| 6.5-284 Norma | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type | Rifle | |
| Place of origin | Sweden | |
| Production history | ||
| Designer | Norma | |
| Designed | around 1963 | |
| Specifications | ||
| Parent case | .284 Winchester | |
| Bullet diameter | .264 in (6.7 mm) | |
| Neck diameter | .297 in (7.5 mm) | |
| Shoulder diameter | .35 in (8.9 mm) | |
| Base diameter | .501 in (12.7 mm) | |
| Rim diameter | .473 in (12.0 mm) | |
| Rim thickness | .040 in (1.0 mm) | |
| Case length | 2.170 in (55.1 mm) | |
| Overall length | 3.228 in (82.0 mm) | |
| Case capacity | 68.33 gr H2O (4.441 cm³) | |
The 6.5-284 Norma originated as a wildcat cartridge based on the .284 Winchester cartridge necked down to 6.5 mm.
Contents |
The .284 Winchester was created around 1963, but never really caught on, except as a parent case for the wildcat 6.5mm-284. The 6.5 caliber allowed for the use of long, aerodynamic bullets. In 1999, Norma submitted it to CIP. It has since been standardized as the 6.5mm-284 Norma.
It has been used extensively in benchrest competitions and is known as an extremely accurate long range round. Using an improved version of the 6.5/284, Rich DeSimone set a 1,000-yard (914.4 m) world record at 1.564-inch (39.73 mm).[1] Rich DeSimone's 1,000-yard (914.4 m) record has been broken by Tom Sarver in 2007 using a .300 Hulk wildcat cartridge that is based on the .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge.[2] In contrast, most hunting rifles do the same at 100 yards (91.4 m) to 200 yards (182.9 m). A 140 gr (9.1 g) class bullet can be driven safely to 3,000 ft/s (914 m/s). Also, there are many popular hunting bullets for this caliber, making it a good hunting round as well. The primary drawback of this round is the short barrel life of about 1,500 rounds.