6.5X55 vs the 260 Remington

[Magnumsrule]

I am looking at purchasing a rifle in a 6.5 caliber. These two calibers are the most common that I can find. Does anyone have expeirience with these cartridges? How good are they at taking moose, deer, or mountain/long range game?

[lefty o]

ballistically speaking, they are twins.

[t53joe]

Originally Posted by Magnumsrule

I am looking at purchasing a rifle in a 6.5 caliber. These two calibers are the most common that I can find. Does anyone have expeirience with these cartridges? How good are they at taking moose, deer, or mountain/long range game?

hello >> in a way your asking a tough question and in a way your not, i never owned a 260 rem but i did own two 6.5x55 swedish mausers, i had a huskvarna m38 carbine and a carl gustov m96 long gun they are superbly made and very very accurate!! you have to watch your operating pressure(cup) with the swedish guns not exceding more than about 45000 cup, if your looking to shoot deer sized game your alright, but if you want to shoot varmints well thats a another story, you can get about 3150 to 3200 fps at the most with a 100 gr bullet and thats not something to sneeze at, another problem you might run into and im still not entirly sure about is the twist in the military swedes may not allow a lighter bullet to shoot well, the 6.5x55 can be improved through reloading and you wanna buy a winchester or a ruger they can handle the higher pressures, the swede has a smaller powder capacity than the 260 and the 260 will out-perform the swede in velocity but im not so sure it will in accuracy, the truth is faster isnt always better!! the 6.5x55 has been around alot longer than the 260 and has chalked up a greater reputation for itself, i would go with a RUGER M77 in 6.5x55 S.M.<>
in sweden they take moose with clean kills, the 160gr bullet is what i think they use but would not rule out a 140 gr, either way it is a very accurate and a deep penatrator, the sectional density is excellent in this caliber and its a good choice, i would go with the 6.5x55 >>> hope this was helpfull your friend joe

[JoeLee]

The 6.5s all are about equal + or - Nell!Can we talk about the 6MM-06 now?

[Magnumsrule]

Thanks for the advice t53joe. Do you think the Tikka T3 Lite would also be a good rifle? If i purchase a 6.5X55 I would like to be able to pack around longer, this meaning that the rifle must be lite. The very weak kick of this caliber and the flat ballistics is what interested me in this caliber. When I found out that the 6.5mm 140gr bullet will penetrate just as far as a 30 caliber in 180gr this sold me.

[vanmantraveler]

magnumsrule... Welcome to the club... I have the 1917 Carl Gustav 6.5... Never a miss fire and a great shooter. I have shot it so much that at one point it was so hot that I got a blister from the heat.... still grouped at 100 yards at under an inch. The 139/140 grain hit at point of aim on a coyote at 800 yards. Take a peek at the winchester 140 grain super x, the fed 140 grain power shock, norma 120 grain NP, and the PMC 140 hpbt... but your best bet is for you to reload new brass, you will get much better loads for a lot less money.

[Johnny_Revolver]

6.5 x 55 is a fantastic round, it is VERY popular among handloaders here for good reason. It works. Its accurate, Either a Tikka or Sako held a Euro 1000 yard record in 6.5...

The Tikka T3 is an excellent rifle, accurate out of the box, the total oppisite of a lawyers trigger. It has, as cons, a plastic detachable magazine. It`s ugly.

[t53joe]

Hello Again

Yes The Tikka Also Would Be A Good Choice, I Also Agree With All Of The Other Replys, I Guess It Comes Down To How Much Your Willing To Spend, All The Rifles Mentioned Are Great, You Said You Wanted The Rifle To Be Light, The Winchester In The 6.5 Is In A "feather Weight" Model "mountain Carbine" I Didnt Think About The Tikka And Im Sure That It Will Be Boku Dinero, I Guess It Come Also Down To Do You Want As Far As Appearance, A Production Rifle OR A Military Rifle, You Cant Go Wrong With The Swede Mauser Or The Others > Ps My Mosin Nagant 91/30 Was Made By Tikka And It Was A Wonderfull Rifle Very Well Made And Shot Well>> Hope This Helps>> Your Friend Joe

[samuel]

