Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting WHY AREN'T THE 6.5s MORE POPULAR ??

I don't know,but it is popular with me.

Having taken game with nearly everything from .223 through .458 I have realized that a well placed bullet constructed to work at the speeds of the cartridge pushing it seem to work equally well. 6.5's are slick bullets with great bc and sd.....what's not to love.

about 15 years ago the local gun-shop had 6.5 Swedish military rifles on sale that were in great condition for under $125
several guys including myself bought one or more of those rifles and they got used quite a bit on white tail and mule deer,(they proved to be really nice deer rifles) several were sporterized , some had scopes,mounted, but the results for everyone I talked with opinion were that they were basically a great deer rifle, like a 257 roberts 270 win,or a 308, we had two guys in camp use them to kill elk,over the next few years, (hardly a large sample test) but both guys said the rifles basically acted like a 270 on elk, and while it got the job done neither hunter used the rifles on elk hunts again so obviously they were not overly impressed.

I live in Canada and see some 6.5's in the field, they are not uncommon here. Most are milsurp rifles, but some are new Tikka, Sako, and other modern European makes ( almost all 6.5x55's and a few .260's). I think Canadians use more 6.5's because we have no significant domestic firearm or ammunition manufacturing industry, and so do not have any incentive to "buy local" like shooters do in the USA.
USA manufacturers prefer to sell what they have in inventory, and have very little reason to chamber for a "foreign" calibre when any of several domestic cartridges from .25 to .28 caliber will do as well for hunting.

I wasn't kidding. They love the round in Sweden. After all....it's their round. I had a Swedish Mauser. It was ok, but nothing special.

You can always judge how popular a round is by the availability of ammo for it. Part of the problem is the low pressures that the factories have to load the ammo. The old Mousers couldn't take high pressures. So, you have to reload if you have a modern 6.5x55mm, and expect good performance. That limits the market even more.

When talking about all the different cartridges available. A friend of mine commonly says
"That's another solution to a problem that don't exist".

The 6.5x55 Swede is a fantastic cartridge. Do I own one? NO. Have I owned one? YES. Would I own another one? YES.

The 6.5x55 an under rated cartridge in this country by the unwashed masses. One of the reasons is until recently unless you were a hand loader the availability of ammunition for the Swede was non existent to spotty it all depended on where you were located. What ammo you could find for it was either the 180 grain MIL surplus or made by Norma.

I have been asked by others what would I recommend as a first gun for a first gun for a first time juvenile hunter and have recommended the 6.5x55 Swede as they could be picked up cheap and now that Remington and several others are loading for the 6.5x55 the price of ammo has come down. The 6.5 is an excellent starter gun and can and has taken anything we have on the North American Continent.

7. Some or All of Above?

Most of the above gets my vote. I don't think being a European caliber has much to do with it. The 7mm is also European.

I would say your entire list is applicable. There may even be a few points that have been missed. But I think that one of the biggest reasons is #5: We've never used a 6.5mm bullet in any significant manner for military purposes. If there had been a "6.5 US Gov't cartridge" that saw heavy use in some big wars you wouldn't be asking the question. Look at our most popular cartridges. Three of the top five best sellers are current or former widely used military calibers: 30-06, 223 Rem, 308 Win.

But next is probably #2, so many of the other popular calibers have been around a while and have become entrenched. The 270 Win, 30-30, 243 Win, 300 Win Mag, and 7mm Rem Mag to name some of them. Ammo is mass produced for the most popular cartridges and so ends up being less expensive and available in every nook and cranny, even in the remotest of places. Most non-loonies don't want to buy a firearm with hard to get ammo. Why would they, since most non-loonies also aren't reloaders?

I think that #1 and #3 go hand-in-hand. Most regular Joes have never heard of and thus never been exposed to a 6.5x55 or any other 6.5mm. A cartridge can't be popular if it is not widely available and never gets any press.

Lastly, The 6.5x55 (and related 6.5mm cartridges) are great, but they don't really do anything more than the typical common cartridges do in the eyes of regular Joes. As much as we want to convince ourselves (and them) otherwise.

As for me, I'll keep my 6.5x55 and hunt and shoot with it happily, regardless of any blank stares I get from people who ask me what cartridge I'm using.

Because they are a reloading deal only..Not everyone is a reloader...

Jayco

Really? You ought to call Midway and clue 'em in on that, I was just browsing their ammo. page and saw a total of 13 chamberings in 6.5 mm. that they carry ammo. for. Including the .260, the Swede, the .264 Winchester, 6.5-.284, 6.5 Remington, 6.5 Creedmore.......

Back off young man.

I was talking the availability of ammo when someone forgot the box.You can't buy that stuff around here when you realize you brought the wrong box or forgot..It happens...

The 6.5's have nothing on the popular cartridges everyone carries.Let me think for a minute.....

The .270 Winchester comes to mind..Everyone carries that just like the '06 and 30-30.

Jayco

Well, if that's what you meant, why didn't you say so?

Seems like a simple solution.......don't forget your ammo......

People always talk about "just in case you forget your ammo.," but never talk about "what if you remember the ammo. but forget your rifle."

Why is that?

What kind of rifle should you get, so just in case you forget it you can buy one just like it at the hardware store??

There are other reasons and the first that comes to mind is someone dropping there weapon with zero at home being not the case in Joe Blow Colorado.

You have to re-sight in and didn't bring enough ammo to do so and have enough to hunt with, and the local Joe Blow store only has the standard popular cartridges like the '06/270 and 30-30.

If a guy hunts enough,he knows what can and does happen even to the best of plans.

It only takes once to realize standard calibers is the way to go.

Jayco

'cept maybe the corner store has ammo that shoots like chit ( think shotgun pattern ) in your rifle. Then what...?

Right. So if a guy hunts enough, he learns that he oughtta bring more than 5 cartridges with him. If a guy really hunts a lot, he goes all out and gets a whole box of 20.

Of course if he handloads he's really screwed because who ever heard of a handloader being able to load up and bring a lot of rounds along?

You bought the wrong rifle(kidding)..Geez..You can't tell me the thousands of hunters out there that only use factory ammo,just wound game.

Weatherby Vanguards are sighted in with "Factory ammo" and you get the target.Factory ammo can't be all that bad with a guarantee to shoot less than 1.5 at 100 yards and the Sub Moa,less than .99 at 100,with factory ammo.

Mine was Winchester ammunition.

Jayco

Smoke..Your showing your colors...

Never had a boo-boo hunting..Never dropped a firearm or had a horse go down over it or just maybe a bumpy road going in or maybe your rifle isn't hitting point blank at 10,000 feet like it was at sea level?

How do we do this....

Standard calibers and standard folks versus oddball calibers and oddball folks....Or we could say loonies!!!!

Jayco

It is in the details. Some pay attention to them others don't.

Much to that.

It amuses me when talking elk calibers and the 243 is a elk killing machine..I am sure it is(I have seen it's pro's and con's in person) broadside but how many get that anymore?

Everything on the net is all about speed and 700 yard shots...That is not the case here in Idaho...

Speed don't kill,a well placed shot does..There isn't a 6.5 out there that kills better than the 7mm/270 Winchester with ammo every where.

Jayco