06-06-2015, 11:57 PM
Another 6.5 that I am a fan of is the 6.5X54MS, the 1903 has one of the smoothest bolt actions I have ever owned. The 280 would have been a fantastic round if it had been adopted. When I was discussing building a Grendel bolt action on another forum several tried to talk me out of it saying I needed a 6.5 Creedmoor for more speed. My reply was I do not need more speed the Grendel has enough to get the job done I will ever ask of it. If I need more speed from a 6.5 diameter bullet that is what the 6.5-284 and 264 Win Mag are for.
If you look back into the history of the 6.5 rounds the Sweede has been around since 1892 and been getting the job done since then. The 6.5X54 MS was one of Bell's favorite elephant calibers and it is less powerful than the Sweede. Those early military 6.5s used long/heavy for caliber bullets and penetrated due to the high sectional density beyond what might seem logical to some. Those long bullets also required a fast twist rifling to be used to stabilize them which works great for us these days since those long for caliber pointed bullets also have a high BC for long range work. One big advantage of the long high BC bullets I rarely see discussed is retained energy at extended ranges. High BC bullets shed less velocity than lower BC bullets as range increases there fore have more energy delivered on target, do the math between the 6.5 Grendel and the 6.8SPC and it becomes easy to see and explain.
If you look back into the history of the 6.5 rounds the Sweede has been around since 1892 and been getting the job done since then. The 6.5X54 MS was one of Bell's favorite elephant calibers and it is less powerful than the Sweede. Those early military 6.5s used long/heavy for caliber bullets and penetrated due to the high sectional density beyond what might seem logical to some. Those long bullets also required a fast twist rifling to be used to stabilize them which works great for us these days since those long for caliber pointed bullets also have a high BC for long range work. One big advantage of the long high BC bullets I rarely see discussed is retained energy at extended ranges. High BC bullets shed less velocity than lower BC bullets as range increases there fore have more energy delivered on target, do the math between the 6.5 Grendel and the 6.8SPC and it becomes easy to see and explain.