Why can't a guy buy a 6.5 off the shelf that weighs less than/equal to 6.5 lbs and has a 24" barrel?

I'm getting older. I'm planning to migrate from elk hunting do deer. I don't really want a 9/10lb rifle for that. In the next year or so, I'd like to pick up a lightweight 6.5 that has some physical appeal (Rules out Tikka) and is capable of delivering at 600yrds. I've been trolling around on the production market, and I don't see it.

I assume all of the "light" rifles prefer to go with a short barrel because they're easier to make in a slim contour and still achieve some accuracy?

6.5's are popular right now for their LR shooting uses. Thus heavy rifles and 24" barrels are the norm.


In other news, Kimber is chambering the Montanas in 6.5 Creedmoor this year, so that should meet your needs.

And the fact that most moderate 6.5mm rifles are only burning 40-45gr of powder and don't necessitate a 24" barrel.

There was a run of 24" SPS 700 rifles in 260 not long ago. I bought one. A guy could put one in an Edge stock and wind up around 6.5lbs before optics. The factory stock actually didn't weigh much either.

As bellydeep reports Kimber is an option. And you could rebarrel a Montana in 260 Rem.

Howa Alpine has a 20" barrel.

Faux Ti 260, 22", LW's, 6x42, 6#12oz.

Got one. 8 twist even.



A little tweaking, some Cerekote and a McSwirly later, it looks like this now:



Shoots 130 NABs into .75 with boring regularity. May be my favorite deer rifle.

The 'Euro-look' 260 Tikka after plastic surgery:



Shoots 125 Partitions wonderfully


Looks like this after a hydro-dip job

My Weatherby Mark V with six lugs weighs six pounds thirteen ounces ready to go. The scope is nineteen ounces of 5-20X44. You might cut that weight by half a pound.

What is a faux ti? A M700 with mods to make it lighter? That's possibly where I'll end up. Still a semi-custom.

I don't think many of the suggestions above have a 24" tube, save for the Faux and the Weatherby?

It's odd to me this doesn't seem to exist. It seems like the perfect combination for a 260 rem/6.5 Creedmore. Maybe most folks don't mind losing 100-200fps?

I would probably buy a Sako Finnlight, but I don't think I would ever be happy with the 20" barrel. The Swede has a 22.5 though.

Kimber Montana is going to have a 22 incher. I can probably live with that. I'd rather have a .260 than a Creed, and from what I can determine the accuracy of most Montanas is not great.

You missed a 6.5x55 Tikka in the classifieds that just sold.Sold cheap, too. 6.5x55's get a premium in a T3 often.

Some take a little bit of tinkering, but will shoot. The last couple I purchased shoot very well.

You can always cut down a longer barrel...

I have a Sako 85 260, and I'm spoilt so I'm putting a Krieger on it....

24" is all good

Browning X-Bolt 6.5x55

4 oz over your target weight, but otherwise ticks the boxes.

Browning X-Bolt Hunter 6.5 Creedmoor Limited Run 24 inch barrel. Weighs 7.1 with the leupold dual dovetail base and rings. It soon will have a new VX-3i 2.5-8x36 with German #4
reticle.

Mountain contour LSS in a R700 Ti take off stock. This one is available for a gillion dollars, shipped of course.

Bad Mo Faux

The web site states it will be a 12 twist. Hope that was a typo.

My Creedomoor has an 18" barrel and I have no want for anything longer.

I bought a Tikka Hunter SF in 260 that has a 22.4 inch barrel and weighs 6.1 lbs. With the Leupold 2.5-8 and the Talley lightweight's it's under 7 lbs. Not bad for factory.

A faux-Ti is just a stainless Mountain Rifle 700 barreled action in a Ti-style Bell & Carlson 2950-series stock. It looks much like the original 700Ti rifles, except for the fluted bolt. I put one together and it was a dandy .260 rifle.

And I highly doubt an extra 2" of barrel on a 260 or 6.5 Creed will add 100-200fps to the velocities realized by a 22" barrel. 100fps would be pushing it, as these are fairly efficient chamberings.

