I went a little crazy with my WSM fetish, and have a SAKO 75 300 WSM that is a vestal virgin. I actually like my other 300 WSM's, and they sure shoot well, but I was thinking about a conversion on this last one. I haven't ever done a wildcat, but thought this would be a powerful, flat shooting mother. I have a few 6.5x284's, so I have been impressed with the 6.5 diameter projectiles....I'd be open to other suggestions on a conversion, especially if properly headstamped brass was available.

Just looking for input--Thanks--Don

My gunsmith has a reamer for the .264 WSM and a 25 WSM (not a 25 WSSM) both are screamers and I hear they are accurate as well. I have heard of no stamped brass for these but have heard others on this forum speak of someplace that you can order custom stamped brass. I've thought a lot about the .264 or 6.5 WSM and may do one for a long range style rifle.
Good luck with your project.

Snellstrom, thanks for the reply--I'll do a search for the brass--I actually did a search after my post on 6.5/300 WSM's and found a few posts, seems that folks like them and they are damn fast shooters at least.

I would be a big step closer to pulling the trigger--pun intended--if I could order some properly headstamped brass of good quality.

Regards--Don

I'd be careful about using the WSM name given the history of the Rick Jamison x Winchester lawsuit.
Otherwise this is an extremely interesting subject I'll be looking forward to following. maybe if enough interest is generated one of the more "aggresive" ammo makers could jump in to lend a legit name to a headstamp ... and a logical progression of the Whizzum case that never materialized in factory ammo.

What is your gunsmith using his reamer on ?Existing LA guns with 6.5 barrels...like maybe a 6.5x55 Ruger MkII or CZ ? might be a cheap way to get in this game! or just chambering custom barrels?? Keep us posted.
Ron

There are other wildcats that predate both Mr. Jamison and the WSMs, one was designed by Jim Busha at Heavy Express. His .260 HE Mag would shoot a 140 gr bullet at 3,050 fps MV from a modified .348 Win case (rim turned off and extractor groove cut).

jim

High Tech Gunsmithing in Colorado Springs has the reamer and made a number of the rifles in 6.5-.300WSM. My hunting partner and I each have one and an extra barrel in .338WSM.
The 6.5 does shoot fast and accurately. Its not quite as fast as the .264WinMag, but only 100fps or less separates them.

What is the difference in case capacity of the 6.5 WSM and the old Rem 6.5 Mag?

The 6.5 RemMag, was pretty much the same as a 6.5/06, which is pretty much duplicated in the 6.5 x 284...

Anything bigger seems to be a case of diminishing returns in the 6.5 bore... 6.5 x 55 and 6.5 x 57 are about as big as you can go, and still have case efficiency.. after that you are burning a lot more powder, and getting a lot quicker throat erosion for not that much increase in velocity potential...

Fish30114 and Friends-

I am a proud owner of a 6.5/.264 WSM. The moment I saw the .300 WSM, I knew that it would be fantastic necked down to 6.5/.264. I had Dave Kiff grind me a reamer and had my rifle chambered in .260 Remington re-chambered to 6.5 WSM. Accuracy wise, it is spooky how accurate it is; it consistantly shoots in the .2-.3 range. It was my "go-to" rifle this year and racked up a Pronghorn and a very nice Mule Deer Buck to it's credit.

You do have .270 WSM brass that you can use for your reloading needs.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 30 Caliber Mag Fan:
Fish30114 and Friends-

I am a proud owner of a 6.5/.264 WSM. The moment I saw the .300 WSM, I knew that it would be fantastic necked down to 6.5/.264. I had Dave Kiff grind me a reamer and had my rifle chambered in .260 Remington re-chambered to 6.5 WSM. Accuracy wise, it is spooky how accurate it is; it consistantly shoots in the .2-.3 range. It was my "go-to" rifle this year and racked up a Pronghorn and a very nice Mule Deer Buck to it's credit.

