6.5 CM or 260 Rem

[Rockhopper]

why not a 6.5 slr?

 

[11B-B4]

I went 6.5 CM. I don't have time to re-load and frankly don't enjoy it. I'd rather spend that time with my 1-year old daughter and her beautiful mother. The Hornady 140-grain A-Max load is outstanding for factory ammo. The .260 factory stuff is more expensive. Thus, I went 6.5CM and couldn't be happier.

In our shop we see it coming down to Lapua brass. The guys who are die hard Lapua brass fans will pick the .260 and be happy.

Neither are a bad choice.

Mark

Best reason I have heard all week researching This... I have a beautiful 6 month old daughter and hot ass wife. Not going to give up time away from either of them to load ammo, guess I'll have to build the 6.5CM.

-Evan

 

[JayCarver]

why not a 6.5 slr?

Funny you say that, I've been researching the 6.5 SLR all day and I'm liking what I'm reading.

Anyone have experience with it that can comment?

 

[Rockhopper]

Funny you say that, I've been researching the 6.5 SLR all day and I'm liking what I'm reading.

Anyone have experience with it that can comment?

all the benefits of the .260, easier to load and obtain brass, 30 degree shoulder, longer neck, better barrel life.

 

[JayCarver]

How's the OAL's with AICS mags?

 

[BobinNC]

all the benefits of the .260, easier to load and obtain brass, 30 degree shoulder, longer neck, better barrel life.

I just love claims made by the makers of and proponents of wildcat cartridges. Let's just take these mentioned by Rockhopper for closer examination:

All the benefits of the 260 Rem - Ok so the 6.5 Super LR has both factory ammo and factory head-stamped brass. That would be a NO...

Easier to load - easier to load than a .260 Rem that comes with brass all ready formed and ready to go. That would also be a NO....

Easier to obtain brass - Well you can't use Norma, Lapua, or Nosler brass in your 6.5 Super, due to donuts without reaming, but you can use Win and Remington brass. Where as a regular .260 can use Remington, Lapua, Norma and Nosler 260 brass, as well as the same Win and Remington 243 brass (the preferred brass for the 6.5 Super). As a bonus Win 7mm-08 brass can also be necked down donut free to 260 Rem. So That would also be a NO...

Longer neck - Well you got me there, the 6.5 Super LR does have a longer neck, than the 260 Rem. But since the COAL on the 6.5 Super LR is the same as the .260 Rem, and the case length the same as the 260 Rem, it does not matter how long the neck is. Exactly the same amount of bullet will be stuffed down in a 6.5 Super case as the .260 Rem. So it's a virtue of dubious value in this case.

Better barrel life - Yes, the 30 degree shoulder should give greater barrel life. So if you get 3,000 rounds out of a 260 barrel, a 6.5 Super LR barrel will give you like 150 more shots.....That's what a whole 5% better barrel life buys you. Again it's a virtue, but hardly worth all the effort.

Look, wildcats are fun to play with, but a wildcat to be worth it has to deliver something that it's parent cannot. The 6.5 Super LR would indeed be better than the 260 Rem, only if it had been invented first. But alas that is not the case.......

 

[superde]

I'm at 44.0 H4350 with a JLK 130VLD.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Let me rephrase that - with 140 class bullets.

 

[2Shots]

This excites me!!!! What barrel length?

Length is 24", or in the neighborhood!

 

[2Shots]

Sorry guys, just started shooting the 260 again, been shooting 6 mm for a year. I'm getting 2815 with 43.5 of h4350. I gotta quit drinkin and posting!!

 

[long range newbie]

if you handload people tend to use 260, if they buy ammo then 6.5creedmoor. I run my 260 with 140s running at 2.89, yes 2.89 I milled out the bar in the mad now I can run almost 3.0!

 

[long range newbie]

correction "posting under the influence"

 

[Rockhopper]

I just love claims made by the makers of and proponents of wildcat cartridges. Let's just take these mentioned by Rockhopper for closer examination:

All the benefits of the 260 Rem - Ok so the 6.5 Super LR has both factory ammo and factory head-stamped brass. That would be a NO...

Easier to load - easier to load than a .260 Rem that comes with brass all ready formed and ready to go. That would also be a NO....

Easier to obtain brass - Well you can't use Norma, Lapua, or Nosler brass in your 6.5 Super, due to donuts without reaming, but you can use Win and Remington brass. Where as a regular .260 can use Remington, Lapua, Norma and Nosler 260 brass, as well as the same Win and Remington 243 brass (the preferred brass for the 6.5 Super). As a bonus Win 7mm-08 brass can also be necked down donut free to 260 Rem. So That would also be a NO...

Longer neck - Well you got me there, the 6.5 Super LR does have a longer neck, than the 260 Rem. But since the COAL on the 6.5 Super LR is the same as the .260 Rem, and the case length the same as the 260 Rem, it does not matter how long the neck is. Exactly the same amount of bullet will be stuffed down in a 6.5 Super case as the .260 Rem. So it's a virtue of dubious value in this case.

