REVISITING THE 6.5 -06 A-SQUARE

Loading New Bullets and Powders

- Patrick Meitin

Bullets used for testing the 6.5-06 included the (1) Hornady 123-grain SST, (2) Berger's 130-grain VLD Hunting, (3) Speer's 140-grain Grand Slam and (4) Nosler 140-grain AccuBond.

Introduced in slightly different form as the .256 Newton, today's 6.5-06 A-Square has been with us since 1913. It is the brainchild of Charles Newton, an undisputed firearms genius who was well ahead of his time. If that name sounds familiar, think in terms of the .22 Savage, and most notably, the .250-3000, or .250 Savage. Newton is one of those names, like P.O. Ackley, Colonel Townsend Whelen, Phillip B. Sharp or Ned H. Roberts that speaks of the intrepid age of cartridge development and handloading. Educated as a lawyer, Newton was an avid handloader who developed his own reloading tools and eventually became a firearms manufacturer. Newton was granted many firearms patents during his career and started his own arms manufacturing firm in 1914.

Patrick's 6.5-06 rifle is a hefty, custom-made number, likely built for long-range bench work. It was built on a Remington Model 30 action with a heavy, 24-inch E.R. Shaw barrel.