6.5-300 Wby

[CowboyBart]

Tell me what you know about this round. I'm sure I'm gonna get 20-30 barrel burner comments. Tell me something other than that.
I picked up a set of dies and have a Rem 700 laying around. Why shouldn't I do this??
I'm thinking 8" PacNor polygonal rifled barrel at 32" long. Maybe bull for 12", then taper to .8" at the muzzle. How fast will a 140gr go?? WC8782 (20mm Vulcan) powder should be slow enough - right??

 

[biggjake]

Re: 6.5-300 Wby

I had one back in the late 80's.It was built on a Shilen single shot.I used it for long range rock chuck hunting.I could nail them out to 1200yds .I used H870 in it with a 140gr matching.I never chronoed it,but was told this load ran around 3300-3400 fps with a 30" bbl.I got around 800 rounds out of that chamber before the throat started eroding.It was a sub .500" shooter.ANY 6.5 cartridge with that case capacity will be a bbl burner.

 

[VTi]

Re: 6.5-300 Wby

I can't tell you much about the 6.5/300Wby, but having played with several overbore 7mm cartridges I'd say go with the 7/300wby instead.

If this cartridge is for LR shooting, or even ELR, the heavy and very slippery .284 bullets are excellent for this purpose. A 180gr Berger VLD at 3150-3300 or so would be some serious medicine at 1 mile and beyond.

With that much powder, you're just handicapping yourself sticking with 6.5mm pills.

Just my opinion, YMMV of course.

 

[Weaselthis]

Re: 6.5-300 Wby

So far, it seems you're only out the cost of the dies and you PROBABLY could off em if you wanted. Brass will be more expensive and IMO, somewhat more difficult to find than say, 300WM brass. If ya just want to just cuz ya want to, let er rip tater chip! NEED rarely enters the picture regarding guns, eh?

However, I would personally go w/ the 7mm/300WM if ELR or LR hunting were on tap. I have one w/ a 26" Remmy take off bbl. that gets 3050 fps w/ 180 Bergers. WHEN that one goes south (I got it for $50 & cheap smith work to see if the caliber was something I wanted to pursue more seriously....and I do), I have a Bartlein on the way for a new build out to 28". I hear some folks gettin 3100-3200 w/ the 180s w/ that length and H1000 or Retumbo. Brass is plentiful & cheap, decap w/ a universal decap, FLS w/ a 300WM die and no decap stem, and neck em w/ a 7mm RM neck die. Viola or Voila or yippee and there ya go. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Diablo]

Re: 6.5-300 Wby

Referencing PO Ackley, "Handbook for Shooters & Reloaders, Vol. I", Page 375:

6.5/.300 Weatherby-Wright Magnum

The manual lists some information with the 139 grain Norma match bullet using the Hodgdon 202 and H870 powders.

Velocities noted up to 3429fps (with 202) and 3400fps (with H870).

Barrel length not mentioned......likely kinda long (30 maybe?)

The 142 grain SMK has a G1 of about 0.595 IIRC.