Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Experience with 6.5 RPM

Have any of you been loading and shooting a 6.5 RPM?
Please provide data.

Interested as well. Not too much traction here on the campfire yet, it appears.

I have not tried one yet, but from all the available info it looks like a short-action version of the 6.5-06.

There are several versions of essentially the same concept already out there, including the 6.5 PRC and the semi-wildcat 6.5/SAUM, so it will be interesting to see how it all turns out. I've thoroughly tested both of those rounds in custom rifles and both work well, so would not be surprised if the RPM does as well.

Do know Weatherby barrels and rifles have been VERY accurate for the last 20 years or so.

Bumping for further discussion.





Based on what I have read, the 6.5 RPM was designed to fit the 6-lug Weatherby Mark 5 long action, and seems to have about 20% more case capacity than the 6.5PRC.

Not sure why the factory loads only outperform the 6.5PRC by a negligible amount.

If they offered it in the Vanguard, it'd sell like hotcakes.

I recently acquired a 6.5-300 Weatherby. I figure if you are going big, you might as well go real big or stay under the porch. Mine shoots sub-inch groups @ 100 yards and weighs 8 pounds with scope. I’m betting it’ll be the schizz on big deer. Happy Trails

Have pointed out here and there that additional case capacity only results in about 1/4 as much extra velocity, when using the best powders for any rifle cartridge, loaded to the same pressure.as another of the same caliber, in the same barrel length.

This means the 6.5 RPM should be capable of about 5% more velocity than the 6.5 PRC--IF they're loaded to the same pressure, in the same length barrel. It looks like the 6.5 RPM is right in there: The Hornady factory load for the 143 ELD-X is listed at 2960 fps, and adding 5% to that results in 3108 fps. The fastest 140-grain RPM load is listed at 3075 fps.

I like the idea of the RPM.The only thing is will it actually catch on?The market is flooded with similar 6.5 cartridges.Regardless of the so called efficient cartridge design,the 6.5X55,6.5-06,264 Win Mag do everything all these new cartridges are doing excepting the hugely over bore 6.5s who`s only real point in existence is for dick waggers.(Mine is bigger than yours)

Elkivory has a tikka he rechambered to RPM; perhaps he will chime in.

My field experience with various 6.5 cartridges includes the dreaded 6.5 Creedmoor, plus the .260 Remington, 6.5x57R Mauser,, 6.5x55, 6.5-06, 6.5 PRC, .264 Win. Magnum and 26 Nosler. They all kill stuff, if you point them right.

The 6.5 RPM has almost exactly the same case capacity as the .264 Winchester, which is probably why the factory velocities are very similar to present (not early) .264 Win. velocities.

I would say that with the exception of the 26 Nosler, 6.5-300 Wby, and a couple others that I can’t recall (coffee still brewing -it’s early) just nearly duplicate the performance of existing cartridges. New cartridges are needed to sell new rifles as are new hunters and shooters. I think any of us could pick 3 cartridges and go forth and hunt the world, but what would be the fun in that! Looneys Rule!

I think it is a long action version of the 6.5-284. Same rebated rim but the case is 30-06 length. This gave Weatherby about the most performance from their 6 lug 30-06 size action.

That action will not handle a magnum sized bolt face,but is scaled down to save weight.

Other actions of the same size include the KImber 84L,NULA model 24,and Barrett Field Master. They might work as well.

I handled a factory round the other day, it was beautiful, ha. I used a 6.5/284 in a shot action Mod 700 and had significant feeding issues. I wonder how well the RPM feeds, would feed in a LA push feed? Surely Wby has worked out the bugs, i.e. feed ramp angles, magazine box ( like they did with the RUMS) I am sure the LR hunters are interested in it, but up to 350 yds, the Barnes 130 TTSX/30-06 in a 24" barrel proper load will run right with the 264WM factory 140, or so close "I" couldn't tell any difference on game.

I went into an unnamed sports store the other day and bought a box of 6.5 Weatherby ammo. While admiring my good looking cartridges in the parking lot , I asked myself, where is the belt and radiused shoulder? Much to my chagrin, it was a box of 6.5 RPM not the 6.5-300 Weatherby that I thought I had picked up. It is a nice looking cartridge but maybe next time I’ll try to wear my glasses. Luckily the store manager is a friend of mine since the chain has a no-return policy on ammo and it had only been 5 minutes. But I did swap for a box of 50 unprimed unobtainium 6.5-300 Weatherby cases. Happy Trails

I’m still very excited about this new cartridge. It basically gives us .264 Win Mag performance without the belt and magnum bolt face. Ol’ Roy killed everything that walks with a .257 Wby Mag and his favorite might have been the .270 Wby Mag.

This new 6.5 Wby RPM might be the one.