6.5 Rem Mag vs. 264 Rem Mag

bludaox

What is the difference between the 6.5 rem Mag and the .264 rem Mag?
Are they both belted? Any help would help/
Thanks

sandwarrior

bludaox,

If you mean the 6.5 Rem mag and .264 Win Mag.(?). For starters each has a head size of .532 and a belt just above it. The .264 Win Mag has a longer case, 2.5" compared to 2.170" for the Rem 6.5. Height to shoulder on .264 is 2.040 and height to shoulder on 6.5 is 1.63". Shoulder on .264 is .491" and .496" on the 6.5 Rem. So with those general measurements the .264 Win has a case capacity advantage which in general terms helps with pushing heavier bullets out faster. Otherwise at the lighter end of the spectrum the 6.5 keeps right up with the .264 I hope you do understand too that they shoot the exact same diameter bullets and can shoot all the same weights offered in those bullets. -hope that helps

nononsense

bludaox,

This will get you started but there is a ton of material if you use a good search engine. Both are excellent cartridges but need to be loaded carefully to avoid burning out the barrels prematurely. Both cartridges can be considered to be excellent long range cartridges as well. The .264 diameter bullets have proportionally high Ballistic Coefficients (BC) for their diameter. The 6.5 Rem. Mag. can also be compared to the current long range favorite, 6.5 x 284 Norma which is beltless but has approximately the same case capacity and can be used in a short action when necessary.

6.5 Remington Magnum

When the 6.5 Remington Magnum was introduced in 1966, those who take great joy in redesigning every new cartridge that comes down the pike were in hog heaven. Some even went so far as to have custom rifles with long actions built so handloads with bullets seated out of the powder cavity could be used. This, despite the fact that the longer .264 Winchester Magnum was already available for long action rifles. Truth is, those fellows were so busy finding fault with the new cartridge, they overlooked the logic behind its design; the 6.5mm Remington Magnum was designed to cycle through and squeeze .270 Winchester performance from the short action Model 600 carbine.

At one time or another, the 6.5 Magnum has been available in the Remington Models 600 and 660 carbines, Remington Model 700 and Ruger Model 77. Years ago, Ruger also produced a few No. 1 single shots with 26" barrels in this chambering. As this is written, the Remington Custom Shop and Ultra Light Arms are the only known sources of commercially produced rifles in 6.5 Remington Magnum.

Despite the criticism it has endured, the 6.5 Magnum is an excellent big game cartridge. From 18-1/2 and 20" barrels, respectively, it will push a 120 grain and 125 grain bullet to 2900 and 3100 fps. Those who have experience with this cartridge consider the 125 grain Nosler Partition to be an excellent choice for deer, caribou, and such but usually prefer the 129 or 140 grain bullets for moose and elk. Most handloaders prefer H4350, IMR-4350, and H414 in the 6.5 Magnum but H4831 and IMR-4831 often produce higher velocities with heavier bullets. For varmint shooting, H380 or IMR-4320 loaded behind the 87 or 100 grain bullets are excellent choices.

Source: Hodgdon Data Manual, 26th Edition

The 6.5 Remington Mag. has a case capacity of approximately 68.0 gr.



.264 Winchester Magnum

The .264 Winchester Magnum caused plenty of excitement when it was introduced in 1958. The color advertisement read: "The .264 Winchester Magnum, Its Makes A Helluva Noise And Packs A Helluva Punch." And it did. Then came the 7mm Remington Magnumto steal all the thunder and the .264 Magnums gathered dust on dealer's shelves. Which is sad since Winchesters cartridge does everything they said it would do. In the 26" barrel of the Model 70 Westerner, that is. But shooters wanted a shorter barrel and they og it in the Model 70 Featherweight. They also got plenty of muzzle blast, plenty of recoil, and .270 Winchesterperformance. Some consider it to be a deer cartridge at most while the opposing team praises the .264 as an excellent elk cartridge. Actually, both are correct when bullets of proper weight and construction for the job at hand are used. A 140 grain spitzer loaded to 3100 fps in a 26" barrel delivers almost a ton of residual energy at 300 yards. It sectional density is about the same as that of the 160 grain 7mm, and 190 grain .30 caliber bullets.

This text is based on information from "Cartridges of the World", Hodgdon reloading manual, the cartridge designer and/or own resources.

