Advice for 6.5/6mm Short Action Caliber?

J

Jakeonthekob

Sergeant of the Hide
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Mar 8, 2018
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#1
Hey guys, I'm looking for some advice on a short action caliber that will be used primarily for shooting out to 1000 yards. Main use will be target paper/steel and maybe even some "tacticool" use. I want something in 6.5mm or 6mm that has equal to or less recoil than a 308 Win. I already have a .308 and a 7mm-300win mag, so I want something that is very easy on the shoulders to shoot that is still able to get out to 1000 yards with less drop and wind drift than a .308.

I have been looking at options like 6.5x47 Lapua, 6mm Dasher, and 6mm Creedmoor. Anyone with experience with these calibers please tell me your experience shooting them.

TIA
-Jake
 
Last edited:
#5
6.5 has less recoil then a .308. Google some articles with some tests done. The 6mm recoil is really a joke with a brake but I stick with 6.5 just because of the versatility. If you already have a .308 and plan on sticking with it then just keep it. If you plan on getting rid of it then go to 6.5. All three can reach 1000 yards just depends on what you want. 6.5 is the way to go imo. Google is your best friend with stuff like this
 
#8
It will depend on, how many rounds do you shoot a year?
6.5 will get you 2000+ rounds. The 6 creed will go to 1000+
The 6 is flatter shooting than the 6.5 and can be had in a few factory rifles
and has some good factory ammo.
The life of the barrel is the biggest difference.
I have a 6.5x47L also a good round, very close the the 6.5 creed
For a newer shooter, I'd stay away from the 6 Dasher and 6bra. More work for you
to get the most out of them.
 
#9
One of my shooting buddies has a 6.5x47 that's just stupidly accurate. I'd consider that myself. Ballistically, the 6 is flatter and the 6.5 has more barrel life. The differences between the 2 for someone just getting into it will be somewhat negligible.
 
#10
So obvious questions that haven’t been asked are do you reload? And what do you expect for barrel life?

I assume you reload because you mentioned you have a 7-300wm. And I would assume you want barrel life as long as possible.

Using those assumptions I would recommend 6.5x47L. If you didn’t reload I would recommend 6.5CM. 6.5’s will have better barrel life than the 6’s. Physics and all that.

I don’t reload and do 80% or more of my shooting at 400 and in. I also like less recoil. So I’m running a .308 that’s heavy. I expect 7K+ barrel life shooting factory ammo. And even out of my 20” barrel .308 will make it to 1K.

I do have plans to pick up a 6.5 for the better ballistics but it’s not a priority.
 
#11
Ranger188 said:
It will depend on, how many rounds do you shoot a year?
6.5 will get you 2000+ rounds. The 6 creed will go to 1000+
The 6 is flatter shooting than the 6.5 and can be had in a few factory rifles
and has some good factory ammo.
The life of the barrel is the biggest difference.
I have a 6.5x47L also a good round, very close the the 6.5 creed
For a newer shooter, I'd stay away from the 6 Dasher and 6bra. More work for you
to get the most out of them.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the info. I think I am leaning towards the 6.5x47L, simply easier to load for and better barrel life.
 
#13
Jakeonthekob said:
Interesting. Seems very close to 6 Dasher but maybe slightly less velocity? What ranges are you planning to shoot to?
Click to expand...

I've shot to almost 1200Y with my 6mmBR, hit the 4" rock I was aiming at on the 3rd shot. Got 4.5" vertical for 12 shots at 1025Y. Expecting close to 3000 rounds out of this barrel because common string average is 8 shots.

6BRA is easy, load 29.5 grains Varget behind 105 gr bullets in 6mmBR brass and shoot, out pops 6mmBRA. A common speed is 2920-2960 fps in formed brass out of a 26" barrel.

The 6.5's have significantly more recoil than 6 BRA. If I were to do a medium sized 6.5 it'd be 6.5x47L.
 
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#14
Luvman said:
So obvious questions that haven’t been asked are do you reload? And what do you expect for barrel life?

I assume you reload because you mentioned you have a 7-300wm. And I would assume you want barrel life as long as possible.

Using those assumptions I would recommend 6.5x47L. If you didn’t reload I would recommend 6.5CM. 6.5’s will have better barrel life than the 6’s. Physics and all that.

I don’t reload and do 80% or more of my shooting at 400 and in. I also like less recoil. So I’m running a .308 that’s heavy. I expect 7K+ barrel life shooting factory ammo. And even out of my 20” barrel .308 will make it to 1K.

I do have plans to pick up a 6.5 for the better ballistics but it’s not a priority.
Click to expand...

Thanks for chiming in. Yes, I do reload for both right now. I also shoot a heavy 308, about 16 lbs with scope, very nice to shoot. I think I will go with the proven 6.5x47L. Thanks for your input!
 
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#15
steve123 said:
I've shot to almost 1200Y with my 6mmBR, hit the 4" rock I was aiming at on the 3rd shot. Got 4.5" vertical for 12 shots at 1025Y. Expecting close to 3000 rounds out of this barrel because common string average is 8 shots.

