Q: All of a sudden it seems like 6.5mm calibre cartridges are taking the shooting world by storm. I am amazed because hardly a decade ago, they were largely being ignored. How did this happen?
I have a 6.5-284. What bullet would you suggest for a New Zealand hunt? I am after tahr, chamois and fallow deer. Could you recommend a bullet and load?
James Beckett
A: Search me! For more than a century .264/6.5mm calibre cartridges failed to gain much popularity in America. No matter how good or accurate it was, the cartridge just never caught on.
This was also the case with the homespun 6.5 Newton, 6.5 Rem Mag, .264 Win Mag and .260 Rem, all of which have become semi-obsolete and are largely forgotten despite being excellent performers.
The renaissance began slowly with the introduction of the 6.5-284 Norma, 6.5 Grendel and 6.5 Creedmoor, then suddenly took off and became a landslide with the introduction of the 26 Nosler, 6.5 PRC and the 6.5-300 Weatherby.
Back in 1914, Charles Newton claimed that the 6.5 represented the ideal diameter for combining bullet weight, sectional density and velocity for North American game. I guess it took American hunters and shooters over a century to catch on!
My favourite 6.5-284 load in a Model 70 rifle used the Barnes 120gn TSX over 52gn of AR2209 for 3150fps. Start with 51gn and work up one grain at a time.
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