Opinions On The 6.5mm Article In Outdoor Li

[leverfan]

I guess I'll never get a job in a gun maker's marketing department.  I love a bunch of cartridges that are currently on life support, and a few that have already had services read over them.  

On the other hand, I just can't warm up to several newer rounds that seem to be taking off like crazy.  Apparently, any outfit that hired me to pick chamberings would be bankrupt within a year or so, depending on how big their cash reserves were.

Lucky for me, I reload.  As long as I can beg, borrow, buy,  or form the brass, I can just shoot whatever I like.  The 260 is a round that I like more than most.  It's been around in wildcat form for the better part of 50 years now, so factory ammo just doesn't matter when folks are fans of a particular round.  It still enjoys plenty of popularity in competition, and I'll probably always have at least one or two in the safe.  I think that the .307 and .356 Winchester rounds were good ideas, too, and they work better in some single shots than their rimless ancestors, but that won't bring them back into full scale factory rifle production, either.

[jh45gun]

You would have thought with the popularity of the 30/30 lever guns that the 307 and 356 and 375 Winchester would have caught on and sold well instead all three are doomed for obsolence. Jim

They were doomed before they started. As woods guns go, the .30-30 and the .35 Rem. pretty much have it all covered. This 6.5 thing is about the same. The folks buying guns are going to go bigger, .270, .280, or .30 caliber, or they are going to go smaller, .25 or .243.  The 6.5s don't offer any improvement over what we already have now. Even though I believe that the .260 Rem is probably the best all around whitetail caliber ever, it just ain't gonna be with us much longer.

 

Yea us USA hunters seem to be in a rut where bigger is always better.  :x They are missing out as not the case with the Swede and I would guess the 260 also as it uses the same bullets. This caliber is almost as flat shooting as the 270  and the recoil is a lot more reduced than the other larger guns. I do not have any charts in front of me but I think the BC is better for the Swede than the larger calibers also. As far as popularity goes I think the forums on the net has really helped Milsurps and their calibers be more popular to a larger fan base.  I think there is enough old Swedish Mausers in this country and folks that like the caliber that it will stick around. Jim

[beemanbeme]

Geez, I hope the .260 ain't dying.  I just started using one last year.  I think its a great white tail cartridge (thats all I've shot with it so far).  I guess I'd better stock up on .260 brass.  Actually, since I'm already enamoured with the 7-08, I have 1000 .308 cases even tho I've never owned a .308  One of the things I like about it -and the 7-08- is you don't have to screw around wondering about which "magic" bullet you have to use.  Any standard Rem/Win/Horn/Speer/Sierra will work just fine.

[jh45gun]

Geez, I hope the .260 ain't dying.  I just started using one last year.  I think its a great white tail cartridge (thats all I've shot with it so far).  I guess I'd better stock up on .260 brass.  Actually, since I'm already enamoured with the 7-08, I have 1000 .308 cases even tho I've never owned a .308  One of the things I like about it -and the 7-08- is you don't have to screw around wondering about which "magic" bullet you have to use.  Any standard Rem/Win/Horn/Speer/Sierra will work just fine.

I would guess that you know that the 260 is a necked down 308 since you have all that brass? A good thing to do though is mark them some how since the back of the cartridge still says 308. Jim

[kombi1976]

One thing about a new cartridge you never know if it will catch on or not so I normally am hesitant to try something new. Expecially when I have so many older guns ( Milsurp) that are chambered for such good cartridges. You would have thought with the popularity of the 30/30 lever guns that the 307 and 356 and 375 Winchester would have caught on and sold well instead all three are doomed for obsolence. Jim

It's called recoil, I think. The high powered rounds like 270 and 280 provide much more in the long range department too as well as being quite effective over a short distance. O.k., so the frontal area and maximum bullet mass is lower but if you really wanted something fast-handling the BLR was an excellent proposition.
I think the guys who'd always used 30-30s and yearned for a bit more power got it but didn't realise how much extra boot was added to both ends and so they just moved back to Ol' Faithful.
Personally I think a large frame Martini in 356 Win or 375 Win or would be brilliant. But if you're going there you may as well make it 45-70 and avoid the fuss.
Meanwhile I'm begining to look at metric rounds like the Swede and the 6.5x54. Even a Carcano, despite their reputation, would be an interesting toy. A guy I know has no trouble making his shoot well with standard .264 cal bullets.

[Don Fischer]

The 6.5 Carcano and 6.5x54. What wonderful little wood's cartridges they make. You guy's that like slick actions and light quick handling rifles, haven't lived until you've handled a split action manlicher-Scho??.

Unfortunately they'll never happen again. To much trouble mounting a scope and american's in general can't use open sight's. They also share another assumed fault with the 6.5x55, an oddball rim size.

[jh45gun]

Carcano's can be real iffy. I have talked to guys on the forums who could not get theirs to shoot at all no matter what they did including oversize cast. To this day I still think Oswald could not make the shots they say he did with a Carcano.

[Lawdog]

Carcano's can be real iffy. I have talked to guys on the forums who could not get theirs to shoot at all no matter what they did including oversize cast. To this day I still think Oswald could not make the shots they say he did with a Carcano.

Let's not open that can of worms(Oswald could not make the shots they say he did with a Carcano) again(although I do agree with you completely).   Lawdog
 

[victorcharlie]

I agree about Oswald making that shot......I went to Dallas back in the 70's and looked out the window he supposedly made the shot from.....I couldn't have made it with a 788 Remington .243 and custom hand loads......