The original question being how good a 6.5 by 55mm or .260 Rem mag. is on moose or deer,my findings in the field are this neither of these are moose cartridges but excelent deer rounds out to 300yds using from 120gr to 140gr bullets.The 120gr gives the best balistics in both drop and ft lbs but the 140gr isnt far behind.The drop table is the reason I would never pick either cartridge for use past 300yds.Sighted dead center at 200yds they have both dropped into the 25" area at 400yds.They are both excelent at 300yds at about 8" drop,give or take an inch or two.I have worked with this cal.bullet a little and if you want to get into 6.5 at long range for hunting the 6.5mm Gibbs which is basically a .270casing with the body expanded,the shoulder pushed forward and the capability of pushing a 140gr bullet past 3400fps then this 6.5cal is a long range or even bigger game possibility.I do not say that a 6.5mm Sweedish wont kill a moose,after all the 6.5 Sweed was the firearm of choice for the ivory hunters mainly because a 6.5mm will penetrate deeper than a .30 cal due to the smaller diameter.But I doubt that ivory hunters worried much about clean kills or game that ran off.I personally like big bullets for big game.The 6.5mm by55mm will punch paper at 1,000yds but you may have to shim the scope base to reach that far.The 6.5 is great when used in the range it is designed for.The twist on a Sweedish mauser is 1in7.87" with most factory and custom barrels using 1in8" to 1in9" twist. samuel.

[BattleRifleG3]

260 Rem is NOT a magnum.

I'm surprised that you find both common. Generally the opposite would be the case.

They are close enough that I would say pick the rifle first and then whichever round fits it. You may find cheaper ammo options in 6.5, but in a given brand and bullet they should be about the same.

[samuel]

Originally Posted by BattleRifleG3

260 Rem is NOT a magnum.

I'm surprised that you find both common. Generally the opposite would be the case.

They are close enough that I would say pick the rifle first and then whichever round fits it. You may find cheaper ammo options in 6.5, but in a given brand and bullet they should be about the same.

Will I ever be forgiven??? Must I always hang my head in shame because my fingers inadvertently slipped in three letters that shouldnt be there???Please forgive me!O please,please,please forgive this horrible mistake I have made.I am so ashamed!!!! I am glad someone that knows all caught me. samuel.

P.S.:The main reason I find the 6.5mm by 55mm common or similar to the .260Rem. non-magnum is when I read the balistics,fire them on the range or shoot one of about 20to30 deer and antelope,they both give about the same results.Of course someone that slipped and used "Magnum"in the wrong place could hardly be correct on this one,but I cant tell the difference in my 700 BDL remington 6.5mmby55mm and my 700 BDL Remington .260 Rem. non-Magnum.But the "experts will know and keep me informed sa to how wrong I am.Thank you. samuel.

[lefty o]

i do have to disagree that the 6.5 is not enough for moose. it happens to be the predominant cartridge used in scandanavia. after 100+years, i think they'd have gone to something else if it did not get the job done.

[Muznz]

theyve gone from 6.5x55 to 6.5/284

[lefty o]

since when???

[samuel]

Lefty O:I believe you are right about the 6.5mm by 55mm getting the job done.If I had a tag and a 6.5 Sweed and a moose presented a good shot I would fill my tag,what I really meant was I wouldnt choose a 6.5 by 55 to go moose hunting. samuel.

[lefty o]

i probably wouldn't either, but i would be confident that i could cleanly kill one with it.

[Magnumsrule]

Thank you for all the advise. My main concern was whether the 260 rem would be as accurate as the 6.5X55 since more factory ammo is available in the 260. I wanted to get a 6.5 caliber because it is a light recoiling caliber. Thus I would be able to do target shooting with it along with being able to hunt a variety of game. However would a light rifle, say 6 pounds make this round kick much harder than a rifle that weighs about 8?

[samuel]

Recoil is something you learn to deal with.The 6.5 by55 is a lower pressurecartridge than the .260rem.so the recoil should be lighter.yes,two lbs difference in weight makes a difference but if a 6lb gun is scoped and a sling is attached and the gun is loaded you are getting close to the 8lbs.If recoil is really a problem they are making recoil reduced cartridges.I dont know about that cal.I would sugest just shooting off hand using the proper stance and making the butt is in the pocket of your shoulder and held firmly,not hard,and shooting til you are used to it.If possible shoot one of the center fire .22,s or a .243 until you are used to that.Practice will get you used to it but if it bothers you dont start right out shooting from a bench.Shoot from positions where your body can move with the recoil.Stock fit is very important.Recoil pads work.Shoot some and come back and ask these men for help.explain what you are doing. samuel.

[Magnumsrule]

The recoil would not really be a problem for hunting since i hint with a 7mm mag, but for target shooting were i would shoot more than twice is were the recoil would come into play.

[lefty o]

recoil is a factor of bullet weight, velocity, weight of the gun, and how well the stock fits you. a good recoil pad helps also. the 260 is a very mild cartridge to shoot. given that the rifle fits you reasonably well, you should have no issues putting 100rnds thru one in a day, from a bench. recoil is not something that you need to learn to deal with. if a gun fits you, it will not beat you to death, excepting a few very big boomers in light rifles.