6.5 gap saum

[Roe]

Interesting thread. If factory brass becomes available, I'd certainly take one. Currently shooting 6,5x284 in a short barrel and soon a 6,5 Grendel. There's room for another 6,5!

[adamjp]

6.5 SAUM 4S meets Fallow

Deer season for Fallow and Reds started on the 1st of March and whilst the weather is a little warmer than usual they are staying in early rut behaviours for longer than normal. Have seen a number of mediocre bucks (fallow) who need another 4 years to grow out, one cracking good buck that I will try and take next year, but most of the big boys have not come down to the lowlands due to the warmer weather. This coming week it will get colder and next weekend is looking good for proper rutting behaviour.

Finally got to use the 6.5 SAUM 4S on a little doe yesterday.

130gn pointed Berger VLD Hunting, launch speed of 3230fps, altitude 980m, distance to target 262m (~300yds).

Tennis ball sized exit wound. Complete severance of spinal column and instant death. The highest resistance part holding the head on was the trachea.

6.5 SAUM - Fallow.jpg

[FW Conch]

Great terminal results! Congrats! :-)

[kiwi 1]

Do you have hunting seasons for deer over there? I thought it might have been a free for all like here.
Good shot as well. At that range I would normally go for a engine room shot.

[ramslammer]

Nice work Adam. I'll be in Canberra on the 4th weekend of aug. Hopefully the weatherby/grendel will be done so i'll drag it over for you to have a look.
Juddy

[adamjp]

Do you have hunting seasons for deer over there? I thought it might have been a free for all like here.
Good shot as well. At that range I would normally go for a engine room shot.

The rifle and cartridge inspire confidence!


Deer are present in all states and territories of Australia. Seasons for deer depends on the species and the state you are in.


Sambar, Rusa and Chital deer are Asian species and breed all year round. There are no seasons for these deer anywhere in Australia. FWIW Sambar are up with Moose and Elk for body size, but like Moose will live in the thickest crap you have ever seen.

Fallow and Red deer (with the occasional Wapiti escapee) breed in March/April with the young born in November. For New South Wales and Victoria these deer may not be hunted from twilight on the last day of October through to the first light of the first day of March. These seasons do not apply in Queensland or South Australia as deer are considered a noxious (feral) species in those states and are expected to be exterminated. Although QLD flips back and forth on the status of deer. Tasmania has a defined season for deer.

Hog deer are found in southern Victoria and some coastal parts of NSW. The ability to hunt them is tightly controlled in some parts of Victoria, open in others. IIRC NSW lists them as a game species with a defined season.

[SHORT-N-SASSY]

I sent the following E-mail to Jason Hornady, V.P. Sales & Marketing:

"Dear Mr. Hornady:

There's an outstanding short-action candidate-cartridge in the wings waiting to join other 21st Century-designed 6.5mm cartridges brought to life and made popular by the Hornady headstamp, the 6.5mm Grendel and the 6.5mm Creedmoor. Enter: The 6.5mm SAUM.

Comparative Muzzle Velocity/Energy values (24" barrels):

6.5mm Grendel, 123-grain A-MAX (BC - 0.510), 2580 fps/1818 ft-lbs;
6.5mm Creedmoor, 140-grain A-MAX (BC - 0.585), 2710 fps/2283 ft-lbs;
6.5mm SAUM, 140-grain A-MAX (BC - 0.585), 3180 fps (*) /3143 ft-lbs.
* http://forum.snipershide.info/showth...=1#post2896126

Comparative Downrange Velocity/Energy Values (24" barrels):

7mm Remington Magum Hornady 139-gr InterLock SP American Whitetail (BC - 0.392)
Muzzle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 yards . . . . . . . . . . .1000 yards
3150 fps/3062 ft-lbs - 2027 fps/1269 ft-lbs - 1226 fps/464 ft-lbs

6.5mm SAUM with Hornady 140-gr A-MAX (BC - 0.585)
Muzzle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 yards . . . . . . . . . . .1000 yards
3180 fps/3143 ft-lbs - 2392 fps/1778 ft-lbs - 1732 fps/932 ft-lbs

Twice the retained Kinetic Energy of the highly-popular 7mm Remington Magnum, at 1000 yards, with a half-inch shorter C.O.L. to partner with the shorter, lighter .308 Winchester-length actions.

It's that good --- and, I submit, deserving of the Hornady headstamp."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

And, some 6.5mm SAUM pics for our Forum:

What's on the horizon for the 6.5mm SAUM?

I yesterday e-mailed Jason Hornady, V.P., Sales & Manufacturing, Hornady Manufacturing Company, Inc. and Cory Newman, V.P., Engineering, Desert Tech.

What's missing from the Desert Tech's MDR Upcoming Variations line-up? ---


"Dear Mr. Hornady, Mr. Newman:

"First, consider these shared features from their highly-acclaimed bolt-action Bullpup line:
Free-floated Barrel (http://bullpupforum.com/index.php?to...68440#msg68440);
Torgue-tight Barrel-to-Receiver Mounting (https://bullpupforum.com/index.php?t...64143#msg64143);
2.5 - 4-pound Trigger (http://www.guns.com/2014/01/20/deser...breed-bullpup/).

