2 of the most underrated rifle cartridges

At this year's Nationals, the US Army team set a team record for service rifles at 1000 yards using AR10's and 185-gr. Berger bullets in their 20 inch barrels. Betcha a bag of goodies their handloads were up the the blue pill pressure range to get enough muzzle velocity to keep that bullet supersonic through the paper 1000 yards down range. 'Course all the service teams have a long track record of loading match ammo way, way over SAAMI and MIL-SPEC levels for the cartridge used.
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I was told the Varget charge they are using for their 185 grain bullet. Its what I use for 168's!

This was AMU 600 yard brass, stuff I picked up at Camp Perry

AMULongRangeBrassDSCN6661.jpg


This was USMC 600 yard brass, again picked up at Camp Perry

USMCLongRangeBrassDSCN6667.jpg
 
Shane tuttle:
If anything is underrated, it's 6.5x55 Swede
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Having shot 6.5mm Arisaka and a 8x57 Mauser for some time, I would have to say that I've been really, really tempted to pick up a rifle in 6.5x55 for no other reason than it seems like a great middle ground (not compromise). I'm not sure how 257 roberts stacks up against 6.5 swede, but that seems to be in the same BC/powder capacity arena. 260 Rem would be at the same family reunion in my gun cabinet.

7x57 is similar/dis-similar enough that it's remained on my long-list of "will gets."
 
If anything is underrated, it's 6.5x55 Swede. Americans have scoffed at this cartridge for decades. Hell, we still can't come to terms with it. We have to go off and have a "sister" cartridge to it...the .260Rem.
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The 6.5x55SE is indeed a great cartridge. the .260 has another advantage, though... it prevents lawsuits. There are a lot of old guns chambered in 6.5x55SE that can't handle modern pressures. Ammo makers in the USA can't load hot ammo because someone would have their gun blow up and then sue the ammo maker... unlike in Europe where they load them hot and then tell users that if they use hot ammo and their gun blows up, it's the user's fault for being stupid. So... the .260 lets USA ammo makers have a modern 6.5. I'm also a fan of the .260 (and own one). Plus... .260 brass can be resized from a host of the most common cartridges in the world (.243Win, .308Win, 7mm-08) and the 6.5x55SE is it's own.
 
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