Just picked up an Italian-made Breda ex-military rifle made on the Mannicher-Schoenauer action and apparently chambered in 6.5x54. The barrel is 22", so I'm assuming it has been cut and recrowned.

Anybody have any comments on this rifle? It's been "sporterized" ("sodomized" is more like it), so don't get too excited. However the old action is smooth as glass and the metal is very nice, other than the lettering having suffered from the reblue.

Has anyone ever tried making brass from .35 Remington? It appears that all dimensions would work, other than the finished case being a tad shorter than standard.

Thanks for the comments, all will be appreciated.

No one loads for 6.5 Mannlicher-Schoenauer? No one ever worked with a Breda 1927?

Old Hornady and Lyman manuals have data for the MS. I don't load it but I do load a little in the 6.5X53R Mannlicher which is a very similar round except it is rimmmed. My rifle is a 1900 Steyr Model 95 made for the Dutch. The stock has been bubbafied but the metal is still spectacular.
One thing you might check is the groove diameter. My rifle is .268 dia and does not give groups much better than 2.5 inches with 140 grn Hornadys. Tis a bummer because I have 1500 Hornadys in .264 dia. I have used loads up to 32 grains of 4895. I just use loads with enough pressure to seal off the case neck and shoot all the way to a 100 yard target.
I intend to try the .268 Hornday next. My brass is made from .303 British. The 6.5X54 case head is a little smaller than the 6.5X53R. I have a set of 6.5X54 MS dies and the head required is about .456 to .458. You might also look at the 6.5 Carcano brass. It might be a little easier to mess with.
Check the diameter of the back endo of your chamber with pin guages to find out how big a case head can be used.
If you have a lathe you might be able to make them out of .303 British also. I would hold them in a Wilson trimmer holder and then hold the Wilson holder in a 5C collet. But it would be like giving birth to make them that way.
I am up late on a business trip or I would add a little more.
PM me if you have any questions.
Check out the dimensions for the MS and the Carcano. Someone was a copy cat.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
Has anyone ever tried making brass from .35 Remington? It appears that all dimensions would work, other than the finished case being a tad shorter than standard..

In the 60s Norma came out with 6.5x54 brass which I made my Carcano brass from.Found that the .35 Rem. was .010" bigger on the head diameter and would not work. The head dia. on the 6.5x54 is .447" and the .35 Rem is .457". You may find that Graf and sons has the 6.5x54 brass. I do have some Sierra load data if you like. roger

Just checked Graf and Sons and they do list the 6.5x54 brass. roger

Yep, so does Midway. Although the Norma stuff is pricey, a box or two is plenty for my purposes (this ain't a prairie dog gun, after all). Now I just need to come up with some dies.