I have recently purchased a sako 75 in 270wsm with a worn out barrell. My plan is to re-barrell and replace the standard sako stock with a micmillan A-5 style stock. I am however stuck on calibre choice. Im keen on a wild cat round and was thinking of the 6.5/300 WSM. Has any one had any experience with this calibre? Any other calibre suggestions?
help with calibre choice
- Thread starter charlykong
- Start date
Re: help with calibre choice
The 6.5WSM is a great cartridge. Hard on barrels. 140gr bullets around 3250fps. I guess my pick of the short mags is the 300WSM. Very efficient, long barrel life, 210gr Bergers at 2800+fps. Also 7mm WSM, 180gr Bergers @ 3000fps.
The 6.5WSM is a great cartridge. Hard on barrels. 140gr bullets around 3250fps. I guess my pick of the short mags is the 300WSM. Very efficient, long barrel life, 210gr Bergers at 2800+fps. Also 7mm WSM, 180gr Bergers @ 3000fps.
Re: help with calibre choice
Another option for you is the 280 Rem/AI if you are interested in a bit larger diam bullet.
Another option for you is the 280 Rem/AI if you are interested in a bit larger diam bullet.
Re: help with calibre choice
The problem with 6.5 Magnum is poor quality Rem brass. The bolt face in your rifle won`t work with 280.
The problem with 6.5 Magnum is poor quality Rem brass. The bolt face in your rifle won`t work with 280.
Re: help with calibre choice
Thanks for your comments guys, i really appreciate it. The 6.5 rem mag sounds interesting but im thinking i probably will go with the 6.5/300 wsm, slightly shorter case means i can seat the projectiles out a little further. Might be a barrel burner but the ballistics look pretty impressive and wont be putting too many rounds through as will use this for long range hunting Tahr and red deer.
Thanks for your comments guys, i really appreciate it. The 6.5 rem mag sounds interesting but im thinking i probably will go with the 6.5/300 wsm, slightly shorter case means i can seat the projectiles out a little further. Might be a barrel burner but the ballistics look pretty impressive and wont be putting too many rounds through as will use this for long range hunting Tahr and red deer.
Re: help with calibre choice
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: tikkam695custom</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Thanks for your comments guys, i really appreciate it. The 6.5 rem mag sounds interesting but im thinking i probably will go with the 6.5/300 wsm, slightly shorter case means i can seat the projectiles out a little further. Might be a barrel burner but the ballistics look pretty impressive and wont be putting too many rounds through as will use this for long range hunting Tahr and red deer. </div></div>
If you're hunting with it the 7WSM or 7/300WSM is a better option... well, all around it has better 1000yd target performance in the wind and for hunting you have a bullet that's 30% heavier with another 10% higher BC going *almost* as fast. Brings a lot of hurt downrange to animals.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: tikkam695custom</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Thanks for your comments guys, i really appreciate it. The 6.5 rem mag sounds interesting but im thinking i probably will go with the 6.5/300 wsm, slightly shorter case means i can seat the projectiles out a little further. Might be a barrel burner but the ballistics look pretty impressive and wont be putting too many rounds through as will use this for long range hunting Tahr and red deer. </div></div>
If you're hunting with it the 7WSM or 7/300WSM is a better option... well, all around it has better 1000yd target performance in the wind and for hunting you have a bullet that's 30% heavier with another 10% higher BC going *almost* as fast. Brings a lot of hurt downrange to animals.
Re: help with calibre choice
Has anyone used or heard of the 7mm fatso, similar in length as the 7mm wsm but cases made from shortening or cutting down 338 lapua magnum cases. Ballistics simmilar to a 7mm stw out of a short action
Has anyone used or heard of the 7mm fatso, similar in length as the 7mm wsm but cases made from shortening or cutting down 338 lapua magnum cases. Ballistics simmilar to a 7mm stw out of a short action
Re: help with calibre choice
I was going to build a 6.5/308 AI, but after much discussion on this board, I decided to go with the standard 260 Remington for the following reasons>
1. Forming brass for the wildcat is a pain in the butt.
2. The wildcat is harder on barrels.
3. Buying loaded ammo is far more difficult. Ordering good quality 260 ammo
isn't difficult at all.
