Looking to buy my 30 year old son a great mule deer & pronghorn rifle. I'd rather not go over $1500 for the rife.

6.5 Nosler?

6.5 Weatherby?

264 Win Mag?

It's got to have readily avail factory ammo, though I'm a handloader. I hope to handload for his new rifle for years to come. This will be his first new rifle. He's had several pass downs and normally hunts with either a 6mm Remington or an ancient (over 100 years old) 30-06 rifle. So... I'm thinking something with a lot of zip, not much recoil, good accuracy... Something I can put a 3.5-10x Leupold or similar scope on...

Please advise, I'm not up to speed on the various 6.5's but they sure seem to have great bullets avail. Well, when bullets are available.

Thanks, Guy

6.5 creedmoor, 6.5 PRC.

Swede all the way. 6.5 X 55

Cascade: ALL.... of the Mule Deer, Antelope and Whitetail Deer I have shot with my 260 Remington Rifle have been "one shot kills"!
My Rifle in 260 Remington is the now discontinued Remington 700 VLS (heavy barrel, laminated stock, 26" barrel) and I have a Leupold 6.5x20 variable scope on it.
Patience when selecting ones shot and the superb accuracy of my Rifle are what I credit with the wonderful results that I have gotten with my 260.
Best of luck to you and your son with whichever cartridge you decide on but do not overlook the 260 Remington.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I'd ditch the big boomers and look for something in a short action. 6.5 CM followed by 260 rem. If handloading 6.5x284

E

Ditto that above ^

I’d look no further than the 6.5 CM..... readily available in a lot of good platforms, easy to shoot, inexpensive ammo and lots of it - not so with the choices you mentioned. Those larger cartridges are available in just a few rifle models, too.

Some people want to bang on the 6.5 CM but if you are looking for an accurate rifle and that have many, many factory ammo choices, all being very good, the 6.5 CM is an easy decision. There are some guys here on the fire who have killed Elk with them, as well. My choice would be 6.5 CM, 6.5x55 and 260 Rem. Easy to shoot well, fully capable of longer range kills and it does it all without excess recoil.

prc

I bought a Browning Xbolt Stalker Long Range 2 weeks ago in 6.5 PRC. I paid 829+ tax for it. I mounted a Vortex Razor HD LHT 3-15x50 Milrad on it. I Had it sighted in 2 shots at 100, I was shooting Hornady 143 ELDX factory ammo.

It looks like you are favoring some heavy hitters there. None of those have readily available ammo, but I do see the occasional box of 264 WM on shelves. Those chamberings will do just fine, but you don't have to burn that much powder to do what you want to do.

Best is obviously a very subjective term. There are a whole host of rifles and chamberings that will serve you well. The 6.5 Creedmoor will do very well and do it with little fuss. Factory ammo is pretty easy to come by even in this tight market. The 260 Rem an 6.5x55 are essentially indistinguishable. I am seeing 260 Remington ammo on shelves as well. the 6.5x55 isn't as prevalent.

Th 6.5 PRC is another good choice and lies in between the Creed/260/6.5x55 and the boomers you mentioned in power. Ammo is very difficult to come by now. I guess the same could be said for the 6.5x284.

Rifles? Whew, that's a massive can of worms. A Winchester model 70 SS 264 WM would be a good one, and there are a lot of them out there right now. A Christensen Arms Mesa 6.5 PRC would be a good choice. I have one and it's very accurate. It's a little heavier though and you'd have ammo availability issue right off the bat. The same rifle in a 6.5 Creedmoor would be a good choice. It's lighter and ammo is readily available. You could just cut right through all the BS and get a Tikka 6.5 Creedmoor. You'd have a lot of money left over for a really good scope.

