I am looking at a 6.5mm in a Number One. I have calls into both RCBS and Redding to see if they make the custom dies for some of these. Does anyone have any knowledge of dies for 6.5x65R by either of these company's? What about a good source for Brass? looks like it might be easier to get 7x65R and resize.

Any opinions by those who have used this cartridge would also be welcome


Thanx
dave

quote:

Originally posted by BAREFOOT:
I am looking at a 6.5mm in a Number One. I have calls into both RCBS and Redding to see if they make the custom dies for some of these. Does anyone have any knowledge of dies for 6.5x65R by either of these company's? What about a good source for Brass? looks like it might be easier to get 7x65R and resize.

Any opinions by those who have used this cartridge would also be welcome


Thanx
dave

Have owned a 7X65 R, got RWS Brass from Huntingtons.

Had more fun building a 30/40 AI /6.5.

Plenty of brass around , easy to form.

Thanx for the Input. I am actual weighing this against the 6.5x348 Ackley. What Kinda performance did you get with the 30/40 AI? I am hoping for 2900-3000 fps with 140's

Dave

Hello BAREFOOT
Take a look to the 6.5x68R, Huntington has RWS cases and RCBS has the dies.
Regards

quote:

Originally posted by BAREFOOT:
Thanx for the Input. I am actual weighing this against the 6.5x348 Ackley. What Kinda performance did you get with the 30/40 AI? I am hoping for 2900-3000 fps with 140's

Dave

Will have to dig into my old rangebook, but 2900 I know was easy done, don't recall if I was pushing over 3000

Thanx guys, The 6.5x68R may be the way to go. The more I look it seems to be the most readily available.

How is the RWS brass? Is it on par with Norma?, here in the states I can neck down the Norma brass from 7mm but not being properly head stamped would give me issues at custom's

I will take another look at the 30/40 case


Dave

I've found that RWS brass, while dimensionally very uniform, was also dimensionally kinda far off the spec for US primer depth and decapping pin diameter. IOW I had to deepen each and every primer pocket to get them to accept LR primers to below the case head, and the decapping pins tended to stick in the flash holes. I also encountered the dreaded doughnut. I've found Norma to be much better for me than RWS.

If that project were mine, I'd consider using a readily-available reamer for a rimless cartridge like the 6.5-06 or the 256 Newton and then using necked-down 7x65R brass. The smith would cut the extractor clearance with the lathe tool, you would buy a shellholder to fit the 7x65R brass and everything would be LOTS cheaper to build. Just choose a cartridge for which a reamer & inexpensive dies are already available.

One of my favorites is the 6.5-257 Roberts Rimmed, and my first project like this was a 6mm Remington Rimmed, both using Norma 7x57R brass. I'm hoarding 100 NOS Speer-DWM virgin 7x65R brass for just such a project right now. 'Course, I've been hoarding them for about 35 years now.....
Regards, Joe

Joe I have some experience with the 6.5x257 Roberts AI

Unfortunately I no longer have the dies and it still does not solve the problem if I ever want to shoot it out of the country.

6.5x30-06 makes all the since in the world, but..... In my world a single shot should have a rimmed cartridge just cause.

Dave

What about necking down 9,3x74R brass.

I would probably "improve" it a little as well.

You can get it from Hornady.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
What about necking down 9,3x74R brass.

I would probably "improve" it a little as well.

You can get it from Hornady.

Great Idea!

wish I'd thought of that, though I could ream the 30/40AI if it came to it.

I am saving the 9.3 for a future 338 project. I did think about it though.

Have to call and check on brass and then start getting things ordered

Dave

quote:

Originally posted by BAREFOOT:
6.5x30-06 makes all the since in the world, but..... In my world a single shot should have a rimmed cartridge just cause.
Dave

Dave, I agree and if you'll read my post again you'll see that I gave a procedure for making a rimmed version of the rimless cartridge to achieve that very thing, a rim. Regards, Joe

Understood Joe, It would still leave me with the problem of the correct headstamp.
I am just giving it all some thought at this point
Dave

quote:

IOW I had to deepen each and every primer pocket to get them to accept LR primers to below the case head, and the decapping pins tended to stick in the flash holes. I also encountered the dreaded doughnut. I've found Norma to be much better for me than RWS.

I have used sevcral hundred RWS 7X65R cases to make ammo for my 8X60RS double rifle. I have never had any problems getting them primed. Cases last a long time too......

If you modify the thought process you could feature the belted cases as being rimmed. In use they really are. The 6.5mm Rem. Mag completely meets your requirements and is a std. on the shelf cartridge. Just a thought. roger

Is the 303 British rimmed?

I,ve seen an article about a 6,5 based on 30R Blaser (more power/volume than a 30-06 AI)

Correct headstamps are a real attraction for me also - if I were building a project like this I'd seriously consider the 6,5x57R just for that reason. You don't really lose all that much ballistically to the larger rounds and everything else is simplified.

RWS brass has performed quite well for me in all respects except needing some attention to neck wall thickness, but that's very easily solved. No primer pocket or flash hole issues (at least so far...)

Second choice would be a 6,5x65R and having a clever person modify the available rimless cases to rimmed. It's too bad that the 6,5x68R is soooo large.

quote:

Originally posted by Winchester 69:
Is the 303 British rimmed?

Yes.

quote:

Originally posted by bpesteve:
Correct headstamps are a real attraction for me also - if I were building a project like this I'd seriously consider the 6,5x57R just for that reason. You don't really lose all that much ballistically to the larger rounds and everything else is simplified.

RWS brass has performed quite well for me in all respects except needing some attention to neck wall thickness, but that's very easily solved. No primer pocket or flash hole issues (at least so far...)

Second choice would be a 6,5x65R and having a clever person modify the available rimless cases to rimmed. It's too bad that the 6,5x68R is soooo large.

The RWS brass that gave me the most trouble was actually 6,5x57, I still have some of it but don't use it any more. Had to deepen ALL the primer pockets and the flash holes were very snug on the decapping pin, made me uneasy but I was careful and didn't break anything. Quite soft too, and had some examples of The Dreaded Doughnut. Maybe a bad batch of brass, although another poster on another thread agreed that he too had encountered too-shallow primer pockets in RWS brass.

6,5x68R neck angle will ensure short barrel throat life, on the order of 1000 rounds or less, very similar to the 300 H&H and 243 Win rounds except worse because of the greater capacity over the 243 and the greater intensity over the 300 H&H. The shallow neck angle concentrates all the heat and burning powder on the chamber's throat instead of the neck's interior, causing premature erosion of the throat.

The proper headstamp is cool, but very very low on my list of priorities. I always use my lathe to cut a tiny groove through the middle of the caliber designation on the base, to identify that the case has been altered to another caliber. 41 Mag to 41 Special, 7x57 to 6,5x57, 257 Roberts to 6,5-257, 7x57R to 6mm Rem Rimmed, etc etc. Not so elegant and 'affected' but quite effective.
Regards, Joe