The .264 Winchester Magnum has a case capacity of approximately 82.0 gr.

ern98

Well the 264WinMag is way more powerful as well as being way more overbore then the 6.5RemMag. The 264WinMag will go thru barrels much faster then just about any other 6.5dia cartridge out there, but should easily be good for all the use the avarage hunting rifle will get. The 6.5RemMag yeilds prefomance better then the 6.5-284, which is one of the better 1000yd target cartridges being shot these days. The 264WinMag really hussles the heavier 6.5 dia bullet down the tube and as a long range hunting cartridge it may be one of the best sleepers out there. Why are you asking? I've just got done building a 6.5-284 hunting rifle and am really impressed with it. A partner of mine has a custom 264WinMag hunting rifle and it is a real go getter, but it has abilities that exceed mine & my friends ability to utalize. Neither of use are trying to hunt them out past 300yds or so.

remington nut

can't give you a comparison of the 2 but more of a commentary of the .264 win mag. i bought a .264 win mag Remington 700 BDL Stainless Synthetic over 4 years ago and love the hell out of it. i load it just under 3000 fps with a 140 gr Sierra spitzer boattail and shoot less than an inch at 100 yards. i've put over 500 rds through it since i've had it and haven't had any problems with throat erosion, when i started handloading for the .264 i had to seat the bullets way deeper than sierra specs from their book and after several phone calls to the tech department they confirmed that they is usually normal. The reason for this is that the factory .264 diameter bullets are not a 2 diameter bullet that comes in factory ammo specifically for the .264 win mag. the 2 diameter bullet allows the bullet to go deeper into the barrel before touching the lands of the barrel. So with this being the case any throat erosion that occurs allows me to seat my bullet out closer to specified O.A.L. i had to adjust my powder amount accordingly to accomodate the smaller case capacity from seating the bullet deeper but once again that wasnt really a problem for me.

bludaox

In reply to ern98, I am quite a fan of the .264 win Mag with owning three different rifles in that caliber. I was looking at the Remington 673 guide rifle in the 6.5 Rem Mag and the thought came to me what the difference might be. I am aware of the need for the 26" barrel to save the throat. With the shorter case, is there still an inherited broblem with Remington's shorter barrel?

ern98

If I understand, you are asking if a barrel shorter then 26" will still generate good results with the 6.5RemMag? Sure, I'd expect a 24" barrel to do fine with it, because of the somewhat smaller case capacity of the 6.5RemMag. A rifle's barrel is probably at it's best when the barrel length is properly proportioned to the case capacity of the cartridge. It is the mass production rifle market that keeps barrels regimented to such few lenths, so as to keep it easy on there production departments. Throat errosion, as I understand it, isn't very related to barrel length. It is mostly caused by the burning powder charge at the mouth of the case. Given charges of the same amount the smaller diameter bore should show errosion faster then a larger diameter. This is because the same amount of hot gases are trying to squeeze thru the smaller hole and have less material to work on then with the larger. To keep this to a minimum the usual answer is to keep the barrel as cool as practical. I take this to mean (3)shot groups for large magnums and (5) shot for -06 cased. If you grab the barrel in front of the forestock and it is uncomforatable, give it a rest. These days the manufacturing and material going into barrels is the best it has ever been, wearing out a barrel isn't the problem/topic that it used to be. These days it is mostly the varmint hunters and really avid target shooters that ever see their barrel's accuracy falling off because they've worn it out.

nononsense

bludaox,

The barrel length really doesn't have anything to do with the throat or damage done to the throat by the gases created when we fire a cartridge. Longer barrel lengths help with the burning of slower powders that burn at a lower temperature than the faster powders required by shorter barrels. Lower temperature plasma (hot gases produced by burning powder) does less damage to the internal surfaces of the barrel. Less damage means that the barrel lasts longer. Longer barrels can produce more velocity by letting the plasma reach its fullest potential.

Since the throat is the first part of the barrel that gets the effect of plasma, it is the first thing to go as a result. You can control some of the effects from plasma by using cartridges with longer necks and slightly sharper shoulders, both of which allow the powder to burn more completely in the case or at least in the first part of the barrel after the chamber. The angle of the shoulder also helps by directing the plasma into the side of the neck rather than impinging directly into the sides of the throat.

Balancing your powder selection with the weight of the bullet and the length of the barrel helps to achieve the most efficient use of all of your components. Short barrels should use slightly faster powders and longer barrels can use slightly slower powders. Shorter barrels usually produce more muzzle flash from hot plasma and will generally be louder to the shooter and observers. Longer barrels allow the gases to cool more than shorter barrels thereby reducing muzzle flash. The noise is further away from the shooter and those around him with longer barrels.

Cartridges like the .264 WM should have barrels 26" or longer no matter what bullet weight you choose. The case capacity in relationship to the volume of the bore benefits from the longer barrel.

The 6.5 RM can be used in slightly shorter barrels but the 18-1/2" or 20" barrels didn't do anyone a favor at all except to reduce some weight and make the rifle somewhat more easily carried. They are loud and muzzle flash is prominent. Some of the newer powders available today can help but a longer barrel will fix both problems.

If you want to use shorter barrels for any reason, get a different cartridge. Lapua is producing the new 6.5 X 47 Lapua which should be super in the shorter barrels. Think 6.5mm bullets on the 250 Savage case. It is designed with the target shooters in mind but it should also be terrific in the field.

Best.