Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting 6.5-284 first time custom rifle?

I think I have decided to build a 6.5-284 for my first custom built rifle, for whatever reason it edged out the 264 win mag. My question is should I have it chambered with a tight neck to improve the accuracy? I know it comes down to turning case necks, I'm going to be reloading everything for it so theres no need to buy factory ammo, I just don't want to shoot myself in the foot by limiting the rifle- pun intended

Turning necks has not proven itself to much of an advantage to me. You would probably be better served by not turning them and shooting more, than turning necks and shooting less.

I wouldn't mess with turning necks. Better yet just get a neck mandrel from K&M and iron out the inside dia. of then necks.

I like the 6.5-284 over the 264 as well.

For balls out accuracy, a tight neck eliminates one variable.

For a hunting rig I wouldn't.

Mine are, as I have my own reamer.

I have built many 6.5x284's, and the reamer I use is a no turn neck, .298 if memory serves me. It is intended for the Lapua brass. The reamer also has a longer throat for the 140 VLD bullets to be seated at the base of the neck. By the way makes it necessary to use a long action. The cartride has proven to be very accurate!!!! Most so far have done better than 1/2 moa. All you have to do is buy dies, brass, bullets and powder, No fussing with necks. If you were to scrictly compete, then I would have a tight neck.

i have two 6.5-284s, i compete and i don't turn case necks. what are you going to build??

Well the friend of mine who is going to build it for me has a reamer for a tight neck. Now this isn't a problem I'll just have to buy another reamer. Thats the reason I was asking.
I am for sure going to use a long action, in fact I have been faced with a dilemma . . . I have a Winchester M70 FN extreme weather SS in 30-06, I have had the rifle for about a year or so. It shoots good and I have worked up loads for it blah blah blah. Who thinks I should use this action to build the 6.5-284? Or should i just look for an R700 at a pawn shop or something like that and keep the good ole 06 in the closet?

Sorry I didn't answer your question Roninflag.
I'm going to build a heavy hunting rifle that kills my back because I want a flat shooting beanfield rifle like I had before that name became so overused and when I actually used to hunt over bean fields (actually they were pea fields, but that doesn't sound as cool) So a friend of mine suggested the 6.5-284 and once I did some research I started obsessing. I looked at a Cooper Phoenix but it's a single shot and I don't want that. So as I posted above I'm thinking about tearing apart my Winchester and putting a Krieger barrel and a bell and carlson or HSprecision stock on it and a scope I can't afford. Oh and a reamer that won't benefit me at all except for this one rifle. I just want something that has those great BC's and doesn't recoil so bad that I can't see the impact through the scope. When the 6.5-284 was mentioned I thought it would fit the bill perfectly!

Cooper is actually making this caliber in a repeater now. It is the Model 52 as listed here:

http://www.cooperfirearms.com/rifles.php?rifle_name=cl&cal=6.5 x 284 (repeater)


I have it in the Varminter but like you say, it is a single shot. I use it for coyote hunting and on occasion more than one dog comes in, making quick reloading necessary, sometimes even more than twice. And once in a while you even miss! Would like to have the Cooper in a M52.
With that said, my experience with Cooper firearms is their guns are fair, but their customer service is very lacking.

I have a 6.5-284, built on a pre-64 Model 70 action, blueprinted with Borden's bumps. Has a Kreiger #5 sporter 26" bbl pillared and glassed in a laminated Jon Sundra style Boyd stock. Scope is a Swarovski 6-18x50 with TDS reticle. With 140 gr. SST's I've shot a .174" group and with 140 gr. Bergers, a .200" three shot group. Can't do it repeatedly; those are my best efforts, so far. Under 2" at 200, 2 1/2" at 300 and around 4" at 400. Crosshairs up to 200, first retile line at 300 and second at 400. Haven't shot it longer than 400. Most accurate load with the 140's is Vv 165, 52.3 gr. Pushs 140's at chrono'ed 2,950 with low S.D's. 48.8 gr. RL-17 will give consistent velocities over 3,000 and good S.D.'s, but no quarter inch groups, just 1/2". Not bad. Will probably stick with Vv 165. BTW, gun equipped with Jewell trigger at 3#.