My recommendation is to spend a little time shopping ammo. Your stipulation of "readily available ammo" is limiting in today's market. Online prices for the ones you mentioned go from 3-4 bucks per round! 6.5 Creed can be had for about $25 per box. Once you have researched ammo availability and made a decision on chambering, go rifle shopping.

tikka t3x in 260 rem,6.5x55 swede or as bad as i hate to say it out loud the nkotb 6.5 cm in that order personally. the 6.5 cm will give you a ton of options factory loaded ammo wise.
Big Ed

Agreed ^^^^^^ Any of the 3 above would be fine. My personal preference would be the 6.5x55, just because it is my personal preference. Antelope will never know the difference. Pick a rifle. Buy a case of ammo. Go kill stuff.

It isn't often the campfire agrees on something but I think the above responses are about as close to consensus as you will ever see here... I would have to recommend the 6.5 Creedmore also- lots of available ammo in excellent bullet availabilities, easy to handload for relatively cheaply, and just about the best compromise of ballistics, bullets, recoil, and availability in rifles chambered for it I've ever seen.

My choice, after handling my brother's rifle would be the Tikka T3x Superlight... extremely light to carry, but extremely accurate right out of the box. Leaves enough money for a good scope also- which to me , for the game you are going after would be a 4-12 or a 4.5 -14 or something in that range. I wouldn't be afraid to go after elk with the 6.5 either with a good Nosler Accubond 140 or ELDX bullet loaded...

Bob

Mighta seen a Fieldcraft in that one time


Lol

If ammo availability is indeed important , I say Creedmoor

Would you consider spending another $100 to $200 for a CLR/NULA hybrid in 270 WIN, 7mm RM, or 30-06?

I recently got my CLR/NULA hybrid in 270 back from NULA and like it even more than I thought that I would.

6.5 prc would be my first choice followed by 6.5 creedmore and then 6.5x284 if handloading.

This stuff shot great for us. Be the easy button for sure.

https://bergerbullets.com/product/6-5-mm-creedmoor-135gr-classic-hunter/

Thanks guys, I appreciate the input!

Guy

For me it's the 6.5X54 Mannlicher–Schönauer
2018 #1 Ant. Buck by Steve Zihn, on [bleep]
And the 270 Winchester is excellent too.
IMG_20190918_192827625 by Steve Zihn, on [bleep]
And a good old fashioned 150 grain 30-06 does just fine too
M1 2020 Buck 2 by Steve Zihn, on [bleep]
Several have fallen to my 300 Savage M99 with iron sights But I didn't have a camera and neither did my hunting partners as they did with the pictures posted here. (All taken by hunting partners. I should take a camera but I almost never do.)

I have taken 7 of them with a 6" S&W 357 magnum M27 with issue sights but got no pictures of them either.
I have killed 3 with a 4" S&W M29 with issue sights.
I have killed 4 with a 62 caliber flintlock.
I have killed about 12 with an AR15 in 6.8SPC with no scope on it, just the peep sights.
I have killed 2 with an FN FAL, 308, with iron sight
I have killed 3 with a stock AK47 with Wolf 123 grain factory ammo and issue sights
2 with a 50 caliber flintlock
I killed 1 with a marlin 30-30 with a peep sight.
I killed one with a 45-70 with peep sights
1 with a 303 British Lee Sporter with open sights

No bragging is intended here but my point is simply that comparing the 3 cartridges you listed, which are so close to one another that no animal could tell any difference and thinking that one may have some advantage over the others for antelope hunting is to miss the point by miles.

All are fine. In fact all 3 are way more then "fine".
A 357 magnum revolver with a 6" barrel and no scope at all (and no rifle even taken on the hunt) is fine.
A .490" round ball leaving the muzzle at only 1750 FPS is fine.

It's not about the gun or the shell.

It's about you and how well you can hunt.

Knowing how to hunt is most important and once you learn that, the gun and cartridge become far less important.

I like your enthusiasm, but I am thinking you may have missed the point by miles yourself.
The OP asked about several things comparing various 6.5mm cartridges (and 3 closely performing cartridges in particular), however their individual effectiveness on antelope or mule deer was not one of them.

