Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game 6.5-06 - King of all non DG hunting calibers?

I agree the .375 Win is not practical for most shooters because of the factory ammo situation, let alone trying to find a rifle so chambered. Finding components is also a problem.

Starline lists brass as available in quantities of 250 to 1000 and I recommend anyone who is short on brass buy it now. Bullets are somewhat problematic - Hornady discontinued their 220g, which my rifle favored, and Sierra 200g bullets are out of stock many/most places. (Sierra still makes them occasionally, so get your backorder in now.) Les Volmer makes 220g bullets with the same profile as the original Hornady bullet but note that in my experience the safe powder charges for the Hornady bullet are much too high for use with the Volmer bullet - redeveloping the load is definitely in order. Barnes still offers their 255g Original and Speer still offers their 235g. Have not tried the Barnes but the Speer requires some special reloading techniques due to its length and ogive. There are other bullets available that may work, especially if the shooter is willing to use their tube-mag rifle as a two-shooter - one in the chamber and one n the mag.

In terms of general practicality, I considered giving my Marlin 375 to a son-in-law that resides in Iowa. The .375 Win is legal for deer there (but last time I checked the .38-55 was not - go figure!). I finally decided against it because he does not reload. For me, however, the .375 Win is very effective out to 200 to 250 yards. With a max rise of 3", the 235g Speer @ 2084fps and 6500ft altitude is down 3" at 205 yards with 1698fps and 1504fpe. At 300 yards it is down 19.7" with 1538fpes and 1235fpe, which, according to Speer, is approaching the low end of where the bullet should expand.

Seems to me that if a man does his homework, and assembles the variables together in a rifle he likes and shoots well and has confidence in, and can maintain a monogamous hunting relationship with it season after season - then he has taken the road less traveled. At least on the 24HourCampfire. My hat is off to the OP for finding his huckleberry.

Last time I saw 6.5-06 ammo on the shelf was on a planet in the outer reaches of the Andromeda galaxy - and that was some years ago. Last time I was there they only had 6.5 CM.

Last time I depended on what I could find on the shelves of a local store, I had just purchased a brand new Marlin .30-30 for $159.99. And that was back when they used good wood. It was 1980 I think.

Not that I need another rifle to NOT hunt with (last two years have been way too busy), but I always though a 6.5-06 would be on my short list. Matter of fact, if yer gonna wildcat anyway, I'd roll 6.5-06 A.I.
Don't need it. Got a .25-06, 7x57, .45-70, .30-40, .223, and a couple muzzleloaders, all in the safe right now.

But if I ever ran up on a rough LA 700 on the cheap and had a buncha cash laying around.......

Yeah C H - I forgot to post the emoji.


Also, I'm NOT a 6.5-06 hater. I just prefer the 7 R M.


Jerry

I love the 7's and as I pointed out a few posts back I will most likely add it too my switch 6.5CM. (one of the shorts) It appears to me that the 6.5's and 7's have more efficient long range bullets than the 270 and 300's, without finnicky loading.

My very first of about 10 rifles was a 7 Mag Browning A-Bolt White Gold Medallion - the Internet had been invented then and if I recall I carefully researched it for several weeks and decided on a 7Mag as the most logical all purpose big game cartridge. (My son is holding it in the pictures I posted) It will shoot snake eyes for the first two shots at 100yds, then I have to distract myself for a while to let it cool.

I take practicing seriously as I do not want to be known as a "sport" that wounds my animal on the really long shot because I did not do the necessary work.

By and large the only practical time I have to practice is at the indoor range nearby. The recoil and muzzle blast of the 7 and 300 is what led me to the 6.5's. I have observed that generally, younger guys recommend the bigger calibers and the older guys like me end up going light. (body deterioration) of course there are exceptions.

After all the talk of forgetting ammo I am going to reload an extra 100 6.5-06 rounds and place some in all my cars, hunting jackets, pockets and strapped to the stock of my gun. Perhaps I may even store them like the watch in Pulp Fiction LOL - Seriously, as has been recommended by others I try and always take a back up gun on the big hunts - just in case, it used to be my ex, Weatherby 300 which is little better than the wildcats for remote availability - now It will be my 45-70. For my big African guns I have warne quick release rings and a back up scope and rings sighted in that accompany the main rifle.

guy -

In the age department of your post, I am the exception. I'm 69 Y O now.
I also don't shoot indoors so that doesn't bother me.

