My 6.5/06

todd

todd

Well-Known Member
richhodg66 said:
I have been playing with various cast bullets in my 6.5 Creedmoor, so far with pretty un spectacular results. I like the rifle and would enjoy shooting it more, but two things, may be related, short throat requiring deep seating and the fast twist, niether is conducive to cast accuracy.

I had a bunch of cast bullets left from a 6.5 Swedish project which was an abortion. Was hoping this would od better and it has by far, but I don't think it'll be good enough to pursue it much, so when I shoot up the ones I have, it'll probably be relegated to jacketed which it shoots very well.

I always thought the .270 Winchester should have been a 6.5, why Winchester wnt with a weirdo bore size nothing else uses is beyond me. The 6.5-06 is one wildcat that sounds pretty interesting.
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i used a 1 in 8" twist for my MGM encore barrels. the heaviest bullet i used was 140gr hornady sst, while the lightest was 120gr nosler bt. i think i used 120gr hornady amax, but i night be wrong about weight. i found that the throat was deep(or deep enuff), as it would set the bullet to the bottom of the neck.

the 6.5-06 was considered a barrel burner back then. now, i don't know. i really like the 270 win, esp in a ruger #1!!! 1973 version too.

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130gr nosler bt with imr4320 at 100 yards (left/4 shots)
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140gr hornady sst with imr4350 at 100 yards (5 shots)
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Bret4207

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
todd said:
the only thing that sells hand over fist is the 6.5 creedmoor. i've used it in three barrels, 15", 16 1/4" and 23" MGM Encore barrels. i killed around 10-15 deer with it (120gr nosler bt and superformance powder), but i quickly got bored of it, they could do 1/2" group at 100 yards blindfolded with my hands tied behind my back. i think it was 2008 or '09 when i first got 6.5cm. the dies didn't cause a problem (i think midway? had hornady dies), but 6.5cm brass was next to non-existent. so i did 22-250 brass and necked it to 6.5/22-250 brass (i believe it was .01 or. 02" short).

i have a 6.5x55 swede that i'm going to give to my son, when i'm done with the stock. its a '16 spanish mauser with a numrich 6.5x55 barrel. it has a timney trigger and is d&t with a 2 position safety.

i have a 95 Chilean mauser action that needs barreled to a 6.5x57, but that is a long way off.

your probably right with the name, but now i'm interested in the old calibers and cast boolits.

i have three '91 argies(2 of them i gave to my sons) and i feel your pain!!! the 7.65x53 was like finding a pot of gold, but i formed '06 cases to 7.65x53. now i go to grafs and buy prvi 7.65x53 brass.

when i was in my teenie years, i wanted a win m70 in 264 win mag in the worst way. in my mind, i would kill a deer 500, 600 and even 700 yards. it would be one shot and drop. all thanks to my 264 win mag. the furthest i shot a deer (doe) was around 365 yards and the closest was 12 feet(my avatar). they were shot by the same rifle and load, ruger #1 in 270 win with 130gr nosler bt and imr4350. oh, and most of my shots are only 30-40 yards. i can count on fingers and toes shots over 100 yards. i'd say i had magnumitis quite a few years ago, but i got over it. except the 44 mag, but my ruger sbh fell in luv with the 44 spl and 250gr penta hp with a skeeter load. that will be the only magnum i have/had/will have.
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So the CM is a basically a 6.5x250 Savage?!!! I assume they blew the case out a little straighter, but that cartridge was around back in the 50's IIRC!!!
 
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richhodg66

Well-Known Member
Bret4207 said:
So the CM is a basically a 6.5x250 Savage?!!! I assume they blew the case out a little straighter, but that cartridge was around back in the 50's IIRC!!!
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Yeah, you aren't the first to notice that. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I was perusing gunbroker once when an old bench rifle chambered in 6mm International caught my eye. Didn't buy the rifle, but it had me interested enough to look it up, case dimensions, etc., apparently, it was quite a darling of the bench rest and varmint shooters about 70 years ago. Anyway, the 6mm Creedmoor is the new darling, seems for long range shooters it's beating out the 6.5 now.

Comparing case dimensions, I am convinced it is EXACTLY the same cartridge as the old 6mm International. I have a set of 6mm International dies someplace, need to find a rifle in 6mm Creedmoor to prove it.