Two weeks ago, shot a 300# boar hog at 225 yds.
Placed bullet right behind his ear. Obviously he was DRT.

6.5-284 not the flattest shooting round available, but hard to beat for precision and accuracy. My .257 WM is flatter shooting, but can't hold a candle to this rifle for accuracy.

I agree with using the full length action. .308 length action would prove to be a hindrance, IMHO.

Forgot to add my gun has a .304" neck and I do turn my Lapua brass. I neck size with a Lee mandrel/collet type sizer and I seat in a Wilson seater, reamed by the same reamer. I check for concentricity and correct when necessary for under .003 runout, hopefully tighter than that. With the Berger bullets, I did a "jump ladder", along the lines of the powder charge ladder, with jumps from .01-.18 at .01 intervals. Had clusters at .05 and .13. Communication with Berger lets me know that I now need larger samples for statistical relevance. They recommended averaging three to five, 5 shot groups for each jump value. The smaller the difference being measured, larger the sampling necessary. That's take around 20 rounds at .05, 06, .12 and .13. I like the way the bullet fits in the case at around .05, seems pushed too far into the case at .12 or .13. So, I have a prejudice going into this exercise. I was currious about two jump values, both optimally accurate. No one knows why that happens. Just have to work it out for each rife, carefully by trial and error. Each gun is unique.

Last addendum (brain fart): Berger actually recommends moving up and down in .005 intervals from an optimal jump discovered with the screening exercise. So, I may have to rethink my values to test. Probably need to take .05 and .13 and go up and down at .005 intervals. With my prejudice toward the .05, I may just work with it and fine tune to the optimal jump.

Just can't buy rounds like these in a factory box... Folks miss a lot of fun when they don't reload. And, they never realize the full potential of their rifles.

No way I'd tear apart a perfectly good rifle.

hounds- both of mine are r700. one a single shot short action heavy, like 15-16 pounds. the other is a fluted sendero weight long action re peater. both have krieger 1-8.5 twist barrels. i root for boise state too. neither have muzzle brakes so i can't see the hits. i want /need to put one on the lighter rifle. ron

I don't root for Boise State. I am an Alabama fan . . .

Dirt Farmer, what is the COL that you have come up with and what is the neck size on a no neck sized chamber?

HoundsTooth,

Delay in reply: had to get home and measure. The chamber neck is .301" (engraved on the barrel). Fired Lapua brass neck diameter, with necks turned to .015" wall thickness, is .300". Loaded round has .293" neck. COL is 3.020" with 140 gr. Bergers and .05" jump. So, not so tight that it wouldn't function with unturned brass. Turned necks to hopefully aid in concentricity. As can see a .308 length mag would present a real delema. I think any 6.5-284 project needs a std length action.

Bought this gun for $400 some years ago. Was a .243 std. wt. with barrel and stock shortened. Knocked out the mag spacer and bought a std length bolt stop/ejector. My gunsmith machined a 30-06 mag follower to accommodate the fatter .284 case. Works great.

DF

Read something about trimming the meplat on Berger bullets. I noticed that Berger bullets can measure slightly different lengths and aren't 100% uniform in that regard. Does anyone know about this?

DF

They can be trimmed and or pointed. Very small difference at 1000yds. The variation in OAL will not make a difference in accuracy for the most part. the difference in ogive can. Sinclair makes/sells measuring tools to measure and adjust. worthwhile only if your rifle/system is good enough to shoot very small groups.

LC

Thanks, leftycarbon. I have a Sinclair catalog and will have to check that out. May or may not be a help for the 6.5-284. No reason to use that device on my newest project, a Mark V Weatherby .257. Maybe after I get a Krieger #4 SS barrel fitted. With this factory bbl, I have to work for sub MOA. And the barrel looks great thru a Hawkeye, almost as pretty as the Krieger match grade on the 6.5-284. Mark V started out as a Synthetic, but was upgreaded to a Bell and Carlson Medalist, free floated and glassed. Helped some but still not quite there.

I like my rifles to shoot 1/2" without a sweat. If they don't, they get worked on or traded.

BTW, does anyone know of a Weatherby "guru" who knows about the mysteries of free bore, chamber specs, etc. for long range accuracy? This is my first "Roy" gun and I'm learning.

DF