4. The advantage of the 6.5/308AI is velocity. That additional velocity gets
me perhaps an additional 300 yards distance before the bullet goes
transonic.
As the standard 260 doesn't go transonic until 1500-1700 yards, I had to
consider how often I shoot 1800-2000 yards...(almost never, and when I
do, I can use a different rifle like my 300 win mag.
5. Most of my shooting (75%) is inside of 600 yards. There another 15%
done between 600-900. I have only about 8% more that goes out to
1200 yards, and in the past two years, I have only gone over 1200 yards
three times. So, there would be a great deal more work, and expense to
build a rifle with the capability that I rarely (if ever) use. The logistics of
that seemed to outweigh the "coolness" factor of more velocity that I just
won't use. Plus, my barrel will last probably 25-50% longer with less
pressure going through it.
So, I went with the 260 Remington. About a year after I built it, Lapua came out with brass for it, and that made my decision seem all the more rational. With the Lapua brass, I can safely generate more velocity if I want.
Currently, I get 140-142 grain bullets going 2875 fps with no pressure signs out of a 27 inch Obermeyer barrel. I have gone up to well over 2900 fps with no pressure signs, but the accuracy node is where I stayed. I figure that all the velocity in the world is useless if the setup isn't accurate. So I went with more accuracy rather than more velocity. So far, my decision has proven to be the correct one for me.
If someone made a 160 grain 6.5 mm bullet that wasn't shaped like a cigar, and had a decent BC, then I could see the wisdom of trying to launch the 160 grain bullet at 2950 fps. Zowie, if I could get a 160 grain 6.5mm bullet with a BC around .660-680 going 2950 fps, that would be damned impressive, and perhaps something I would strive to attain.
But, I went with currently available components and technology. So far, I picked right for my needs.
I was going to build a 6.5/308 AI, but after much discussion on this board, I decided to go with the standard 260 Remington for the following reasons>
1. Forming brass for the wildcat is a pain in the butt.
2. The wildcat is harder on barrels.
3. Buying loaded ammo is far more difficult. Ordering good quality 260 ammo
isn't difficult at all.
4. The advantage of the 6.5/308AI is velocity. That additional velocity gets
me perhaps an additional 300 yards distance before the bullet goes
transonic.
As the standard 260 doesn't go transonic until 1500-1700 yards, I had to
consider how often I shoot 1800-2000 yards...(almost never, and when I
do, I can use a different rifle like my 300 win mag.
5. Most of my shooting (75%) is inside of 600 yards. There another 15%
done between 600-900. I have only about 8% more that goes out to
1200 yards, and in the past two years, I have only gone over 1200 yards
three times. So, there would be a great deal more work, and expense to
build a rifle with the capability that I rarely (if ever) use. The logistics of
that seemed to outweigh the "coolness" factor of more velocity that I just
won't use. Plus, my barrel will last probably 25-50% longer with less
pressure going through it.
So, I went with the 260 Remington. About a year after I built it, Lapua came out with brass for it, and that made my decision seem all the more rational. With the Lapua brass, I can safely generate more velocity if I want.
Currently, I get 140-142 grain bullets going 2875 fps with no pressure signs out of a 27 inch Obermeyer barrel. I have gone up to well over 2900 fps with no pressure signs, but the accuracy node is where I stayed. I figure that all the velocity in the world is useless if the setup isn't accurate. So I went with more accuracy rather than more velocity. So far, my decision has proven to be the correct one for me.
If someone made a 160 grain 6.5 mm bullet that wasn't shaped like a cigar, and had a decent BC, then I could see the wisdom of trying to launch the 160 grain bullet at 2950 fps. Zowie, if I could get a 160 grain 6.5mm bullet with a BC around .660-680 going 2950 fps, that would be damned impressive, and perhaps something I would strive to attain.
But, I went with currently available components and technology. So far, I picked right for my needs.
