new cartridge

[JimP]

Weatherby considered the 6.5x300 Weatherby new since they standardized it. Before that it was considered a wildcat.

The same could be said of the old 25-06. It was around for years as a wildcat before Remington decided to standardize the cartridge and actually started to produce them from a factory.

 

[CoElkHunter]

@bruce moulds
The old cals like the 35 rem,30/30, 44/40and hog for bid the 45/70 of yore weren't as effective as the old timers made out. That's why the old guns had a lot of broken stocks. The old fellas had to get close enough to hit game on the head with the but because the cartridges were so ineffective.
Thank God for these new wizz bangs, no more broken stocks because you can now shoot game that far away they are called shoot today, kill tomorrow cartridges.
Man I just might have to get one so I can become a shooter not a hunter.
Enough of my crap I will just have to stick with old ineffective cartridges like the 30 ought six, 35 Whelen 9.3x62 and Bruce's old 9.3x64. Dang I might even get that old ineffective 270 Winchester but I don't know If'n it would have enough power for hunting.
Bob

Bob, don’t forget the .243 Winchester! Old cartridges die hard!
CEH

 

[Forrest Halley]

Why not take something like the Rum and neck it to .277 and then play long range bullet games? The long range crowd is using brakes anyhow. Or even better the .378 necked down to .277.

 

[Forrest Halley]

Bob, don’t forget the .243 Winchester! Old cartridges die hard!
CEH

Bob just got fair dinkum poked!

 

[CoElkHunter]

Weatherby considered the 6.5x300 Weatherby new since they standardized it. Before that it was considered a wildcat.

The same could be said of the old 25-06. It was around for years as a wildcat before Remington decided to standardize the cartridge and actually started to produce them from a factory.

Very true. I guess I feel the wildcatters aren’t getting the credit they deserve. In this instance, Weatherby is taking credit for this “new” 6.5 when others created it based on their case. Weatherby did standardize it and is making a profit off it, but they didn’t design it and their advertisements make no mention of this. I guess the .35 Whelen could have been the “new” .35 Savage if the stars had been aligned right. Heck, it might have even fit in their 99 model? Maybe not?
I guess after almost fifty years of the 6.5x300 Weatherby’s creation, Weatherby decided to jump into the hot 6.5 market. Probably a prudent financial decision and I’m sure it will have it’s niche within the long range shooters club.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Bob just got fair dinkum poked!

Ha! Ha! Bob loves the attention! Besides, he can always neck it up to .25 and have his .25 Souper (Super?). He’s said Souper, must be OZ for Super?

 

[fourfive8]

Have mercy, stop it!... I'm still laughing from earlier today about Bruce's "6.5 manbun". Funniest thing I've read or heard in a month or two.

As to the new 6.8, good grief, what for? For a purely functional hunting caliber just wildcat a 7 Mauser into a 6.8 x 7 Mauser? Standard length action, just as with the 7 Mauser, will easily handle longer bullet lengths, especially for heavier conventionals or looooong monometals without impinging on case capacity. Plus the built-in body taper of the parent 7 Mauser helps ensure extraction and cycling. Good long neck for bullet alignment and grip and a full shoulder for positive headspace. Tweak the twist for 150-160 grainers. Seriously, what's not to like!

But no matter, as other have posted, manufacturers can't even keep up with supplying brass for the truly in-demand calibers so why even try to market a new one? Also, as others have rightfully posted, there seems to be some "disorder" involved especially in light of the insatiable demand for and huge market success of the WSSMs... uhhh or not

 

[Alaska Luke]

My first thought is why?

Some new rounds make sense. A 300 WSM is nice if you want an ultralight mountain rifle. The 375 Ruger gives me a more compact version of the 375 H&H. The 375 Raptor is a cool idea for the AR10 crowd.

And some cartridges male you more capable. My friend hunts everything with a 300 RUM and a 180 gr bullet. The point blank range is so far for him that he doesn't have to think about range finders and bullet drop at sane hunting ranges.

All that said we seem to have a ton of factory rounds and Wildcats covering the long range needs. I struggle to see where this helps anyone. If you are so cutting edge that a 7mm Mag won't cut it you are probably the kind of person who can handload a wildcat or put a custom barrel on a rifle.

Anyway the market for this seems small but who knows.

 

[BeeMaa]

My first thought is why?

Some new rounds make sense. A 300 WSM is nice if you want an ultralight mountain rifle. The 375 Ruger gives me a more compact version of the 375 H&H. The 375 Raptor is a cool idea for the AR10 crowd.

And some cartridges male you more capable. My friend hunts everything with a 300 RUM and a 180 gr bullet. The point blank range is so far for him that he doesn't have to think about range finders and bullet drop at sane hunting ranges.

All that said we seem to have a ton of factory rounds and Wildcats covering the long range needs. I struggle to see where this helps anyone. If you are so cutting edge that a 7mm Mag won't cut it you are probably the kind of person who can handload a wildcat or put a custom barrel on a rifle.

Anyway the market for this seems small but who knows.

Thing is a 375RUGER is a cartridge that makes sense.
It's 375H&H capabilities in a standard length action.
The shorter action is less expensive to make and Ruger was looking to make a move.
It made sense, and it has been a relative success for a medium bore.

