Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots 6.5 BRM ?

Any first hand knowledge of the 6.5 Bench Rest Magnum?

I am interested in a Contender Carbine barrel that will give me 2500 fps with a 140 grain 6.5mm bullet. The EABCO site states that this cartridge will do that. What say you?
Any other suggestions are welcome also. Thanks
shortleade

Sorry no first hand knowledge but since nobody else has replied...I haven't heard much about it but the few times I've read about it people seem to like it.

Personally I'd probably go with the 6.5mm JDJ. It's been around for years and there's a lot of information out there about it.

Mar336
The JDJ lineup are really well designed for Contender specs and deliver as promised.

Randy

Thanks for the replys y'all two. I thought about the JDJ, but all the data published about it is for barrels around 14 inches. I sent SSK a message on their sites "contact us" page and asked if the cartridge would approach 2500 with a 140 grain in a 24" barrel. I never received a reply. Also, the 6.5 JDJ would require fire-forming.
Mike Bellm does not really recommend 140 grainers in the 6.5 Bellm either.
The other goodie about the 6.5 BRM for me is that EABCO sells fire-formed brass at a fairly reasonable price. I'll study on it some more. Thanks again.
shortleade

I am also very interested it that cartridge. It looks like it could be a perfet mix for a Contender Carbine. Especially since it is based on the 30-30 brass. Looking forward to reading also if anyone has any direct experience. Tom.

If the BRM round will do that the JDJ will do it and probably a shade more. As far as I understand, JD and others started using cases other than the 30-30 because they had already wrung everything they could out of it. Don't get me wrong, 30-30 based rounds are excellent performers. If fire forming is an issue, get the BRM and don't look back. All I'm saying is that they can get close but I don't think they can exceed the performance of Contender wildcats based on other rounds. .

New to this forum.
I have done fairly extensive loading for this cartridge, 6.5 BRM, In fact I was in the process of loading some 85 gr Sierra's for grins to see what it's potential is with the light bullets in the 1-8" twist Brown Encore bbl. I have used 10 or so powders and a dozen different bullets from 85 to 140 gr. Accuracy has been generally excellent +, it is a rare load that won't shoot into 1/2" - 3/4" with many sub 1/2" groups. 140 and 130 gr Nosler Accubond with RL17 powder will shoot 1/2" groups all day long at 2500fps (nom) for the 140 and 2600fps nominalfor the 130fps. Powders that it likes are RL17, RL15, IMR 4007, IMR and H 4350, VV powders are not found in my neck of the woods so I haven't tried them. Lighter bullets(120 and lighter) have liked Varget, IMR 8202, IMR4895 and H4895, IMR 4064. Ball powders I have tried have not been the preferred food for this round.
I killed 2 white tails this season with the 130grAB and both were one shot kills. One at 137yds and one at 96yds. Both bullets were pass throughs on 145lb and 178lb deer dressed. I have taken 3 coyotes in the past year one at 235yds and the 120 Nos BT made an awful mess.
The pre formed cases of Browns are not fully formed(at least the ones I bought when I ordered the barrel.) they were .015" - .023" short of the shoulder datum (i.e., headspace)and when loaded and fired stretched dangerously close to head separation on first firing. These cases are (I believe) hydrauliclly formed. They are also very short in over all length. The chamber length is 2.030" and there is no reason to have to trim cases .050" or more this just erodes chamber and reduces the amount of usable neck for proper tension on the bullet. I trim all fire formed caes after resizing to 2.020". I ended up cream of wheat fireforming the Rem cases from Brown. Since then I have used virgin 30-30 brass from Win and Hornady. case life is 20+ firings reannealing necks every 5 firings. With it's 1-8" twist I did not expect the accuracy I experienced with 120,130 and 140 gr bullets but the first loads with 85 and 100 gr bullets are looking very promising. velocities just under 3000fps withthe 85 gr and no pressure signs and has shot 3 - 3shot groups at 100yd into 1/2" or less. I am loading some more to see if 3000+ fps is feasible. I have most of my load data on another site but anyone interested in specifics can PM me.
I have been very impressed with the 6.5 BRM. I think it is a stretch to think this is an adequate Elk round but white tails and pronghorns out to 300 yards are dead.
The JDJ and the 6.5 Bellm and the 6.5 Bullberry are all in the same category. However 30-30 cases are easier to find than 444 marlin and 225 Win.
I want to add that my dealings with the Brown people have been nothing short of 1st class.

sportclay,
Welcome to the Campfire. And thanks for all the information. That is disappointing to read about the problem you had with the brass from EABCO but it is the kind of info that will help me make an informed decision. The availability of already formed brass from EABCO was a factor in my decision process that I may need to reconsider.
The accuracy you are getting from the cartridge and your Brown barrel are definitely good to hear, though. Did you buy your reloading dies from EABCO as well? I am feeling pretty confident that I will be able to get the results I want out of a Contender rifle with either the 6.5 BRM or the JDJ cartridge.

I don't consider having to fire form the brass a problem. I fire form all the brass for all 31 cartridges I load for. It results in longer case life and better accuracy.
When I ordered the barrel, 26", I ordered the dies, their brass and a box of their loaded ammo. The barrel arrived with a fired "proof" brass which is good to get a datum measurement to adjust the dies and have a base line. The loaded ammo was very accurate but the cases stretched so much that head separation was only 1 or 2 firings away. Just like the brass. You can't ask the brass to stretch that far forward without possible failure. They may have corrected this as I made them aware of the problem.

Properly fireforming by necking the brass up to 7m/m and then sizing with the 6.5 BRM die so the new false shoulder makes a 'crush' fit. This centers and forces the base against the breech face. The brass will blow out rather than forward. I have tried once fired range pick ups but have had to anneal the brass first. I then prime the case and load with 8gr of Unique covered by a tissue paper over powder wad and fill the case just into the neck with cream of wheat, then top with a tight fitting wad of paper towel and bang away. Creates perfectly formed cases that will last up to 20 loadings then trim to 2.020"(as long as they are not MAX). I form Win and Hornady virgin 30-30 brass by first running the brass through a 7mm/m short neck die (generic Hornady) or a 7-30 Waters neck die(this works the best as it supports the base of the case and keeps everything concentric)
The loading dies from Brown are a combination of Lee(sizing die)
and what appears to be a Hornady seating die. I replaced the seating plug with the plug for VLD bullets and a Micrometer adjustable seating stem from Hornady. The Lee FL die is as good a die as I've used. I believe Brown is the only source of dies. I thought a neck die would be necessary but the FL is so close in tolerance to the chamber that it is not needed. Just partially size.
One lot of Win brass had unusually thick neck necks .011"-.012'. Most of the brass is .010" I turned these thicker necks to .010". Hornady brass is more expensive but seems to be very consistant and doesn't look like it has been packed by an airline baggage handler.
I like this cartridge.
My 10 y/o nephew shot it while visiting at Christmas with 140 gr Nos AB hunting loads(2480fps loads) and shot a 5 shot group .630", recoil is not a factor.