Thoughts on the 6.5-300 Weatherby Mag

[Kushtekaa]

Friend is getting a 6.5-300 Weatherby Mag because last year he had a couple of wolfs out of his comfortable range & was unable to sneak up on them. The rifle he is purchasing is a Vanguard First Light. I just don't see the need for this overbore cartridge & thinks he would be better of with something else. Anybody care to comment on the ballistics & the philosophy of use for this setup? How many rounds do you reckon he would get out of it before it got out of minute-of-wolf?

 

[elkguide]

600 - 700 rounds.

A lot of rifle for a wolf.

 

[Steve O]

I looked at the 6.5 Wby and 26 Nosler pretty hard and ended up with the good old 264 Win Mag. Just so much more powder on those big boomers for a little more velocity. Was not worth it to me.

 

[30338]

Just curious, how far out were they?

 

[Kushtekaa]

I thought he said 700 yards was the closest they got. He was hunting caribou at the time. I'll email him & see if I can get a reply. Correction: 800 yards.

 

[swampthing]

To start off, I am a weatherby guy. My 4th weatherby is the 6.5-300 in an ultralight. I looked long and hard at this caliber before I purchased it. There is a lot of cons to it. Ammo up here in Canada is $150.00 a box, brass is hard to find and I had to pay $70 for twenty when I found it, and, dies were about double the cost of a more common caliber! Pros!!. Fastest 6.5 on the planet-check. Cool weatherby rifle-check. Men in hunt camp will fear you-check. Improved love life-check. Long range capability-check. I mounted a big 6-24 zeiss on mine and found it shoots very well! I plan on shooting mine to 1000 plus yards. Barrel life will be shorter than many but unless you are a target shooter that's not an issue. I am 55 and will be dead before my barrel is shot out! This isn't a caliber for many but for some it will suit them well. Long range wolf hunting is something mine will be used for but that's a hell of a shot for most mortal men! That first lite weebee is a stunning rig! Tell your buddy I recommend it!

 

[ckleeves]

Just my .02, but I would put my money on a guy with an accurate much smaller rifle chambered in _____ (pick whatever, 6 or 6.5 creed, 243, 260, 6x47) who shoots hundreds of long range rounds every year, knows his dope, reading wind etc to be able to make a 700 yard wolf kill with 10-1 odds over the a guy with a canon that shoots 12 rounds a year out of.

Nothing really wrong with the 6.5-300, it’s just not really a shortcut to accurate 700 yard shooting. The cost of ammo or components is tough to stomach to get proficient.

No idea what his current rifle is, but he could probably spend 20% of what the new rifle is gonna cost on ammo, shoot it and collect accurate dope while getting some serious practice in and be much more 700 yard Wolf ready then just buying a “flat shootin” rifle and thinking that will do the trick.

 

[Bsnyder]

I own one and love it but have t weatherbys this is my second favorite behind the 257.it has held sub moa out too 700

 

[ofl0926]

I own a 6.5-300 as well. yes its an overbore caliber but that doesn't knock what the caliber can do. its extremely flat shooting and hard hitting. I personally think its an awesome hunting round. Barrel life is a concern but its not a rifle I take to the range all the time.
Weatherby just released a cheaper box for this caliber with the 140gr soft nose ammo.

 

[Kushtekaa]

Just my .02, but I would put my money on a guy with an accurate much smaller rifle chambered in _____ (pick whatever, 6 or 6.5 creed, 243, 260, 6x47) who shoots hundreds of long range rounds every year, knows his dope, reading wind etc to be able to make a 700 yard wolf kill with 10-1 odds over the a guy with a canon that shoots 12 rounds a year out of.

Nothing really wrong with the 6.5-300, it’s just not really a shortcut to accurate 700 yard shooting. The cost of ammo or components is tough to stomach to get proficient.

No idea what his current rifle is, but he could probably spend 20% of what the new rifle is gonna cost on ammo, shoot it and collect accurate dope while getting some serious practice in and be much more 700 yard Wolf ready then just buying a “flat shootin” rifle and thinking that will do the trick.

My thoughts exact.

 

[Kushtekaa]

We are going to start off with the 127 grain Barnes LRX ammo. Anybody shooting this load & can comment on the accuracy out of their rifle?

 

[wind gypsy]

Just my .02, but I would put my money on a guy with an accurate much smaller rifle chambered in _____ (pick whatever, 6 or 6.5 creed, 243, 260, 6x47) who shoots hundreds of long range rounds every year, knows his dope, reading wind etc to be able to make a 700 yard wolf kill with 10-1 odds over the a guy with a canon that shoots 12 rounds a year out of.

