Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting What's the deal with all the 6.5mm?

Funny thing is I am using Lapua brass in my new 260 and it is definitely nice stuff. I have had both good and bad lots of R-P 260 brass in the past, I do like that it is much more common than the 6.5x47 and I can go down to our local store and buy factory ammunition if neccessary. One thing is for sure, all the smaller 6.5's are great performers and hardly kick at all.

Pal of mine is a Marine armorer,and a very good smith who has worked for some "name" outfits building good tactical style rifles;gets in plenty of LR shooting...He likes the 6.5 Creedmoor right now and told me recently they were doing some LR shooting with it against 308's...he told me the wind values can be halved with the 6.5's out to 1000 yards.

Another club member and friend for 30+ years shoots on an elite International team with a certain ballistician and bullet engineer (frequently quoted here and in other LR circles)....they will be shooting in SA this year. Despite this extensive "experience",my pal's two principal hunting rifles are a 270 Winchester and a 300 Win Mag.

His views on all this is that a lot of experience at LR shooting in actual competition has demonstrated to him how quickly things can go "wrong" for the very best LR shooters, and he considers LR shooting of BG animals a dicey business at best;not the purview of anyone without a LOT of experience...in his view most don't really qualify even if they think they do.If they were really that good at it, they'd be top ranked competition shooters themselves..

The problem I see with a lot of this LR business is that a lot of the advise about LR and tactical shooting,at animals,seems to come from some people who have done comparatively little BG hunting.The other problem I see is that I am not completely swayed that many of these bullets best suited for real long range shooting are the best answer for killing animals under ALL conditions they are hunted... still ain't completely on board the notion of shooting animals with Match bullets.

Getting back to the OP's original question, for BG hunting the notion that a 7/08 somehow takes a back seat to a 6.5 of similar capacity, is silly.

I have no 7-08s, but many 6.5s. I won't say it kills better, but the 6.5 is a personal preference. I like it and it works for me. Shoot what you like, not what others tell you is better.

Actually, I wasn't the OP but yes I was asking.

The 6.5's have a small degree less recoil than a 7mm-08. Shooting many thousands of rounds per year, many hundreds per competition day, its easy to see that any small advantage might give an edge in a highly competitive event. The recoil reduction of the 6.5's vs 7mm-08 doesn't provide any real advantage to me, its too small a difference to matter unless I were shooting the round count of the top competitors and clearly I'm not.

Other than minor recoil reduction is there anything that the 6.5's do better than a 7mm-08? Answers like "it gives them an edge" = you don't have any idea. Its the equivalent of telling someone they should drive an Indy car to work, 'cause that's what all the top drivers are using.

David

How about a .600 BC at 3000fps? I do have an idea......and it's not a guess.

That's Greek to them as well Pat.

BobinNH,



This is not necessarily true.

When I hunted jack rabbits with my .454 I started hitting everything I shot at. This included off hand out to 130 yards to 140 yards on the first round. My longest first round hit was 206 long paces. To check the length of my steps I passed off to the 300 yard butts at the range. On the way out, which is a slight grade up, I counted 303 steps. On the way back it was 299 steps. I got where I would not fire at a jack rabbit unless it was about 100 yards away or running or both. My load of 240 grain Freedom Arms bullets averaged 2,014 feet per second, so I didn't have to lead very much.

I went to join the fun of the silhouette boys. I started with the chickens. As I got into my normal shooting position with my left foot way out pointed at the target so it would not come off the ground, my right foot about 90* to that, my arm against my chest and the bottom of the pistol grip laying on the fat part of my left palm (kinda a one handed grip on the .454), someone stopped me before I could fire.
"You can't use an artificial rest," he informed.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"Well you have your arm against your chest."
"That is not artificial. That's me!" I tried to explain to this official. "That's how I hold this when I hunt."
"But it is still against the rules," he informed.
Since I came to have fun and compete and not join some Gestapo type organization, without a word I unloaded the .454, inserted the snapcaps, put it back into its case and left.

By the way the 200 yard rams looked HUGE compared to a 200 long step jack rabbit. And they were just sitting there waiting to be "killed".

Pat

Thanks for your response. Which combination is getting that?

Regards

David

That load is the 130gr JLK that I shoot in both of my .260's.
Lapua brass
H4350
Tula large rifle primer

Don't get me wrong, I love the 7/08 and think it's one of the best, most efficient big game cartridges out there. I hunt with a couple different friends that shoot 7/08's and 162gr Amax bullets and have seen them make some amazing shots.

Yeah...everyone on here not shooting a 6.5 is suddenly clueless

Everyone else is "stupid"....gimme a break.

How many rifles do you own in 6.5?

pat: None.

Yet.

As to recoil: I would think a 7/08 shooting the 120 gr TTSX would recoil LESS than any 6.5 shooting a 129-142 gr anything. Am I wrong in my thinking? I too, am on the fence when it comes to which round to pick for my 7lb sneakin' rifle. One of these 2 will be the one. I'm not arguing either way. Been an interesting conversation. Personally, I've always been taught that frontal area means something when it comes to critters, both kill with great efficiency, both have great bullets to choose from, both have genetics bred from competition, same brass and primers. For hunting purposes... The question seems academic. Choose the one that makes you feel all warm inside, then go shoot stuff.

You said that, not me.

The point is if you don't understand the simple concept of why competitive shooters use cartridges that make it easier to hit what they're shooting at in all conditions, you won't understand what is significant about being able to fire a bullet with a BC of .600 at 3000 fps

120 TTSX at 3100 fps drifts 94" in a 10mph wind at 1000 and has a recoil in ft-lbs of 13.79

140 A-Max at 2800 fps drifts 63" in a 10mph wind at 1000 and has recoil energy of 13.99 ft-lbs

I don't think it's about understanding, as I'm quite sure Bob understands the usefulness of a high BC. Now, use the specs from true hunting bullets. Barnes TSX, from the website, .264 vs .284, based on SD's as close to. .250 as possible. They were within .030 on BC and within 100fps on velocity. There's that much difference in barrels. Basically, without super slick competition bullets they stand shoulder to shoulder. (.260 vs 7/08). Same thing... But different.

Pat's hunting load with his .260:

130gr JLK at 3000 drifts 52" at 1000 in 10mph.

I don't consider that "shoulder to shoulder" with the 7mm-08 that drifts almost twice as much.

....but it's a free country and everyone can do what they like!

Dam you guys. Read Scenar's thread .260 vs .308 100 times and decided to go with the .308 since I already was set up for .308. Now you have me wanting a .260.

RC

I'm not trying to argue with you, just making observations. Does all this math really bear out any real world differences while hunting? 300 yards and under. (Real world, avg shooter hunting) I truly get that the 6.5 is super efficient and comp guys love it. But I'm not carrying a 26" barreled SA around in the woods. My 26" barrel is on a 7RM pushing those magic 162's at over .600/3050fps. I'm in the process of planning/ordering components for my new build, MCM Hunter edge, 22" rem factory contour(whoever has one in stock), 2.5-8x36, right at 7# hopefully. .260 or 7/08. Using hunting bullets.