What that a custom barrel in 260 to start? Curious

6.5BR-

Yes, the rifle has a Hart stainless barrel; about a #3 contour IIRC.

The rifle is a Model 70 Classic Featherweight that started its life as a 7mm-08. I then had it rebarreled to .260 Remington and then subsequently had it re-chambered to 6.5/.264 WSM.

They make good barrels. Thanks for sharing. Btw, what brass did you use in the 260?

Seafire, I'm always impressed with your knowledge on powders, case efficiency etc. We're lucky to have you on the forum.

Now, having given you your props, what is your thought on a conversion of this rifle? Is one of the other cals you mentioned a viable candidate. I like the rifle, if there isn't a feeding issue, I would consider some other cals.

30 cal fan, your post gets me excited about the possibility......

Does anyone know about the 'custom' headstamped brass??? Still looking for intel.

Thanks guys--Don

quote:

تور٠هو اليساري الليبرالي بليد أبله! هل البراغيث من ال٠كيس الصÙÙ† الجمال ازعج له

Gee Seafire, you you have a thing for Torv or what!..............DJ

6.5BR-

When the rifle was in .260 Remington mode I think I necked down some Federal 7mm08 Nickel Plated match. I also had some Norma brass that I used as well.

As for the 6.5/.264 WSM brass, I started with .300 WSM brass (Winchester Brand) and necked it down. That was a real pain. I then had to turn the necks. Initial load developement re-taught me the fundamentals of reloading and tried my patience quite a bit.

quote:

Fish30114

Fish30114,
I'm just putting one together right now. I'm getting my barrel from Pac Nor they already chamber for the 6.5wsm aka 6.5/270wsm aka 6.5/300wsm, Lee has a die set for $28, and Redding has a type S die set at $131, i got Win brass in 270wsm to size down and I will be using 6.5 140gr SMK probably retumbo or US869 powder
think i should get near 3200fps with the 140's

As was said, you can make brass for the 6.5WSM from .300WSM, but then there is neck turning. However, using .270WSM makes it a simple sizing down operation.
As far as case capacities go, the 6.5/06, 6.5/284, and the 6.5 Rem Mag all have about the same case capacity, depending on brand of brass. On average, the 6.5WSM has only a few less grains of capacity than the .264 Win Mag.

quote:

Originally posted by djpaintles:

quote:

تور٠هو اليساري الليبرالي بليد أبله! هل البراغيث من ال٠كيس الصÙÙ† الجمال ازعج له

Gee Seafire, you you have a thing for Torv or what!..............DJ

Yeah on the political forum, I think the rest of my sig line says it all...

Another one of those lefty libs, that ought to try to root for our side for once...

quote:

Originally posted by Fish30114:
Seafire, I'm always impressed with your knowledge on powders, case efficiency etc. We're lucky to have you on the forum.

Now, having given you your props, what is your thought on a conversion of this rifle? Is one of the other cals you mentioned a viable candidate. I like the rifle, if there isn't a feeding issue, I would consider some other cals.

30 cal fan, your post gets me excited about the possibility......

Does anyone know about the 'custom' headstamped brass??? Still looking for intel.

Thanks guys--Don

Well Fish,

Mark has a good field report on his luck with his 6.5 WSM....I don't know what kind of velocities he is getting... but I looked at that question a few years ago...

At the time I was lucky to have access to the rifles and the experiences of a few guys I know who have a 264 Win Mag, a 6.5 x 284, and a 6.5/06 AI and a 6.5 Rem Mag.... none of the other rounds were much of a real world improvement over the 6.5/06AI...and the 264 was, but with a lot more powder, without a lot of velocity gain, in ratio to the powder it required to get it...

When comparing the 6.5/06 AI, to some of the velocities I was getting out of my Mauser's 29 inch barrel, and chambered in 6.5 x 55, and using some old data from the 1960s on the Swedish Mausers ( with short barrels.. which was a lot less velocity than 29 inches gave me)...once again, they were not beating the Mauser, yet burned up more powder for little gains...

