Kachok
Member
OK so anyone who has read more then a couple of my posts on the rifle board knows that I am a HUGE fan of the old 6.5x55 and have been for many years now. Over the past few years there has been a new wave of intrest in the 6.5mm bore with the recent introduction of the 6.5x47 and 6.5 Creedmore, the continued survival of the 260 rem and manufactures chambering the 1,000yd target legend the 6.5-284 into factory hunting rifles. My question is which of these will go on to be the next 6.5x55 and accompany hunter for the next 120 years? I have read quite a bit about these chamberings and these are the differences between them.
6.5X47 Designed with thick brass for high pressures. It seems to be at it's best pushing pressures that others cannot handle without serious side effects. The low case capasity limits it's performance with 140gr+ bullets but with 120-130gr it really shines. With such a small powder charge it tends to be the lowest recoiling of the bunch.
6.5 Creedmore. Takes the modern design queues from the 6.5x47 with the steep shoulder and thicker brass, but can use a larger powder charge so it can still get solid performance with the heaviest of the 6.5mm bullets if needed. It was designed from the ground up as a world record setting 1,000yd competition round.
260 Rem A logical choice to simply neck down a 308 so brass will never be an issue. It lacks the ultra modern design queues of the Lapua and Creedmore but it's softer shoulder makes it a little smoother cycling especaly in autoloaders. Dispite it's older design it performs remarkably well at long range shooting though many have said it is more picky about loadings then the others. Like the Creedmore it performs well with all bullet weights assuming you have the tighter rifleing twist.
6.5-284 The real beast of the bunch. It goes well beyond the case capasity of the 308 based cases, in fact it rivals the 06 based cases dispite being a true short action. It is the lowest pressure of the bunch so you won't get a zillion fps with lighter bullets, but it will drive 140gr class bullets 150fps+ faster then the others. The only things I see against it is that it requires a non-standard bolt face and it recoils more like a 270 win rather than a 243.
6.5x55 Is is possable that the old Sweed is still the king of the hill dispite the VERY steep competition from its modern rivals? Because it is so old none of the standards apply, it requires a non-standard bolt face, and it uses a Mauser length action which is in between our standard and short action, but it does have a 120 year history and many loyal fans, and lets face it it still easly drives a 140gr bullet to 2700 fps and in the oppinion of many experenced shooters is as accurate as anything. Who cares if it burns a couple gr more powder to keep up with the new kids on the block.
I did not set this up as a regular poll so feel free to vote for your favorite wildcat (6.5-06, 6.5WSM...etc) or an oldschool favorite like the 6.5 Rem mag 264 win or 6.5x57.
6.5X47 Designed with thick brass for high pressures. It seems to be at it's best pushing pressures that others cannot handle without serious side effects. The low case capasity limits it's performance with 140gr+ bullets but with 120-130gr it really shines. With such a small powder charge it tends to be the lowest recoiling of the bunch.
6.5 Creedmore. Takes the modern design queues from the 6.5x47 with the steep shoulder and thicker brass, but can use a larger powder charge so it can still get solid performance with the heaviest of the 6.5mm bullets if needed. It was designed from the ground up as a world record setting 1,000yd competition round.
260 Rem A logical choice to simply neck down a 308 so brass will never be an issue. It lacks the ultra modern design queues of the Lapua and Creedmore but it's softer shoulder makes it a little smoother cycling especaly in autoloaders. Dispite it's older design it performs remarkably well at long range shooting though many have said it is more picky about loadings then the others. Like the Creedmore it performs well with all bullet weights assuming you have the tighter rifleing twist.
6.5-284 The real beast of the bunch. It goes well beyond the case capasity of the 308 based cases, in fact it rivals the 06 based cases dispite being a true short action. It is the lowest pressure of the bunch so you won't get a zillion fps with lighter bullets, but it will drive 140gr class bullets 150fps+ faster then the others. The only things I see against it is that it requires a non-standard bolt face and it recoils more like a 270 win rather than a 243.
6.5x55 Is is possable that the old Sweed is still the king of the hill dispite the VERY steep competition from its modern rivals? Because it is so old none of the standards apply, it requires a non-standard bolt face, and it uses a Mauser length action which is in between our standard and short action, but it does have a 120 year history and many loyal fans, and lets face it it still easly drives a 140gr bullet to 2700 fps and in the oppinion of many experenced shooters is as accurate as anything. Who cares if it burns a couple gr more powder to keep up with the new kids on the block.
I did not set this up as a regular poll so feel free to vote for your favorite wildcat (6.5-06, 6.5WSM...etc) or an oldschool favorite like the 6.5 Rem mag 264 win or 6.5x57.