I have Crudmoors, 6.5-06, 264’s, 26 Noslers. My first choice would be a 264 Win mag, second choice is a 6.5-06, but you can’t go wrong with any of them. The PRC looks very good, but I don’t have one.

At this point in time, the greatest variety in rifle choices will be, no doubt, the 6.5 Creed, probably followed by the PRC. Ammo? I dunno, as I don’t have either, so haven’t looked. It’s possible that either the Nosler or Wby might be readily available because fewer rifles are out there. Time for some searching….

Browning xbolt hells canyon speed In 6.5 prc

The new xbolt western hunter looks good too

Just looking to buy my 30 year old son a cool rifle that will work just dandy for mule deer & pronghorn.

I've got my rifles. Been there, done that. Have taken game with recurve bow, traditional muzzle loader, open sighted revolver, lever action rifle, bolt action rifle, single shot rifle...

Both of his rifles are older, both of them have been in our family for decades. Nothing wrong with either of them. But.. This is a gift from me, to him. I want it to be something nice, something that he'll use long after I'm no longer climbing the ridges for mule deer or glassing the plains for pronghorn.

Ya, I'm kinda looking at the fast-stepping 6.5's - because I like that kind of cartridge, but I also like more sedate cartridges. A 6.5 Creedmoor is certainly a good choice.

Thanks all. Good input from everyone.

Regards, Guy

The Kreedmire simply STEALS The Show and by Light Years. Hint.

If only as per always,boolits matter wayyyyyy more than headstamps and proficiency cain't be purchased. Hint.................

Grendel would be adequate for my hunting style & 6.5 Creedmoor should leave little to be desired for most anyone IMHO!

Another vote for the 264 Win Mag !

.260 Rem or 6.5X55 Swede

prc....



260....



264 mag....


creed....

Absolutely unequivocally I'd do a 6.5 Creed. It's what about 50 cartridges wish they were.

Dialer or some other way to aim? You mentioned Leupold which I'd be very leery of dialing. If it's point and shoot you'll need more horsepower but you really don't need it.

If that's your budget, you'll have lots of awesome options....

Our son got a 6,5x284 and loves it. Got a pronghorn that missed Boon by 1/8” @ 456 yards and a stud 9 pointer @ 350 yards. No complaints from him. Rem 700, Bartlein barrel and Mcm stock. His rifle loves 130 grain Accubonds.

The 130 AccuBomb is fhuqking HILARIOUS,with it's .488 BC. Hint.

The PRC only adds noise,recoil,schit brass and less rounds in the belly,along with greater ES/SD,conjoining less Factory options. Hint................

Go blow Beaver

The 6.5 Manbun has all the attributes the OP is wanting and doubly so if factory ammo is a must. .260 Rem, 6.5x55 and 6.5x284 are distant contestants on that front.

I am a 6.5x284 fan due to Lapua brass but they also make 6.5 Creede brass so that point is kind of moot.

Good luck, with whatever you choose.

rifle of your choice in 6.5 CM

Mulies and pronghorns? I'd choose either a.264WM or .270WSM. If recoil is an issue, then it would be the .25-06. If recoil is not an issue, and in the appropriate rifle, a 26 Nosler or 28 Nosler. For handloading, I'd shoot Hammer Bullets, no matter what the cartridge choice was.


Rifles would be in this order of preference:

Kimber Montana
Winchester M70 Extreme Weather
Browning X-bolt (in whatever flavor appeals to you)

6.5 Creedmoor

Or sell everything and have GAP build you a 6.5 SAUM.

Go 6.5CM.

Fugk the SAUM/GAP4S/PRC...

BobBrown’s take on ballistics...

.264 Win

https://www.winchesterguns.com/products/rifles/model-70/current/model-70-extreme-weather-ss.html

They all shoot the same bullets, so it really doesn't matter. If shooting factory ammo then go creed. I own a 6.5x55, creed, 6.5-284, and 264 win mag. The 264 walks all over the other ones...

