Heym-Ruger No. 1 in 6.5x68

EOD Diver

Handloader
Dec 30, 2011
592
184
With all the Ruger #1 posts going up, I thought I’d join in with my latest report. It’s no secret that I love mountain hunting. I’ve done my best to continue to do so here in Europe and that means hunting gams, aka chamois! Having used a friend’s 25-06 last year on them, I was excited to bring out my .270 Win from CONUS because it seemed like a good fit. You can imagine that I was pretty beat up when the German government would not certify it when it arrived, but every cloud has a silver lining and the wife broke down and allowed me to purchase a rifle here in Germany. The search was on and I learned of a neat cartridge, called the 6.5x68, that is somewhat of a specialty round for mountain hunting here in the Alps. It has a case capacity similar to the 264 Win Mag, another one of my favorites thanks to my stepfather and his p64 Model 70 Westerner. In summary, the inventor was trying to stuff the largest case he could design in the Mauser 98 action that would still function reliably to shoot flat for the ranges encountered in the high country. The one down side to it is that it has a twist rate of 1 in 250mm (about 1:9.8 inches) due to weaker bullets of the day when it was conceived. I was looking for a svelte package in this cartridge when I happened upon a Heym single shot rifle on the internet. It turns out that Heym wanted to compete with some of the other European rifle makers in the single shot category here in Germany and decided to import Ruger #1 actions and then fit their stocks and barrels on them. It’s a light and handy package, despite its 26” barrel, as the No. 1 action trims both weight and length from the rifle. Heym is known for their attention to detail and the fit and finish of the rifle are outstanding, with rich deep bluing, great metal to wood tolerances and a beautiful bore. The rifle came with a fixed 6x Zeiss scope with a number 1 type reticle, which seems to be popular here, in detachable claw mounts. Ammunition for it is ridiculously expensive, but I am attempting to console myself with the excuse that RWS brass is some of the best, and upon returning to CONUS will be good for many loadings.
V/R,
Joe
 

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Wonderful!

Looking forward to a range report and some hunting reports too!

Guy
 
What a neat cartridge and what a classic rifle in which to fire it. That is a cartridge I considered when I built my 358 Norma Magnum instead. Since I had the 8X68S, I thought the 6.5X68 would be an ideal companion. I may still have to build one, just because. Looking forward to learning from your work with the cartridge.
 
If only they used barrels with a faster twist!!
That one with a 140 grain AccuBond would deal damage waaaayyy out...

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Guys,
Thank you! It's a neat little package that I'm excited to shoot! Germany is currently on a pretty severe lockdown and I can't pick up the ammunition that I ordered, so it looks like I'll have to wait a bit before I can get out with it. Looking at the twist rate, it looks like Nosler Partitions are going to work out a bit better than the Accubonds that I normally shoot. No drama there, as the Partition remains one of the best out there. I thought I'd try the 140 grain first, but I've been looking around for bullets for a couple of weeks now and the only ones I've found in stock are 125 grain Partitions. They should be scooting pretty quickly out of the rifle, I'd imagine. Sadly, a person can't load here unless they've completed a reloading course and have a certificate, but a friend of mine has a guy that reloads for him and is passing me on his contact information. I'm a little bummed about using a surrogate to load for me, but I guess those are the breaks sometimes. I'll be reaching out to the group for some load advice here shortly!
V/R,
Joe
 
That’s a stinking cool rifle Joe. What a darned blessing it is. Ultra cool rifle in a very cool cartridge. Man, even the twist wouldn’t bother me much if it’ll take 140 Partitions or even the 125 Partitions or 130 Accubonds. It’s got so much case space you should be able to send them trucking!

Cannot wait till you get a little range time with it as well. I even love the scope and mount. That’s perfect for the European adventures. Dang, that’s a great deal. Happy as heck for you buddy.
 
A Heym-Ruger #1. You know that as a collector of Ruger #1s I'm green with envy. I would love to have one in 7x57 Mauser.
Paul B.
 
Scotty/Paul,
Thank guys! I’m pretty excited to shoot it, but they just extended the lockdown until 15 Feb! I’m chomping at the bit to go and get my ammo for it so I can send a few down range!
V/R,
Joe
 
EOD Diver":2dsr6s5i said:
Scotty/Paul,
Thank guys! I’m pretty excited to shoot it, but they just extended the lockdown until 15 Feb! I’m chomping at the bit to go and get my ammo for it so I can send a few down range!
V/R,
Joe

I bet. I would be myself! That’s a wicked looking rifle!
 
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