5 guns to hunt everything in North America (6.5 special edition)

[CraigC]

For the record, Bell was brain-drilling elephants. No, I would not hunt any brown bears, polar bears, bison, moose, or muskox with any of the 6.5's.

That said, I don't know why you'd need more than one or two at most either.

 

[ms6852]

Weeelllll, I'm S.O.L. do not possess any of the calibers posted.

 

[3Crows]

I bought two 6.5CMs, a Savage Axis II which I have been working on to include a new extractor, new ejector, new Boyds Prairie Hunter stock (I do live in Kansas), new Talley mounts and a Nikon scope and some other stuff. The rifle and scope were so dirt cheap it makes me laugh. And then I got a Kimber Hunter on sale, not a super price but decent and it turns out to shoot like a laser, though, the Savage might be it's equal. Why two of the same cartridge, well, the Kimber is for mountain carry and hiking and is exceptionally light, the Savage is intended for blind or position hunting (though it is hardly a pig) and by having these two rifles with different intended purpose but same caliber I economize on reloading inventory to support the cartridge. I think the OP is on to something, the 6.5 cartridges are kind of like just right for most everything, the Three Bears would be happy.

 

[H&Hhunter]

.256 Newton
.256 Mannlicher
.256 Winchester Magnum
6.5x54
6.5-53MM R

can anyone point out the redundancy here?

 

[Rexster]

I believe that Swedes hunt Elg, which are their version of Moose, with 6.5x55, so, I reckon that would suffice, here, on this side of The Pond. It could be the one cartridge to do it all. The OP did not mention bear or bison, or 1000-yard competition shooting. I seem to remember noticing that 6.5x55 was one of the very few rifle cartridges available, this past week, at a leading on-line ammo seller.

6.5 Creedmoor is trendy, it so it might be easier for me to find a left-hand-action turn-bolt rifle that chambers it, and, so, I might as well add it to my list. Who knows when I could expect to see the ammo available, from a widely-respected seller?

If I had to buy, today, well, 6.5x55 ammo from Midway USA, and a Ruger No. 1 rifle, through Gunbroker. There are two versions of the Ruger No. 1 listed, that chamber the 6.5x55, the 1-A Sporter, and the RSI. I reckon that these two would do, nicely. There. Who needs turn-bolts, anyway? This was a quick thought exercise.

1. Ruger No. 1, version 1-A Sporter, 6.5x55.

2. Ruger No.1, version RSI, 6.5x55.

Varmints to moose. Where I live, varmints are close-range. I am not going to travel to shoot varmints. No bears, buffalo, bison, or humans. No 1000-yard targets. Why complicate things?

 

[Buzznrose]

Personally, I don't think hunting critters larger than mule deer or smallish black bears with a 6.5 is really ethical. It's not a good elk gun IMO, and definitely not a proper moose gun.

I do believe you can kill the big critters with 6.5, but I also think it's a poor choice and lots of chances for wounding and losing creatures.

 

[Hokkmike]

6.5 grendel
260 rem
6.5x55
6.5 prc
26 nosler

Toy fair-weather can buy rifles for me anytime. Now just for fun, what gun goes with what caliber? I saw a BEAUTIFUL SAKO ultralight all weather in .260 at Euro Optics, in Williamsport, PA. I have also has the pleasure of taking afield a 6.5x55 in Winchester Model 70 and SAKO Finnlight. I have seen beautiful SAUERS in the middle calibers as well. And one that I should have bought, a nifty Valmet O/U 6.5x55 over 12 gauge.... (the complete gun)

 

[magyars4]

Just received my first drillng 12/12/30-06 with 22LR insert. Think I could do it all with this!

 

[earlthegoat2]

I dont understand the question......

Every so often, I get a wild thought about investing in 6.5 anything. I could use it for all of my bottleneck rifle hunting I say. Then I say I can fully invest in a reloading setup for it and be completely sufficient with just one 6.5 cartridge. Then I realize I have all of that already for 30-06 and that will do all I ever need a rifle for. Yeah yeah more recoil, powder, and some other things people like to mention whenever 6.5 advantages over everything else come up but I really dont care about those trivialities.

But just to play: and note this is not a list to hunt everything in NA. Just a list of what I think would be a nice battery of 6.5s.

6.5x55 Swedish Mauser - Ruger No 1 RSI A great combination of rifle and cartridge.
6.5 Grendel- AR15 This way I would have a 6.5 in an AR15.
6.5x284 Norma - 1000 yd High Power type gun
6.5-06 - Remington 7600 I like the Remington 7600 and this is the round I would choose for it. This would probably be my main hunting rifle.
26 Nosler - Nosler Custom Rifle For when I need all the velocity.

 

[troy fairweather]

Toy fair-weather can buy rifles for me anytime. Now just for fun, what gun goes with what caliber? I saw a BEAUTIFUL SAKO ultralight all weather in .260 at Euro Optics, in Williamsport, PA. I have also has the pleasure of taking afield a 6.5x55 in Winchester Model 70 and SAKO Finnlight. I have seen beautiful SAUERS in the middle calibers as well. And one that I should have bought, a nifty Valet O/U 6.5x55 over 12 gauge.... (the complete gun)

Lol there's a few more 6.5s I would have liked to added like the 6.5 jap 6.5x57 mauser.6.5 carcano, 6.5-284 6.5-06 there's a bunch more. Good cartridges can be made great paired with the right gun.

