with modest recoil. Great choice of bullets to chose from.

Get a 260 Rem, 4 times the barrel life, and easy to find cheap brass

Any high performance cartridge can be said to have "short barrel life". I don't concern myself about it. I shoot all I want and don't over heat the barrel (on any of my rifles) and perform proper maintainence. I put a new barrel on when needed. Haven't heard of barrel life problems with 6.5-284. I shoot a .264 Win Mag.

I used my 6.5x284 for alittle paper/varmit shooting never really got the barrel too hot.
I plan on taking it antelope hunting but always used another calibe last year took the new 270WSM.

I heard about the short barrel life for the 6.5x284. I guess had I build a 1000yd match rifle instead replacing barrels that lose their accuracy edge would get alittle expensive. Cost money to play that game.

I shot the 6x284 acouple years that was a fun rifle for me for some reason I never did shoot the 6.5x284 all that much. Gunsmith has a Bartlein 5r 7mm barrel for my new 280AI and he has the 6.5x284 barrel going to make himself a 264mag.

I turn brass for the 6ppc and acouple other calibers 6.5x284 also had tight neck was a good shooter. Seemed like I had to tune more with that rifle than I was use to and I'm sure it was more me than the rifle.

140 grain @ about 2900 & 130 grain @ about 3000. Where's the short barrel life coming from?????

quote:

Originally posted by D Humbarger:
140 grain @ about 2900 & 130 grain @ about 3000. Where's the short barrel life coming from?????

If that's all you need, you should just get a .270 win, and not worry about all the trouble with brass

D Humbarger,
I tend to agree with you and sometimes the claim of short barrel life is a myth and have experienced some match shooters who happen to have a bad day, with only a few hundred rounds down the bore, figure the barrel has "gone south," and of course it is never the shooter!!
Have no actual experience w/ the 6.5/284, but do with the 300WinMag and it will tend to eat barrels much quicker than the old standby 308, but that is expected I would say.

martin

Lets see,


6.5..... good sectional density

X 284..... reasonable velocity


add a nice rifle......






develop some decent loads.....

a couple of groups, load testing @ 100 yds




a couple of groups, load testing @ 200 yds




What's not to like

GWB

If that is a 1 in 8 twist barel try the 140 gr A Max or Berger VLD with 51.0 gr R22. It will probably give you much tighter groups.

Back in the 60s I really enjoyed hunting with my 6.5 X .284.; my wonder rifle. Putting exhuberent youth aside my hind sight now kicks in and indicates that a .270 would have done the job just as well. roger

Bartsche,

I've no problem with the 270. At last count I had three.

Here is a sweet Remington 700 Custom Shop "C" Grade that shoots as good as it looks.



and a Sako DeLuxe that was a beater, here it is after I refinished the stock



My third is an old winchester model 70 with a 26" shilen barrell, that shoots 1/2" groups at 100 yds. Bought it for $350 because it had a hairline crack in the stock. No pix tonite, but that can be corrected if necessary

GWB