al4x Posted July 12, 2013 Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 correct me if i'm wrong but weren't you moaning not so long ago about damage to munties from you 6.5 Beretta? Its bullet choice at the end of the day makes the difference, use a varmint bullet in a .243 it will make as much mess as a 6.5 with a similar constructed bullet. Use a decent soft point though and its a different matter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beretta28g Posted July 12, 2013 Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 Yeah I used 140 ballistic tips, they were terrible and i also had some interlocks when loaded with 47gn they did a lot of meat damage but ive now downloaded to 44 gn and their a lot better. Norma 156 alaska are also quite hot but any of the federal/winchester/hornady/remmington factory offerings are good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted July 12, 2013 Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 The trouble I had is that my .243 didn't like anything I tried in it over 85 grains. With the Swede you can go extremes either way - very frangible for fox or overly controlled bullets for UK deer. Then there's plenty in the middle. I used to like 140gr Speer SP or 130gr Barnes TSX for deer, and 85gr Speer TNT for fox. For me anyway it's comforting to know that you can get bullets designed for quarry larger than we have here. It means that you're not right on the limit of the rifle's comfort zone (or in my case over the limit) with a 100gr pill. Surely it's better to get a gun that has your required bullet weight right in the middle of it's range? I know weight isn't the only deciding factor in how a bullet performs, but generally I find the lighter and faster you go the more bruised meat you get even if the bullet does hold together? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildfowler.250 Posted July 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 Ok I know this is an exaggerated wife's tail but does the 6.5 not have a 'banana' trajectory? I've heard a lot of people say this BUT Most deer are shot sub 150 yards. Easily by 200. And I can't imagine the drop is much more than 1" more in the 6.5 in these ranges anyway. And most of the time it's still point and shoot? Tbh you've got to wonder how many Scottish reds are shot with a sub 100grain bullet. I'd say a fair few! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted July 12, 2013 Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 And a fair few will be shot under the legal minimum energy too if the rifle doesn't have a nice long barrel! The Federal ammunition site shows that at 300 yards their 140gr 6.5 round drops 0.8" more than a 150gr .308 and 3.1" more than their 100gr .243. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted July 12, 2013 Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 IIRC my t3 in the Swede and 100grn or 90grn v-mav (cant remember the exact weight) was something like 1 3/4" high at 100yds and less than 1" at 200,,,,or thereabouts. The 139grn H'ady's IIRC were about the same at 100 (nowt in it) but down around 3" at 200yds. I remember shooting long shots at rabbits and if I didna get them I would only just miss,,,,just guessing hold,,,,,distances that I would never shoot at deer! Very nice to reload, very nice to shoot and under estimated. U. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted July 12, 2013 Report Share Posted July 12, 2013 And a fair few will be shot under the legal minimum energy too if the rifle doesn't have a nice long barrel! The Federal ammunition site shows that at 300 yards their 140gr 6.5 round drops 0.8" more than a 150gr .308 and 3.1" more than their 100gr .243. ...and then we factor in reloading. Just had an evening with a friend punching paper and the 6.5 seemed to be the better grouping at 300/400yds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted July 13, 2013 Report Share Posted July 13, 2013 It is true that factory ammo is loaded softly due to the weaker old military rifles chambered in 6.5x55. Modern actions will handle greater pressures so home loads can be slowly worked up to perform a lot better than the stuff that's sold commercially. At the end of the day ammo makers need to produce rounds that can safely be fired in any gun, even if it means limiting performance to keep things within safe margins for the older rifles. A very good point H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B B Posted July 13, 2013 Report Share Posted July 13, 2013 I think if you are talking the one rifle for everything the 6.5 is not realy a varminter its got slower less flat tragectory than would make it ideal as a varmint rifle. The .243 allthogh a varmint round indeed if you believe the discriptions you read as a kid in all the old reloading manuals back then, the .243 was originaly called the varminter. And the .243 likes the bullets to around 80 grains better. so its deer capable every centrefire is past .222 if