So when all was said and done, at least on a long action... a 6.5 x 55 with a long seated bullet..was the best balance and giving up little velocity and saving a lot of powder, which I believe leads to faster throat erosion..

So I decided to sort of do an American case, and also a very old cartridge...I necked up a 257 Roberts to 6.5 mm... you can call the cartridge the 6.5 x 257, or the 6.5 x 57.. and a few other names... close to the 260AAR mentioned in the Ackley books....

Also speaking to Sierra's tech line, I found out that even thought their 6.5 match bullets could be pushed to much faster velocities in really big cases... the optimum accuracy was within the 2800 to 3000 fps range...even their 107 grain verified that, in my 260s, 6.5 x 55,s and the 6.5 x 57...

The Roberts case is a shortened 06 case essentially so I didn't have to worry about feeding problems.... it doesn't have the dimensional ideosyncracies associated in the USA with the 6.5 x 55...it also took less powder than the 06 case, to give the same results...I also didn't have to have the bolt face modified at all either...It is essentially a lengthened 260 Rem for all practical purposes... with a nice long neck to boot...

The only "Magnum" case that I have an interest in playing with in 6.5 bore, is actually the only WSSM I have an interest in, the 25 WSSM... I see that as practical...

My Savage 12 BVSS, will see a barrel on it, eventually in the 6.5 WSSM... it is essentially a 25 caliber, .007 diameter increase, with bullet selection dramatically improved and weights up to 142 grains for long distances...

It won't give me anything the 6.5 x 57 isn't already.. or even probably the 260... but hey, you gotta get wild and crazy once in a while...even logical practical seafire...

good luck with the project and keep us posted...

even an overbore 6.5 is still a good round.. as I love the 6.5 bore the best, followed by 6mm and 7mm...

Skidly-

Tell us more about the powder US869; is that a military surplus powder?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 30 Caliber Mag Fan:
6.5BR-

When the rifle was in .260 Remington mode I think I necked down some Federal 7mm08 Nickel Plated match. I also had some Norma brass that I used as well.

Thanks for the info, did not know Fed made match 708, knew they made 308 nickel match-or did......my 6.5/308 did best with WW 308 brass, Fed necked down needed cleaned up and would not chamber, also Fed brass seems to have less capacity in my limited experience, but it is consistent.

I hear WW is to make brass for 260 in near future, posted on recent blog on 6mmbr.com

If one were to do a 6.5x257 or the 6.5 in a WSSM...where could sumbody find reloadin info? Makes solid sense to not have to alter the bolt face yadda yadda..and pick up ??? more powder capacity? Any REAL improvement over a 6.5x284? or are we pickin fly poop outta the pepper kinda details?
Ron

My main reason for going with 6.5wsm is because i have a Savage 110 in a 300rum. I wanted to build a switch-barrel rifle and wanted a 6.5 caliber because the great BC and bullet options. so 6.5wsm ended up being easier than a 6.5-284, which was my 1st choice. The Hodgon US869 I refer to is a slower powder than Hodgons Retumbo and great for over bore calibers. I use it for my 300grain SMK in 338rum. It seems to be a good choice for slow burning replacement for 870. I also plan to try some us869 with my 50bmg loads.

quote:

Originally posted by Skidly:
My main reason for going with 6.5wsm is because i have a Savage 110 in a 300rum. I wanted to build a switch-barrel rifle and wanted a 6.5 caliber because the great BC and bullet options. so 6.5 ended up being easier than a 6.5-284, which was my 1st choice. The Hodgon US869 I refer to is a slower powder than Hodgons Retumbo and great for over bore calibers. I use it for my 300grain SMK in 338rum. It seems to be a good choice for slow burning replacement for 870. I also plan to try some us869 with my 50bmg loads.

