Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Does the 6.5-06 offer any advantage over a .270 Winchester?

If it does, I can't find it, with the possible exception of higher ballistic coefficients in .264 bullets.

Bullets and waaaay more cool factor...

+1

So you fly to bumphuck, nowhere to hunt the rare jiagaloo and the airline loses your ammo.......

Within realistic ability based hunting ranges (400 yards or <) the 270 will do just fine.

The 264 WinMag has factory ammo and, if you wish, can be loaded down to 6.5-06 performance.

Wildcats are fun, I have a 22-06 by R.F. Sedgley, 70 gr TSX at 3600, (the one on the bottom , top is a 6.5x55 same maker), but I'd be concerned to take it anywhere where I didn't have control of the ammo.

If you are into long range shooting, the 6.5 wins due to higher BC bullets. If you have no interest in the long range stuff, 6.5 offers no huge advantage.

John

Thanks,

I love my 6.5-06, but lately, I have been reaching for one of the .270's in the safe instead.

Who flys with their ammo separate from their guncase anyway? Such a silly reason to not pick a cartridge...

If the rifle is gone, you screwed anyway...

When is Rick gonna revert Larry Root's latest Spalding handle to the original..??

DF

I am NOT a 6.5-06 hater by any means...

There has to be a reason/reasons you reach for the 270.


Jerry

You ain't gonna find 264 Winmag ammo in bumphuck nowhere either so it's a moot point.

I'm not gonna get into the discussion (suffice to say I've killed in the west with the 270 out to 400 yards a handful to times,and leave it at that).....


But to clarify,unless something has changed since December, your ammo does not travel in your gun case on any airline I have flown.It stays in your duffel separate from the rifle.

And if we think that duffel and rifle can't get separated you may be a stay at home type who has never gotten to arrive in Winnipeg; or Grand Prairie,or Sitka,etc etc to find your rifles there but your duffel has gone elsewhere. It's happened to me more than once and one time the rifle was a 7mm Dakota, which is not a wildcat but up in Peace River it might as well be...

Not suggesting you don't take your pet wildcat on a hunt but just be realistic about what happens if the ammo goes south. You WILL be borrowing a rifle until you and your ammo are reunited.

I've got a 6.5-06 and if I was flying for a hunt, the 7mm Remington would be in the case.

Larry Root. Again.

I swore I wasn't gonna get involved in this conversation...

But since i have a 6.5 Creed being completed this week, I spent some time on the Berger and Hornady Ballistics calculators this morning.

There is a slight edge to the 6.5/06 but it's not much and is entirely bullet dependent....If you are shooting 140 Accubonds in both, the 270 wins for drop and drift.....At any distance. It all seems to depend which bullet you're shooting, but we aren't talking much.

OTOH compare a Berger 6.5-140 to a 270-140 AB,and the 6.5 "wins".

Compare a 140 Amax in the 6.5/06 to a 150 SST in the 270 (both started at 2900 fps),and it's mere inches between them for drop and drift clear to 1000. At 600 yards the 270 shows 68.2 inches of drop and 24.7 inches of drift; the 6.5 Amax shows 66.9" of drop and 23.4" of drift.(200 yard zero and starting velocity of 2900 fps for both).

That's all? That's lost in the noise of the grouping ability of rifle, load and shooter.

What am I missing?

Nothing, as usual...

You nailed it.

DF

Geezus....gimme a 7mm Mashburn with a 162 Amax.....thanks.

I agree. For the most part, lots of good chamberings are "about like a .270win". That's not a bad thing. Some may burn a bit more or less powder or maybe drift a couple inches more or less at 500yds, but many of us won't see much difference in the field. Those shooting at distances approaching half a mile might see something. A .500-ish BC 140-150gr big-game bullet at 2,900-3,000fps is not a bad thing to compare favorably with. Honestly, my 7mmRM with 160ABs at 3,000fps, or my 6.5x47 with 129LRABs at 2,900, or even my .308 with 155 Scenars at 2,850 are all fairly similar to a good 140gr .270win load at the ranges at which I'm going to be shooting a game animal.

BTW.....what's this?



http://www.bergerbullets.com/introducing-the-berger-270-caliber-170-grain-eol-elite-hunter/

It's a great looking bullet Bob...