I did the same thing you are doing for my youngest daughter. She wanted her own rifle instead of using my backup. Since I already have a sensible cartridge that I have LOTS of components for, I bought her the same caliber I use (270Win). If you have a 25-06, 270win, 6.5 Creed of any number of other reasonable rounds that you have components for, get him one of those to make your life easier!

Just my $.02!

Elk Country

I have had all of those too and liked them all, but I am not sure I'd say the .264 Win Mag walks all over those others...With like bullets it'll start out maybe 300-350 FPS faster than the 6.5x284 and that velocity gap closes the further you get from the barrel. It does give you a lot more blast, recoil and noise though.

Anymore I don't buy many rifles, but when I do the cartridge is usually determined by how quality of brass or ammo I can get for it vs anything else.

My 264 is 500fps faster than my creed with same bullet. Does it kill better? Probably not, but only 18moa of drop at 1000 is impressive.

I had to go back and read the OP's initial post again.

"It's got to have readily avail factory ammo, though I'm a handloader. I hope to handload for his new rifle for years to come. This will be his first new rifle. He's had several pass downs and normally hunts with either a 6mm Remington or an ancient (over 100 years old) 30-06 rifle. So... I'm thinking something with a lot of zip, not much recoil, good accuracy... Something I can put a 3.5-10x Leupold or similar scope on..."

Does this sound like a 264 Win Mag to anyone?

6.5 creed is the "easy button". Way too easy for most rifle loonies. You go buy a cheap rifle, a box of cheap ammo and it works better than a lot of expensive customs shooting meticulously developed handloads. Who the heck wants that?

How I see it, 264 win mag ammo is few and far between at $50+ a box, maybe you can handload some.long high bc bullets for it but will they fit in the mag? Got my doubts. The 6.5 Nos and 6.5 weatherby are also expensive ammo fug that. The prc stuff I've seen isn't cheap either but high performance wise is the way to go. Better yet would be a ordinary 6.5 creedmoor for all the obvious reasons. You asked. Mb

Long bullets fit in a 264. Where'd these rumors come from?

Who shoots pronghorn or mule deer at 1,000 yards?

On the internet or in real life?

Good point...

If I were to hunt pronghorn it would be my 6.5x55.( Most anything else too)
The good old 270 would do

I like the .260 rem because you can get that brass or make it from other .308 based brass. It is easy to get 2800+ from the 123 gr in the 24" model 700, and for long pronghorn shots, etc. for decades I have zeroed at 400m. You will be up to a foot high at closer ranges, and 2 feet low at 500. Easy to hold correctly without fancy dialing, etc.

who only shoots their guns during hunting season? If you aren't shooting year round, you probably aren't much of a shot...

Got a 260, 2 6.5 Creedmoors and a 6.5 PRC. Take ur pic. Love them all. Sold the 264 win mag!

I will say that even in this shortage I see factory Ammo, brass and plenty of powders that will work for the 6.5 Creed so that is probably my first choice.



Roy

I shoot 12 months of the year but not much at 1,000 yards, but, that wasn't the point being made. This thread was on hunting, not shooting 1,000 yards.

You really can't beat a 270 Win for most applications.

Hornady’s Precision Hunter 145-grain ELD-X at 2,950 fps is the flattest-shooting .270 Winchester load.

Ballistic Coefficient: 0.536
500-yard velocity: 2,153 fps
500-yard energy: 1,492 ft/lbs
500-yard drop: 45 inches (based on a 100-yard zero)

This pretty much equals the 6.5 PRC and beats the Creedmoor.

I bought a Creedmoor, didn't like it, reminded me of all of the 6.5s I've owned, including 260rem, 6.5x55, 6.5-06 and 264 WM. They were all fine but really too similar to the 270 Win which I think generally does all things the 6.5s do but a little better. The Creed is so similar to the 260 Rem and I don't see anyone throwing a parade for the 260, why the Creed. I've got nothing against it, just don't seen the point, sold mine, no regrets. If I were building a purpose built long range competition or hunting rifle, I'd give the nod to the 6.5 PRC with it's modern case design and efficiencies but I'm neither a long range hunter or competitor so I have two 270s in my safe and no 6.5s. The only 6.5 I regret selling is the Swede.

