Is the .260 Remington (or any 6.5mm) alive and well?

[kcub]

Per wiki and other online articles it has the same ballistics as a .300 Winchester magnum with a fraction of the recoil and in a much lighter rifle.

Older slightly less powerful 6.5 mms like the 6.5×54mm Mannlicher–Schönauer are proven long time favorites in the Scandinavian countries for moose hunting.

Seems like it ought to be the go to cartridge for all kinds of hunting and long range use. Other than gun and ammo availability it seems like the .308's better.

[kraigwy]

Yes the 6.5s are alive. They are dominating long range precision shooting.

6.5 CM, 6.5X47, 6.5X55, 260 Rem, to name a few.

Look at the results from matches, you'll see 6.5s at the top. And commercial ammo makers realize this and are making factory ammo and components.

Personally I don't own a 6.5 except my build in progress 6.5X55, but its a long ways out. Maybe this winter.

And its going to be hard for me to pass up Ruger's new Precision rifle if I see one in 6.5 Creedmoor. Don't need one, but that's never stopped me before.

If some on is going to get into long range shooting today I would highly recommend that he look into the 6.5s.

[603Country]

I hunt with a 260, having parked my 270. I really like the round. It'll do all I need it to do. I think of the round as about 85% or 90% of the 270. Sort of like a slightly smaller hammer. What I really like is the lack of recoil, super accuracy, and the light and handy rifle (Tikka).

If I was going to have a new 6.5 caliber rifle built, I think I might go with the 6.5-284 or the 6.5 Rem Mag. But...if I really felt like I needed more horsepower, I'd probably just dust off the 270.

[jmr40]

They are just starting to catch on with the general public and hunters. I think they will be the next big thing in shooting. As said they have been proven in the long range shooting sports. It takes time for things to filter down.

[precision_shooter]

I really like my 6.5 Creedmoor Savage 12 LRP. So much so that I'm looking for a light weight hunting rifle so chambered.

If Ruger would make the Ruger American in 6.5 Creedmoor with a 18"-20" barrel instead of 22", I would have bought one already.

I'm leaning towards getting another Tikka T3 Light and having the barrel swapped out to a custom 18" barrel in 6.5 Creedmoor. Wonder if the Mrs. Would notice?

[Gunplummer]

I have been using a variety 6.5's for years. The problem now is hunting bullet shortage for me. Somebody must be using them.

[kcub]

Which is better for semi auto, 6.5 Creedmoor or .260 Remington?

Magazines?
Ammo availability?

[precision_shooter]

For a Semi, I would say the 6.5 Creedmoor is better as it will allow you to seat the heavy bullets farther out and still fit in the mag.

[doofus47]

6.5s appear to be carving out a solid niche with distance shooters and are making in roads into hunting.
I bought a bolt rifle chambered in 260 remington as an antelope stopper as per the suggestion of a friend of mine who used to shoot long distance. It's a great cartridge with no apparent downside. I plan on keeping it for my kids' introduction to big game hunting. I might keep it for that point in time where my 30-06 gets to be too much.

Happy Shooting

[natman]

Is the .260 Remington (or any 6.5mm) alive and well?
Per wiki and other online articles it has the same ballistics as a .300 Winchester magnum with a fraction of the recoil and in a much lighter rifle.

I don't know how a 260 Remington can have the same ballistics as a 300 Win Mag. Same trajectory maybe, same terminal ballistics, no way.

Nevertheless it's an excellent hunting round. It's a better big game round than the 243 without a lot more recoil. IMO, Remington missed the boat by making the default load 140 grains instead of 120 which would have given the round a clear identity between the 100 grain 243 and the 140 grain 7mm-08. As it was the 260 has never gotten the attention it deserves.

The 6.5x55 is very popular. It gives almost identical performance as the 260 in factory loadings and surpasses it when handloaded in modern rifles.

[The Big D]

The 6.5 Creedmoor is the hot round right now - everyone is making rifles in it. Personally I would not chamber a hunting rifle in it (I'd much prefer 7mm-08 or .308 to give me access to 150gr+ bullets) but for target applications it's the bees knees. The .260 has been a steady but not spectacular seller for a long time, and has a slight edge in case capacity.

6.5x55 is the 6.5mm chambering I'd avoid. Other than Cooper, there are no new US made rifles chambered in it. Remington used to make the 700 classic, and as far as I can tell they dropped it. Given the lack of ballistic advantages to the 6.5x55, I see no reason to board a sinking ship.

[johnwilliamson062]

CZ chamber for the Swede. SO do some other European makers.

[kcub]

What about the 6.5 Grendel?

[The Big D]

CZ chamber for the Swede. SO do some other European makers.

Yes, it's still reasonably popular in Europe. But the 6.5 Creedmoor has target and hunting rifles from 4 or 5 major US manufacturers plus the usual crop of small guys. That means it's going to be healthier in the long term in the US.

If you're buying for use in Europe, 6.5x55 is a better option.

[Unlicensed Dremel]

Yes, many many 6.5s are alive and well, including the .260 rem. But the 6.5 creedmoor has gained a lot of ground on the similar .260 rem, and is now roughly equal in popularity, or perhaps a smidge more.

6.5-.284 Norma

6.5x55 swedish

Both of those have GAINED popularity by a large margin in the last 10 years.



.260 Rem

6.5 Grendel

6.5mm-'06 and 6.5mm-'06 AI (both wildcats or semi-wildcats with small niches)

These are holding steady.



6.5 Creedmoor

.26 Nosler

6.5 RSAUM

All are up and coming, especially the Creedmoor.


Some people even doing 6.5 RUM now.... a few anyway.

