Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 6.5s

Due to the reduced pressures and temperatures required, you could probably get better barrel life with a 6.5-06 than the Swede or even the .260 Rem if you pushed them to the same velocity levels or equal life with somewhat higher velocities in a 6.5-06.

My fire-form loads for the 6.5-06AI are maximum Hodgdon 6.5-06 loads. They lose about 5% velocity over what Hodgdon lists. Accuracy with the fire-form loads is outstanding, too, just as it is with the AI loads that follow.

My choice of the AI config had to do with brass availability and load identification. Properly headstamped 6.5-06 brass is expensive so I fire-form .25-06 brass. Although I don't own a .25-06 there is no guarantee I won't have one some time in the future. Once fire-formed to 6.5-06AI there is no way to chamber a 6.5-06AI load in a .25-06, regardless of the headstamp on the brass and visual identification/differentiation of the two is much easier. Still have to be careful with 6.5-06AI fire-form loads but even then it would take a big hammer to chamber one in a .25-06.