You CLUELESS Drooling Fhuqktards are a Hoot! Hint.





If I'm going to a long action,it's not to be Second Fiddle to something on a 22-250 case. Hint.

LAUGHING!.................

Oh liar LarryO and his charts!! Haha

Oh LarryO!! You lost your throat!! 😂😂

NO
That's how I set up my M700 Classic , the problem again as I see it is not only expensive and scarce factory ammo that feature low bc, out of date bullet designs. Next they cut the wings off it with less than 26" barrels. Find a nice 270 win with a 24" barrel buy a couple of 8 # jugs of RL-26 and some really good 140-150 hi bc bullets. Should leave the 264 in the dust.plus if you get in an ammo bind it's less than $20 a box at wallyworld when they have it. Way I see it. Mb

My wife and I killed over 200 antelope.. Of the std. calibers mentioned I am with Mag. Bob.. A good .270 will do all that is needed and more.. Most antelope are shot at 400 yards or less.. We have shot them with everything from the .22lr through the 375 H & H and .45-70.. My wife's favorite for antelope and everything else was a custom 7mm Rem Mag.. Mostly with 140 BTBT's and Re22.. You can get by with a std. scope and no range finder.. If you have them fine, but they are not necessary for most antelope shooting..

My wife and I killed over 200 antelope.. Of the std. calibers mentioned I am with Mag. Bob.. A good .270 will do all that is needed and more.. Most antelope are shot at 400 yards or less.. We have shot them with everything from the .22lr through the 375 H & H and .45-70.. My wife's favorite for antelope and everything else was a custom 7mm Rem Mag.. Mostly with 140 BTBT's and Re22.. You can get by with a std. scope and no range finder.. If you have them fine, but they are not necessary for most antelope shooting..

200 "goats" is an impressive number! My total is only maybe 15% of that. Several of them have been with the 6.5x55, but most with the .257 Roberts. I think three or four with the 25-06 and one with the 35 Whelen rounds it out. [EDIT: Also one with the 270 WSM - just remembered that one.]

This year I will be hunting with what might well be the OP's "Best 6.5/264 mule deer and pronghorn cartridge", the .256 Newton. It's got all but one of his criteria, but availability of factory ammo ceased in 1939, so I don't reckon it'll do. He should get a 6.5CM. It's a great cartridge. Doesn't have "a lot of zip" but it has all the zip that is needed for as far out as anybody has any business shooting a deer or pronghorn.

The Newton is over a hundred years old and I have wanted one for 30 years. Finally got one built and will hunt it this fall.

Cheers,
Rex

Show us some photos Rex. It sounds like a pretty cool rig.

I have a Creed, 2, 260 AI's. a 6.5 Rem mag. a 6.5-06 Improved, a 264 mag and a 6.5 SAUM.

I have hunted with all but the Creed and when I leave the house I almost always reach for the SAUM.

Not that it does anything much better or different than the others but I just enjoy shooting it.

It is just pretty hard to find a 6.5 that doesn't preform well on antelope and deer

Came from me as well as others. Most factory 264's have damn short SAAMI spec throats because all the 140 gr factory ammo (WW & RP) were loaded with dual diameter power pts and Corelokts. My Rem M700 has a full length mag so if it had a long throat they could be loaded out mag wise. My model 70 xtr's have mags blocked to 3.34". To get full high velocity values out of the 264 you need a longer throat to seat today's full dia. Hi bc bullets out to decrease the amount of bullet in the case so you don't reduce powder capacity. And to add to that a 26" barrel so you don't have to redline the sob to get 3100fps. Factory Remington 140 gr dd Corelokts have a bc of .384 and the ww 140's aren't much higher. So common ammo with high bc new tech bullets just aren't there to buy. CASCADE said he wanted to get a outfit for his 30 year old son that good ammo was availible for as well as being able to load for it. That spells 6.5 prc to me 6.5 Creedmoor is even less complicated just like the 270. The 264 was screwed out of the gate by false marketing, poor bullets, sbw's and a few other problems. Mb

