Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters is there a winner between the 6.5-300 and 26 Nosler?

I am withdrawing my offer. Here is why.

You know a 338 shooting 200/210 bullets isn’t quite as good as a big 30 shooting 200’s at the same velocity of 3000. The big 7 guys will say a 175 at 2950 is just as good as the 30. 280 guys will say shooting a 150 @ 3000 with R26 is pretty much the same as a 7RM. Now the CM lovers will say a 140 at 2800 is just as good as the 280. I think this reasoning is referred to as INCREMENTALISM.

When will I hear the argument that the CM does the same work of a 338? Actually most cartridges are, broadly speaking, more alike than different.

One of my hunting pals, now deceased, said pick something and use it until it fails, then and only then go searching for something else. He was talking about hunting. Since I am a hunter, that is my perspective. I was a buyer and builder of many rifles for many different cartridges and eventually discovered the futility and wastefulness of it all. There is always something new to chase. The entire commercial enterprise is built around that premise. It keeps manufacturers, magazines, and related commerce moving and churning thereby increasing the bottom line. That is OK by me but I am skeptical about the claims attributed to new cartridges.

I do think the big improvements are due to bullet technology, both terminal and in-flight, optics, and range finders. Sadly there is almost no talk of improving the ability of the shooter.

I hear these tales of a 6.5 CM moving a 140 @2800 in a 22” barrel but I have never seen the load data. Perhaps it can be done with R26 but that is the only powder which might do it. There are many ways to move 130’s at 3100 in my old time 270. Plus I never find myself in a place where there isn’t ammo to make it go BANG.

My friend John will point out that I continue to build 270’s and he is correct. However, I am the first to admit I am not making many improvements. Actually the primary reason I must build more is because my friends keep making off with my most recent one. That has happened to the last 5.