The Accurate Reloading Forums
What 6.5 to build?
13 October 2023, 23:03
loud-n-boomerWhat 6.5 to build?
I have a decent 1909 Argentine action and a 24-inch #2 Contour Krieger barrel with a 1:8 twist and am trying to decide what to put together. I already have a 6.5-300 Weatherby so don't need another magnum caliber. I am considering 6.5 Creedmor (because of availability of ammo and components), 6.5x55 (because its a 6.5x55), 6.5x57 (for reasons of nostalgia), and 6.5-06/.257 Newton (because it is what the .270 should have been). The rifle will mostly be used as a medium range deer and antelope gun.
One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know. - Groucho Marx
14 October 2023, 01:14
swmI have a 6.5-06 on a FN Mauser with 24 in barrel. it digests loads several grains over most listed max loads and shoots better than I can with 140gr Nosler Partitions and 120gr Barnes TTSX. Yes, it's my favorite and I have had a long love affair with .270 and 30-06. Extremely easy to load by running 25-06 brass through a sizing die. IMR 4350,Rl19,Rl22,and H4831s are favorite powders.
14 October 2023, 01:15
phurley5I shoot a couple PRC's and they are sweet indeed. That narrow 6.5 bullet is fun to work with. Not that expensive on components. Good Shooting
phurley
14 October 2023, 01:17
yumastepsideI love my 6.5x55 Improved, it fires standard factory rounds and when handloaded....it's what the 270 should be !
Roger
14 October 2023, 02:16
FjoldI built a 6.5-284 when it was still a wildcat. I've re-barreled it twice and haven't ever wanted to change it out for anything else.
Frank
"I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money."
- Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953
NRA Life, SAF Life, CRPA Life, DRSS lite
14 October 2023, 02:19
bghntr416I have nothing against the Creedmoor but when I think of the 09 action I think of classic cartridges. I am sure that will change down the road but I would consider the 6.5x55, the .260 Rem or .260 Rem Ackley Improved, 6.5-06...
14 October 2023, 04:52
HipshootGo with the 6.5 Creed!
Now-A-Days If you are a shooter and reloader you can scrounge all the brass you want in 6.5 Creed, .223 and .308!
You will never have to buy a piece of brass in your whole life!
Hip
14 October 2023, 05:21
HasherThe correct answer is of course the 6.5x55.
Classic caliber. You already have the reach if you need it with your 6.5-300 Weatherby.
DRSS
Kreighoff 470 NE
Valmet 412 30/06 & 9.3x74R
14 October 2023, 06:29
dpcdNope; brass is too hard to get. Creedmoor; it is modern and does the same thing. But I am actually building a 6.5x58 Portuguese for a guy now; stupid choice, but he is paying in cash. So even though the customer is wrong, he might get what wants anyway.
But the reason I don't like the swede is that you can't make the brass from anything else. At least the Portuguese, you can.
14 October 2023, 07:19
theback40I have over a dozen 6.5 rifles.
I like my Danzig, small ring 256 Newton best of all.
14 October 2023, 08:40
richjaaron is doing a 6.5x55 on a small ring KAR98 for me. I have plently of Norma brass.
14 October 2023, 08:57
dpcdI actually just looked at that 256 Newton reamer today. And it uses standard brass.
Rich; all KAR 98s are small ring.
14 October 2023, 14:47
swmavailability of brass makes a strong case for the 6.5-06.
14 October 2023, 16:01
p dog shooter6.5-06
14 October 2023, 20:23
WstrnhuntrI am building a 260 AAR. Just waiting for the barrel. It is basically a 6.5/257 Roberts improved. I find myself wanting a bit more case capacity with the 260/needsmoor variants. The 57 mm case is a natural for a Mauser and can also be made from any 06 brass, but I will be using 6.5x57 brass.
The 6.5/284 would be an excellent choice for several reasons, just need to spend a little more on brass and take a little time getting it to feed. No flies on the 6.5-06 either. Both on the fringe of barrel burner calibers, but shouldnt be an issue for a hunting rig.
Another keep it simple solution is the old 6.5/257. Drop in, easy to feed situation and forming brass is a snap. Very Mauser like and no need to permanently alter your bolt face.
