6.5-06 brass help

COREY

COREY

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Howdy,

I am having a 6.5-06 built very soon; all the parts are here and I am hoping the gunsmith can have at it in the next bit. This is my first wildcat so I am a little cautious.

I bought a bunch of 25-06 brass to form up to 6.5. I ran a owice through the die 3 times to be safe; it seems the right diameter, but it is only measuring about 2.485" instead of the 2.494" the Nosler book calls for. Should I worry it is not the right length? I know it will stretch over time from shooting, but will there be any issues with the initial loads?

Thanks in advance for any help that is thrown my way.
 
I would have waited for the rifle to come and then size the cases in a 6.5-06 die and making sure they were a snug fit in the chamber. Meaning not bumping the shoulder back too far with the case shoulder holding the case against the bolt face and then fire forming. That being said and reading Jack O'Conner stories in my youth and owning a .270 I would have just bought a .270 Win the worlds best non-belted magnum. ;)

The 6.5mm-06 A-Square Rifle Cartridge
https://www.chuckhawks.com/6-5mm-06.htm

Then you could also in a strong modern 30-06 bolt action like a Remington 700 load it to .270 Win chamber pressures.:stirthepot2:

 
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Great, thanks gents.

I shoot for the challenge as much as anything. I could have bought a left handed 270 for $500; I have more than that in the barrel blank I bought (will probably be close to $2500 done). I had considered a 6.5x55, but a shooting compatriot had a 6.5-06 reamer on hand so here we go. Never dealt with a wildcat and I like challenges, and the 6.5mm bullet. Will now have a 6.5x55 (Milotary Swede) 260 (16 lb target rifle), and a 6.5-06 (8lb LH hunting rifle).
 
COREY said:
Great, thanks gents.

I shoot for the challenge as much as anything. I could have bought a left handed 270 for $500; I have more than that in the barrel blank I bought (will probably be close to $2500 done). I had considered a 6.5x55, but a shooting compatriot had a 6.5-06 reamer on hand so here we go. Never dealt with a wildcat and I like challenges, and the 6.5mm bullet. Will now have a 6.5x55 (Milotary Swede) 260 (16 lb target rifle), and a 6.5-06 (8lb LH hunting rifle).
Click to expand...

You don't mention the action you're using for this build.

I have made up several 6.5-06 rifles in the past and ended up sending the reamer back to have the throat shortened. Unless specifically requested, makers will grind their reamers to accept 160 grain bullets. This isn't a bad thing depending on your specific needs.

Don't use 270 Winchester as a starting load. The barrel diameter of the 270 is larger and allows for slightly more expansion of the gasses and therefore lower pressures.

The Hornady 7th Edition reloading manual has three pages of loading information that's been tested in their facilities and should be safe in modern bolt action rifles. IMHO their loads are a bit on the mild side, but that's mostly for litigation purposes.

You should easily be able to achieve 3000 fps from a 26 inch bbl with a 1-8 twist rate, with 140 grain bullets of all shapes.

Something to consider, I am getting an average of 2850 fps from my 22 inch barrel 6.5x55 Tikka T3, factory chambered for the 6.5x55. The loads I use consist of Lapua brass, IMR7828ssc, CCI250 magnum primers and 140 grn Hornady SSTIL. Groups are around an inch at 200 yds. I won't give out this load because one fool who asked, guaranteed me that he wasn't loading for a M38/96 Swede Mauser. He was lucky and only blew the receiver ring off the rifle and got a few bits of brass embedded onto his glasses.

You should be pretty familiar with the ramifications of handloading for the 6.5 bores, from what I've read in your posts. At the velocities your rifle will be capable of, make sure you're using stout bullets to hunt with.
 
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There was an article on the 6.5-06 in a recent magazine, and the author recommended necking up 25-06 brass vs necking down 270 brass to get better results, proper case length and fewer damaged cases from resizing..
Sounds like a neat build. The 6.5's are just a lot of fun to shoot.
The 6.5-06 is an intriguing cartridge and provides good performance gains over the grand old Swede.
Best of luck on your project!
 
BlackRam said:
There was an article on the 6.5-06 in a recent magazine, and the author recommended necking up 25-06 brass vs necking down 270 brass to get better results, proper case length and fewer damaged cases from resizing..
Sounds like a neat build. The 6.5's are just a lot of fun to shoot.
The 6.5-06 is an intriguing cartridge and provides good performance gains over the grand old Swede.
Best of luck on your project!
Click to expand...

When the 6.5x55 is loaded up to it's full potential in strong modern rifles to the standards those rifles are capable of, there isn't nearly as much difference as you might think. Loading manuals purposely keep their loads mild to accommodate the old Swede Mauser rifles as well as others, such as the Norwegian Krags that were chambered for the cartridge.

Same goes for the venerable 7x57 Mauser and 30-06 Springfield. In strong, modern actions these old cartridges are incredible performers with modern components.
 
My own rule of thumb is to neck down but never neck up. That way if I was to die and some one is sorting though my stuff and finds ammo marked 25-06 which are actually necked up to 6.5, someone somewhere along the line will eventually lose the box they were in which is marked '6.5x06 and try to shoot them in a 25-06 because of the head stamp. By always necking down and not up then if someone was to fire a case marked 270 that was necked down to 6.5 in they're 270 rifle there would be no kaboom!
Like I said, my rule of thumb but each to their own.
 
As was said in a previous post,wait till you get your rifle and test fire a couple rounds and see where you need your shoulder bumped to,you will get more rounds out of your brass.I used nosler 270 brass in my 6.5-06 when I started out only because it was all I could find.I eventually bought Lapau 30-06 brass and necked it down with no problems.No need to run your brass threw the die more than once.Love the caliber but don't expect more than 1500 rounds threw it.I used mine mainly for target but it is a excellent hunting round.What bullet you planning on using in it.I had good luck with H4831sc and N165 in mine.
 
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