[elk-acholic]

I've heard that guns chambered in 6.5x284 don't have a very long barrel life. Is this true for all 6.5 calibers. Like the .264 win mag, the 6.5x55, and the .260 rem?

[Txhillbilly]

I personally don't have any 6.5 experience,but the 264 Win Mag was known for having a short throat life as is the 6.5x284.

As long as you stay below max loads,the barrel life should be good for several years of shooting if you don't shoot competitively.
I do know that 260 Remington brass doesn't last long reloading,that's why I was planning on building a 6.5 Creedmoor-I can buy better brass from Hornady.
The 260 Rem,6.5 Creedmoor,and 6.5x47 Lapua are all very close in comparison.
The 6.5x55 is an excellent caliber,and it's still a standard in Europe,kind of like the 30/06 in North America.
The 6.5x284 was mainly designed for long range competition and bench rest shooting,and those guy's don't mind swapping barrels several times a year.

[natman]

Originally Posted by elk-acholic

I've heard that guns chambered in 6.5x284 don't have a very long barrel life. Is this true for all 6.5 calibers. Like the .264 win mag, the 6.5x55, and the .260 rem?

The main thing that determines barrel life is the ratio of case capacity to bore diameter. A 6.5 bore is fairly small, so it starts to get hard on barrels sooner than larger calibers. Of the cartridges listed they would rank this way in terms of barrel life:

260-6.5x55 - the 6.5x55 has more capacity, but is factory loaded to lower pressure, so it's more or less a tie. Neither are hard on barrels.

6.5x284 - this is a larger case, roughly equivalent to a 6.5-06, so it's harder, but still not too drastic.

264 Win Mag - a magnum case with a 6.5 bore is pretty tough on barrels.

Just to put it into perspective, big game hunting is not really hard on barrels. You could get a 264 WM, carefully sight it in and hunt until you passed it down to your grandkids on the original barrel. Just don't try to clean out a prairie dog town with it, or see how fast you can get off 100 shots in a row.

[axxe55]

Originally Posted by natman

The main thing that determines barrel life is the ratio of case capacity to bore diameter. A 6.5 bore is fairly small, so it starts to get hard on barrels sooner than larger calibers. Of the cartridges listed they would rank this way in terms of barrel life:

260-6.5x55 - the 6.5x55 has more capacity, but is factory loaded to lower pressure, so it's more or less a tie. Neither are hard on barrels.

6.5x284 - this is a larger case, roughly equivalent to a 6.5-06, so it's harder, but still not too drastic.

264 Win Mag - a magnum case with a 6.5 bore is pretty tough on barrels.

Just to put it into perspective, big game hunting is not really hard on barrels. You could get a 264 WM, carefully sight it in and hunt until you passed it down to your grandkids on the original barrel. Just don't try to clean out a prairie dog town with it, or see how fast you can get off 100 shots in a row.

natman, i'm building a custom rifle chambered in 6.5mm-06, what would you suggest that the amount of rounds approximately could be shot through it before a new barrel was needed?

[jpattersonnh]

The angle of the shoulder has quite a bit to do w/ it also. 6.5-06 should last quite a while if you don't hot rod it. 6.5x55, well I own 4, my son has 1. My oldest original is from 1907, still going strong. My 1962 Hunter is very accurate. If I were looking for, or were to build a new 6.5, the -06 would be it. Very close to .264 mag, but with a much longer barrel life.

[axxe55]

Originally Posted by jpattersonnh

The angle of the shoulder has quite a bit to do w/ it also. 6.5-06 should last quite a while if you don't hot rod it. 6.5x55, well I own 4, my son has 1. My oldest original is from 1907, still going strong. My 1962 Hunter is very accurate. If I were looking for, or were to build a new 6.5, the -06 would be it. Very close to .264 mag, but with a much longer barrel life.

thanks JP. but what about number of rounds i should be able to get out of the barrel before i needed to replace it, even if i am conservative on my handloads?

[hardluk1]

Most guys loading 6.5-284 are only loading to 300fps or less, mainly less. They can just use a powder than will burn better in a 28" barrel or longer. But all the smaller 6.5mm's work very well and distance. Stay with a 260 or creadmore and barrels throats hold up well and can still be a good shooter even after some erosion. Just go spend some time at 6mmbr forum

[axxe55]

Originally Posted by hardluk1

Most guys loading 6.5-284 are only loading to 300fps or less, mainly less. They can just use a powder than will burn better in a 28" barrel or longer. But all the smaller 6.5mm's work very well and distance. Stay with a 260 or creadmore and barrels throats hold up well and can still be a good shooter even after some erosion. Just go spend some time at 6mmbr forum

sorry hardluk, but my caliber is already decided based on action length and the bolt face size. if i shoot the barrel out, i wll just have to replace it. but thanks for the suggestion.