1
Custom Mauser 98 has Canjar
trigger, accessory bolt handle
and is fit ted with Sightron 3-9x4 0
scope in Leupold mounts.
2
Handloaded 6.5 Rem. Mag. with
bullet seated out competes with
the 6.5-284 Norma, 6.5x65 RWS,
6.5x68 and .264 Win. Mag.
FEW modern shooters have
ever heard of the 6.5
Remington Magnum, let
alone seen one in the flesh.
Yet it didn't fail through any
lack of performance, but
rather because it was created
for a specific firearm which
wasn't capable of developing
its full potential.
Introduced in 1966 to
generate .270 ballistics in
Remington's bolt-action Model
600 carbine, the 6.5 Remington
Magnum is just a necked-down
version of the company's .350
Magnum which was birthed
two years earlier. Both rounds
are based on much-shortened
versions of the .300 H&H belted
case. The Model 600 carbine
which appeared in late 1964,
used the same action as
Remington's XP-100 pistol and
had an a 457mm barrel with
odd-looking plastic ventilated
rib, dogleg bolt handle, and
hardwood stock with plastic
trigger-guard-floorplate.
Initially in .222 Remington,
.244 Remington, .308 Win. and
.35 Rem., it barely weighed
2.5kgs and had an overall
length of only 946mm.
I got the Model 500 history
from Remington's Chief
Enginees, Wayne Leek and
Mike Walker when I met them
at Les Bowman's ranch at
Ocate, New Mexico back in the
late 1960s. Wayne told me thereason they designed the .350
Rem. was to have powerful
cartridge for the Model 600
that guides could carry in a
saddle scabbard that would be
a powerful back-up gun for big
bears. It would also handle elk
and moose at short range, and
could be carried as a survival
gun in 4x4s and light aircraft.
Les Bowman had three of these
handy-dandy carbines that
Wayne had given him- a 6mm Rem., a 6.5 Rem. Mag.
and a .350 Rem. Mag. The latter
differed from the standard
models by having a laminated
walnut/beech stock and
heavier barrel. As-issued, it
tipped the scale at 2.3kgs. Les
had equipped his gun with a
Leupold long-eye relief scope
that he mounted well ahead of
the action.
Les, wrote about his own
experiences with the 6.5:
"I personally spent one year
experimenting with the first
two 6.5 Remington Magnums
before the company brought
them them out. Suddenly
I realised that I had been using
bullets that were too heavy for
the best ballistics. If the best
performance from the .270
Win. (proven over 50 years of
use) was with 130gn bullets,
then I was wasting my time
messing with a heavier 140gn
bullet in the 6.5 (.264).
I immediately phoned Wayne,
but he said he'd come to the
same conclusion and already
had some 120gn Core-Lokts
being made for game. Nick,
have you tried the 120gn
Core-Lokt yet? Do so! I have
killed many elk with them, so
never again will I use
anything heavier than the
129gn Hornady and very
seldom even that heavy."
When Remington finally
introduced it in 1966, the only
load available, wasthe 120gn
Core-Lokt PSP bullet at a
published muzzle velocity of
3030 fps, dropping off the 2750,
2480, 2230, 2000 and 1790 fps at
100, 200, 300, 400 and 500
yards, respectively. Those
ballistics were apparently
obtained in the 457mm
barrel of the Remington
Model 600.
Intrigued by what I'd been
told and after shooting Les
Bowman's Model 600,
I started investigating the 6.5
Rem. Mag. and was
The Forgotten 6.5 Remington Magnum
84 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ APRIL 2015
This dumpy belted cartridge can lay a legitimate claim
to being one of a pair of the first true short magnums.
Mention it today, however, and you get is a blank stare.
PRACTICAL
RELOADING TECHNICAL TIPS & INFO – BY NICK HARVEY1
2
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