6BRA is easy, load 29.5 grains Varget behind 105 gr bullets in 6mmBR brass and shoot, out pops 6mmBRA. A common speed is 2920-2960 fps in formed brass out of a 26" barrel.

The 6.5's have significantly more recoil than 6 BRA. If I were to do a medium sized 6.5 it'd be 6.5x47L.
Click to expand...

That's great stuff to consider with 6BR family. The only problem may be magazine feeding because I want to build something in-between an F class and tactical rig. However, very good info! Thanks!
 
#16
Delvecchioforza said:
6.5 has less recoil then a .308. Google some articles with some tests done. The 6mm recoil is really a joke with a brake but I stick with 6.5 just because of the versatility. If you already have a .308 and plan on sticking with it then just keep it. If you plan on getting rid of it then go to 6.5. All three can reach 1000 yards just depends on what you want. 6.5 is the way to go imo. Google is your best friend with stuff like this
Click to expand...
Don’t mean to hijack the thread, but for those that have shot 308, 6.5 creedmoor, and 6 creedmoor what’s the recoil difference between the three?
 
#18
Jake, since you reload, the 6br is also a good next choice. Very little recoil, easy to load
and will be very accurate to 600yds. Has a little more drop than the 6.5's and 6 creed.
It's my new project. Wanted a "shorter" range rifle, for the 600 yd. club match's
I have the 6 creed for 1000 yds.
Best group to date. 170 rounds on this barrel so far, 6br 95g. smk's 4 shots @100yds.

IMG_0123.jpg
 
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#19
richthe1 said:
Don’t mean to hijack the thread, but for those that have shot 308, 6.5 creedmoor, and 6 creedmoor what’s the recoil difference between the three?
Click to expand...
The difference in recoil between 308 and 6.5 creed is significant. The difference between 308 and any 6mm is even more so. I literally had to put a brake on my .308 after shooting my 65creedmoor simply because I couldn't believe the difference between the two.
 
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#21
Ranger188 said:
Jake, since you reload, the 6br is also a good next choice. Very little recoil, easy to load
and will be very accurate to 600yds. Has a little more drop than the 6.5's and 6 creed.
It's my new project. Wanted a "shorter" range rifle, for the 600 yd. club match's
I have the 6 creed for 1000 yds.
Best group to date. 170 rounds on this barrel so far, 6br 95g. smk's 4 shots @100yds.

View attachment 7053180
Click to expand...

Thank you for the input! I was seriously considering something in 6 BR but since I also want to hit out to 1000 with some more authority, I feel that 6.5x47 Lapua will be my best bet. But that's some fantastic shooting!
 
#23
Jakeonthekob said:
Thanks for chiming in. Yes, I do reload for both right now. I also shoot a heavy 308, about 16 lbs with scope, very nice to shoot. I think I will go with the proven 6.5x47L. Thanks for your input!
Click to expand...
fyi. 16 pounds isn't heavy

6.5x47 is a good choice. all the 6.5s and 6s do roughly the same thing just at slightly different speeds with sometimes more prep needed in the reloading room/fireforming
 
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#24
b6graham said:
fyi. 16 pounds isn't heavy

6.5x47 is a good choice. all the 6.5s and 6s do roughly the same thing just at slightly different speeds with sometimes more prep needed in the reloading room/fireforming
Click to expand...

If I was shooting primarily less than 800 yards 6BR would easily be my first choice.

Seeing misses on those little 6mm bullets can be a chore at times past 1000 but those 6mm’s shoot so nice.

Coming from the 308, 30-06 world like I did I said the same about how the 6.5’s shoots.


Right now we’re blessed with a lot of 6mm and 6.5 options.
 
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#25
I would do 6.5CM if I wanted to do the .264 bullets. That said my little 6br amazed me at long range this past weekend. Broke it in on Friday with a little load development and shot it to 1160yds on Sunday with zero recoil (amidst some nasty wind gusts I might add).

With all of this said I am probably moving away from 260rem and if you use savage small shank barrels (bighorn, nucleus, savage, etc) I may be able to make you a sweet deal on a nice PVA barrel, redding comp dies and brass basically a turn key solution. Would love to see it go to someone who would put it to good use.
 
#26
Sutherlandsd said:
I would do 6.5CM if I wanted to do the .264 bullets. That said my little 6br amazed me at long range this past weekend. Broke it in on Friday with a little load development and shot it to 1160yds on Sunday with zero recoil (amidst some nasty wind gusts I might add).

With all of this said I am probably moving away from 260rem and if you use savage small shank barrels (bighorn, nucleus, savage, etc) I may be able to make you a sweet deal on a nice PVA barrel, redding comp dies and brass basically a turn key solution. Would love to see it go to someone who would put it to good use.
Click to expand...

How funny, I was thinking about having PVA make me a barreled action in the future. However if that's in 6.5 creedmoor then maybe someone else can put it to good use. Thanks for the heads up!
 
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