6.5 x 284 build

[pjifl]

FWIW The original 6.5x55 Swede has a different feel to its recoil than a modified cartridge with steeper shoulder. Less sharp.
I think it is underrated and better than many of the wildcats developed from it. Trouble is that it does not sound sexy in our modern world. No doubt the 6.5x284 can outperform these but at the cost of very severely reduced barrel life. And it does not shoot any better than a standard 284 using 180s.

Peter Smith.

[bruce moulds]

pete,
back in the day we all overlooked the std swede due to the glamour issue.
in the field it was indistinguishable from the 6.5/284.
brass as good as the 6.5 creedmoor, at a much lower price, and better performance.
what more could you want.
it has a nice long neck and more barrel life than the 284 version.
bruce.

[Gyro]

Didn't the Swedes fractionally bigger case head ( 4 thou ? ) cause issues with the 308 bolt face ?

[Old Trev-39]

I shoot an improved version of the Swede and have no problems with .308 bolt face or shell holder.
Cheers,
Trevor.

[Tim L]

This is a 6.5SLR shooting berger 140 hybrids at 3050. (700m)
Fire formed with trailboss Case life (with palma brass) 9 firings so far, no issues and barrel life of over 1700 rounds, so far.

20200806_193013.jpg

[bruce moulds]

that superlr is really starting to deliver with guys that take it seriously.
it seems to be able to deliver extremely good vert.
just a comment on the pictured target.
the vert is exceptionally good, and might well be typical rather than a freak occurrence.
1 click up and a bit better wind reading would have produced a blinder .
i would add that fireforming is so minimal that match winning scores can be shot with this round.
in fact fireforming in a properly chambered barrel , the cases are a better fit than most factory rounds.
bruce.

[bruce moulds]

back to the 6.5/284.
its history starts with good old mid tompkins.
he developed its use as a palma cartridge in the any class and the any/any class.
any class allows any cartridge with iron sights, and any/any allows any sights as well.
nancy thomkins gallagher won one of these events with it, and her daughter won the other class in the same year, using the then new sierra 142 gn matchking.
incidentally mid primarily used 4350 powder, but for special applications used re22.
the fuse was lit and the explosion happened.
this was about the time fclass was getting going, so it was natural that it became de rigeur for fclass.
it became so de rigeur that anyone who tried a 7mm was considered to have the plague.
nancy shot with a sling and jacket, as did her daughter.
i think no one who used the cartridge found it wanting in any way other than barrel life.
if it had a longer neck that might improve markedly, but no one seems to have tried this.
now 7mm is de rigeur.
in the 6.5/284 days, no one would use a 7mm due to statistics.
now no one will leave 7mm due to statistics.
but statistics can be self fulfilling, as people go with what is winning rather than going out on a limb.
bruce.

[AlanF]

This is a 6.5SLR shooting berger 140 hybrids at 3050. (700m)
Fire formed with trailboss Case life (with palma brass) 9 firings so far, no issues and barrel life of over 1700 rounds, so far.
20200806_193013.jpg

Very impressive Tim. I've never had a good look at this cartridge. It can clearly tolerate very high pressures. I guess the PALMA case helps. Seems to be the best all-round choice for 6.5mm currently.

[Matt P]

Back when everyone was running 6.5x284, I ran a 6.5x57AI it has a very long neck and was very accurate. In fact I won more Queens with that cartridge than everything else put together. Would I trade my SAUM for it, no way the 7mm (280AI, 284 and SAUM) IME is easier to live with and once again IME has more inherent accuracy.
Matt P

[pjifl]

I do have a soft spot for the 6.5s but never had a 6.5x284. Way back won many shoots with a slightly modified 6.5. Some Match shoots. But things have moved on and I eventually moved from a 6.5 to a 7mm because I was always getting pipped at the very longs by 7mms.

I believe that many 6.5s cases were made with slightly reduced base diameter identical with the US standard. Probably to suite the US market. It is not much different.