What would be the advantage over a .270 WSM other than .013 less bore ???? I just don't see this as a viable project. It will probably be a barrel burner and possibly not even be as fast as a .270 WSM.

not necesarily as practical as just going 270wsm, but thats not why i'm doing it. the selection of match grade bullets and their BC, is why the .264 choice. a 142g SMK has a BC of .627 I don't know of any 270 bullets with BC better than that.

Thought it would make a good sheep or antelope gun. Short barrel life is not a big deal here for me. Besides I won't be happy till I try it.

Seafire, thanks for that insight. I appreciate the other poster's intel also. I have 2 6.5x284's and a third on the way--so I don't really need anything else in the 6.5, I just have this rifle and thought this might be a faster flatter setup than my 270 WSM's and shoot the excellent 6.5 bullets. If it really isn't any better than the 270 WSM, I probably ought to consider a trade/sale of this rifle and work on a project that is a little 'more' different from rigs I have.

Now, to profess my lack of understanding (sic ignorance) what does overbore really mean? I'm wondering what is +/- about overbore, throat erosion etc. vs what????

Thanks guys--Don

quote:

Originally posted by verhoositz:
If one were to do a 6.5x257 or the 6.5 in a WSSM...where could sumbody find reloadin info? Makes solid sense to not have to alter the bolt face yadda yadda..and pick up ??? more powder capacity? Any REAL improvement over a 6.5x284? or are we pickin fly poop outta the pepper kinda details?
Ron

Ron,

on the 6.5 x 257... you can use 6.5 x 55 and 260 Rem load info as a guide line...the 6.5 WSM would be using 6.5 Rem Mag as a reference...

you can get by using the load data on those cartridges just fine.. or play with it a little after using those as a guideline...

I use 257 Roberts + P brass ( Winchesters) for my 6.5 x 57....

Also remember that most 6.5 bullets are developed for rounds that are not magnums.. so they may come apart at the magnums speeds, if you find a way to substantially beat the 57mm or 06 cases velocity capabilities...

I do wonder what someone could get out of a 264 using H1000 or 3100 or 869 powder and a 140 grain bullet...but actually going with a 7 Rem Mag would be easier...

but a 280 Remington treads pretty close if not even for a handloader with the 7 Rem Mag...

Mag cases start to make a difference at about 30 caliber in my opinion...

Seafire, Since the 6.5x55 SE has a .479 case head instead of the American .473 I keep hearing that 6.5x55 WW/RP brass is not only .473 but also subject to bulging around the web under max loads and is a major cause of unusally short case life unlike the proper .479 diameter Norma/Lapua brass.

So...A. the first question is since I don't seem to be able to find the Tikka T3's anymore all of a sudden in 6.5x55's, and am not quite ready to under take the weight reduction rigamarole necessary for a CZ or total rebuild in a discontinued Ruger MK II if I could find one in 6.5x55...if I were to for examaple take a Ruger RL long action donor @ about 6 1/2lbs, which is the size gun I wanted...and put a #1 small profile barrel on the little RL in 6.5x55 SE ...only leave the exisiting .473 diameter bolt face alone would I still be having the same bulging issues when WW/RP brass or WW/Federal/RP factory ammo is used?

Question B. is there a substantial increase in powder capacity going from the regular 6.5 x55 case to a 6.5 x 57...or as I am estimating only a small increase, based on the Nosler 5th manual? However...I did notice last nite in my bedtime reading - I must really be a rifle looney after all reading reloading manuals as bedtime fare LOL! - the the old Speer 13th shows 257Rbts loads that are about a 10% heavier powder charge on the same powders and it finally dawned on me the Speer loads were NOTED as a +P and the Nosler's were not designated one way or the other..hence the Speer +P's faster indicated speeds yadda yadda...and is that where you are picking your speed gain from?

Just hate to buy a brand new rifle and take it apart and start over to get the caliber I want in the size/weight gun I want...but that may be what has to happen. Sure would be nice to find a cheaper donor victim to play with and worth looking for in a trashy Wallyworld Winchester or something to salvage the receiver. $600 fugly Tikka's are looking better and better! but they DO shoot straight.
Ron