Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters John, will we ever see a commercial 6.5/06 loading?

With all the love for everything 6.5, do you forsee any of the commercial ammo makers ever bringing a 6.5/06 offering to market? Curious on your thoughts. Appreciate it.

Not John, obviously.

With the Creed, Swede, 6.5 PRC, 6.5-284, .260, 6.5x47, .264, etc..., don't know why the market would demand (or have room for) a 6.5-06.

The twist offered with the new rounds are a big part of their success with new, high B.C. bullets.

What would a 6.5-06 twist be? If not at least 8, forget it.

IMO,

DF

AKWolverine,

The A-Square company introduced the 6.5-06 as a SAAMi commerical cartridge in 1997, but it died with the company in 2012.

The 6.5 PRC is essentially a short-action 6.5-06, since the powder capacity is just about identical.

John, do you remember what twist they had?

DF

Yep, familier with that history just wondered your thoughts.
Thanks!

I have a 6.5 06 with a 1 in 8 twist barrel. I really like it. I have Creeds, 264’s and a 26 Nosler, but take the 6.5-06 most of the time if I’m going 6.5. I like the 120 Barnes.

DF,

Don't know about the production rifles (though that info could no doubt be found) but the A-Square manual lists 1-9 for the pressure barrel.

I know I've a Mauser action that was originally a J.C. Higgins Model 50 in .270 (and no, I didn't shoot the donor, but I was tempted!). The plan is a 9.3 x 62, but I keep thinking 6.5 x 55, or possibly 6.5-06 to take full advantage of the action length. Then I think, no, build the 9.3 x 62 and just buy a 6.5 Creedmoor Ruger American. Quoting Mule Deer, "One into two is typical Rifle Loony math."

I’d just like to be able to grab 6.5 /06 147 elds off the shelf ...
But I’m sure it would take away from hornady’s 6.5 prc sales, which is why I was curious on John’s thoughts if others might have interest in reviving it.

According to the A-Square reloading manual "Any Shot You Want" it lists a 1-9" twist for the 6.5/06.

Thanks, Elk.

That is a good round, but my point, in such a crowded field, is there room for another?

9 twist should do OK, would prefer 8 twist in that round.

Would go 8 twist if building a 6.5-06.

DF

Dirtfarner,

Gee, my feelings are hurt! I mention the same thing as Elkhunter in a reply to you 20 minutes earlier, and you don't thank me.

Will mention that E.R. Shaw built me a 6.5-06 when they first started making rifles, I believe in 2008. They didn't do 1-8 twist 6.5 barrels back then, so it had a 1-9. They also build a 6.5/.284 for a friend of mine, identical except for the chambering. Neither rifle had any trouble with Berger 140-grain VLD's, which isn't too surprising since I live in Montana and my friend in South Dakota. In fact mine would shoot 3-inch groups at 600 yards with them. (Nowadays, of course, Shaw does make 1-8 6.5 barrels.) Probably wouldn't do quite as well in central Louisiana, however....

I could see Browning making a special run. Heck, they made a run of 284s awhile back. Give me an X-Bolt Hunter in 6.5-06 and factory ammo with 140 partitions and Katie bar the door!

140 VLD’s shot great in the three 264’s I’ve had. Two Sako’s and a Westerner. They are 1 in 9 I think. I’m a couple hundred feet above sea level. Deer and pigs didn’t go far if you hit them in the heart lungs, maybe 10 feet. It was like a bomb explosion inside of them.

Call it a 6.5x63 Creedmoor and it should sell like hotcakes.

The 6.5-06 has something the others don't.....a very large pile of 270 and .30-06 brass sitting in buckets all over the country.....that's an advantage that is hard to ignore.....and just might be the reason no one makes ammo for it.....it won't sell well with all the "free" brass out there.

But let's be practical....what do we get from a 6.5-06 (regardless of twist) that we don't get from a .25-06 or even the venerable old.270?....and I mean advantages that the "run of the mill" hunter can actually make use of!

yea, yea, yea.....I know.....since when did practicality have anything to do with it? I have used the 6.5 X 55, the .260 Rem, and the .264 Win Mag.....and frankly haven't seen any real advantage one over the other in the field.

I have to hand it to Hornady.....seems their marketing folks could sell ice cubes to eskimos!

Hmmm...

Elk getting more respect?

I owe you one, promise to treat you better next time.

Ha!

DF

Ha!

Am not surprised he gets more respect, after shooting jackrabbits with a .460 Weatherby....

Yeah, he’s really hard on those poor ole jackwabbits.

DF

Well, to be fair, even with all that brass out there, I suspect they are still managing to sell trainloads of .30-06 and .270 . . . But then taking your side, there are a whole lot of .25-06, .270, and .30-06 actions out there that could be converted with a barrel and that would feed 6.5-06 smooth as can be.

You don't get anything much until you get to ranges most of us don't shoot, and fewer of us should shoot at game . . . But we all want to feed our "inner sniper"!