Comparisons of the 6.5's

[Elkfitness]

Question for guys who know more than me about these calibers!

I'm looking at buying a new rifle in one of the following calibers (260, 6.5x55, 6.5 creedmor)

This rifle will used for just shooting and for animals up to and maybe including an elk.

I've been able to find these calibers in sako, tikka, and Howa. I'll likely have a standard contour barrel and a stainless model, though I picked up a cerakoted Howa in 6.5 creedmor at scheels that was a heavy barrel and was pretty nice.

I'll be hand loading if needed for the caliber as well. For those in the know, are these calibers pretty much a wash? I'm not worried about the calibers being short or long action.

I'm drawn to the 6.5x55 but want to see if the other calibers are "better" in your mind, and what the reasoning is for that decision.

 

[Ryan Avery]

I think you would be fine with any of these. But a 6.5 would not be my choice IF LR Elk are in the mix.

 

[Elkfitness]

I've got a 300 win mag as my primary elk rifle. I'd likely not use the 6.5's for LR elk, those shots would be under 300 yds for sure.

Off track, but Scheels had a 338 lapua as well. That thing is a canon! It was impressive.

 

[White Mamba]

6.5 creedmoor would be your best bet. Hornady factory ammo is easy to find and accurate if you were to forget your handloads

 

[belly-deep]

6.5x55's usually have a long throat because they're built to the old military specs. If you're interested in maximizing accuracy, I'd look towards the .260 or 6.5 CM

 

[Mr Drysdale]

As an owner of three 260's, I like them. As stated above I would not attempt Elk with it but it is great on deer sized game. The Creedmoor is coming in to its own and you could flip a coin between the two on performance. I have not owned a 6.5 x 55 nor shot one.

 

[ST52v]

I chose the creedmoor due to building on a Remington short action. The 260 has a longer case but I would have to seat 140's deeper past the shoulder neck junction in order to function. So you end up with the creedmoor anyway. I do like the looks of the 6.5-06 ai that Clark built on a tikka action. The factory ammo also helped my decision.

 

[Travis Bertrand]

Why not the 6.5-284?

 

[mtnwrunner]

Well, I would steer you towards the creedmoor. Superbly accurate, easy to shoot and easy to load for. I personally have a 260 Ackley and a 6.5 saum and I load for my brothers creedmoor. I have shot my elk the last two years with my saum and it has killed them with no problem and the distances have been 357 and 451 yards. I would not hesitate to shoot an elk with a 6.5 as long as the shot was in the vitals (I use bergers) and not too far of a distance. That all being said, as far as elk go---bigger is better. And a 300 winny is a great choice.

Randy

 

[Elkfitness]

Why not the 6.5-284?

No real reason. I wasn't seeing a good selection, aside from heavier rifles.

 

[Brado16]

If re-barreling is an option, get a 6.5 SAUM reamer and have a gunsmith re-barrel a Short Action in 6.5 SAUM. Since you mentioned hand loading- factory brass will be available soon for this caliber and 140 grain bullets will easy fit in a short action mag as a repeater. 140 grain at 3100 and 130 grain at 3200 FPS giving better wind drift and KE compared to the other 3 calibers mentioned- plenty of KE for Elk.

 

[TNArcher]

I've been doing the same research and I'm probably going to go with the .280 ai. It's worth a look! Good luck

 

[KMD]

FYI, in addition to re-barreling, stepping into a 6.5SAUM would require opening the .473" boltface to .532"...

 

[Scot E]

I think any you mentioned would be just fine. if you were looking for elk you're going to want to shoot the heavier bullets which needs a faster rate of twist. guys I know with the 6.5's are using the 150 and 60 grain bullets for elk. Although many are doing it with lighter 130-140 grain bullets. If you know what you're doing and with a little bit of luck 6.5's are deadly elk medicine. However I personally prefer bigger is better for elk and like the heavy for caliber 30 caliber and up bullets.

In my experience the 6.5 Swede will get you the most velocity. It's built on a long action with usually a long throat which allows you to seat the bullets out there quite a ways and take advantage of all of the case capacity. But be careful, almost all Swede loads in reloading manuals are underpowered due to all of the older rifles and their lower pressure ratings. So you have to figure out proper loads for yourself.

Here is a great thread on the 6.5 swede and modern loading pressures for it. I will caution you however that many of the loads listed here are for the 6.5 swede ai so you need to make sure you're careful to get the correct loads. http://www.scout.com/military/snipe...13469414-the-modern-6-5x55-swede-users-thread As always start low and be careful. If you don't know what you're doing with reloading don't push.

If you want to go a little more custom I would suggest you look at the 6.5 Swede Ackley improved, 6.5 saum 4S, and the 6.5 Sherman short mag. Sherman info can be found on LRH.com

The 6.5 Swede Ackley improved has been my favorite version of the 6.5. You can shoot the standard 6.5 swede in that chamber to fire form and they are still very accurate. And you gain enough benefit from the Ackley chambering to make the cost worth it. Brass is cheap and easy to find. It's a great cartridge. The other two I mentioned however perform better but are more custom and take some brass work, at least until factory brass is available for them.

good luck! Sounds like a fun project!

 

[Muledeerfanatic]

I have a savage 11 in creedmoor. Basic gun that shoots .5 moa. Seems like every load I try is super accurate. I really like it and killed a huge bear at 300 yds with it this spring along with a big mulie at 450. That thing really hammers em with the 140 bergers! Cool little gun with no recoil or muzzle blast.

 

[Elkfitness]

Thanks guys for the input! Analysis by paralysis here on my part!

 

[Justin Crossley]

I really like the .260 Remington for short actions. If not a short action, I think the 6.5-06AI is one of the best out there.

The 140 Berger VLD crushes elk at 3200 fps!

http://www.rokslide.com/2012-01-09-05-09-42/firearms/343-the-6-5-06-ackley-improved

 

[cbeck36]

I have the model 10 6.5 creedmore. Can't see how you could improve that setup. That bullet is a wind cutting machine.

 

[ST52v]

Howa is making the alpine light in 6.5 creedmore or order just a barreled action for a little over $500 and put it in a bell and Carlson stock $249 at RedHawks rifles..

 

[Elkfitness]

Thanks for all the comments. I think I am going to go towards the 6.5 creedmore and will look for it a nice light rifle that's under $800. That said, if a deal pops up on a 260, I'll go that way!

Justin - the 6.5-06 looks great. My dads got an old 30-06 that we might rebarrel for that.