^^^That's what I was thinking. The walnut stocks are way nicer than the polymer.

https://shop.whittakerguns.com/product/199

Yeah, let's hope so.

I salvaged a Browning Safari Sako L579 roundtop action (salt wood stock) and built a 260 cheaper than the price of current Sako 85's. Mcm Sako Hunters Edge, Broughton #3 contour barrel finished at 23", 1 in 8". It weighs 7 1/2 lbs as pictured. At the time of this pic, I could only find these Buehler mounts to fit this action. I've since found some Weaver Grand Slam steel bases that fit and will probably change the mounts and scope at some point. It shoots 130gr Accubonds real well as is though.

Call and ask.

Mama always said, "Ugly is as ugly does." My Tikka T3 synthetic stainless in 6.5 Swede has yet to shoot a group as large as an inch, and weighs right around 7 pounds with a scope. Sure the barrel is less than two feet, but not enough to make a difference any deer has noticed.

Howa Grendel may Surprise you on how effective this may be. If I hadn't already put together a Scoped 7lb 10oz CZ 527 in Grendel I likely would have been jumping On the Howa this year. Could have got by with a lot less scope to get this easily down under 7 & 1/2 lbs

If the CZ527 Grendel turns your crank you may pick up a action from Buds for $400 and change. If it were me I might send it off to Pacnor to be barreled in 6.5 Grendel. Think you may get a fairly nice stock for less than $200 though I would still want to glass bed the recoil lug and the tang.

If you like the Creedmoor or 260 Remington I bet the Tikka would serve you well.

IF you want to go real inexpensive the RAR predator may serve your needs 6.7 pounds and still needing glass.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=540640558

Put feelers out for a 1994 Remington Classic, 6.5x55 with a 24" barrel.

They're out there but may take a little while to locate. I've noticed Classic Collections liquidated from time to time.

These were advertised with the 24" barrel but few came that way.. Most came with the 22" barrel.

Sorry for the misinformation.

Geo

Sako 85 260 stainless synthetic.

6 3/8th lbs

http://www.eurooptic.com/sako-85-finnlight-st-260-rem.aspx#tab-2

Not a huge Remington fan, but I do own a Model 7 in 260 that has killed every big whitetail here in NE quite cleanly that I have shot at. Nice handy little rifle!

I think my M85 Finnlight 260 was about a half pound lighter than the spec. Still clocks good numbers with the 20 inch barrel. I have a couple of M85 hunters, and I only shoot them at the silhouette range. They have a couple more inches of barrel, but weigh substantially more. No need for long barrels or magnum cartridges in mt area. Weight is a bigger issue.

Not sure of the weight but this should come close to filling your dream rifle without having to do any upgrades, stock changes, etc.

drover

Thanks for all of the interesting replies. It remains odd to me that there is little market demand for a 24" .260 Rem...at least few offered. Remington doesn't offer many chamberings for this round in any conformation. Seems like a great little cartridge. It really makes more sense to me (Biased by living in the west and reloading) than many more popular rounds (.243, 7mm-08, 308, .270). Maybe I'm just bored and want something different?

I plan to surf around for a few months and see what turns up on the used market. I may try to build one out of a M700, but more likely, I'll try to find a Sako M85 Stainless Synthetic. At 22" and change, it's probably an adequate compromise. I like Sako rifles. The fit/finish on the ones I've looked at seems to be superior to most I see. I'm somewhat intrigued by Kimber, but the Montana's I've looked at were just so/so for finish and I'm not convinced they will be as accurate as a Sako or semi-custom Rem. The 12 twist would be a deal breaker if that's true. I will try to take a look at the X-bolt, but for whatever reason, I've never been crazy about Browning in the past.

It is a great cartridge. Mine (Ruger 77 all weather) kicks about like my .243 and shoots more like a 25-06 with light bullets and a 270 with the heavy ones.

Should be more popular than it is and would probably suffice for 90% of hunters in the US today.

