Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 6.5 SLR...Let's hear about it

I've been a .260 fan ever since I started deer hunting with one years ago. I've been pretty satisfied up until I start wanting to play with the 140 grainers. I know there is the option to easily go 6.5 Creedmoor in a myriad of offerings.

However, the 6.5 SLR has recently caught my eye. Who has one and what can you tell me about it? It looks like it's similar to a .260AI but with a longer neck allowing the longer bullets to be seated to mag length.

The 6.5 SLR has piqued my curiosity as the next eureka thought.

If you can "tolerate" a T3, pick up a Swede....

Went from 6.5/08 and 260 to Creedmore and now a 47L, no SLR on the radar but it seems fine like many 6.5s.

If you NEED a certain speed with a 140, the SLR may give you what you want, as might a Swede or x284.

If you simply want to hunt game, at most sane ranges, the 120-130 class bullets have been proven on much game, and quite a distance.

Is your intent mostly deer hunting?

http://www.6mmar.com/65_SuperLR.php

65,
The intent with this cartridge is mainly long range target shooting. The Sako 75 .260 I have now is what I use to deer hunt with. I use 120 gr Nosler BTs with it (9 twist) and it always delivers. The SLR had some interesting design theory behind it which intrigued me such as longer neck, sharper shoulder, magazine length OAL for long bullets, etc.

devnull,



After making my 6.5SLR I discovered there was another. I don't know what the other one is based on, but mine is based on the 9.3X64 Bernanke. It holds 84.0 grains of water to the mouth. Since I like the look of the Weatherby case I made mine with the double radii. I think the .264 Win Mag holds 80.o grains. Recently I've been using a Nosler Accubond 140 at 3,160 feet per second with H1000 @ 66.0 grains. I ran the GSCustom 106HV up to 3,800 feet per second with H4831.

The head on a .30-06 is nominally .273". The head on the 9.3X64 is .500"; although all mine measure .295". This 6.5SLR works through a .30-06 action. Mine is built on a .25-06 Weatherby Mark V six lug action. Below is a photo of a factory case, a necked case and a formed case.

http://www.6mmar.com/65_SuperLR.php

I run two of them at the Ridgeway Rifle club.
One a 12 pouder and the other a 17 pounder.
Part way through the 1000 yards stuff comes up.


40 targets from 850 to 1000 yards.
First Sunday of the month, May to October.

I use 308 Lapua Palma brass with the small primer pocket.
Thats the hard way.
Ive had no issues with the small primer.
But a single stroke of a 260 case will give you a finished 6.5mm SLR case.
No fire forming needed.
Figure a 6.5x47 plus .170. Thats about what it works out to.
48g of Superformance will push a 140g Berger LRBT over 3000 fps out of a 26 inch Bartlien 1-8 twisted.
I reloaded those same cases 8 times with no problems.


dave

Very interesting Dave. Would you say the necked down .308 Lapua Palma brass handles pressure on par with the 6.5x45 Lapua brass?
Edit to add: Do you neck turn those?

Yes I would.
I ran a 6.5x47 for several years.
Came to appreciate the little bugger alot.
..Longish neck,30 degree shoulder,very tuff case head.
But everyone redlines it to push a 140 at 2900.
The SLR will do 2900 all day, everyday, in spades.
Without the redline.
Do decent case prep and a ladder to get the vertical out and it will hang with anything for accuracy at 1000..
My reamer is a .293 neck with a .160 freebore.We run single shot actions so mag length is a non issue for me.And yes I do neck turn.
Actually have two reamers.Both with .293 necks the .160 FB and a .205 FB.The 205 FB is for the 140 Berger hybrid and the 142 MK.
Ran the .205 FB in the 17 pound, last summer with the 142 but had no joy with that set up.Just could not make myself happy.
Thinking the barrel was crap.
Light gun with the .160 and the 140g LRBT has been kicken butt.Just got done converting the 17 pounder to the same set up as the light gun and am headed to load development..
The good Mr.Litz gave me some free advise several years ago.
VLD bullets can be made to shoot very accurately.But there very seating depth specific and require ALOT of adjustment.
The Hybrid bullet was developed to address the seating depth sensitivity.....still can be fussy...
The Berger long range boat tail.
Has never had that issue.
Come up with a load, and you can run it until the barrel is foofoo.
Might have had to give up a point or two of BC.
Over the past 5 years i've won gift certificates for about 2000 Sierra bullets.
Always shooting Berger LRBTs.
Sooner or later ill figure a way to make a MK shoot.

