6.5x284 Mag - Anyone got one?

[Dom]

Just contemplating this caliber, so does anyone have one, like it? Good points, bad points? Any links you know of where I can check out ballistics & related info, etc. would be appreciated, thanks. Waidmannsheil, Dom.

[Riposte1]

Dom;

I cannot speak from experience so take this with a grain of salt.

Unless I miss my guess we are not talking "mag" here. The cartridage I have encountered is the 6.5 (.264") X .284 Winchester.

A couple of acquaintences do quite well in 1,000 yard competition. They have used this cartridge but I think they also use the 6.5/.308 and I am not sure which they prefer.

I do have a 6.5/06 (.264 based on the 30-06 case). That should have about the same expansion ratio (bore volume to case capacity) as the cartridge you mention. Personally I find it about as efficient as a 6.5 can get. I also own a .264 Win. Mag which many consider "overbore". They are probably right. While I can squeeze just a tough more velocity out of that rifle than my 6.5/06, both with 24" barrels, it is with a *lot* more powder.

These days I dont care much for that extra few FPS. In fact I have 3 .260 Remingtons (in various rifles) which I find to be a fine G.P. cartridge if we limit our game to deer sized critters (W.D.M. Bell, I aint :-) ).

At any rate 6.5 X .284 sounds like a fine cartridge to me! Finding the brass would be the only tough part of the equation.

Good luck!

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[Ol` Joe]

I`ve got one, a M1999 action with a 1/9" twist, 22", Montana Rifle barrel on it chambered by Montana. The cartridge is very similar to the 6.5-06 and gives about 100-150 fps more velocity then the 260 Rem or 6.5 Swede with modern handloads and like bullets. The word is the round is also a barrel burner, but I have only had mine a short while and can`t really verify that. The long range shooters are useing it and claim very good accuracy and velocities approching the 264 mag, but they also use 28-30" barrels and their loads are not conservative in the least.

Mine does shoot well and recoil is mild. The 120 gr bullets at this point seem to give me the best accuracy in this rifle. I use Lapua brass and it is expensive to load for. Norma and Hornady also make cases and offer load data. The cartridge is offered by Nosler and Norma in loaded form at twice the price of premium factory stuff in the 260 or 6.5 Swede. The rifle isn`t cheap to shoot.

I also have a 6.5x55 and two 260 Remingtons at present, and don`t see much difference between all three. I don`t know if I would build one again unless I was shooting 1000 yd bench rest, or had another reason where the smaller rounds just wouldn`t do. Then again the neat factor is high with it... :D

[Andy L]

I got the hots to build a 6.5-284, or at least had the hots. Im not sure for hunting that you gain enough over the 6.5x55 to do any good. Like was said above, unless you were gonna shoot 1000yr matches. I just want to hunt.

Regardless, all the 6.5s are the real stuff. No doubt about that.

[Riposte1]

I have shot deer with the .260, 6.5/06 and .264 win mag. I cannot tell the difference except as to the particular bullet being shot (shooting the Nosler 120 gr. Solid Base in the .264 was not all that great an idea for deer, though it did work just by chance - it was plumb "spiffy" on woodchucks though).

My first 6.5 was the little Arisaka 6.5X50. I think I paid $15 or something like that for it. It was a far better gun than I realized and I got rid of it before I knew enough to keep it. I need to build another one as I have an unfired barreled action, sans bolt, lanquishing in a closet somewhere.

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[Andy L]

Bullet selection is critical with ultra high velocity rounds. It makes all the difference in the world.

My 25-06AI is a prime example. The smithy recommended 100gr Nosler Partitions. Wrong. They act like a 17Rem on a coyote. No exit. It penetrates inside the deer, goes off like a bomb, making jelly out of the heart and lungs, and doesnt exit. The deer is dead on its feet, but most run leaving little or no blood trail. So far I have been able to recover all of them, but its just not right. I gotta get a harder bullet that will hold up to the speed.

Im very, very impressed, to say the least, with the CZ 6.5x55 I bought my son this year. With my handloads, which are way over book max with no pressure signs, its shooting a 129gr Hornady SP around 2900fps or so. It knocks deer flat. Makes a nice silver dollar size exit and you can eat right up to the hole. So far none have had to be tracked and you had to roll them over to see a blood trail, but there would be one if they did run any. Im pretty much convinced, when loaded at modern pressures in modern rifles, this is pretty much the perfect deer cartridge. Shoots as flat as anything out there and more accurate than most (see 1000 yd world record). Penetrates like a heavy 30 cal (see sectional density). Recoils less than most 243s. Whats not to like?

I can only think the 6.5-284 may be slightly better. But I dont know that for hunting if it would be enough better to justify a custom build and wildcatting? Probably not. (But when I get the wants, that doesnt matter). The CZ is a well made rifle with a 26" tube. Shoots very well the way it is. I may just buy another just like my sons and call it good. Chances are it will like the same loads where we can interchange if needed. That will make it real simple.

[Dom]

Thanks for all the info guys, appreciate it. I guess the Mag part is a misnomer, was looking at a Sauer 202, and in the magnum series to switch barrels. I'm leaning towards the 300 WinMag caliber, as from what I have found reinforces your points here on the 6.5. Great long range accuracy, but a bit of a barrel burner. It can't still be a wildcat, but I don't find much info on it, meaning I don't know if it's a 6.5-284 Win or 6.5x284 Norma or some new variation of 6.5x284 that Sauer has out. You hear a lot of 6.5x284 with no ending, so I don't know what to think. Sauer's website didn't list calibers, but I thought it was listed in their Products catalog as 6.5x284 Mag.

Hope that made sense . . .

[Riposte1]

Andy;

I really like the Hornady 129 interlock. Let me recommend however that you dont try to go up on that load. I shot a small button buck with the same bullet at around 3200 fps from my 6.5/06. Range was short and the deer was quartering toward me.

It left an exit in the off side skin that was 5" tall and 7" wide! I figured it was pretty much coming unglued and might not have made it too deep in a big deer if the target was angled...would have been OK on a broadside shot I guess but It sure doesn't need all that extra velocity to work well.

Sounds like we want the same thing from our bullets. A reasonable exit which leaves a good blood trail and reliable penetration in case bone is hit or the target is at an extreme angle.

The 6.5 X 55 is a great cartridge. In a moment of temporary insanity I let a Winchester M70 Classic Featherweight in 6.5 X55 go unpurchased. Naturally when sanity returned and I went back it was gone...but I dont want to start thinking about all the missed deals :-(

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