6.5GT ..?

[CK1.0]

6.5GT...anyone running it?

Why 6.5: recent trend in some top PRS guys shooting 6.5's, trading living with a little more recoil for more visual feedback off impacts/splash downrange (some running heavy 156's with a 7.5T instead of the usual/ubiquitous 140's + 8T).

Why GT: Varget.

(I'm lazy/impatient and generally shoot off-the-shelf prefits, but thinking this could be kind of cool...)

 

[R_A_W]

Lot of effort to keep the word Creedmoor off your barrel… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[CK1.0]

Lot of effort to keep the word Creedmoor off your barrel… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I don't see it like that at all.

I see it as a reasonably unwild wildcat, in that brass and dies are already available (grab a .262 mandrel and swap bushings in a 6GT bushing die).

...and what do all the smaller "easy to load for" 6's like BR, Dasher, and GT have in common? ..fill a case near 80% full of Varget, and voila, stupid low SD's and small groups (one almost has to try to fuck it up).

 

[R_A_W]

I was kind of just giving you a hard time… but I don’t really see too much of a point.

Too much work for me in light of 6.5x47 & 6.5cm

 

[CaptArab]

Lotsa guys heavy into the .25BR scene are shaking it down and saying good things . . .

 

[R_A_W]

Quarter bore stuff interests me a lot more… would be great to see more bullet offerings.

 

[CK1.0]

I think with some of these cartridges experimentation is inevitable. If we can easily swap bushings, sooner or later someone is going to neck it up and/or neck it down and possibly stumble upon something cool that maybe works better for them.

The .25cal stuff like 25BR, 25CM, and 25GT is a perfect example of this, except 6.5mm bullets are far easier to score in quantity...

I think I might put together a "vanilla" version of a 6.5GT at some point using a common 8T blank with 140's... necked up Alpha brass, see how it goes. If it's cool, and if somehow I can track down enough 156's to make it worthwhile, maybe try a 7.5T after...

 

[Yondering]

I think with some of these cartridges experimentation is inevitable. If we can easily swap bushings, sooner or later someone is going to neck it up and/or neck it down and possibly stumble upon something cool that maybe works better for them.

The .25cal stuff like 25BR, 25CM, and 25GT is a perfect example of this, except 6.5mm bullets are far easier to score in quantity...

I think I might put together a "vanilla" version of a 6.5GT at some point using a common 8T blank with 140's... necked up Alpha brass, see how it goes. If it's cool, and if somehow I can track down enough 156's to make it worthwhile, maybe try a 7.5T after...

Makes sense to me. If the 6.5 Grendel works well, and the 6.5 Creed works well, something in between ought to be great too. And for a low capacity cartridge, I think the GT is a much better case for a bolt gun than the Grendel; higher pressure capability and better feeding.

I'm about to get into the 6 GT, but own and like both 6mm and 6.5mm rounds like the two above, so I'll be watching to see how this works out for you.

 

[CaptArab]

Lotsa guys heavy into the .25BR scene are shaking it down and saying good things . . .

"Heavy into the .25 BR scene" LMAO I was totally screwing with you guys but now I kinda want to build one too

 

[Hoyt7mm]

If you want to run heavy (150+ class) 6.5 bullets, I don't think the GT is going to be enough to make the higher bc an advantage. My guess is you might reach mid 2500s. Maybe. I few of my buddies have been running 25GT with good success. Speeds with the 135 Berger tap out in the 2680-2710 range for match safe loads (with heavy bolt lift and pressure in the rain). A few have gone to 25x47 just so they can run the same speed and be rain safe.

Now, if you're looking to run something like the 130 Berger OTM Hybrid, I could see a 6.5GT being a neat little round. Low recoil, and will likely match ballistics of the 105-109 class 6mm shooting 2750-2800. Only difference would be more splash/energy on target.

 

[CK1.0]

If you want to run heavy (150+ class) 6.5 bullets, I don't think the GT is going to be enough to make the higher bc an advantage. My guess is you might reach mid 2500s. Maybe. I few of my buddies have been running 25GT with good success. Speeds with the 135 Berger tap out in the 2680-2710 range for match safe loads (with heavy bolt lift and pressure in the rain). A few have gone to 25x47 just so they can run the same speed and be rain safe.

Now, if you're looking to run something like the 130 Berger OTM Hybrid, I could see a 6.5GT being a neat little round. Low recoil, and will likely match ballistics of the 105-109 class 6mm shooting 2750-2800. Only difference would be more splash/energy on target.

Yeah, with the heavies, capacity, and thus speed might be an issue. (The 153-156's are pretty rare and expensive anyways.)

But sounds like getting some boring 140's to ~2600fps might be doable... IDK?

I've got a couple of 6mm barrels to burn out before I can get to it, so it might be a while, but I might try it.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

Yeah, with the heavies, capacity, and thus speed might be an issue. (The 153-156's are pretty rare and expensive anyways.)

But sounds like getting some boring 140's to ~2600fps might be doable... IDK?

I've got a couple of 6mm barrels to burn out before I can get to it, so it might be a while, but I might try it.

Well did you do it??

 

[diggler1833]

I'm guessing not, since he posts most of his experiences here.

I just found this thread. It seems like a solid argument for a 6.5x47L truthfully. You can still run Varget - H4350 powders and get great results with just about everything. All of the listed velocity goals are pretty achievable too without getting into pressure issues.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

Fair point but I'm not interested in running anything fast, a 140 at 2725 is all I need for power factor, and given that guys are sending 134s close to 2800 in the 25 version this should be easily obtainable.
I'm all set with 6GT brass and dies so its an easy conversion, it's also an easy case to tune but I smoked that 6mm fast...

 

[supercorndogs]

I don't see why using varget in the GT woukd be an advantage over h4350 in the creedmoor. Not that I think the idea is bad. I was just thinking of a 6.5 BR or BRA the other day.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

Or... Maybe a 6.5 GT with a long neck..
Here's a 6.5 creed case that I sized down in my GT die, the neck is lengthened so it could be throated for the 147 eldm (pictured) and also have plenty of neck for a 140 or 135 Atip.

Here it is next to a standard 6.5 GT, regular GT bushing dies would work since only the neck length changed.

 

[Cascade Hemi]

I think 6.5GT would shine with a 107gr. Putting heavies in it would bring you back to the 6.5X47 complaints.

 

[CK1.0]

Well did you do it??

Not yet, but I'm still planning to try it at some point.

BTW/FWIW, I just listened to a Hornady podcast (I think it was released Oct. 24, 2024) with George from GA Precision and Tom from Vapor Trail bullets (the "G" and the "T" in the 6GT name) and Tom said he'd shot a 6.5GT at a couple of 1,000 yard benchrest matches and that it did well (good enough that he's planning on running it some more). The pod was mostly about the 6GT and how fast it's taken off and that Hornady is putting factory 6GT ammo into full-scale production, but they also talked a fair amount about how guys were wildcatting it up and down (20GT, 22GT, 25GT, 6.5GT).

Incidentally, they also talk a little about how if a case works with Varget and the Varget-alike powders (SWPR, N140, etc), then that's probably what one should use... (it seems I'm not the only one who's noticed that those powders tend to have some sort of magic lol).

 

[st1650]

Just curious, how’s varget better than h4350 ? Are we just talking about availability or varget being faster burning is easier to get lower SDs ?