http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/gu...erby-magnum-cartridge?src=SOC&dom=fb

5 bucks a round.

Hmmmm......

Just get a 270 Weatherby and call it a day.

Dan

"Initially, Weatherby will make three different rifles in the 6.5-300, all based on the Mark V action: the Accumark, the Accumark RC, and Ultra Lightweight. (The RC stands for Range Certified, meaning those rifles have been shot at the factory and come with a certified sub-MOA target.)"


Interesting how Weatherby has to offer their "Accumark" as range-certified MOA.

As Ruger, Tikka, etc have proven, its not that hard to make a factory rifle shoot MOA. If you include "Accu" in the name, they should ALL shoot MOA in my opinion, especially when they retail for over 2K.

I won't be forking over money for a Weatherby anytime soon, especially if have to pay more to get MOA groups out of it. What a joke.

Interesting. They picked some excellent bullets for it in the 127 gr LRX and 130 gr Scirocco, kinda interesting to note they didn't include any Nosler bullets in their line up so far lol. I had some interest in the 26 Nosler but the super expensive brass turned me off so passed, at least with this round you could form cases in a pinch from something more common.

A 264 Weatherby based on the shorter 257/270 Wby case would have really been cool but it would have been redundant with the 264 WM and 26 Nosler already in existence. A 6.5-300 Wby does fit into Weatherby's bigger and faster concept they seem to like so much.

This caliber was popular with the long range shooters in the 1960's... Nothing new...

Exactly! Been on Pac-Nor's chamber reamer list for at least 10 years that I know of.

Mike

P.S.

Who the heck shoots factory loads anyway?

Mike

It is called 26 Nosler

6.5 Hoyer

There has been much talk about it for some time on the Weatherby nation forum. I for one was hoping they would do it on the shorter case used on the .257, 270 & 7mm Weatherby's. But then it wouldn't have been faster then the competition.

Too me extreme over bore cartridges like this are of little practical use. But then what in the gun buying public eyes ever is.

I may buy one when it's offered in a Fibermark. But,that is a year or so down the road,before I can afford to buy one.

A lot of these cartridges have been around for a while. If you read Elgin Gates' book, Trophy Hunting In Africa, he shot an elephant in 1959 (brain shot)with a 30-378, years before it was introduced...

That used to be popular with the Pennsylvania boys who liked to shoot deer across valleys. They'd set up on one side with big, surplus Navy binoculars and artillery rangefinders and poke 'em at 1000 yards or so from a bench. I never quite understood the attraction just like I don't get the modern electronic equivalent today, but as long as they make clean kills and follow up their shots, it's good clean fun.

Back about '73, there was an article in Handloader or Rifle criticizing the round for LR targets, then soon after a follow-up article by Carmichael where he inteviewed the creator of the round for rebuttal. Turns out the sweet spot, accuracy-wise and to prevent excessive fouling, was well below max, just above .264 mag levels actually. The .26 Nosler would seem to be the hot setup today, but I guess Weatherby wants their cut of the action too.

Looks like they totally re-vamped the Mark V too and are now guaranteeing sub moa from a standard Mark V. Pretty cool.

Posted over on Weatherby Nation from Adam Weatherby..

"Hello Nation: Some of you may have noticed that I changed my profile pic a few weeks ago on Nation. The photo of me and the Dall’s Sheep was taken in August in Canada’s Northwest Territories. The purpose of the trip was to do some “product testing” much like my grandfather did years ago in Africa. I am happy to inform you that the ram in the photo was the first animal taken with a production 6.5-.300 Weatherby Magnum. Yes, you heard me correctly. The wait is over and on October 1st we are officially introducing the fastest 6.5mm cartridge in the world! We heard the “Nation” (and the 38 pages of threads from the .264 Weatherby Magnum post) and have answered.

Not only are we introducing a new cartridge, but we are also releasing “The New Mark V.” Guaranteed to shoot Sub MOA, the New Mark V features a brand new trigger, a hand lapped barrel and an ergonomically enhanced stock. This release is perhaps our largest upgrade to the Mark V since it’s introduction in 1958. I know I am biased, but I absolutely love the New Mark V. I had a lot of time to admire it as I hiked around looking for sheep last month, and I am here to tell you that my father and I are extremely proud of the new Mark V features and believe that all of you on Nation will be as well.

