...of 26 caliber magnums.....

[FW Conch]

I just got two 270Win barrels. That will be more than I'll need on the Virginia side. ;-))

But I know where You're coming from. My weakness is the 6.5 SAUM Gap 4S. Totally impractical for Me. So why do I think it would be just so cool to have that set up?

Same thing happened about '07/'08 when the 6.5/284 was all the rage. Same performance as the 6.5/06 but the 6.5/284 seemed to have so much more "cool factor". I was able to resist then, but that may not last forever??

Truth be known, all My needs could be served with with My 6.5 Grendel and My 358Win. Then I could sell a truck load of shooting stuff at half price or less. What a plan :-((

[yobuck]

Here are a few of mine.

http://i1290.photobucket.com/albums/b536/jazzygirl44/5pack_zpsvv8fguwe.jpg (http://s1290.photobucket.com/user/jazzygirl44/media/5pack_zpsvv8fguwe.jpg.html)

From left to right, 6.5-06AI, 264WinMag, 6.5WSM, 6.5-300WinMag, 6.5RUM.

What no 6.5x378? lol

[bw34]

I wanted the same thing you do. I'm in the process of building a 6.5 Sherman. It's very similar to the 6.5-06ai. I think it has around 10% more case capacity.

[yorketransport]

The 26 Nosler has been over hyped and really isn't as impressive as the marketing would make it seem. The 6.5x300 Weatherby is better but still comes up short. Dean's 6.5 RUM is getting into the good stuff though! I have a 6.5x338 RUM Improved that we call the 6.5 Badger and it's essentially a shorter/fatter 6.5 RUM. Here's a 6.5 Badger next to a 7mm RUM
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t260/collegekidandy/CA68AE4A-34CE-4332-BFD1-33594AA23FD5.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/collegekidandy/media/CA68AE4A-34CE-4332-BFD1-33594AA23FD5.jpg.html)

I'm running a "moderate" load and getting 3375fps from a 160gr bullet. They can go faster but this load gets me 6 firings per case. This way 50 pieces of brass will last me the life of the barrel! LOL

[scope eye]

Love the shoulder angle.

Dean

[yobuck]

The 26 Nosler has been over hyped and really isn't as impressive as the marketing would make it seem. The 6.5x300 Weatherby is better but still comes up short. Dean's 6.5 RUM is getting into the good stuff though! I have a 6.5x338 RUM Improved that we call the 6.5 Badger and it's essentially a shorter/fatter 6.5 RUM. Here's a 6.5 Badger next to a 7mm RUM
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t260/collegekidandy/CA68AE4A-34CE-4332-BFD1-33594AA23FD5.jpg (http://s162.photobucket.com/user/collegekidandy/media/CA68AE4A-34CE-4332-BFD1-33594AA23FD5.jpg.html)

I'm running a "moderate" load and getting 3375fps from a 160gr bullet. They can go faster but this load gets me 6 firings per case. This way 50 pieces of brass will last me the life of the barrel! LOL

But you left out the part about how it compares to the 7 RUM lol.
So were using custom bullets and a moderate load to equal the RUM
with about the same weight bullet, and should be happy with a 300 round barrel life?
That logic dosent add up well in my opinion. Which is why, as ive stated before,
the (new) 6.5x300 WBY died 40 years ago. Fact is to attempt to load heavier will ruin the cases
with one or two firings. The same situation arises with the 6.5x300 wsm. You will ruin cases and probably
the bolt face, trying to achieve the velocity of a 7 rum using heavier bullets.

I can get a copy of an article printed in Field & Stream in 1963, involving some long range hunters here in PA.
It involves a 6.5x300 WBY which was king of the hills here at the time.
That would have been a half dozen years before the Williamsport club originated.
I probably have other old articles as well.
If it could be posted by someone ill send it, as it would be an interesting read.

