Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting 6.5 Rem Magnum---old cartridge new powders

No, that is a perfect speed, all I would ever need. And I'll take that ES over another 100 fps.

I haven't stretched this rifle out yet to distance on paper.

Your graph is spot on except I'm at a COAL of 3.160.
I've been trying out 7828 SSC
57.0 grains for 3,157
56.0 grains for 3,122

Accuracy has not quite been there using it though.

I was going to buy some regular 4831 at Brunos yesterday, till I saw the cost. They wanted $35.00 a lb. That is over my handloading threshold. I won't pay that much for powder.

My accuracy was better with 4831sc as well. I was about 65 fps slower compared to 7828 but with 1" verticle and an itty bitty 3 shot group at 550.. I called it good ;-)

You guys sure are making me itch...

A 129 LR Accubond at 3,250+ would be pretty special...

Hey Greg

You should only expect to reach 3200 fps with a 130 gr bullet in the 6.5 rem mag and a 26" barrel will help

Now a 120 gr or the 125 gr Partition will get there

Ok, thanks -

Realisticly, how much more does the .264 Winchester Magnum offer over the 6.5 Rem. Magnum?

I've had 2 of the 264 win mags and in either I would start getting pressure signs at ~3350 fps with the 130 gr bullets. So I would guess that the 264 WM has as much as 100 fps +

But that may have been individual characteristics of those particular rifles.

I have never loaded hot enough to get to pressure signs in the 6.5 rem mag so I don't know what the top end is. I would assume it would be close to 3250 fps like you said. But to me I don't like skating on thin ice.

The thing is that 3200 fps in a 130 gr bullet and 3100 fps in a 140 gr bullet should be sufficient without putting up with all the overbore characteristics of the 264 WM. IMO

To me the 264 WM was finicky and tricky and hard to find a load for while the 6.5 RM seems nice and easy.

YMMV

Good stuff - Thanks.

Totally agree from what I have seen so far. I have had 3 264's and what I like about the 6.5 RM is less recoil and it is really easy to load for, not finicky or quirky at all. It offers all the steam you will ever need for long range hunting.

Finally got out this evening in 100 degree heat to do some field testing.

Loaded 20 rounds, ran a JBM data, and hit the hills for some rock busting at distance.
I was pushing 140 VLD's at 3,060
with 54.0 grains of N560. A light recoil, low pressure load.

With my wife as spotter, I picked out a 2'x2' rock give or take an inch, at 862 yards, (yonder light brown hillside in pic) and hit it 4 times out of 4. This rifle is so easy to shoot!


Rifle is very portable at 8lbs 8oz loaded with 4 rounds.


I was expecting the 140 VLD to blow up this jack and send meat all over the bushes. Exit hole says it all, no blow up.



The 6.5 RM round and this rifle have easily become my all time favorite.

Nice!

Well done, Bob, I have had great luck with N560 over the years but no longer use it since the price went up to double the other powders. I would try R33 in it as well.

Dennis

I did the same build last year,on a 7SAUM,rebarreled to 6.5 Rem Mag in a 24"Shilen #2(Mickey is inbound.),and a Wyatt box.It shoots 0.25" at 100 with 120 BTs. Monashee

More load testing this evening with the 6.5 RM. ( all loads used the Remington standard primer) COAL was 3.160.

It seems I've narrowed it down to what I really like and could go with.
The 6.5 RM is very loader friendly and not at all finicky. You could choose from many powders and be happy with it.

I finally found some H1000 to try out. I spoke with George Gardner of G.A. Precision about his 6.5 SAUM and his loading. He said,
"3k+ with the recommended loads. 61gr H1000 on 140 , 63gr H1000 on 130. You want to add horsepower there is plenty of room but your mileage will suffer."

I decided to try 60.0 grains of 1000, a grain less than what George uses.

I averaged 3,025 and an ES of 6. shooting the 140 Berger VLD. This could easily be a target load as accuracy is excellent.
George gets pressures in the mid 50K's with his load, I would think my load is very close and would be good for barrel life.

Burning H4831 56.5 grains for the following speeds.
3,047, 3,051 3,048, talk about great ES and accuracy. I could easily go with this load but feel I would get better barrel life with H1000.

Another powder that performed great was W780, on paper it was the most accurate.
It shows a slighter slower burn rate than H4831. I wanted to test it out so I also loaded it at 56.5. Speeds averaged just under 3,000 at 2,990. I can up it another .5 grain at get another 35 fps which I already have done.

Now here is some good news. I was getting real frustrated with RS Magnum and its accuracy. I realized that Magnum likes a max load to really make it perform like it is supposed to. At least that is what I have found using this powder in the 264 WM and and the 6.5x284.

So, I started by taking a max load from an RS Load Guide for the 6.5x284. That was 62.0 grains at just under 65K.

Loading 62.0 grains brought these results for the 140 VLD.

I shot an average of 3,200 mv with an ES of less than 20. And great accuracy.

Bolt lift was easy and no marks on the case head or any other signs.

This should be a great hunting load for the 140 bullet!

And, just 50 fps less than my 264 WM hunting load using a 26' barrel. (A lighter, shorter, less recoil load.)

I followed up this evening target session by shooting the 6.5 RM out to 950 yds using the W780 load. The Berger BC held true and I had no problem hitting at that distance.

I have now put 100 bullets down the barrel of my 6.5 RM. I am impressed with it more than ever.

I have plans on building another.
A lightweight 6 lb rifle with a 23" barrel. Maybe in a short action shooting 130 VLD's and 123 Scenars. But could be just as happy with the long action.

That's awesome SU. It sounds like you've found Nirvana, and I'm really intrigued.

Your idea of a lightweight packer is really cool.... Would you use a Wyatts for that purpose?

I could see my SA 700 243 AI easily becoming one of these, but the COAL thing kind of turns me off. Maybe something shorter like a 6.5 Creed would be better suited.

Tanner, I think I would avoid the Wyatts and load to 2.825.

Copy that... how deep down would that put the 123s and 130 Bergers? Ogive still up above the case mouth?

It should easily, but be close.


edited, and on second thought,
I could be just as easily happy with the longer action. No fuss or muss.

Tanner,

I use the Wyatt box w/ my Stiller .260. I had to tweak the magazine spring to get it to feed correctly, but that was easy to do, and now that its done, feeds as well as any short 700 I have ever used. If you wanted to stay with the standard box, I'd go with a CM case. That being said, a the ogive of a 130gr VLD will be above the case mouth in a .260 at 2.8", but not by much...

John

And the one that Monashee's talkin about looks like this (at 7lbs 1oz pictured):

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