Though I am at heart a Fudd, I like the 6.5 Creedmoor. Nothing magic about it, but it's a good, low recoil, efficient cartridge chambered in just about any platform you could want and I have found it very easy to get good accuracy out of (jacketed). What's not to like? The same could be said about a lot of cartridges, but they were all new once too with gun writers swooning over them, so not sure the hatred of the 6.5 Creedmoor among us old timers.
 
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Jeff H

NW Ohio
fiver said:
that's still beating the new wonder rounds.
i've always wondered why the 6.5-06 has never been a factory offering.
it's not like they couldn't super easily screw a 24" barrel on a long action and sell a half to a million or so.

it's just a bit more than the 25 for weight and close to the 270 for speed.
something like a 135gr Nosler partition would sure make things easy for a guy wanting to hunt 4 legged non threatening type animals.
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To be my cynical self (which is more about irony and parody most of the time) it would have to be named something like "265 Gorgon" or "6.5 Kraken" or something like that before the masses would consider it today. The "tired old '06" is passe, as is anything associated with it. Since it won't fit into a short action, it may be doomed even with the coolest name, ever. Used to be a belt paved the way to popularity, then short/fat, but it seems more complicated now - at least for me.

The 6.5 seated in a x55, x57, '06 or 308 case is sort of "golden," in my opinion. I split a lot of hairs over the years, but feel that I legitimately find a clear edge in favor of the 6.5 over numerous other calibers, of which I am also very fond. Obviously, application bears significant weight, so my assertion is malleable based on individual perspective.
 
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Jeff H

NW Ohio
If I might share this, I think it's a pretty good summing up, and reasonably objective at that.

6.5 Creedmoor: A complete profile with pros and cons – Backfire

backfire.tv backfire.tv

A dear friend asked which 6.5 he should buy, and I flat out told him "6.5 CM," which puzzled him, because I have been critical of it.

Bottom line - it's everywhere, you can find brass and ammo, it's well-supported by rifle makers, etc. I never told anyone it wasn't any good, or that it wasn't "better" than existing 6.5s, my "complaint" was that it wasn't "better" by enough to warrant a whole new cartridge/fad/commotion, etc. - for the masses. Maybe to guys shooting specific competitions, and only for the top few at that.

THAT is my reserved opinion. Not being "salty." Honest.
 
todd

todd

Well-Known Member
Bret4207 said:
So the CM is a basically a 6.5x250 Savage?!!! I assume they blew the case out a little straighter, but that cartridge was around back in the 50's IIRC!!!
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basically. it did blow out the body and the case was shorter than the 6.5 cm case, by about (i forget exactly) .2 or .02". and the shoulder angle was blown out to make 30 degrees. but other than that.........6.5x250 savage.

i have some of 6.5/22-250 cases somewhere. those cases are still shootable even after 15 - 17 firings, no annealing. after the first firing (i squared the neck up using the trimmer), i don't think that i ever went thru the case trimmer again?

when i first got 6.5cm, i was the only one that had one (2008-09). i like to shoot something different and the cm called me. then all of a sudden (2012-2013ish), everybody had a creedmoor. i kept on shooting it for a couple of years and then i sold it. i heard and read that 6.5cm was/wasn't superior to the 260 rem. all i gots to say is BS. the 6.5x55 (and the 6.5x57) is the real thing and nobody will change my mind.
 
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richhodg66

Well-Known Member
Michael said:
Creedmoor rounds, necked down 300 Savage. Do they come in a 99?
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Seeing as how they stopped making 99s before the advent of the 6.5 Creedmoor, the answer is no, however, it would be a good chambering in a 99. I saw one on Gunbroker a while back someone had rebarreled to 6.5 Creedmoor, so someone else agrees with me. I'd a lot rather have the 6.5 Creedmoor than a .243 ad they did chamber a lot of 99s in .243.
 
Bret4207

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
The 6.5 does have a clear edge IMO over pretty much anything for the eastern half of the US that is under 35 cal. Actually it's a toss up between the 6.5 and 7mm. Pick one and you'll be fine using appropriate bullets as far out as you can accurately shoot. Much as I love my 30's, 31's, 33 and 35's, there is absolutely nothing they will do the 6.5/7mm on a 55 or 57 mm case won't do.

But where's the fun in having just one gun?
 
todd

todd

Well-Known Member
i had (gave it to my oldest son) a FN 98 mauser in 7x57 with a 20" Douglas premium lite weight barrel and a fajen woodlike stock, timney trigger, bent bolt handle, 2 position Buehler safety, Burris 1pc scope mount and rings and 3-9x swift((an older good one). it would shoot 139gr Hornady fn with imr3031. it would go 1/2" or under at 100 yards(5 shots/bench).

