Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 6.5-08 A-Square

Gunwriters,
Reading COTW it mentions that A-Square was first to approach SAAMI with specs for this cartridge. So why was it named the 260 Rem??? Dumb question... but does one manufacturer pay "royalties" to use anothers cartridge ie does the "proprietary cartridge" idea still exist where a cartridge can be developed, chambered and ammunition produced but refused to another gun-maker?... can a cartridge's dimensions be patented?
Cheers...
Con

Can anybody tell me anything about the 6.5mm Panther?? Is it basically just a 260 Remington or a 6.5-08?? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

While many wildcats do get tamed by commercial manufacturers, to my knowledge no major company has paid anybody royalties for the right.

Partly this is due, I would guess, to the fact that it's really hard to "invent" a new cartridge, much less patent one. The 6.5-308, .260 Panther and .260 Remington all were "invented" a long time after the first necking of the .308 case to 6.5mm. Ken Waters did it almost as soon as the .308 appeared in the 1950's, calling his cartridge the .263 Express.

I don't have any dimensions for the Panther, but the other three are all identical except for neck length. The .263 Express is just slightly longer (2.04) than the .260 Remington (2.035, the same as the 7mm-08), while the 6.5-08 A-Square has the same length as the .308 case, 2.015.

We have all heard claims of where the recent batch of short-fat magnums came from, but if you read P.O. Ackley's books carefully, you'll notice some short-fat "magnums" almost identical to the present batch. These appeared in the 1950's! They were made by turning .348 Winchester cases into rimless brass, so were very close in overall dimensions to the present "beltless" short mags. (If you want to look 'em up, try the Wade Super Seven and 7mm Express.) So no, neither John Lazzeroni or Winchester or anybody else "invented" the short-fat magnum concept in the 1990's.

JB

Since someone brought up fees for proprietary cartridges...

Is this the reason Ruger went with 222 Rem Mag as the basis for their 204 Ruger instead of 223 Rem???

Lazzeroni? an interesting guy for sure but roy weatherby beat him to the punch 40 years ago and I do not see how he sells enough rifles to keep the business cash flowing. his cartridges are unique, and rifles pricey, but the win short mags cover one end of the spectrum and the rem ultra mags cover the other. anyway, what percent of the rifle buying public really needs, or can make us of, the "ultra mags" anyway? If you need a hammer of a 30 cal, just move up to 338.

Dead on 257 BOB

MT