I'm not arguing the popularity of the RUGER vs the H&H.
Just stating that it had done pretty well in the last 13 years.

The 6.8WST is an answer to a question no one asked.

 

[Alaska Luke]

Thing is a 375RUGER is a cartridge that makes sense.
It's 375H&H capabilities in a standard length action.
The shorter action is less expensive to make and Ruger was looking to make a move.
It made sense, and it has been a relative success for a medium bore.

I'm not arguing the popularity of the RUGER vs the H&H.
Just stating that it had done pretty well in the last 13 years.

The 6.8WST is an answer to a question no one asked.

I totally agree. The 375 Ruger makes sense in a way the 6.8 WST does not. My guess is it will end up as a glorified wildcat i.e. scarce and essentially a handloaders only thing.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Bob,
A “broken stock” scale? I like it! 1-10 scale with ten being the worse? The scale is basically based on rumors and third party hearsay and innuendos throughout one’s hunting adventures/articles and rifle/ammo preferences/prejudices as far as harvesting game animals. No true facts or common sense required. Example: Perhaps a .35 Whelen is a 6? Six times more likely to have to run something down after shooting it and brake the stock over it’s head to kill it. Savage .250-3000 a 7 (unless using Hydros, then a 6) .338WM a 3? 6.5 CR and now 6.8 Western both a 1? 6.5x300 Weatherby a 2. It could have been a 1, but it’s actually an old cartridge from the ‘60s and thus isn’t effective anymore and Weatherby lied about it being new, so ....
Thanks Bob!
CEH

@CoElkHunter
No mate you have got your math over comlicated. The old rifles were heavier than these new fangled ones. The weight of the rifle back then was based on the size of the game hunted. Deer ,small so lighter rifle and less hits on the head the animal required. For a larger animal like elk you needed a 45/70 bigger game heavier rifle . You wouldn't want to hit an elk or moose on the head with a light stocked 35 rem that would just piss them off. Hence the heavier rifle for bigger game.
Bob

 

[Tra3]

If i didn’t already own most of the calibers close to this new one.... it looks good on paper.

Imagine being brand new to hunting and shooting, this would be a good all around caliber to buy. But, it kinda looks like a 7mm mag to me.

 

[bruce moulds]

this would neck down to a fire eating 6mm with a fast twist barrel to shoot 105 gn bergers at varmints in the wind.
bruce.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I’m not into short mags, but I think I would take the 7mm WSM over this new one.

 

[bruce moulds]

wyatt,
i fully concur.
the 7mm version already has a fast enough twist for decent heavy bullets and id here now.
the new one is purely a marketing tool to separate fools from their money.
and in fact the old 7mm rem mag is better than both.
trick no 1 was to make idiots think they need a 308 length action, and now we see a development of that trick.
bruce.

 

[bruce moulds]

What in hell for? Put the money into making more ammo and components.

but newboomer,
if you buy all the new latest and greatest you can hit anything at any range without learning and practice.
in fact there is no need for basics anymore thanks to the marketing machine.
bruce.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Bob, don’t forget the .243 Winchester! Old cartridges die hard!
CEH

@CoElkHunter
It's easy to forget about that. It has no place in my book, it goes from .224 straight to .257 with noting in between. Starting with the 250 Savage and the 257 Roberts. They are both cartridges the other one always wanted to be but never will be. I honestly cant find a use for it as a hunting cartridge.
I know others disagree but they are entitled to. If'n they tried a good 25 they would shun the other one very quickly.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

My first thought is why?

Some new rounds make sense. A 300 WSM is nice if you want an ultralight mountain rifle. The 375 Ruger gives me a more compact version of the 375 H&H. The 375 Raptor is a cool idea for the AR10 crowd.

And some cartridges male you more capable. My friend hunts everything with a 300 RUM and a 180 gr bullet. The point blank range is so far for him that he doesn't have to think about range finders and bullet drop at sane hunting ranges.

All that said we seem to have a ton of factory rounds and Wildcats covering the long range needs. I struggle to see where this helps anyone. If you are so cutting edge that a 7mm Mag won't cut it you are probably the kind of person who can handload a wildcat or put a custom barrel on a rifle.

Anyway the market for this seems small but who knows.

@Alaska Luke
The 270 WSM is pretty much gone. It would have been easier to put a fast twist barrel on it and have a better cartridge than the Winchester but instead they got an even shorter 270 WSM that isn't much use but hey advertising bullshit helps a lot.
Why not a 270 WSSM

Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

If i didn’t already own most of the calibers close to this new one.... it looks good on paper.

Imagine being brand new to hunting and shooting, this would be a good all around caliber to buy. But, it kinda looks like a 7mm mag to me.

@Tra3
Even poop looks good on paper instead of your pants.
It actually has to do something nothing else will to bee better than what we have. They could give the 270WSM a fast twist barrel and do better. All the same dog food just a different can.
Bob

 

[bruce moulds]

@CoElkHunter
It's easy to forget about that. It has no place in my book, it goes from .224 straight to .257 with noting in between. Starting with the 250 Savage and the 257 Roberts. They are both cartridges the other one always wanted to be but never will be. I honestly cant find a use for it as a hunting cartridge.
I know others disagree but they are entitled to. If'n they tried a good 25 they would shun the other one very quickly.
Bob

bob, you forgot the 25/20 and the 25/35.
bruce.