your 1st

T

TexasLife

Handloader
May 24, 2020
407
345
What was your 1st 26cal, most used and favorite of this caliber?
1st, 264wm (Dad's pre'64)
most used, 264wm (40 years)
favorite, you guessed..........264wm
While I do have 4 cartridges in 26cal (6.5G, 6.5CM, 260rem and 264wm) the 264wm is the only 1 not in an AR style platform (working on 1).
 
My first was 6.5-284 Norma. I knew it was a competition cartridge and I expected too much out of it in a hunting rifle.

Second, 264 Win Mag. Definitely faster and about the same accuracy as 65-284. It loved Retumbo but these were the days before borescopes, I development hard carbon deposits with Retumbo and I pulled the barrel because of pressure problems.

Then 260 Remington in a AR10 , fun little rifle.

Then 26 Nosler. My first barrel was awesome. Accurate, very fast but it was a heavy varmint and made the gun too heavy for hunting. Second barrel , I was told the cartridge was a barrel burner so I had it nitrided. RUINED the barrel. I'm on my third 26N barrel and love it. Death to whitetail!!!20220402_092547~3.jpg


First 6.5wsm barrel was made by Preffered barrel Blanks, what a nightmare disaster job they did. Second one done by PacNor, 26" 3150fps with 140gr and accurate.

260 AI in a Target Rifle. LOVE THIS CARTRIDGE !!! Shoots tiny little groups very consistently even in high winds. Very easy to tune!20210619_214038.jpg

Just got in new PacNor 264 win mag barrel and plan on this build as my winter project.
 
Note: all of these are single-shot specialty pistols.
My first was the 6.5-284 in the mid 90's (custom XP-100)
2nd - 260 Remington couple years later (MOA Maximum)
3rd - 6.5-270 WSM (6.5 Leopard) (around 14 years ago)
4th - 6.5 Creed
5th - 26 Nosler
6th - 6.5 PRC

My favorite is probably the 6.5-284
 
Mine was a 6.5 CM. A Begarra B14. Don’t think I paid more than 500 bucks for it. Thing was an honest 1/2 minute rifle with damn near anything. Let my Grandson borrow it aabout five years ago. Killed his first buck with it. Haven’t seen it since.
Bought a Christiansen arms MPR in 6.5. thing is a POS. Swapped scopes, dozens of loads, tons of time and my 55 year old Ruger 06 outshoots it. Need to sell the dang thing.
I have lots of brass and bullets on hand, trying to work a trade for another 6.5.
Dads will kept me from getting his 264wm He bought for sheep when we lived in Fairbanks in the late 50s early 60s. Said right there, don’t let Donny have it; he’ll burn the barrel out of it.:)
 
salmonchaser said:
Bought a Christiansen arms MPR in 6.5. thing is a POS. Swapped scopes, dozens of loads, tons of time and my 55 year old Ruger 06 outshoots it. Need to sell the dang thing.
:)
Click to expand...
This is sadly quite common among that brand.
Some shoot lights out, while others...
I have seen quite a few that fit both categories.
I would never buy a CA, unless it was used, and I knew it was accurate.
Every company has issues, but CA seems to have had more than their fair share.
 
For the kind of money they want I’m thinking the same thing. Not interested in swapping out barrels as I’m a left handed shooter. The more I shot the MPR the more I didn’t like it.
 
6.5x55, 260Rem. Got a Win 70 6.5x55 some several years ago just because I like that style of rifle and wanted to try the caliber. Haven't been disappointed. For whitetails it's everything a 243 Win wants to be. One of my grandsons killed couple of deer with it. Bought him a Savage 11 in 260 Rem. Did ok, not the best grouping Savage but he did kill couple of deer with good results. Both cartridges are good ones in my book. Dan.
 
first was a 6.5x284. Never carried it hunting
then a 6.5 PRC, and I've killed several hogs, deer and a black bear with it, I really enjoy it. Scarry accurate and hits hard.
Now we have a Grendel, and I have come to love that little fella, it is a fantastic deer round for around here where a long shot is 250 yds. It seems to punch well above its weight class.
 
I had a Barrett Fieldcraft in 6.5CM... that rifle was just scary accurate, particularly considering it weight 5 pounds bare.'

I later got a Christensen MPR in 6.5CM... accurate and very easy to shoot really well but it was a pain to carry hunting. I got rid of it after decking several caribou.

Now that I'm in the southeast, I'd really like another for a whitetail rifle...maybe something like a 6.5 Grendel.
 
First 6.5 cartridge was the 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser.
Bought the scandinavian semi-auto rifle just to play with it until I could afford the then new Rem 700 Classic in 6.5x55 (1994 or 1995). Had that rifle for several years and spent a lot of time reloading, shooting and then hunting with it. Love this cartridge!
Have taken whitetail, caribou, elk, moose and stones sheep to date with the Swede.
Foolishly sold it thinking I would get a left handed one, and ended up with another Classic for a while, which was not as accurate as the first, but had nicer wood.
Finally got a LH Sako 85 Hunter with very nice wood, and is very accurate with factory ammo out of the box! Haven't yet taken time to handload for it, as it is doing well with my current supply of Nosler 140 gr AB ammo. Shoots very well with the HSM 140 gr Berger ammo too, and has accounted for a caribou with this ammo. The remainder of the ammo will be used for target practice as I was less than impressed with its on-game performance. (I know a one-off experience isn't exactly a fair comparison to judge a bullet by...)
It is my most used 6.5 cartridge, and may not change. Same for it as my favourite.
I have also owned rifles in 6.5x284 Norma and 260 Rem, and also like these cartridges, but didn't keep the rifles, as the Savage stainless/synthetic was just plain fugly and not as accurate as hoped for, and the Sako 85 VLS was right handed (but accurate, beautiful and fun to shoot).
I also own a Browning LH X Bolt All-Weather rebarreled to 6.5 CM that is accurate and fun to shoot, and has accounted for a moose so far. Have a stash of 130 gr AB's that I want to develop a load for this rifle with. This one is also a keeper. Have suggested the wife should try it just to try a 6.5 in a LH rifle...but then again...better not as she may fall in love with and lay claim to it!:cautious:
I have purchased another LH X Bolt in 270 WSM and will be rebarreling it to 6.5 PRC so I can experiment with the new kid on the block. Had to get the proper magazines as the 6.5 PRC ammo will not fit in the 270 WSM magazine. Have acquired ammo for testing potential once rifle is complete. looking forward to using this when finally complete!
Not overly interested in playing with the 26 Nosler, 6.5-300 Wby or 6.5 RPM at this point...but who knows that may change if a lefty rifle should cross my path one day. The 6.5 STW has some interest...just because I have a great experience with the 7mm STW.
The 6.5 Rem Mag is interesting, but chances of seeing a left handed rifle in this cartridge are slim, if not non-existent.
 
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