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i should have kept her. she is going 28 or 29 yo.
 
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J

Jeff H

NW Ohio
Bret4207 said:
The 6.5 does have a clear edge IMO over pretty much anything for the eastern half of the US that is under 35 cal. Actually it's a toss up between the 6.5 and 7mm. Pick one and you'll be fine using appropriate bullets as far out as you can accurately shoot. Much as I love my 30's, 31's, 33 and 35's, there is absolutely nothing they will do the 6.5/7mm on a 55 or 57 mm case won't do.

But where's the fun in having just one gun?
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There are more than a few keyboard commandos who would take emphatic exception to that and rail about how much "better" the 6.5 CM is than the 308W. There's a big mountain made out of that mole hill of difference (at XXX yards).

I went back and forth for several years, trying to figure out what to chamber my "grail rifle" in, between the 257 Roberts, 7x57 and 6.5x55. The 6.5x55 split the difference nicely and I just got along with that cartridge, so that was the ONE.

I could have taken that 6.5 it anywhere I could have taken a 308, an '06, 270, 7x57,.....

I normally don't shoot far enough to really, really take advantage of the advantages of one over another, so the hair-splitting is pretty much an academic exercise.

One thing I DO appreciate of the x55 and x57-based cartridges is that they have a moderate capacity, work well with a wide range of powders, and do what they do at moderate pressures. I don't see the sense in hitting 60kpsi for the sake of busting a sub-200-pound whitetail buck at less than 200 yards. The older cartridges work well with old-fashioned, cheap, cup-'n-core bullets too.

You know what I REALLY like about the 6.5s? When I was a kid, I shot a guy's 6.5 Carcano. It was my first "high powered rifle" experience and I was absolutely smitten by those looooong, skinny 6.5 bullets. From that point forward, I doted on those long, skinny bullets. Even though the military machines which originally employed long, skinny bullets traded them in for something lighter/shorter after only a few years of smokeless powder use, I just never got over that infatuation and obsession with long, skinny bullets.
 
Michael

Michael

Active Member. Uh/What
Back to my sarcastic remark about a 99 being available in a 6.5 CM. I know of a 99 in 308 that was likely chambered on July 3rd Friday, at 4:45pm.
FL resize a fired case, shoot it once maybe twice and you can clearly see the line around the case about 3/8" - 1/2" from the base indicating incipient head separation. Depending upon how much or little it can be had for, it might make for an interesting project.
Thoughts?
Or would I be risking a felony or just waiting for a time and place to getting beaten up for no other reason?
 
RBHarter

RBHarter

West Central AR
Novel at the least .
They came in 24,25, 28 and 2 30s , maybe 2 28s . Somebody might have a tiff over a 277 Fury light .
 
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richhodg66

Well-Known Member
What variant of 99 is it? I have strongly considered having JES rebore my 99E in .308 to .358 Winchester. I have a 99 Brushgun in .358 and it's great, but I'd rather have it with the trigger safety rather than the tang and would prefer a pistol grip over the straight wrist. Converting the 99E would take care of both.

If I had a 99 in .308 with a bad barrel like that, espcially if it wasn't one of the rarer or nicer ones, I'd sure consider a new barrel and maybe in a new caliber.
 
Michael

Michael

Active Member. Uh/What
99F, early 60's vintage. Not the best example, pressed checkering, Some might say "but she's a nice girl" meaning a perfect 38. 38-38-38.
.358 Win is a strong contender, maybe a 450BM.
 
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richhodg66

Well-Known Member
I am not an expert, but the rotors are somewhat caliber specific. I doubt a .450 Bushmaster is gonna work without some significant mods to the magazine. Not sure if he's a member here, but he goes by gnoahh on the "other" site and is also on the 24-hour campfire Savage collectors forum. He's the most knowlegeable guy I know on 99s and all other vintage Savage stuff.

I love 99s and have several. It's a goal of mine to kill a deer with each of the Savage proprietary cartridges, so far, I've only done it with a .300, but I have at least one in each of the four calibers and will get around to it eventually.
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
it ain't the barrel on that 99 that's the problem.
the 308 would stretch those frames without even trying.
the load level for the 300 savage is held down too because of the same problem.
put the 250 in a bolt gun and hook a strain gauge to it then run it up to what the rifle was made to handle [IE a 308] and you'll see what's what real quick.
 
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