legal in this country or not, but its not as capable with the 100+ as some other rounds that are needed to be legal here for some species. So its down on deer and allthorg a capable varmint round its a compromise. I believe the .2506 is ideal its the king of the varmint rounds and is where big game rifles start. so its in both camps perfectly. But if you want a more deer capable round just keep your .270, its awesome can shoot down to 90grains with reasonable effect good enough for fox or small deer, you allready got the gun no sales loss to suffer or purchase price you allready own it, and it will blind a 6.5 on both ends of the spectrum so why bother changing. One other round if you are out to change just for changings sake is the one round i have seen nobody mention on this thread. The fantastic .708 its got the undoubtedly superior ballisticaly 7mm bullets a broad range of bullet weights superb accuracy and is better suited to varminting and deer than either of its case sharing brothers the .243 or the .308, its about the most common rifle used on deer in New Zealand and has a unique feature it can shoot everything from deer to rabit with good bullet performance with the one bullet the remington corlokt. works briliant accross the board not many other bullets can work as well as the .708 with the one bullet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted July 13, 2013 Report Share Posted July 13, 2013 (edited) I've got a 7-08 - it's a pretty hefty round for fox but it kills them just fine! Not a great choice of sub 100gr bullets and with the lighter ones is the performance really better than (or even as good as) the 6.5 Swede? You've got to remember that the bigger the bullet the heavier it has to be to maintain velocity and avoid wind drift. Do you really want/need to shoot 100gr+ at foxes? I think the 6.5 is far better for that use. Edit - just looked at a document I wrote up a few months back. Based on Sierra Varminters the 7-08 with a 100gr bullet drops 3/4" more at 300 yards than a .260 Rem (same as 6.5x55 pretty much) shooting an 85gr bullet at the same velocity. That said, you won't be getting many runners with either of them! Edited July 13, 2013 by njc110381 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted July 13, 2013 Report Share Posted July 13, 2013 Was just about to mention 260Rem,,,, it reputedly handles the lighter 6.5 bullets better than the swede! U. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 Some interesting comments here, not sure where this is going. We all have different shooting requirements and somehow we have all made rifle calibre choices. 22-250 and 270 ...either stay where you are or .243, but as earlier, it has to be your call! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B B Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 (edited) I've got a 7-08 - it's a pretty hefty round for fox but it kills them just fine! Not a great choice of sub 100gr bullets and with the lighter ones is the performance really better than (or even as good as) the 6.5 Swede? You've got to remember that the bigger the bullet the heavier it has to be to maintain velocity and avoid wind drift. Do you really want/need to shoot 100gr+ at foxes? I think the 6.5 is far better for that use. Edit - just looked at a document I wrote up a few months back. Based on Sierra Varminters the 7-08 with a 100gr bullet drops 3/4" more at 300 yards than a .260 Rem (same as 6.5x55 pretty much) shooting an 85gr bullet at the same velocity. That said, you won't be getting many runners with either of them! I agree with your coments on the .708 it is not ideal as a fox round but this blokes requirements mean he will have some compromising to swalow some place. I got a 708 back home in NZ a Kimber Montana its a rifle i could not be without. The fact i am a 7mm fan i make no excuse for the three i have 7mm STW 7MM RM And the 708 all have a job to do bassed on there platforms as much as anything else, not only have you compromises on the round the rifles weight barrel length dimensions are all things he will have to compromise on. As i said before just the one it would have to be .2506, But i would just buy a bigger cabinet myself. :lol: Kids finnish school on wednesday, then its back over home for us Arrowtown SI, will get back on here show just what you are missing with a barnes 120 TSX on sika size deer in the . 708 AWESOME!. ...257 posts . 257 (.2506 ) could be a omen. Edited July 14, 2013 by B B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerCat Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 As you have them and it won't cost anything to keep them why not leave it and have a choice of rifles. Otherwise u will need to sell them, buy a new rifle and set it up and extra cost, possibly missing the two u sold. Or just buy a bigger cabinet and get the 243 to see how itggoes in the meantime??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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