These are MY thots on your subject:

A. How many S A cartridges with 24" blls. have been produced/accepted in the mfg. business. For MANY yrs it has been the 'norm' for S A - non mag cartridges to have 22" blls.

The 'short fat' or S A mag rifles have only come into vogue in relatively recent times.

B. Could it be ? the more popular rounds have had many yrs. to get 'entrenched'? Most of US here are loonys and MOST of the gun market buyers are NOT.

The more popular rounds accomplish the jobs for the majority of hunting situations by the average hunter SO...

why should they be looking for 'little better' ballistics when many don't know what ballistics means??


Jerry

Last year with my Sako 85 260, I had 5 does running across a 200yard field, I saw them about half way, and 2 of them made it to the other side. No kick, smooth shooter, 3 deer down in a matter of seconds. All good.

A titanium screwdriver is still a screwdriver. Same for rifles. 260's easily dupes/exceeds some 270 ballistics, and a 270 easily dupes/exceeds some 7Mag ballistics.

Plenty of attraction getting more for less and letting physics do the work, tinkering, yadda, yadda. If you've the time/money/interest, its pretty fun.


At the end of the day though, schit dies....

Most people aren't buying 'titanium' screwdrivers.

Remington TRIED to sell the 260 as you mention---the public does NOT buy it. MAYBE in 'some' applications with smaller mono bullets the 260 MIGHT outdo the 270 but I can give many instances where it CAN NOT.

In most NORMAL loads the 270 does NOT exceed 7 Mag ballistics.

I know we have new powders and mono bullets we didn't use to have but that's not apples TO apples.

You may buy it>>>>I don't

YMMV

Jerry

An ADDENDUM:

The buying public are NOT handloaders and so can not avail themselves of some advantages.

We handloaders are not given sufficient priority for them to supply US with brass, bullets, and primers for our needs.

The factory rifle mfgrs are not supplying rifles for US loonys and so TILL that changes our options are 'custom' or semi-custom builds.


Jerry

^ That.

22" is perfectly fine which means no hole exists and all is right with the world.

Pretty much what I'm saying. Joe Public loves his 270 with Corlokt's, my 260 with 108 Scenars smokes it from the muzzle to the dirt. A 270 with 140 NAB's against a 7 Mag with the same and only your barber will know the difference. Try 110 TTSX in a 270 and 120 TTSX and it's the same song. You can get run over by an empty dump truck or a full one but you won't know the difference. Trick is you gotta build you're own dump truck. I say if you've the time, have at it.

That's the point. Numbers don't lie and you know anyone handloading ain't duping some cheap off the rack factory fodder. Plenty of public buying 260's and Laupa brass is easy to find.

Now, if you wanna talk about a fella buying a few boxes of ammo a year, 260 ain't gonna be friendly as far as choice/availability. Odds are he wont know the difference anyway.

And that is the answer to the OP -

What's wrong with the 6.5 market?
Maybe Offline
New Member

Registered: 02/01/16
Posts: 4
Why can't a guy buy a 6.5 off the shelf that weighs less than/equal to 6.5 lbs and has a 24" barrel?
____________________________________________________________

And that is what I was saying above on this same page.

Jerry

What's wrong the 6.5 market? The 7mm/284 I'd imagine.

Send ShortActionSmoker a PM and ask him if they still have any of the Superlight Tikkas in 260. I bought one back this last fall and love it. The barrel is 22 inches and change, but it is a great shooter and a pleasure to carry.

Good luck.

Perhaps Maybe wants to re-chamber the .260 barrel to 6.5-280AI ??
IFF the twist is tight enough, of course ;-)

I'm not a Savage lover but a good friend, several years back, bought a Savage "package" gun with a scope. The Trophy Hunter XP I think. It's in 260 Rem. I removed the included scope. Dropped on a Vortex with external turrets. He shoots Barnes Vortex 120 TTSX factory ammo and it's shoots .8 moa out to 600 yds all day long.

More like 50-60 fps would be my guess, not enough to tote around the extra 2" of barrel for me. People typically want short action rifles to have shorter barrels for the handiness, 24" kind of defeats that purpose.