Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals
In EHJ’s 2016 June/July issue Dan Turvey, Jr. and I debated the merits of .30 cal vs. sub .30 cal rifles. The spirited discussion lead to an understanding that both trains of thought have validity and many rounds and calibers can do the job on western big game.
However, Weatherby took the discussion to the next level and has bridged the gap, so to speak, enter the 6.5-300 Weatherby. This round is pushing a 130 grain bullet at a screaming 3,476 feet per second (fps) muzzle velocity. Being a traditional .30-06 guy, this is a mind blower and potential game changer of a round. I had one gentleman that has been called my twin in the industry (yes, I use the term loosely) tell me that the 6.5x.300 is so fast that it actually makes the earth go back in time one whole second when you pull the trigger. I’m not sure if that is true, but it gives you an idea of what we’re talking about with this rifle!
The 6.5x.300 round is extremely flat shooting due to the speeds it is pushing, helping take some of the longer range gambles and/or guesswork out of the equation. This fact can help any shooter extend their personal effective shooting range to greater distances if they so choose. That doesn’t mean that you are all in favor or all against “long-range hunting”. It simply helps you as a shooter be more comfortable with the distances you may already shoot and potentially extend those distances if that is a personal goal of your’s.
In addition, the Mark V Ultra Lightweight rifle weighs 6.75 lbs. With the muzzle break, the kick of this high velocity yet lightweight rifle is negligible. I was amazed at how much the recoil wasn’t noticed even though the bullet is screaming out of the muzzle.
If you are in the market for a new rifle and are a speed freak who is after a very flat-shooting caliber, this Mark V Ultra Lightweight rifle may be what you’ve been waiting for. Visit www.weatherby.com for rifle and ammo information.
That’s honking on , wonder what kind of barrel life you could expect…I love my 25.06
Sub 1000 rounds. As little as 600. But hella fast.
I’ve been shooting 130 gr. Barnes TTX AT OVER 3800 FPS for several years now in my 300 RUM. When 1st working up the load, I acually got just over 4000 fps. Three shot groups usually would print 2 shots under an inch and 1 flier. Never the same shot, sometimes 1st, sometimes the 3rd. Backing off slowly, I settled on about 3800 for optimum acuracy. Never noticed time going backwards,maybe it’s because of the 6.5’s superior BC! LOL! Let’s face it, both will be over bore capacity and probably be hard on barrels, but if raw speed floats your boat…….go for it!
I am a long-time Eastman’s subscriber who hunts with left hand bolt action rifles. The video accompanying this article shows a left hand rifle which appears to be chambered in the 6.5X300. Where does one get such a rifle?
Thanks
This was not a left handed rifle but a left handed shooter, me. Currently they don’t offer the 6.5×300 in a left hand model that I know of but that will change if I had to guess. Here’s the rifle, not the caliber, we were shooting in the left hand variant.
http://www.weatherby.com/products/rifles/mark-v/mark-vr-ultra-lightweight-left-hand.html
Sure they do just call weatherby.
Well barrel life aside, its a hunting rifle, out side of checking zero from time to time, One is not going to shoot it a whole lot other than a few shots at targets to make sure its hitting were you want it to, and the half dozen shots one might take on during a fall hunting season if you hunt in multiple states or have more than one bag limit on deer or what have you! I like the 6.5 x 55 and been shooting and hunting with one since the late 1980’s, I would not buy one for the simple reason, my hearing. I have loss a good bit of my hearing due to well a lot of shooting and flying light single engine multi engine and piston and turbine helicopters professionally for over 40 years now! Besides that, my running around hunting big game other than Deer in the NE is at an end- even if it was not, my old 7mm Remington Mag is plenty flat shooting enough for the shots I am willing to take on Big Game! This cartridge is way more that one needs for the intended game, but need and want are two different things, I doubt I will ever see one carried in the field as I have yet to see a 6.5 x 55 or 7 x 57 in the field other than the one I am shooting, plenty of 308’s 06’s 270’s and 30-30’s, saw a few 338 winchesters over the years, mostly up in Alaska were I was working, I shot and have one too!
We built a 6.5×55 for my daughter when she drew an elk tag at 13. Stoked with 140 gr. Nosler partitions she has taken a couple of elk a mule deer and a Coues whitetails. It is a fine little rifle and quite accurate. If I wanted a little more speed, I look to a 6.5/284 or possibly the Ruger 26.
I have a Weatherby Mark V Accu Mark in 30-378 Weatherby. I really like this gun but it is a really long gun to be packing around in the woods and the shells are outrageously expensive! I am guessing that this gun has a long barrel also and you can guarantee that the shells are extremely expensive! Just sayn!
Long barrel means accuracy…! I also have a 30-378… awesome gun.. like my rum 300 and 7mm rum better… half price shells and just as much pop…
Still child’s play compared to the 7.82 Lazzeroni Warbird. It might be a good round for deer hunting, but not enough for elk or moose.
Will the bullet hold together on a animal inside of 100 yards with that speed?
Obviously it depends on the bullet. Good quality bullets like Barnes Tipped triple shocks will definitely hold together and, unless you shoot a moose in the ass, you will likely never recover one. Berger bullets,another fine choice, will NOT hold together in the animal because that’s not how they’re designed. It won’t matter much to your target because it will probably never move out of it’s tracks! To me, the most interesting thing about this new offering,is the 6.5 bullet. Great accuracy and performance. Will it do anything that a 264 Win.Mag or the Lazzeroni version won’t do.? Probably not,but in my humble opinion more choices are a good thing.
what is the difference in the .6.5-300 than a .264 win mag same case everything is the same but the name ??
Hard to believe there are any quality animals out there anymore with weapons like these in the pipeline. Do you still call it hunting when you shoot an animal from the distances these loads are capable of? Just thinking.
World record Yukon moose harvested 270
Good round. We built a 300/25 win mag improved in 97. Have 5 of them now all shootunder 1/2 at 200 yards 5 shot groups and are pushing a 115 grain nosler BT at 3800plus. Great rifle for antelope and deer. We have killed a few elk. But like well placed shots. We have now moved onto the 7mm Ultra Mag. We shoot 140grain Nosler BT at 3750 fps. Our latest rifle built by Red Desert Rifles is a tack driver weighs 6 pounds 6 ounces with a 5×25 52 mm Swarovski on it. We have killed most North American animals. From Coues Deer to Grizzily, including lots of Elk Moose deer Caribou several sheep and lots of deer and antelope. This is the fastest flattest shooting rifle we have ever used and it drops animals in there tracks. 0-500 yards you put the cross hairs on them and it is a done deal. We have numerous one shot kills to 900 yards. Not sure why everyone hasn’t jumped on board with this caliber. 10 plus years of hunting and perfecting this ultralight flat shooting rifle have proven that this is truley the ultimate Caliber. 3 Spur Hunting.
The fastest is 6.5-50bmg pushing 140 gr. At 5000 god
How does the 6.5-300 compare to the 257 WM I have a Accue mark and I love it thanks
I have a 300 Weatherby mag necked down to 7mm that will spit a 150 gr out that fast and then some