dave

Dave, ever try the 6.5x55 "Improved or x284? Wondering how they compare given like long barrels, and current powders.

Good stuff.

Dave, since the Bergers are so sensitive to depth, aren't you constantly chasing the throat to keep accuracy?

Never ran a Sweed or the 284.
Shoot against people that do.
This season shooting against a guy running a 6.5 GWI.
http://forum.nosler.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=20165
An improved Sweed.
Pretty sure that Sweed has a oddball case head size.
That and fire forming kills it for me.
From what I know of it the Sweed has to run 2 or 3 more grains of powder just to equal what im doing on the SLR case.
More powder less barrel life.More blast.More recoil...
6.5x284 is more more of the same thing.With even less barrel life.
If I was thinking 284 case I'd run it as a 7mm and use the excellent 180g Berger hybrid.
The thing most people dont understand about the SLR is.
The case is fitted to your chamber by the die.
There is no fire form.
You end up with just a tad less capacity than a 260 Rem.
But with the FB im running im thinking its pretty much a wash..
A 6.5x47 neck and shoulder on a 308 capacity case.
Whats not to like.


dave

DC
Not with the LRBT.
dave

Thanks for the info Dave.
What is your process for neck turning them please mate?
ie. turn once after running them through the die or after the first firing?

My 243 is about toast. Building a 6.5-something. SLR is on my short list...

I have a Neil Jones Bushing die that I have for making 22 Cheetah cases.The Cheetah case is made from 308 BR brass.Its set up to use 4 bushings or four steps downs.
I ran two bushing and then set up a full length 6.5x47 die.
You adjust the FL die so the case just fits in the SLR chamber.
My normal loading for the SLR is with a Redding FL S die and comp seater.
After the case is formed I neck turn two times,rough and finish with K&M neck turners and a power drill.Carbide mandrills and bits.
If I were going to make the SLR a hunting round I'd stroke a 260 Rem case one time in my FL 6.5x47 die and call it a day.
Be sure to use a reamer thats got a big enough neck that you dont have to turn..
Its just as easy to form and load for as Robert Whitley says it is..
So whats the advantage to a 6.5 SLR over a standard 260 Rem.?
I can just run a 260 without all the monkey ph-ucking a football stuff that your doing.
Yes you could.
The advantage is case life.
The shoulder angle on the 260 case is straight out of the 1920s.Your going to have to keep trimming it and sooner or later, if you shoot it enough your going to have a case head separation..you figure out when.
As long as you dont over pressure the SLR case and give yourself a big primer pocket.And keep the necks annealed.This case will last a very, very long time...ie think multiple barrels....

dave

I like the longer neck and steep shoulder. I accidentally ran a 243 case into my 6 creed die recently. I stopped realizing something was wrong. I pulled it out and found I fixed what has troubled the 243...sloped shoulder and short neck.

I had a 243 on the moocow..
Doesnt take long to toast a 243.
Mine roasted in less that 500 rounds.
The 243 is a great round for someone that shoots a box of shells a year.
Think 6.5x47 DC.
Load and shoot.
You will get 2200 rounds of goodness...

dave

I'm at 850 rounds right now...dead by end of summer I imagine.

Is the 6.5 SLR anything like Larry Racine's 6.5x51 LPR?

www.lprgunsmith.com

Just reading that.
I'd say its pretty close.

dave