14 October 2023, 22:44
jeffeossoi'd likely do a 260 rem, but with a faster than normal twist for shooting heavier bullets.
sure, there's no important difference between 6.5 cred, but I look ridiculous with a manbun
14 October 2023, 23:20
richjthe "small ring" was added for effect :-)
quote:
Originally posted by dpcd:
I actually just looked at that 256 Newton reamer today. And it uses standard brass.
Rich; all KAR 98s are small ring.
15 October 2023, 00:16
dpcdI could tell...
Yes, the 260 is a very practical round and I built a lot of them, before the creed hit.
15 October 2023, 04:07
Hipshootquote:
Originally posted by swm:
availability of brass makes a strong case for the 6.5-06.
A far stronger case would be to build a .260 Rem.
At my range the .30-06 is not that common any more, .308 sure is!!!
Hip
15 October 2023, 04:10
Hipshootquote:
Originally posted by jeffeosso:
i'd likely do a 260 rem, but with a faster than normal twist for shooting heavier bullets.
sure, there's no important difference between 6.5 cred, but I look ridiculous with a manbun
No!!! Tell me it isn't so!
Hip
15 October 2023, 04:26
buckdeer264 mag or 6.5x55 if it was me
15 October 2023, 04:30
LongDistanceOperatorNo love for the 6.5x68?
15 October 2023, 05:41
theback406.5x68 is the only 6.5 rifle I have sold.
It was a German built mauser with the slow twist. 125 flat based bullets was all it would stabilized. I think..... 1-11 twist. Brass was expensive as hell, cases were very thick and tough to resize and last.
My 6.5x284 would match the velocity with the same barrel length.
My win 70 264 is only a little faster then the 68 case, or my 6.5x284, but has been a "lucky" rifle, and has shot a shit load of game, and some of my longest shots.
15 October 2023, 07:03
swmI have several 308 based cartridges in short action rifles and appreciate their advantages. I can't bring myself to justify a short action cartridge in a long action rifle.
15 October 2023, 19:12
jeffeossoquote:
Originally posted by swm:
I have several 308 based cartridges in short action rifles and appreciate their advantages. I can't bring myself to justify a short action cartridge in a long action rifle.
just by the by, both Israel and Spain rebarrelled "all" of their service mausers to 308
couple things (and this might come over a little argumentative but it's not meant that way)
1: milsurp mausers, not one of them, is a "long" action, to a gunsmith, they are standard length actions
here's a length to technical measurements 2: you statement is, from one POV, about efficiently - that is, using a "short" cartridge in a standard length action might be considered to leaving something on the table of potential. I see the other side of this - the 6.5 brenneke (stateside, we call it the 6.5 06) is pretty badly overbore, i, personally, don't love the idea of overbore carts - i like the efficiency of well balanced rounds, of all the carts i have designed and built, only 1 was overbore - the 257 JLS/WSM -- but in 2000 i was a "speed freak" on carts, and decided dam the torpedos, full speed ahead - it worked GREAT, and the most boring round I've ever built .. fly spec groups, starting, safe loads right on the heels of the 257 roy, lighter recoil that I expected, killed like a lightening bolt .. and BORING
anyway, happy sunday -
15 October 2023, 22:26
loud-n-boomerI had not considered the .260 Remington, but I do have pounds of .308 brass, so ammo would not be any issue.
One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know. - Groucho Marx
15 October 2023, 23:35
Scott KingUh,....fellas,.. I just made a casual perusal of GunBroker and found hundreds of pieces of 6.5x55 brass in all brands including Norma, Remington, Winchester, Herters,......
I have a Swede on a lh Zastava that I haven't done anything with but am really excited to. I did just buy another vx3 2.5x8 to put on it and am looking forward to send it off for the trigger, safety, bedding stuff.
I don't see the attraction to the Creedmoor but the 6.5-06 sounds neato.
16 October 2023, 04:30
dpcdGTK.
Ok, a little clarification about Israel and Spain.
I have had many of both of their Mauser conversions.
NO ONE converted anything to 308. Never.
Israel converted many of their KAR98Ks of both wartime, and post war make, to 7.62 NATO. These are, of course, 98 large ring Mausers and are very strong and well made.
As for Spain; this is reason so many of them have set back lugs; all of the Spanish conversions were on the 1916, or 1893 Mauser; they are soft and are not 98s. The conversion was to 7.62 CETME, a cartridge that only gives about 45K psi. So, when you shoot 7.62 NATO ammo in it, or 308s, I guarantee the receiver lug seats will set back.