I owned a CA Mesa in 6.5 Creedmoor, and one in a Bergara B14, both briefly. I wasn't impressed with either, sold them. The 24" Kimber 84L Classic in .270 I replaced them with does wonders with the Barnes 110 TTSX! My favorite 6.5 I hunted UT antelope and Texas Exotics with was a 24" Wildcat (late 90s) in 6.5/284 with both the 120 NBT and 125 PT, both going right at 3200. ( ala 260AI, 6.5/06, 6.5 PRC or 264WM) I used necked down 284 Winchester brass and later, when SAAMI 6.5/284 cases came out ( Nosler, Lapua, Norma) I could not get to 3200, they were too soft. Just saying. Since your son is very familiar with the excellent 6mm Remington, I too would suggest the 6.5 Creedmore if you want a 6.5.

270 Winchester makes all cartridges look silly

The metal work is complete, but I'm still whittling on the stock. This was during the inletting, which is finished now and I'm doing the final shaping.

I have taken it to the range (with a cloth draped over the unfinished cheekpiece to make sure my sweaty face doesn't mess up the wood). This load ened up too hot, so, for the multitude of other .256 Newton users out there - don't copy this one...


Need to finish the final shaping and get the finish on in time for this fall. FN Commercial Mauser (JC Higgins donor action) Dakota safety, Timney trigger.

Ebony tip, still to be shaped




This is how the 143 ELD-X lines up in the case when seated to the OAL it is throated for, which is 3.375", just under magazine capacity of 3.4"


Sorry to hijack the thread.
I stick to the OP getting a 6.5 CM. It'll be just right.
;o)
Rex

6.5x47 Lapua......or 6 5 creedmoor.

Thanks Rex. Looks good. What will you use to finish the wood?

In the past I have been a big fan of Phil Pilkington's and will probably use that - I think the gold-brown tint, versus the red-brown tint. I have some of both left from other projects. It's been so predictable and consistent I have never really used much else, though a thinned, sanded-in spar varnish might be a good choice too.

Cheers,
Rex

Rex - great looking rifle.

My MOS Evolution in 6.5x284 shoots the 140 Berger HVLD pretty good but it really shines with a 156 Berger EOL.

6.5 creedmoore

Don't overlook the .257-6.5 AI. It's a loony's dream because it's three wildcats deep from 7x57, but is easily formed from 7x57 brass. And a Goldilocks, bigger than .308 based cases but not as big as -06 or .284 based stuff. Use a Tikka long/short action hybrid setup and load as long as you like. Only real problem is lack of factory ammo.

(This post is not entirely serious, but not entirely unserious.)

T3x SL 6.5 Creed will get it done

Go classic, 264 Winchester magnum. Photo of my one shot group at 300 yds.

264 win mag done deal.

So is the 257-6.5AI different from the plane ol' 257AI?

I'll never understand why the 264 doesn't get more love. Probably because of the anemic figures posted in reloading journals.

Yeah, it's a 6.5. A whopping 0.007 inch more diameter isn't a big deal, but the bullet selection and availability is a lot better.

Agreed, but then wouldn't it be called the 6.5-257 AI ?

Cascade,

I understand you asked for 6.5mm caliber recommendations, but also easy ammo availability, accuracy and low recoil. Although my preference in light calibers runs to the 6.5s, I’ve developed a preference for the old 270 Winchester for mulies.

It meets all your required specs and rifles are widely available. Mine are classics because as time has passed I prefer when possible, to use blue steel and dark, finely figured wood.

Maybe the 270 Win isn’t the latest technical ballistic marvel, but it is still an enduring ballistic marvel. Its performance has been matched by newer cartridges, but for open country hunting applications, it hasn’t been surpassed. IMHO it would meet your son’s needs well.