I know I don't need a 7 mag for WT but the 7 RM is qualified as an ALL AROUND ( all purpose ) game hunting cartridge.


Jerry

Didn't take you as a hater, sorry if it sounded that way.

My 7mm RM was my first centerfire and it has been taking game since the early 80's. Still works fine. It will probably be the last to go - at least while I'm still elk hunting.

Love my heavy-weight 6.5-06AI for target and short carry and would like to get one in a sporter-weight for longer hikes. Don't have any need for a 6.5 CM, but you never know - need hasn't had anything to do with my rifle acquisitions since the 7mm RM. But don't tell my wife...

C H

I didn't think you did or implied it. I simply added it for general comment per the 6.5-06.

No Harm, No Foul.


Jerry

Since a 6.5PRC and 6.5-06AI wasn't available, I went with a used Remington M700 in .270 Win for Daughter #1. Loaded up some 150g LRAB development loads today using IMR 7977 and H100V, at .126" over SAAMI COL and Nosler load data. Hoping to hit 2900fps or more with the extra length and powder space and the 22" barrel. Even at 2850fps, which should be easily doable, it should be a great round.



Using 7000 feet above sea level and MPBR zeroes for a 6" target, 10mph xwind:

.270 Win / 150g Long Range AB @ 2850fps
600yds = -54.8", 2216fps, 1636fpe, 15.0" drift

.270 Win / 150g Long Range AB @ 2940fps (Hodgdon velocity, 24" bbl, 150g Hornady SP, IMR7977, COL 3.285")
600yds = -50.2", 2294fps, 1753fpe, 14.3" drift

6.5-06 is a good one even though I don't own one. I do like the 25 & 27-06 and the 28-06 AI so whats not to like about the 6.5? If building one I would go AI or 6.5x280AI for the longer neck. I carried around 9-10 lb. rifles for a long time and just thought that was what a rifle weighed, now I like 7-7.5 lbs. more even if I am not packing it that far. For scopes I am getting more fixed 6x's and 2.5x8xs. Though several wear 3-9s or 3.5x10s but most stop at a 44 mm objective. Just my preferences.

Very fond of the 7RM even though the glitz has worn off it, it is still a good all a rounder. The 6.5x55 is no slouch either and not far behind the 6.5x06. The old Sweede worked fine a couple of days ago on a nice meat buck, field dressed at 175 lbs. which is good sized for a hill country buck.

Even commercial Pilots still manage to forget to check things like fuel level, about as bright as those who
forget ammo for the hunt...

We had one big shot commercial female pilot who ran short of Fuel en route,. had to load drums into the MD500E
and go 'rescue' her. (but it aint exclusive to females.)

Next thing you know, someone will come out with a new round, the 6.8x06 AI fast twist with appropriate bullets....but no flies on a good 6.5.

Meanwhile the best improvement most hunters could do to "connect with vitals" is to put in the time learning their gear - learn the dope, and use a LRF.

Before jumping off to a wildcat - I'd opt for a 280 or 280 AI and heavy bullets though personally would grab a Swede, Creed, 270, or 7/08 first. Just me.

My guess is you'd be able to get dang close.

I had access to modeling software about a decade ago. It was kind of like Excel What-If functions, but on steroids. Just to test it out, I took a large part of Hodgdon's loading database and tried to optimize for best performance versus lowest recoil. To make it work, I started with MAX loads and then knocked off between 0 and 5 % and then did my calculations. I let it run for days.

What I found was that there were a few nodes which had very favorable ratings. Three stuck out.

35 Whelen (reduced somewhat)
280 REM
6.5X55

If you want to think about it in a grand 10,000 ft kind of way what that model told me was that somewhere between a 6.5X55 and 280 REM lay an ideal round that would deliver the best theoretical performance vs recoil of anything out there.

Bottom line: Somewhere in that 6.5 to 7mm pantheon is an ideal load. Probably you can get to it by a variety of routes with various bullets, powders and cases.

A 6.5-06 wildcat? A 280 REM? A 6.5X55? The answer is: Yes, one of those will do nicely.

I've always maintained that caliber range, with their bullet weights and speeds is a "sweet spot" for a bulk of hunters in NA.

The cartridge you are looking for is called the 7X57!

So a caliber between 6.5 and 280, but on the Whelen case.....hmmmm....

Sounds gay.

Just got a rifle like you describe for Daughter #1. With a 150LRAB @ 2850fps, recoil is mild, ballistics are excellent and it is elk-capable past 600 yards. I expect it will serve her well.