Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 6.5 mm's for hunting?

Can you please tell me about the 6.5mm's for hunting. The positive & negatives of these calibers. Thanks.

I happen to think the 6.5s are excellent. I've hunted for years with the 6.5x55 and 6.5-06 and have taken quite a few deer with them. They're easy to load for and are very good rounds for accuracy. The sectional density of 6.5 bullets is excellent and there is a large bullet selection. They have great penetration and seem to have a way of unloading energy in an animal that is uncanny. Our more scientific brethren on here will have other ways of describing it, but the 6.5s have some kind of juju working. At moderate velocities they are stone killers. I think i've only recovered one bullet from all the deer i've shot. It penetrated the full length of a good sized deer and lodged in the back of the front shoulder. With bullet weights up to 160 grains, about the only thing I wouldn't choose a good 6.5 for is big bears. I have used 140s for hunting. A lot of members here have had equally good results with 129s, etc. I prefer an 8 twist barrel for stabilizing the larger bullets.

It represents one of the best trade-offs if you're thinking of longer ranges--you have a selection of high-BC bullets in the 140 grain range that can be driven fast, all with moderate recoil.

85 gr. to 160 gr. bullet selection with a HUGE selection of bullet styles and applications. What's NOT to like? I love my .260 Remingtons and plan on rebarreling a .30-06 to 6.5-06 AI in the future for a little more juice.

We have run 140 accubonds and 140 bergers on game so far with excellent results. Have a bunch of 160 Woodleighs loaded up and they shoot really well. May carry them on my cow elk hunt in December. Not going to do a lot that the 270 Winchester doesn't do, but neat caliber.

http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledge+Base/6.5x55.html has articles on several calibers, including a few 6.5mm as used for hunting. Discussions of factory ammunition and hand loads. Also, discussions of the origins of cartridges. The article in the link even has info on 6.5x54 MS and 6.5x52 Carcano, although these calibers do not have separate articles. 6.5 Creedmoor is not included, although it could be in the works. 6.5x47 also not covered.

Discusses available bullets and how they perform on game.

Hand loaders probably get the most from the various 6.5mm's. Creedmoor target ammunition seems as if it would give full performance, if the A-Max target bullet is acceptable for hunting.

I have hunted quite a bit with various 6.5's, including the 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Schoenauer, .260 Remington, 6.5x55, 6,.5x57R, 6.5-06 and .264 Winchester Magnum. They certainly kill big game neatly if the nut behind the bolt puts the bullet in the right place.

Don't work. Never have. Move along. Nothing to see here.

I have killed hundreds of deer with .264s. No complaints. reflex264

With proper loading techniques, they are nearly the equal of the .270 Win.

If you want to hunt, take your 270. If you want to talk about ballistics on the internet, get a 6.5.

If you already have a 6.5, go hunting.

If you are a shooter/rifle nut, do whatever you want.

It really is that simple.

Sycamore

Well I'm sorry but NO cartridge w/less powder capacity can equal one w/ a greater capacity.
That's from a performance measured in FPS & FPE & trajectory.

From a killing performance on medium game WE probably can't see any diff.

On larger game I 'think' most would agree that higher vel. & more energy will give better performance w/ equal bullet construction.

All one really needs.

My 6.5-284 likes 140's and for hunting hogs, whitetails and pronghorns, I use 140 SST's ahead of Vv N165 at 2,950 fps. This pre-64 M-70 wears a 26" Krieger and a Swaro Z5 with Outdoorsmans turret, effective out to 600 yds. The 140 SST is a great bullet with plenty of expansion without blowing up and good B.C.'s for extended range. IMHO, I think this is a near ideal combo for such an application.

DF

jwall, I guess they forgot to tell my Grandson that his 30BR was way undergunned for the white tail, axis, and hogs that he kills with one shot. I have 2 6.5X47 Lapuas and they leave nothing to be desired. I do have other calibers because I'm a gun junky.
Butch

hey butch - no argument here. Now you're not saying the 30BR can be loaded = to a 308 or 06 are you?

I didn't say the 6.5 or others would not perform, just not the same performance, esp. at long-ER ranges.

It's obvious the Creedmore, 260s, & 6.5X55 PERFORMS but in ballistic NUMBERS there is a difference.

That's all I'm saying. BTW, I'm looking for a 6.5X55 now.

I've become a big fan of the .264 Winchester Magnum, mine is very accurate, very flat shooting, easy to load for (though some others have said otherwise), light recoil. A 26" barrel helps it out.

I really like the 120 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip for antelope and deer. I use IMR 7828 primarily, though it shoots very well w/ H4831 too. I've been playing with the 130 grain Nosler Accubond; it likes to shoot also.

no argument here, but while case capacity means alot; dont forget about operating pressures....some smaller and more efficient cases can equal and surpass some larger cases when operating pressures are higher.

To the O.P.

The 6.5's are just plain cool...their high B.C's can allow a 140gr match 6.5 bullet to have a flatter trajectory @ 1000yds than a 300 Win Mag with a 190gr match bullet....I am originally a 6.5x55/6.5RemMag shooter who has recently become enamoured with the 6.5 Creedmoor's performance, and have never seen a deer lost or requiring more than one shot when shot placement was correct.
Besides; nothing comes closer to looking like a sidewinder missle than a Berger 140VLD seated atop any 6.5mm

johnny

flattop - still not arguing either.

If you will compare 6.5 & 270 bullets with similar S Ds (sectional densities) you'll find the B Cs (ballistic coefficients) are awfully close. A few gun writers pointed out the accurate way to compare cals/cart.s yrs. ago.

Then with the heavier 270 bullets you'll have similar trajectories and BETTER wind bucking, & have more fpe, because they're heavier.

I am NOT trying to put down the 6.5s at all. It is not an equal comparison to base the comparison on bullet weight alone. That would amount to 'ballistic gack'.

This very thing is what turned me off of the 260 Rem when it first came out. A gun writer did that very thing in a gun magazine. I remember the magazine but I don't remember the g w. (I don't think I want to know, now)

The 260 & 6.5s are FINE hunting cartridges. They're just not as strong as some.

jwall,

There was no offense taken, nor did I intepret your statement as putting down 6.5's....In fact while typing my post about the higher operating pressures I was actually thinking about the 30-30 Win vs the 30 Remington AR where it is possible to get 300fps more from the 30RemAR with its smaller capacity case than the 30-30 with its larger capacity albeit lower pressure case with the same 160gr bullet.

As far as the 270/6.5 comparisons....what it really all comes down to for me is the "different" factor. I've owned a few 270's in the past, and so have alot of my buddies. I like the 6.5 because its the "oddball" at the range. For my use, the differences are slight enough not to have to worry about them.

Good shootin'
johnny

flattop - yep, I am looking for a 6.5X55 Sweede myself and I

have multiple 270s and 30 cals. Go figure. I just want the K O O L
rifle.