[The Big D]

What about the 6.5 Grendel?

Hard to get feeding in an auto, under-performing in a bolt. More cartridge development focused on straighter wall cases is needed to get AR15 shooters a decent 6.5. 6.5 SPC (not a typo) is the best of the wildcats right now IMO.

[Unlicensed Dremel]

Hard to get feeding in an auto, under-performing in a bolt. More cartridge development focused on straighter wall cases is needed to get AR15 shooters a decent 6.5. 6.5 SPC (not a typo) is the best of the wildcats right now IMO.

I find that very interesting and believable.

Can you point me to a thread anywhere with solid evidence of feed issues with 6.5 grendel in AR15s?

Thanks.

[The Big D]

I'll take a look later. They've got the same issues as all 7.62x39 or PPC-based cases in the AR: they really want a more curved magazine like the AK has. The old discussion about the Colt 7.62x39 ARs is pretty much still applicable.

[TimW77]

"Hard to get feeding in an auto... More cartridge development focused on straighter wall cases is needed"

Internet BS! And, as usual WRONG...

With FOUR rifles in 6.5 Grendel, I've NEVER had a problem with feeding. Have you shot even one?


"They've got the same issues as all 7.62x39 or PPC-based cases in the AR: they really want a more curved magazine like the AK has."

Duh, have you even seen the 6.5 G case? Instead of "looking later" you need to look now!

The problem with the 7.62X39mm feeding in an AR-15 due to excessive case taper does NOT EXIST with the Grendel case. LOOK at the case, although based on a 7.62X39mm case, most of the taper has been taken out.

Come on guy, seriously, LOOK...

AND, the 6.8 SPC case has MORE TAPER than the 6.5 Grendel, .021" for the SPC vs. .014" for the Grendel.

The 6mm PPC has EVEN LESS taper, .010". Kind of blows you "internet wanna-be expert theory" about case taper.

Both the Grendel and the 6mm PPC have even less taper than the .223 Rem of .024". Again guy, seriously, LOOK!!!

T.

[The Big D]

Yeah, I owned one. Now it's feed issues are someone else's problem.

The 6.5 Grendel is a bad idea. Plain and simple. It's too fat at the butt - .445 is too big to wedge into a normal AR magazine, and a lot of the brass I've seen is every bit of .445 at the rim which makes feeding worse. AA tried special followers and what not, but the basic problem is it doesn't fit. The 6.8 SPC case barely fits at .422.

There's a reason the AK magazine is roughly 1/8" wider than the AR magazine and curved - you have to make space back there.

[idek]

Not to hijack the thread, but I've been interested in 6.5 cartridges for a while for a general purpose hunting rifle. Looking ahead 5 years or so, does it seem like the .260 Remington or 6.5 CM will win out in terms of factory ammo options and availability?...again, thinking in terms of hunting.

[The Big D]

The .260 will probably have better hunting support for the foreseeable future.

[TimW77]

"Yeah, I owned one. Now it's feed issues are someone else's problem."

Maybe you should have build/purchased a better quality rifle. Or even more likely you just needed better magazines. My FOUR Grendels have NEVER had a problem feeding, firing or ejecting...


"The 6.5 Grendel is a bad idea."

Opinion from an internet "expert" in cartridge designing?


"AA tried special followers and what not..."

Nothing new or unusual, many NON-.223 based caertridges need special followers INCLUDING the 6.8 SPC and others.


"There's a reason the AK magazine is roughly 1/8" wider than the AR magazine and curved..."

An extra 1/8" width or length would help many cartridges in the AR-15...

The Grendel is a greatly IMPROVED 7.62X39mm case. But, AGAIN and AGAIN, MOST of the taper has been taken out of the Grendel case so the AR-15 problem with the highly tapered Russian case does not exist...

T.

[TimW77]

"Per wiki and other online articles it has the same ballistics as a .300 Winchester magnum with a fraction of the recoil and in a much lighter rifle."

I've become a huge fan of many of the 6.5mm cartridges and the .260 Rem in particular.

As usual wiki has gotten it wrong or half right at best...

The .260 (and 6.5 CM) may have the same "trajectory" but not the same "ballistics" as a .300 WM.


"Older slightly less powerful 6.5 mms like the 6.5×54mm Mannlicher–Schönauer are proven long time favorites in the Scandinavian countries for moose hunting."

First, from what I understand, "Scandanavian moose" are far smaller that the moose species in NA.

Second, the 6.5X55 Swede and NOT the 6.5X54mm M-S/Greek is popular in Scandinavian countries.

Third, these older, less powerful 6.5mm cartridges gained their reputations shooting very heavy bullets of about 160g at relatively low velocities. These bullets had great penetration which gave them their reputations for killing game out of proportion to their size. These lower velocities also allowed early, less reliable bullets from breaking up and further increasing penetration...


"Seems like it ought to be the go to cartridge for all kinds of hunting and long range use."

I've found the 6.5mm cartridges so versatile I have sold every rifle I owned between .223R and .308W and replaced them with 2 6.5mm cartridges, the 6.5 Grendel for the AR-15 and the .260R in everything else.

With 2 cartridges in 2 rifles, I can hunt any game in NA. The .260 Rem for most and the .338-06 for the bigger stuff...

T.

[DocUSMCRetired]

May I direct your attention here: http://precisionrifleblog.com/2014/1...-the-pros-use/

In fact it is so popular that Applied Ballistics Munitions now makes 260 Rem ammunition.

Edit: It is also popular enough, that some of the more well known rifle makers are releasing semi-autos in 260 Rem and 6.5 Creedmoor off the AR 10 Platform.