[yorketransport]

But you left out the part about how it compares to the 7 RUM lol.
So were using custom bullets and a moderate load to equal the RUM
with about the same weight bullet, and should be happy with a 300 round barrel life?
That logic dosent add up well in my opinion. Which is why, as ive stated before,
the (new) 6.5x300 WBY died 40 years ago. Fact is to attempt to load heavier will ruin the cases
with one or two firings. The same situation arises with the 6.5x300 wsm. You will ruin cases and probably
the bolt face, trying to achieve the velocity of a 7 rum using heavier bullets.

I can get a copy of an article printed in Field & Stream in 1963, involving some long range hunters here in PA.
It involves a 6.5x300 WBY which was king of the hills here at the time.
That would have been a half dozen years before the Williamsport club originated.
I probably have other old articles as well.
If it could be posted by someone ill send it, as it would be an interesting read.

The 6.5 Badger is almost indistinguishable from the 7mm RUM when similar bullets are shot in each. I compared the 6.5 Badger with the 160 Matrix to the 270 RUM with the 165 Matrix (the 170 Berger wasn't out yet), the 7mm RUM shooting the 200gr Wildcat bullet (the Holy Grail of 7mm projectiles), a 338 Edge with the 300gr OTM and finally my own 375 BME with the 350gr SMK. All were shot with full tilt loads from 30" barrels with chambers set up to seat the base of the specific bullets to the neck/shoulder junction. They were all shot at ranges from 600 to 2380 yards on the same day under the same conditions and drops were compared. As it turns out (no big surprise!) bullet mass played a big role in the results. When they're shot with bullets with similar BCs, they're all pretty much equal to normal "long" ranges. The 7mm RUM actually won at the extended ranges because of the 200gr Wildcat bullet; try a 180 Berger Hybrid and the results are very different though!

So, using "standard" bullets like the 160 Matrix (which is readily available and actually cheaper than the Bergers) in the 6.5mm and 180 Berger Hybrid in the 7mm (the 200gr Wildcats are long gone and nothing similar is out there right now) the 6.5 wins every time. Barrel life isn't really that bad, it's in the 7-800 round range if you take care of it. I just happen to have a handful of donor barrels sitting around waiting to get re-chambered when necessary. It's a pretty good way to use 6.5x47 Lapua barrel. With the availability of RUM brass right now, nobody is going to be burning up a lot of RUM chambered barrels just because they want to save the brass!

I ended up selling the 270 RUM, 7mm RUM and 338 Edge (a switch barrel rifle built by Jim Borden) because the 6.5 Badger/RUM and the 375 BME covered it all just as well if not better on the high and low end of the spectrum. Plus they're Savages so I can just throw a new barrel on there when I torch the barrels!

[swamphonkey]

They had a great looking 6.5 Rem mag with 100 new brass on gun broker on no reserve. I almost put a bid on it. But I'm going to buy a New 4 wheeler and my cash sock is getting light. Lol.

[yobuck]

Thanks for responding with informative information. I really wasent aware of the Matrix bullets.
That said, id like to see them compared to a 140 out to say 1200 yds from the same gun.
At what point will the higher b c overcome the velocity difference of the lighter bullet?
Velocity does in fact improve b c, which is why makers like Cutting Edge don't label their bullets.
Another thing to consider is how the guns are used, meaning what purpose?
For my part, my only interest is in long range ridge to ridge hunting. There are many others here who
share my interests, and also some who compete in 1000 yd competition as well as hunt long range.
Most who like me remember the glory days of the 6.5x300 WBY for long range hunting are now gone.
And nobody is making any attempt to reserect either of them. lol
We as a rule make no attempt to shoot/practice at distances beyond those we shoot at animals, because we feel its pointless.
I don't personaly, know anyone who has killed a deer at 1 mile in PA. Ive watched on a few occaisions as attempts were made at distances close to a mile with no success.
All you need do is sit on a hillside watching thru good optics as some good shooter shoots
across these valleys with a few different cartridges to make up your mind.