INTRODUCED in 1956, the 6.5 Remington Magnum was created to give the ballistics of a .270 Win in Remington’s little Model 600 carbine. It is essentially a necked-down version of the earlier .350 Rem Mag, a much-shortened belted rimless magnum based on the old Holland & Holland case. Whether it really deserves the title of ‘magnum’ is open to question, since case capacity is not much larger than that of the 6.5-06.
An increased demand for short rifles or carbines began with the advent of short cartridge cases like the .308 Win, the .284 Win, the various 6mm rounds and even shorter cartridges which gave the designers a reason to bring out short actions. The use of short actions with carbine-length barrels of 20” or less gave the foot hunter a much shorter, faster-handling gun that was easier to carry. It was a lot handier for use in heavily wooded country, easier to carry in high mountain country and an ideal length to fit in a saddle scabbard.
This trend started with a single-shot pistol: In 1963, Remington brought out a new bolt-action handgun, the single-shot Model XP-100, built around a brand-new action. Chambered in .221 Fireball, the pistol had a 27cm (10½”) vent-rib barrel and measured just 42.5cm (16¾”) overall.
In the USA it is illegal
