I just picked out a rifle chamberd for this cartridge. Its a very prety custom mauser. I am getting dies and brass with the rifle, and it has a cool scope too. An old baush&laumb 1X5 , that may just get put on my 35 whelen.
Does anybody have any experence with this round ? What loads do you shoot and do you have a data source or better yet a link ?
thanks ...tj3006

While I have only had one cup of coffee the 6.5X257 should be the same as the 6.5x57 Mauser or at least darn close.

I did some loading for a 6.5X57 years ago. If my memory is working around 45Grs of H414 and a 120-125gr bullet. Little over 2900fps. Pressure calculated around 60,000.

Thanks ramrod.
you are right about the 6.5X257 being very close to the 6.5X57 , but the 6.5X57 has the shoulder a lttle forward of the 6.5X257,
H-414 is a powder i have had good luck with in both the .257 Roberts and the 7X57.
So I expect it will be good in this split the difference wildcat too !
I picked up a box of hornady 129 grain SSTsand I will probably start with H-414 and mabye IMR-4350 witch seems to shoot acuratly in most anything IMR-4064 is a likly candidate too !
...tj3006

quote:

but the 6.5X57 has the shoulder a lttle forward of the 6.5X257,

Yep if I drew this correctly. The blue(center neck) is the 6.5x57 the other is the 7x57 and roberts.



For what it is worth Loadtech calls the capacity of the 6.5x57 to only be 1.2grs larger than the 6.5x257R.

I didnt figure the difference would be much.
I am looking forward to trying this one out.
I will likly take my 2.5X8 leupold to my smith on saterday, and try to get the dies and brass. I will bring them and the cool little baush & laumb scope home so hopfully when I go pick it up the following saterday I will be able to head into the forest and try it out !
...tj3006

I believe you are on the right track with H414. I tried to talk the wife into a 6.5X57 when I built her 7x57. But she thought since she was born in July 1957 it would be good luck. Based on the way she shoots it I think she might have been right.

It sounds like we are more or less comtemporaries, i was born in 59. So do you build rifles for a living or is that just a hobby ?
...tj3006

quote:

It sounds like we are more or less comtemporaries

You and my wife maybe I was born in 1950. LOL Younger wifes keep you young at heart.

Currently I only build for family and friends. Years past I built to support my shooting habit or sold one project to pay for the next great idea.

I know what you mean.
I have never been married but most of the girls I go out with are alot younger than me...tj3006

Case volume is identical to the 6,5x55, wich have tons of published data and is represented in most reloaders manuals.

I think If I don't find some specific data, 6.5X55 would be a good starting point.
but my barnes manual shows a capacity of 55.41 for the .257R and 50.86 for 6.5X55.
How much of a velocity increase that equates to will interesting to find out.
I am more interested in accuracy than extreem velosity.
I can't wait to start shooting her.
...tj3006

I would not put great faith in the capacity shown in Barnes or most sources. Was it measured? Or other reference? Type of brass??? In a 280 case I've seen 5-6 grs(8-9%)of water capacity difference between manufacturers.

Load tech gives the following.
257 Roberts 58.2
6.5x257 55.2
6.5x57 56.4
6.5x55 58.8
6.5x55 from the Barnes No1 manual 55.04

All of these capacities are within the margin of error I have found measuring actual cases.

As Bent F suggested as an excellent starting point use the 6.5x55 data and work up a load like you would normally. Question I would have is what max pressure the 6.5x55 loads used. I think the max was around 48,000.

I wouldn't use the 6.5x55 load data it was loaded a lot hotter than the 6.5x57. I wish I could help you out I have loaded my 6.5x57 a lot but that data is at my home and I won't be there for another month.
The problem with the Europeion 6.5's is that they have real long throats and requier a very long bullet or need to be seated out. Your custom chamber may get you around this problem. I'll be interested in hearing how it turns out for you.
If my memory serves me at all I want to say that I ended up with 4350 and a 140 gr. bullet but as I say the Europion rifles have a long throat and a twist for a heavy bullet.

This is on a custom mauser, m98, I pressume. I would not worry of preassures of 6,5x55. Modern rifles do not have the long throat, and modern ammo is loaded for modern rifles. And, as Ramrod says, they are loaded to rather mild preassures any way, nowere close to the .308Win or .270Win.

I am aware of the throating issues,
From my 7X57s My hope is to get good acurate loads with bullets in several weights. 140s are great and I might use them at some point but I bought some 129 grain Hornady ssts, some 125 grain partitions and some 120 grain Balistic tips. For hunting here in oregon thety should all be good choices...tj3006

TJ..

I live here in Oregon also... we must be 50% or better of the 6.5 x 57 owners in the state,

As MR. Fossdahl indicates... you can use 6.5 x 55 data, or even 260 Rem Data as a good starting point..

My 6.5 x 57 ( my favorite round) in on a Model 70 action... with a long 28 inch barrel in a heavy magnum contour, originally put together for a long range antelope rifle and target rifle... one in 8 twist...long action, long throated..

For brass I neck up winchester's 257 + P Roberts Brass, since I don't shoot a Roberts..

I also shoot the 260 caliber, and neck down the 7/08 or 308 Winchester brass for those....

Using H 380 powder, and filling to the rim, both the necked up 257 Roberts brass and the necked down 7/08 brass.. held EXACTLY the same amount of H 380 powder...

In load 140 grain bullets in the 2800 to 2850 range... I can push them faster, but they are aerodynamic enough, you don't need the extra velocity at any normal hunting ranges.. even out to 400 yds, a few clicks up on the scope compensates for that...

The 6.5 bullets are designed to perform at the lower velocities any way....A 6.5 x 57, loaded at 2800-2900 with 140 grain Partitions or Barnes X bullets will work well on even some heavy big stuff for penetration... and fly pretty darn flat...

Playing with it a little bit will make you a real believer in it...

I originally put mine together, if nothing else, where I could use good old American 257 Brass instead of having to dink around with the rim variations on the 6.5 x 55..

I rebarreled a featherweight to 6.5 x 55 first...it is pushfeed.. It doesn't always reliably eject Winchester 6.5 x 55 brass, hated Norma...but Remington's brass seems to have a 473 rim, so that has never been a problem..

The 6.5 x 57 eliminated that finickyness...