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

Yes, it is, even with a girdle on!

Are we looking at the same as a 6.5 Gibbs? It seems to me that they are about 4-6 grains also.

Just maybe, In the 90's I talked with some boys in PA who shot and LR-hunted the 6.5 Gibbs often.

They loved it.

Any feeding issues going from the .300 Win Mag to the 6.5 Rem Mag?

DF

Anyone mention barrel life? Seems on snipershide guys are touting the SAUM vs RM and said longer life? Neck length and pressure? Not sure.

Thoughts? Thanks.

The WSSM I thought always looked cool but reaming necks and 260 performance gave no reason other than looks. The RM performance wise has been a good round and no doubt like the 284 is best in a LA. Is Big Green still mfg. brass?

Not with mine, absolutely none! feeds slicker than__________!

I actually thought of going to Pacific Tool and Die and having them build me a reamer based on the 6.5 RM with a 32 or 35 degree shoulder.

Decided not to, I wanted a round that had no feeding issues what-so-ever.

Here are is a quote from the Berger Load Guide from highly regarded Mic McPherson who has designed his share of cartridges.

"The 6.5 Rem Mag is a worthwhile chambering.
In a gun with a 24" barrel, performance is impressivley close to the 264 Winchester Magnum performance. Also, the 6.5 Rem Mag does this using far less propellant; thus generating less recoil and muzzle blast, and giving many-times greater barrel life."



No, and good luck finding it.

Well, you were doing such a good job I didn't really have anything to add. Then decided that a little gun porn wouldn't hurt.

The OAL varies per bullet but the 130 AB in the pics are at 3.100". That is what the dummy cartridge I sent to the smith was and told him to ream so that length was .025" off the lands IIRC.

The SSII OAL is at 3.065" which is a jump of .060"







None. I also did one for a friend rebarreling his 300 WM Wtby Vanguard and he also has no feeding issues

OUCH on the Brass mfg. issue. Thought that might be the 'case' no pun.

It's a worthy round no doubt.

IF the 6.5-06 ever became commonly chambered would they be same/same performance wise?

From what I can see, so far, the 6.5 RM will out perform it.

More or same speed with less pressure.

The brass situation could be a deal killer.

Guess it would be pretty hard, forming 6.5 RM brass from another belted mag case. The shoulders would have to be set back, etc.

What's your back up plan on brass?

DF

I think Redding has a form die for $90.00 +/- that lets you make it from 7 MM Rem. Push it in and cut the excess neck off with a hack saw. Boom done.

Thick necks that will then need turning...??

DF

I am not sure about the neck thickness issue. I have a 6.5 Rem and several hundred brass. I love the cartridge and will be faced with the same issue at some point.

Yeah, if SU35 gets something started with the 6.5 RM, then a bunch of guys will be trying to squirrel away the limited supply of remaining brass...

Unless he's got a cache already stashed, he may be shooting himself in the foot...

DF

One more thing

My gunsmith reamed the chamber to have zero headspace. IOW it is hard to measure on a belted case but I figured out how and it is indeed zero, the case belt is tight to the chamber belt groove on a chambered case. But it still has .017" gap between new case shoulder and chamber shoulder.

With the case availability problem it would not be a good thing if you had a factory chamber with .008" headspace and then the typical belted mag case shoulder gap of .020" to .030". Would decrease case life

Have been shooting and reloading for my 1974(?) vintage Rem. model 700(24") since 1980 and have tried 15+ powder/bullet combs an never found anything that would beat 59gr H4831sc with a Hor. 129 sp.oal 71mm wwlr primers for speed and acurracy (130 Nosler AB close but not needed). as far as brass go , have enough to last me a long time. 200 cases are necked down 350 rem. mags that work just fine, the trick was to neck to 30cal first then to 6.5 or they would split (shortened a 300 win. mag sizer die to make the 30 cal step down)out of 300 cases lost three (gave 97 to a friend with a 660). Killed lot of Ca. black tails with that load.

Also have a 260 rem., 6.5X55 and had and liked a lot a
6.5/06 (cousin has it now still get to shoot it).

DF, no doubt the brass issue is valid, and re: turning, well I did some reforming once and got in trouble when my Swede brass OD miked .310 vs. .297 spec on loaded ammo, pressure skyrocketed and I cracked the threads on a '96 mauser as the striker bottomed out from gas pushing it back from blown primer and ruptured head. It was a close call.

Sure 100-300 cases can wear out a barrel, so shooters can scrounge I'd imagine. I like K.I.S.S. and it would be nice if Rem would stop killing every round and keep production, but they don't care. It probably is why many are slow to adopt new rounds. Concern over future supplies of ammo/brass, etc.

Loonys get by one way or another

I had great luck with the 129 Horn SP as well. Unfortunately I bought a new lot and COAL was all over the place from 2.8-2.825" and accuracy is mediocre at best. Not happy!

I was set to do a 6.5 RM but the brass situation on this side of the border wasn't good and I wasn't going to buy Rem factory loads for $50 to get brass, went with the 264 WM instead. Very cool round however, it would have been nice to try.