Better barrel life - Yes, the 30 degree shoulder should give greater barrel life. So if you get 3,000 rounds out of a 260 barrel, a 6.5 Super LR barrel will give you like 150 more shots.....That's what a whole 5% better barrel life buys you. Again it's a virtue, but hardly worth all the effort.

Look, wildcats are fun to play with, but a wildcat to be worth it has to deliver something that it's parent cannot. The 6.5 Super LR would indeed be better than the 260 Rem, only if it had been invented first. But alas that is not the case.......

Bob I totally get what you are saying, but obviously I am talking about reloading ammo, not purchasing it outright. So yes, it DOES in fact offer several benefits over the .260 IF you reload. It is in fact much easier to obtain brass. .243 win brass is everywhere. Not to mention it is usually a bit cheaper. .260...not so much. You dont have to reem it. Better barrel life is better barrel life whether its 1% or 100%. STILL better than the .260, even if it is only a small percentage.

Point being, if you reload exclusively, I see absolutely NO reason to build a .260 over the SLR. The .260 should have been made like the SLR to begin with, then we would have factory ammo, etc.

Are these points marginal for most people? Absolutely. And for most people the .260 would be the obvious better choice for availability of factory ammo. Factory SLR ammo is non existent to my knowledge.

Take it for what its worth. Just IMHO and YMMV, etc. I don't own either caliber. But if you reload I dont think you can argue .260 is better than 6.5 SLR. Just my .02.

 

[BobinNC]

Bob I totally get what you are saying, but obviously I am talking about reloading ammo, not purchasing it outright. So yes, it DOES in fact offer several benefits over the .260 IF you reload. It is in fact much easier to obtain brass. .243 win brass is everywhere. Not to mention it is usually a bit cheaper. .260...not so much. You dont have to reem it. Better barrel life is better barrel life whether its 1% or 100%. STILL better than the .260, even if it is only a small percentage.

Point being, if you reload exclusively, I see absolutely NO reason to build a .260 over the SLR. The .260 should have been made like the SLR to begin with, then we would have factory ammo, etc.

Are these points marginal for most people? Absolutely. And for most people the .260 would be the obvious better choice for availability of factory ammo. Factory SLR ammo is non existent to my knowledge.

Take it for what its worth. Just IMHO and YMMV, etc. I don't own either caliber. But if you reload I dont think you can argue .260 is better than 6.5 SLR. Just my .02.

Rockhopper,

You make some good salient points. But your still not getting the point about "easier to obtain brass".

From this page 6.5 Super LR and the Home of the 6.5 Super LR, and I quote:

For an easy “no neck turn” brass option with no initial trimming either, use a chamber reamer like one of those shown on this page with either Winchester brand .243 Win. brass (the author’s favorite) or Remington brand .243 Win. or .260 Rem. brass. Both of these brands of brass have shoulder metal that is right around the same thickness as the neck metal of the brass, so that when you re-form the shoulder of the case there are no “donut” issues.
Imported .243 Win. brass (Lapua and Norma) and Nosler Custom .243 Win. and Nosler .260 Rem brand brass all have shoulder metal that is considerably thicker than the neck metal, and reforming these to the 6.5mm Super LR makes a “donut” at the base of the neck that requires the cases to be neck turned after forming.

So the 6.5 Super LR can only use cheaper .243 Brass from Win and Remington or .260 Rem branded brass. Guess what, the .260 Rem can use the exact same .243 brass as the 6.5 Super LR, because it is the parent of the 6.5 Super LR. In addition, all 260 Rem brass from Nosler, Norma, Lapua can be used without neck turning in 260 Rem, but not in a 6.5 Super LR. And Win 7mm-08 can also be used for the 260 Rem, but is not mentioned for use for the 6.5 Super LR. So the brass is not cheaper or "easier to obtain", since the brass that does work in the 6.5 Super LR will also work without neck turning the .260 Rem.

 

[Delta4-3]

Best reason I have heard all week researching This... I have a beautiful 6 month old daughter and hot ass wife. Not going to give up time away from either of them to load ammo, guess I'll have to build the 6.5CM.

-Evan

I have a wife and three daughters, 1,4,&6. We just all reload together...win win. My 6&4 year olds will bust somebody out in a heartbeat for calling a loaded round a "bullet", it's great.

 

[11B-B4]

I have a wife and three daughters, 1,4,&6. We just all reload together...win win. My 6&4 year olds will bust somebody out in a heartbeat for calling a loaded round a "bullet", it's great.

That is awesome, hahaha This is why i love the hide.

 

[earthquake]

With my 25" Bartlein, I'm shooting only factory Hornady in my 6.5CM and getting ~2,850 with 140 Amax and ~2,940 with the 120 Amax. Accuracy is outstanding. I am working on getting stuff together to reload for it and am very interested in experimenting with loads soon.

I would recommend getting a .260, that way there's more CM stuff for me!