I still, however, recommend a 7mm. To start with, a straight 284. Have fun with your 6.5 but get serious with your 7mm. I can understand that some of the PRS people might prefer a 6.5 but still think the difference in recoil and handleability of the full sized 6.5s is not appreciably better than a 284.

I have no doubt that many 6.5s can shoot very well.But before you rush off and build up that dream wildcat 6.5, have a look at this from a 6.5x55. OK - it was only shot at 600y but it still shows that it can be very capable. 147 gr Hornady ELDs which I do not rate as the best projectile.

http://shooting.hexsystems.com.au/shooting/204588

[Tim L]

This is a 6.5SLR shooting berger 140 hybrids at 3050. (700m)
Fire formed with trailboss Case life (with palma brass) 9 firings so far, no issues and barrel life of over 1700 rounds, so far.
20200806_193013.jpg

Very impressive Tim. I've never had a good look at this cartridge. It can clearly tolerate very high pressures. I guess the PALMA case helps. Seems to be the best all-round choice for 6.5mm currently.

Credit for that group goes to my step daughter actually. I was coaching she was trigger puller.

[Gyro]

This is a 6.5SLR shooting berger 140 hybrids at 3050. (700m)
Fire formed with trailboss Case life (with palma brass) 9 firings so far, no issues and barrel life of over 1700 rounds, so far.
20200806_193013.jpg

Very impressive Tim. I've never had a good look at this cartridge. It can clearly tolerate very high pressures. I guess the PALMA case helps. Seems to be the best all-round choice for 6.5mm currently.

Credit for that group goes to my step daughter actually. I was coaching she was trigger puller.

So it seems the SLR's longer neck than say the 260AI case does in fact give a significantly longer barrel/throat life or at least in your case Tim ? This has all been discussed before ...

And that velocity u r getting is bloody good ! What length barrel ?

[6.5x55ai]

I shoot an improved version of the Swede and have no problems with .308 bolt face or shell holder.
Cheers,
Trevor.

Yep, with my Swede AI, around a bit over 10 years ago, my then new Barnard action had to have the bolt opened up slightly. (Barnard did it for a small charge.) That is not the case now with later actions.

[Tim L]

Very impressive Tim. I've never had a good look at this cartridge. It can clearly tolerate very high pressures. I guess the PALMA case helps. Seems to be the best all-round choice for 6.5mm currently.

Credit for that group goes to my step daughter actually. I was coaching she was trigger puller.

So it seems the SLR's longer neck than say the 260AI case does in fact give a significantly longer barrel/throat life or at least in your case Tim ? This has all been discussed before ...

And that velocity u r getting is bloody good ! What length barrel ?

Its a 30" parallel Bart chambered by Matt Paroz.
I may have just been lucky (but getting a new barrel chambered shortly (yay more brass prep))
It has certainly exceeded barrel life expectations, brass life too but that Palma brass can take a pounding as long as its not smashed on the first firing.
I did cull around 20 cases at 4th firing but I'm pretty confident those were the ones that got the upper end loads when load testing. All the remaining cases have now been through the gun 9 times. I don't fl size, I use a Lee collet die on the necks. So any suspisions of over pressure are laid to rest.
I acknowlege everything Eric says about FL sizing I just don't agree. I have my processes and since adopting them I have not had to fl size nor trim any of my cases in any calibre and I run my FTR rigs hard. When I was running a 6.5x284 I was fl sizing and needed to trim every 2nd firing. I figured if the brass is flowing like that and I'm cutting it off, the brass ain't going to last!

[Gyro]

Nice, thanks. Now do you reckon the brass can be hit hard enough just once with say a full case of Trailboss and a cast lead boolit at fire forming, to 'harden' the brass enough before using fullhouse loads ? I certainly like that system for fireforming as it's fairly cheap and easy and avoids shagging around with say the cream of wheat fill method. I just run an oily bore to avoid leading up the bore.