Just to calcify things.
Back to 6.5; they are all good; make sure you can get brass when the balloon goes up.
16 October 2023, 05:21
bluefishSwede. Next question. PPU brass all over the place. Load 140s and sally forth.
16 October 2023, 06:13
jeffeossoquote:
Originally posted by dpcd:
GTK.
Ok, a little clarification about Israel and Spain.
I have had many of both of their Mauser conversions.
NO ONE converted anything to 308. Never.
Israel converted many of their KAR98Ks of both wartime, and post war make, to 7.62 NATO. These are, of course, 98 large ring Mausers and are very strong and well made.
As for Spain; this is reason so many of them have set back lugs; all of the Spanish conversions were on the 1916, or 1893 Mauser; they are soft and are not 98s. The conversion was to 7.62 CETME, a cartridge that only gives about 45K psi. So, when you shoot 7.62 NATO ammo in it, or 308s, I guarantee the receiver lug seats will set back.
Just to calcify things.
Back to 6.5; they are all good; make sure you can get brass when the balloon goes up.
Tom,
you are correct -- they will chamber a 308 and headspace on it, but have different specs... so <not a> 308
and yeah, the CETME semi auto m58? will hammer itself into garbage if you feed it 308
16 October 2023, 10:18
Wstrnhuntrquote:
Originally posted by dpcd:
GTK.
Ok, a little clarification about Israel and Spain.
I have had many of both of their Mauser conversions.
NO ONE converted anything to 308. Never.
Israel converted many of their KAR98Ks of both wartime, and post war make, to 7.62. These are, of course, 98 large ring Mausers and are very strong and well made.
As for Spain; this is reason so many of them have set back lugs; all of the Spanish conversions were on the 1916, or 1893 Mauser; they are soft and are not 98s. The conversion was to 7.62 CETME, a cartridge that only gives about 45K psi. So, when you shoot 7.62 NATO ammo in it, or 308s, I guarantee the receiver lug seats will set back.
Just to calcify things.
Back to 6.5; they are all good; make sure you can get brass when the balloon goes up.
Very astute of you to point that out, I had one of those rifles but I didnt realize there was a 45K PSI version of the 7.62. I used to run low pressure reloads in mine. That was a stupid idea to ever create it at all. Especially after the high pressure version already existed.
16 October 2023, 19:25
dpcdMaybe, but at the time it was developed by the Spanish, it was a military weapon, and would never have seen any 308, or NATO ammo in it's service life. Only after they were sold to the US consumer did the problems start. And since they indeed, do fire 308 ammo, many did so, and that will always stretch the receiver. The CETME itself, will take high pressure ammo; look at the HK91/G3 rifles; they are all 7.62 NATO. I never understood why Spain created the 7.62 CETME cartridge either. The bolt is never actually locked in operation; delayed, blowback. And of course, it was designed by a German, who fled to Spain during WW2. Which is why they got it first.
17 October 2023, 00:28
loud-n-boomerThis is my discussion so I can go on a bird walk. I am curious, does the 7.62 CETME predate the 7.62 NATO round or did the Spanish use the 7.62 NATO case as a parent case for the 7.62 CETME?
One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know. - Groucho Marx
17 October 2023, 03:52
dpcdBird walk? What is that?
17 October 2023, 05:37
loud-n-boomerquote:
posted 17 October 2023 03:52 Hide Post
Bird walk? What is that?
A bird walk is a discussion that has nothing to do with the actual topic of original discussion.
One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know. - Groucho Marx
17 October 2023, 05:56
dpcdI thought it was pheasant hunting. I got it now.
18 October 2023, 05:32
loud-n-boomerI am thinking an English type light stalking rifle in 6.5x55 may be the ticket.
One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know. - Groucho Marx
18 October 2023, 09:19
surefire7I have a CZ 6.5x55 that Wayne at AHR converted to his #3 package on a gorgeous piece of walnut. Love that rifle. It is my only 6.5 rifle. Only taken (1) Pronghorn with it so far; 140 gr. SST Hornady factory ammo @ 2,735 fps. Dropped it on the spot.
18 October 2023, 18:07
HasherI use the same load in my 6.5x55 on whitetail and over the last 5 years it has accounted for 9 Whitetails and not one has required tracking.
DRSS
Kreighoff 470 NE
Valmet 412 30/06 & 9.3x74R