Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 6.5-280 ackley improved

Looking at doing a build on a 700 mountain in this cal with a benchmark barrel 1 in 8 3 grove 24 inch SS, anyone shoot this cal and how do youy like it.

The 6.5 mm cal is great!

Dunno about the cart, though..

I really like my garden variety 6.5-06 Ackley.

This is a cat that should purr

A little more than the 6.5-284 or 6.5'06 and
a little less than the 6.5 WSM .

Just a smidge more capacity than the 6.5'06 Ackley.

I think it would be very easy to make a false shoulder on either of .280 or .270 brass and Fireform your case.

Or for a smidge more capacity, chamber to something dimensionaly like a 6.5-7mmJRS .

Best of luck, and do keep us posted !

Have to wait until first of the year and then I can send it off. I am going to have benchmark do the work, anyone have any dealings with them.

I've made five in the last year. All have been good shooters. I use a 280 go gauge as a no go gauge around .004-.005 tight. neck Rem. 280 brass to 270 then to 6.5 and fire form. Also have used 270 with a false shoulder. I buy a Redding bushing die in 280 Ackley, 270 and a 6.5 bushing. We are using them on mule deer and whatever this fall, two deer down, will know more by the end of the season.

Can you tell us more about your loads? 140s?

For a good starting point, in the Oct 2010 Gun World Mag. there is a very good article on this round. He also lists the loads he used. I have used H4831 and RL22 with good results. Right now I'm shooting 140 gr. Hornaday SST with a load of 56.6gr of H4831. With a 24" Lilja 1 in 8 twist 3grove.right around 3000fps.built on a Vagaurd action in a McMillin Sako hunter. one of the hunters is having good luck with RL22 and 140s not sure of his load.

59-60 grains of H-1000, 140 vlds, Federal Match Primers. I've used both Norma and WW 270 Brass necked down and this load goes 3,000-3,050 with 1/2 MOA accuracy in my 24" barrel.

PS, thats a Mule Deer accuracy load for the standard 6.5-06, scaled up for the Ackley.

thanks wickens this is just the type info I am looking for

I've had good luck with 7828 and 140 hunting bergers using necked down nosler 280 AI brass.

Wickens - Any chance of posting a link, or getting a copy of that article. They only go back to 2011 for their back-issues.

I'm in the process of getting a 6.5-06 put together. I think if I wanted more I would just jump to the 264 Win mag.