Bullets that have come out in the last few years or so have made the .270 into a different animal, no doubt. Grin...

There isn't much difference in any caliber in the 6.5x06 and 270 range it is a matter of preference . Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But I like the 6.5x06 for the cool factor and better bullet selection.
Joe

My 6.5-06 burns 49grains of powder to propel a 140gr. Berger to 2950fps and my 270 burns 61gr. powder to propel a 130gr Ballistic tip to 3100fps.

As Bob says, to practical hunting distance there is very little difference in performance.

One thing that is noticeable is the 6.5 is more pleasant to shoot, less muzzle blast, recoil etc...

I believe the 6.5-06 advantage shows in long range target shooting.

Hunting, flip a coin.

Greg it seems we get this stuff figured out...and the manufacturers throw us another curve...I can't keep up!

Am I off base, or does the real change come when bullets get a G1 BC over .600?

Below that stuff seems closely bunched.

I can say,recent shooting with a 150 BT and 162 Amax from the 7 RM and Mashburn out to 600 yards, the 162 behaves itself better....

The only problem with that is I don't believe there's ever been a factory .270 built that can shoot it.

If you can't stand to have a "pedestrian" .270 [hey I have a couple of them, assigned to my kids] or if you hate J O'C just step up to the .280 Rem which has a great selection, and you have a (small) chance of finding fodder for it in east bumf--- nowheres. Overall, I have found a great selection of high SD, and high BC, even moderately priced, hunt-worthy stuff in 284 and 338.

Or for a bit of humor, and you want a wildcat with some history, get a .338-06 (aka .33 OKH) and if your ammo gets lost, use .30-06 and you will have decent accuracy to about 10 feet. There is even a youtube video on the topic.

Would need a fast twist.

What does Berger recommend?

DF


Edited to say I answered my own question by reading the link. They say you need an 8 twist for this bullet.

I'd go with an 8 twist 6.5 or 7mm before I'd build an 8 twist .270. You'd have a lot better selection of good LR bullets.

I think you may have been given bad info there. I have always flown with ammo in the gun case, OK per airline rules.

Don't believe the gal behind the counter, they usually don't know. Look at the published rules for that airline.

You have to, depending on the airline and you MOST definitively have to when going to Africa..

Yondering Ill take your word for it,but I haven't bumped into that. Not that it's a big deal really as long as everything arrives when it should.

With airport security being the way it is I'm not going to start those conversations at the ticket counter...

Wait why did a post by Spalding get converted to one from oldman1942? And what makes anyone think this is Larry Root?

Because it is(was) Larry Root.

Because those with certain IT skills can track such things.

And if Spalding wasn't ole Larry, he wouldn't now be Oldman1942.

Rick Bin knew without a doubt Spalding was Larry, or Spalding wouldn't now be Oldman1942...

Elementary, Watson...

DF

It's a good think Root doesn't use proxy servers, then.

So Root can post here but he has to stick with one ID, so we know it is him?

He ain't the brightest bulb, the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Although he touts MENSA membership...

DF

Larry's a broke bulb....

I guess I owe postoak an explanation, as he doesn't seem up to speed on Larry.

Larry had a long history of losing his welcome on various forums, including the Fire. He has a habit of starting as a new member with a new handle, which he's done dozens of times.

When he's caught and outed, Rick reverts his current "handle de jour" to his original alias, Oldman1942.

Hope that helps.

DF

Well back to .270 vs The much superior 6.5-06 there aint much difference under 500 yds and like Bob said there aint much difference after 500 yds but the 6.5 is just so much cooler especially since I am in the process of building one now. Truthfully I should of built a 6.5-270 so I wouldnt have to trim .010 off the .270 brass but at least Im cool now.

Welcome too the cool kids club!

Use 25-06 brass and no trimming required.

I like my 6.5-06 also for the look on people's faces when they ask what I'm shooting.

I own a .25-06 as well but no .270 so using .270 brass should aid in identification. Plus I can control head space better while necking it down.

Good point. It'd sure be a real b*tch to accidentally grab the wrong loads.

I went the AI route no problem with ID..but I use 25/06 brass liking the the no trim feature as well.