Nothing really wrong with the 6.5-300, it’s just not really a shortcut to accurate 700 yard shooting. The cost of ammo or components is tough to stomach to get proficient.

No idea what his current rifle is, but he could probably spend 20% of what the new rifle is gonna cost on ammo, shoot it and collect accurate dope while getting some serious practice in and be much more 700 yard Wolf ready then just buying a “flat shootin” rifle and thinking that will do the trick.

x2. The fact that OP's friend thinks a 6.5x300 bee is the answer to "increasing his comfortable range" is telling. Quick #'s from JBM: A 127 LRX at 3350 FPS with 10 MPH crosswind has wind drift of 34", a 147 ELDm at 2800 FPS (needmoor speeds) has 27" of wind drift. You should practice enough to get your dope for drop down and consistent velocities come into play here (would bet $ a x300 would be more finicky here).

There is a reason you don't see these massively overbore cartridges in competition shooting of any form even though you'd think the ballistics would offer something at extra long ranges. Recoil management and ammo consistency rules the game and it isn't these chambering's strong point.

 

[swampthing]

We are going to start off with the 127 grain Barnes LRX ammo. Anybody shooting this load & can comment on the accuracy out of their rifle?

The 127 lrx factory ammo has been the most accurate out of my ultralight at .75" I was able to duplicate that with handloads. I want to shoot the 142 nosler accubond but its running closer to 1.5" groups. I will keep at it though!

 

[Sodbuster]

Lots of history to the round. So many great 6.5 bullets and other components available now. 120 grain-127 grain bullet at close to 3600 fps and a validated bdc reticled scope.Dead wolf.

A little history.

bucket list rifle: 6.5X300WWH

Originally Posted by CAJUNLAWYER Well....what is this 'high dollar rifle'? Inquiring minds want to know I'll start this new thread for it. Caj almost violated internet etiquette (if there is

smith-wessonforum.com

Little more history.

Need, 6.5 x 300 load data - 24hourcampfire

www.24hourcampfire.com

Little long but interesting.

The Early Years

 

[PathFinder]

It's advertising material. Velocity numbers look good on a box of ammo.
What's wrong with it IMO?
1. A radius shouldered, belt-headspacing cartridge in this day and age? Not conducive to accuracy. Poor brass availability.
2. Factory loads aren't LR hunting friendly. A caliber with that capacity would really shine with a 150-160 grain bullet. Most of the available factory loads are lighter, so fudds will drink the Koolaid when they read the big number on the box. Those light bullets start to struggle in a big hurry past 600 or so.
3. Why pair a cartridge with the capacity to push a 6.5mm projectile from Creedmoor/260 max range (~1200 yards) to a mile with a rifle that isn't accurate enough to pull it off? Odds are that rifle, especially paired with factory ammo, is only "minute of wolf" out to 600 or so.
4. Most people buying these aren't going to practice enough to get the full potential out of the cartridge. IME 500 rds/year is a good minimum amount of practice for LR hunting. That's basically a barrel per year out of this caliber. Nothing wrong with torching barrels and swapping them, but it's expensive.

All that said, your friend is probably best off with either something in the mid caliber range (6mm CM/6.5 CM/ or 308 based cartridges, or 6.5 PRC) and lots of practice, or go with a more appropriately designed LR/ELR caliber (28 Nosler, 300 Norma, etc). Buy a Bighorn Origin, throw a prefit barrel on it along with a nice stock/chassis and trigger and commence burning up barrels. Buying a hotrod, marketing scheme cartridge is no way to extend effective range. Popping cases of primers and burning up barrels is.

 

[wildcat33]

If overbore you must, IMO the 6.5-284 Norma is a more proven choice with much better brass availability.

 

[Sodbuster]

I personally do not know of anyone who has shot the barrel out of one of these.
I would volunteer to try it though.
If that did happen, a barrel twisted for the 150-160's would be next.

The reloading part can be overcome with some experience with the case design.Many of the components for this round are expensive but a person knows this going in.

Us old-timers grew up with the "hit them to kill them and speed lets you hit them further out" mentality.
We also passed the philosophy to our children and grandchildren.
Prime victims for marketing. The hot market for firearms right now is long range hunting so the propaganda is everywhere.

OP. Nothing is going to extend range like trigger time.A light recoiling trainer rifle with a crispy trigger and quality optics will get your friends technique polished up for longer range.He may decide in the end that the trainer gun is a better path.

But, owning more than one rifle is part of the fun.

Good Luck.

 

[unclericco]

The introduction of the Berger 156's has altered the argument on this cartridge. I have a 26 Nosler I'm shooting these out of with N-570 and it's a top performer accuracy wise in my safe. Also rivals pretty much any other rifle in the long range realm.