Author Topic: Trying to decide on my next barrel (Read 898 times)

Mike from Texas · « **on:** April 20, 2006, 03:55:15 PM »

I'm wanting to build a new Encore rifle but am undecided about the caliber. I am a huge fan of the 6.5mm calibers. I currently have a .260 Remington in a 700 Mountain rifle and also in an Encore 15" Custom Shop barrel with a brake.

I has pretty much made up my mind on the 6.5-284 Winchester, but all of the ballistic charts I find on it do not show it to have a significant increase in performance over my 260. So now I'm wondering if it's worth hassling with a wildcat cartridge for just a modest performance gain.

I've always wanted a Weatherby chambered rifle and I know that Bullberry offers a 240 Weatherby as an option. I really want the 257 Weatherby but haven't been able to find one so far. The ballistics are very impressive on the 257 Weatherby.

So can anyone give me their opinion on my dilemma?

257 weatherby · « **Reply #1 on:** April 20, 2006, 05:00:40 PM »

Mike: I talked to two different custom shops about chambering a Encore in 257 wby. (my favorite deer round). They both said the factory shells are too much for the encore frame and you have to use lighter hand loads. I would look at the factory 25-06 barrel it's only 200-300 fps. slower then the wby. Hope this helps.

xphunter · « **Reply #2 on:** April 21, 2006, 01:47:56 AM »

The 6.5-284 info in the manuals is very toned down. One reason is in the testing the bullets were seated excessively deep, therefore sacrificing useable powder space.
In 17 inch SP's we are consistently getting 2700-2750 FPS from the muzzle with 140 A-Max's and 142 SMK's (8T barrels). In real life the 6.5-284 will out run the 260 by a noticeable margin.
I don't know if I would classify the 6.5-284 as a complete wildcat, in that Lapua, Norma and Hornady all make brass for it. It is one of the top LR darlings in the shooting world. Mike Sirios can make great chambers, that will match your brass and dies. I have a 14 inch 260 Rem and really like it, but I have three 6.5-284's :-D
If you go with the 6.5-284 shoot me an email and I will be glad to get you my load data. ernie33@sbcglobal.net

Mike from Texas · « **Reply #3 on:** April 24, 2006, 05:22:09 PM »

Thanks for the info Ernie. I knew there had to be a reason that the loads seemed conservative. The 284 case has a good bit ore powder capacity than the 260 case does.

I really shouldhave put this in the rifle forum since I'm planning on building this in a rifle not a pistol.

Anyway, I know brass is commercially available but loaded rounds are not without going the custom (expensive) route. I'm just not fully set up to reload yet. I'm working on it, just not there yet

I would not use this for any competitve shooting, but I'd like to have a little more range on game than the 260 confortably has. My pet load would probably be a 120 grain Barnes TSX boat tail or a 125 grain Nosler Partition. I would probably load up some 100 grain Balistic tips for varmints and such. that should be a real screamer.

I'm planning on a 26" Bulberry stainless barrel. I'm still n the fence on whether to brake it or not. I know it's not needed, but with my 260 Encore pistol with the brake I can watch the holes appear in the paper at 100 yards and I'd like to do the same with this one.

AWGunS · « **Reply #4 on:** April 28, 2006, 01:38:16 PM »

Quote from: 257 weatherby

Mike: I talked to two different custom shops about chambering a Encore in 257 wby. (my favorite deer round). They both said the factory shells are too much for the encore frame and you have to use lighter hand loads. I would look at the factory 25-06 barrel it's only 200-300 fps. slower then the wby. Hope this helps.

SSK has done alot of testing for the Encore, and states that the .531 head diameter (.300 win mag case head diameter, and in this case the 257 Wthby.) is perfectly fine in the Encore.

257 weatherby · « **Reply #5 on:** April 29, 2006, 05:32:59 PM »

AWGunS:
It's not the case head size that is the problem it's that Norma loads the shells for the mark V bolt action.So they are loaded hotter. JD told me he only recommends lighter handloads in his weatherby cal. barrels,he had primers back out of factory cases fired in the encore. I also asked Fox Ridge about the weatherby rounds and they said no way so T&C dosen't recommend it. Hope this helps .

xphunter · « **Reply #6 on:** April 29, 2006, 06:00:10 PM »

That is the problem with the Encore and that case head size. You can't run the cartridges like they were designed to be in a bolt rig or falling block.
Personally, I'd rather run a 308 Win/30-06 case head size than try to go to the larger case heads in the Encore.
An Improved 25-06 in a Encore would probably be right up there with the 257 Weatherby in a Encore. Case life would likely be longer in the 06 case too.