"Enter: The highly-anticipated Hornady factory brass (http://www.longrangehunting.com/foru...2/#post1070389) for the superb, short-action-length long-range 6.5mm SAUM wildcat cartridge (http://forum.snipershide.info/showth...=1#post2896126).

"Mr. Hornady, Mr.Newman, I submit that the future is now, and that it's time to introduce to our waiting shooting world a serious MDR Long-Range Sporting-Tactical variant, with 24" barrel, chambered for the Hornady 6.5mm SAUM cartridge. Thank you."

[BluntForceTrauma]

Being a dyed-in-the-wool Grendel fanatic I confess I'm sort of an unwashed heathen when it comes to believing in heavy-recoiling magnum cartridges of any stripe, but since I worship at the shrine of Ballistic Efficiency, of doing more with less, I can hardly do anything but wish this project great success and hope Hornady makes the 6.5 SAUM a factory round for the sake of the Universal Brotherhood of 6.5mm Aficionados.

[SHORT-N-SASSY]

Being a dyed-in-the-wool Grendel fanatic I confess I'm sort of an unwashed heathen when it comes to believing in heavy-recoiling magnum cartridges of any stripe, but since I worship at the shrine of Ballistic Efficiency, of doing more with less, I can hardly do anything but wish this project great success and hope Hornady makes the 6.5 SAUM a factory round for the sake of the Universal Brotherhood of 6.5mm Aficionados.

John,

In view of the results of the Bullpup Forum's Which caliber do you want this [MDR] in? Poll (https://bullpupforum.com/index.php?t...;topicseen#new), I would have expected Desert Tech to choose the 6.5mm Grendel, over the 6.8 SPC, among the chamberings in their Standard Model. I'm encouraged that Kel-Tec, Faxon Firearms and K&M Arms have included the 6.5mm Grendel, among the chamberings in their respective RDB, ARAK-21 and M17S models.

Forgive me, my unabashed opinion: The 6.5 caliber just makes sense, for any downrange mission.

[adamjp]

Being a dyed-in-the-wool Grendel fanatic I confess I'm sort of an unwashed heathen when it comes to believing in heavy-recoiling magnum cartridges of any stripe, but since I worship at the shrine of Ballistic Efficiency, of doing more with less, I can hardly do anything but wish this project great success and hope Hornady makes the 6.5 SAUM a factory round for the sake of the Universal Brotherhood of 6.5mm Aficionados.

Hornady 6.5 SAUM brass due within weeks.

BTW, it does not recoil much at all. Bounces around a bit, but recoil? I ended an introduction session for a 12yo (started with 22, then 6/223, etc.) with two shots from my 6.5 SAUM at 500m rams. He is hooked and is bugging his dad for a safe and a 22.

My work there is done.

[SHORT-N-SASSY]

adamjp,

Thank you for your update on the upcoming Hornady factory 6.5mm SAUM brass, and your input on this short-action magnum's felt recoil.

[adamjp]

I realised I've not posted a picture of the rifle itself.

So here it is.

Rem 700 action, trued, PTG bolt handle, knob and firing pin assembly.
Standard trigger, adjusted.
Lilja 3 groove, 1:8 twist, Remington Sporter profile, fluted.
Wildcat Composites stock, CF shell; Pachmayer Decelerator, ground down for weight.
Talley Lightweight rings.
Swarovski Z5 3.5-18 with BRH reticle.

All up weight is 7lb 0oz.

Balances just a touch forward of the recoil lug - perfect for it's intended use.
6.5 SAUM 2.jpgScales SM.jpg
Complete.jpgFin 1.jpg

[LRRPF52]

I was just running the ballistics on this with the new ABLR's. Compared to 18" Grendel, it adds 450yds of performance.

At 1000yds with the 142gr ABLR at 3050fps, it still has 1065ft-lbs, and I used a reduced BC in anticipation of Litz analysis on the 142gr.

At sea level, it stays supersonic past 1600yds.

[BluntForceTrauma]

Just checking in on this. What's the word on the rumor about Hornady brass for the 6.5 SAUM?

[SHORT-N-SASSY]

Just checking in on this. What's the word on the rumor about Hornady brass for the 6.5 SAUM?

John, here's the latest.

I just got off the phone with "Mitch" in the Engineering Dept. at Hornady Manufacturing. He confirmed the statement I received from GA Precision, earlier today, "We [GA Precision] recently returned test samples [Hornady factory 6.5mm GAP SAUM brass] to Hornady. And, they looked good! We're waiting to hear from Hornady re a production date."

Mitch clarified that this initial production of factory 6.5mm GAP SAUM brass is assigned to GA Precision (It's ready to load, use in 6.5mm GAP SAUM chambers). And, interested parties can contact GA Precision for the Hornady factory brass. Mitch suggested that this initial factory production lot should be delivered to GA Precision, around Thanksgiving.

Mitch and I shared the hope that the popularity of the cartridge will prompt Hornady to offer factory-loaded 6.5mm SAUM ammunition, in the future.