Now that I have your curiosity peaked I am sure there are many questions you have (bullet type, velocities etc…). You also may be wondering about the Vanguard, of which we have many new models being introduced. I encourage you to go to www.weatherby.com on October 1st for all the details. What I can tell you is that the velocities we are seeing out of the 6.5-.300 Wby Mag are over 100fps faster then our nearest competitor. We mean it when we say “Nothing shoots flatter, hits harder or is more accurate.” Our family business was found on that principle and we intend to defend that claim as long as we exist.

Your fellow Weatherby Nation member,

Adam Weatherby

PS - The 6.5-.300 Wby Mag will initially be available in the Accumark and Ultra Lightweight first. We will be in production this fall and will start shipping both rifles and ammo by January 1st, 2015. Get your order placed with your local dealer soon!"

Today there are much better/cleaner slow burning powders available.

No doubt, as well as stuff like UBC. The articles just reflected the state of the technology at the time.

One thing that hasn't changed is the cumulative effect of recoil on the shooter. Lighter recoil was one of the benefits of going to a 6.5 over a .30, just as it is now. Hard to shoot your best with your eyes crossed.

P.S. For anyone who wants to read those old articles, they're found in Rifle issues 18 and 21. 21 is from May-June '72.

About 1990 or so, I found a box of old magazines in a second-hand store in Leesbug, Va. I scarfed up all the old Rifle and Handloader issues including Rifle nos. 1,2, and 3 for .50 apiece. I dig them out every few years and reread the good stuff. That Number 21 has articles by Jim Carmichael, Ken Waters, Les Bowman, and the much-missed Al Miller.
Good stuff.

wbyfan1,

Earlier this year I made a wildcat that is 6% larger than the .26 Nosler. Since I really like Weatherby I would have gone for this one instead. Life just isn't fair.

Does it come with a spare barrel?

At $95 a box I doubt too many are going to be wearing out barrels.

I doubt many hand loaders will buy them, those wanting a fast 6.5 will already have built a 6.5 stw or one of the dozens of fast wildcats out there.

6.5's are all the rage these days and Wby never had one in their stable.

I think the latest powders and the quality of current bullet offerings help open that door.

After the 26 Nosler made its debut, it's not surprising that WBY would follow suit, especially since this round has been around for a long time. It's not like they had to invent a new round. Lots of range time and load data were already available.

I don't think case capacity is much different from the Nos, not sure what they're doing with freebore. I think ole Roy used freebore to smooth out pressure spikes when 4350 was his main powder. With super slow burners like 869, I'm not sure how much advantage freebore will offer.

They claim to be squeezing an extra 100 fps out of this round, compared to the "competition" (the 26 Nos for sure).

Interesting.

DF

Mule Deer said a while back that the .26 is selling well so the market is there (regardless of actual need for such a beast). Not good for your image to be upstaged by a newcomer especially when there's a hotter round all ready to go that has your name on it. A similar situation to the .300 Rum and .30-.378 I think.

It's good for the brand to have hot stuff like this, even if you don't sell a bunch. A lot of slant-6 Dodge Darts were sold because they made the 426 Hemi.

So a couple less clicks that the .26? So what? mtmuley

Who cares about clicks when you own a Weatherby. Sight it in at 25 yards and go hunting!

And Herb Klein shot a 264 (6.5) Weatherby back in the 1960's. What's old is new again.

Yep, Wby had all the advantage with the 6.5/300. As posted, nothing new there, loads of data accumulated over the years.

Good move on their part. I like the way the boys are protecting and promoting the brand. Ole Roy would be proud.

With a 26 Nos already up and running, I don't think I'll be in the market for the Wby...

And, don't think 26 Nos brass is cheap...

DF

Whew, the world will finally be a better place. I'm holding out for the 6.5 T-Rex.

Those huge, overbore rounds are in a world of their own regarding reloading. I think some on this thread have found that out.

My experience with the 26 Nos leads me to the conclusion that only the ultra slow, Vulcan surplus type powders are useful in these big rounds. Even the slowest conventional powders, like RL-33, Magnum, Retumbo, MagPro, etc. aren't as effective.

Some have worked the .264 WM into almost the same performance range, although their pressure ceilings may be high. In the .264 WM, RL-33 and similar seem to work much better than in the 26 Nos and I would guess the same for the 6.5/300.

It must be disappointing to be burning that much powder and not getting a lot more than max .264 WM speeds.

It's still an interesting proposition. My 26 Nos really likes the 120 TAC-TX at 3,450 fps over a big charge of US-869, shooting half MOA at 400, which for that bullet seems to be an accuracy node. It does well with 140 NAB's and 140 NPT's, just a good bit slower.

DF