does anybody know if you can buy brass for this caliber?

Try Liberty Shooting Supplies or Rocky Mountain Cartridge LLC

Try this outfit: Grayback Wildcats 5306 Bryant Avenue Kalamath Falls OR 97603 541-884-1072 (found this on a search engine - but they are shown in some reloading catalogs, I just couldn't recall which one.)

or . . . .

If you pass thru Juneau, I'll show you how it's done. Just bring your dies, your rifle, and some 270, 280 or .30-06 brass, etc. I form for a .30 Gibbs and it's basically the same exercise.

try 30-06 basic,
http://www.z-hat.com/Cylinder.htm

jeffe

thanks for the info guys, i don't have a rifle yet but a friend of mine does and i've been impressed. I would'nt want to have to go through what he does to make brass so i'd only have one made if I could get premade stuff.
do you know where you can get some published reloading data for it? He was making up his own loads from scratch, i'm not comfortable doing that. thanks.

---idiot (me) post----

Sorry guys, I posted bad data... I was thinking 30-06 vs 30 gibbs...

jeffe

[ 12-09-2002, 02:08: Message edited by: jeffeosso ]

I disagree with Jeffeosso on two counts. First using .30-06 load data as a starting point. I think I understand his basic theory: The Gibbs case hold about 10% more powder than the '06 parent case; therefore, starting with .30-06 max loads is like starting 10% low and working up. When I rechambered by .30-06 to .30 Gibbs I verified a 10% powder gain (base of neck) by filling cases with water. The problem here lies in the different expansion ratio between the 6.5mm bore and the .30 cal bore. You need to use slower powders in the 6.5mm bore as there is less bore volume to burn it in. The proper procedure here is to use maximum 6.5mm-06 data (like Nosler No. 4 manual) as a starting point for the 6.5 Gibbs.

Secondly, I can agree that basic .30-06 brass is the way to go. Here you are necking 0.44" o.d. brass down to 0.30" o.d. You will most likely have to turn the necks as they will be too thick. You will also have to neck down the brass incrementally - do you have a various selection of dies that cand do this? Probably not. I've necked down 35 Whelen brass to form .30 Gibbs cases w/o the need for turning necks. Again, I feel 270 Win or 280 Rem brass is the way to go as you can form a false shoulder to headspace on when fireforming.

How much of a "buddy" is your friend. Why don't you ask that he give you initially fireformed cases from his rifle, so you can fireform them to your rifle. Better yet, let him borrow your rifle so he can fireform them properly. I know I'd do if for my "buddies."

Lastly, I do have one article on the 6.5 Gibbs that has some loading data. I'll scan it and send it to you later this week.

I had a 6.5 Gibbs once and a set of Gibbs hydralic case forming dies, now that was a joke (As was Gibbs)...stuck a case in them filled the die with oil and hit'em with a hammer...oil squirted all over you each hit....Went through hell making cases for a gun that when subjected to a chronograph was not as good as a .270...

Gibbs got a lot of velocity, but just on paper and got that with some awsome pressure...I was not impressed.

I shot a few deer and some antelope and sent it down the road, another lesson learned, but that was not the first or last lesson learned...the last lesson learned will probably be:

Never tell someone who has spent hard earned dollars on something that they been had, they don't want to hear that!