 

[adcoch1]

Ok I'll play:
6.5 grendel in a cz 527 or a ruger American for varmints and smaller game like speed goats.
6.5 grendel again for an ar15. Homestead protection and general fun.

6.5 creedmoor left hand bolt gun for the wife's deer gun. Probably a ruger American or tikka for this.

Custom savage or Remington 700 style action in a mdt XL chassis chambered in 6.5x55 for a blind gun/ target rifle.

6.5 prc Christensen arms for a big game rifle.

Only one of these I have is the ruger American in 6.5 grendel, for the moment it is the 6.5 I need. Really want that custom 6.5x55 though...

 

[DocRock]

I can do it in 3:

6.5 Grendel
6.5x55
6.5PRC

 

[H&Hhunter]

I’m going to stick with a .256 Newton and a 6.5/06.

 

[horsemen61]

I’m going to stick with a .256 Newton and a 6.5/06.

I am not familiar with the .256 Newton how is it different from the 6.5-06?

 

[H&Hhunter]

I am not familiar with the .256 Newton how is it different from the 6.5-06?

Almost identical but .256 Newton just sounds cooler than 6.5/06.

But in reality the 6.5/06, 6.5 CM, .260, 6.5x55 are all about identical for use on game in the field. Even stepping up to a .264 Win Mag or a .26 Nos only give you a bit more MPBR there isn’t much difference in terminal affect on game.

When it comes to the 6.5’s pick one you like and and one that sounds cool, shoot it and kill stuff with it. There is very little practical difference.

 

[George P]

Almost identical but .256 Newton just sounds cooler than 6.5/06.

But in reality the 6.5/06, 6.5 CM, .260, 6.5x55 are all about identical for use on game in the field. Even stepping up to a .264 Win Mag or a .26 Nos only give you a bit more MPBR there isn’t much difference in terminal affect on game.

When it comes to the 6.5’s pick one you like and and one that sounds cool, shoot it and kill stuff with it. There is very little practical difference.

Add in the 6.5 x 57

 

[horsey300]

1 lightweight ar in 6.5g (game hunts)
1 heavyweight ar in 6.5g(predator/varmint hunts)
1 bolt action in 6.5 c. Suppressed. 20" tube.
1 bighorn action, shilen ss 22" tube, b&c stock, still deciding trigger-probably start with timney, still deciding scope too. Chambered in 6.5wsm(leopard). Specifically launching 142-160 weights hard and fast.
1 bolt gun in (probably savage in a custom stock) 6.5 prc, Norma, or .264 wm pick one, they'll all do what I want for this one.

 

[rayatphonix]

6.5 Grendel - CZ 527
6.5 Creedmoor - Bergara Approach
6.5 Norma - Ruger #1 V.
6.5 Remington Magnum - Mauser 98
6.5 SAUM - Custom long range rifle

I’ve got the first four, and can’t afford and/or justify the fifth. I agree with many others that I’d rather not face a brown bear with a 6.5 anything. But I figure the SAUM would be as good a choice as any.

 

[WisBorn]

This would be a total wish list for me. Never had a 6.5 (YET).

Weatherby Mark V Meat Eater 6.5-300 Weatherby
Remington Model 700 in 260 rem
Ruger No 1 in 6.5x55
Winchester Classic style model 70 in 264 win mag. (Hate the safety but nice rifle)
Ruger American in 6.5 creedmoor (this one is on my short list)

All the rifles would be left handed

Truth of the matter the Weatherby and the Ruger American would cover all the bases quite well, but it is a wish list.

 

[army_eod]

6.5-300 Weatherby mag

6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum

 

[Buzznrose]

I can do it in 3:

6.5 Grendel
6.5x55
6.5PRC

I can do it in one....

30.06.5

It’s like a chubby, middle aged 6.5 that’s a bit past it’s prime but can still knock you on your butt in one punch!

 

[Varminterror]

6.5 Grendel
6.5 PRC

Done. Use the money left over to buy 3 other rifles chambered for something other than a 6.5mm, or a whole lot of ammo, tags, or training.

Won’t be perfect for everything, but those two will work fine for everything, without concession.

 

[marksman13]

For anything I am going to hunt in North America, I’ll be just fine with my 6.5x55s. I wouldn’t want to shoot a brown bear at close range with a x55, but I believe the cartridge quite capable of killing any North American game out to a few hundred yards.

 

[Txhillbilly]

Well I just happen to have five 6.5's.
Two 6.5 CM's
6.5-06
260 Remington
6.5 x 6.8 wildcat AR

 

[BreechFace]

I love 6.5 cartridges so easy to fix with a quick expander button

6.5 Grendel necked up to 7mm
6.5 Creedmoor necked up to 7mm
6.5 PRC necked up to 7mm
6.5-284 necked back to 7mm
.264 Winchester Magnum necked up to 7mm