I came across a rebarreled rifle marked "6mm Sabre". I can't come up with any information on this caliber. Help!

Stoney,

on page 365 of Ackley's Handbook for Shooters and Reloaders, Volume 1...
it mentions a 263 Sabre, developed by a Jerry Shannon of Spanaway Washington ( Tacoma.. right out the back gate of Madigan Army Med Ctr at Ft Lewis Wash)

It is described as a mild "improved" 6.5/06...
That could be the source of the cartridge.. necked down to 6mm...

I have also read a long time ago, of a 6.5 x 55, made with an 'improved shoulder' from a Doctor named Arch out of Wenatchee Washington, and he necked it down to 6mm, 22 cal and 257 caliber... those are in Ackley's book also, but I remember someone calling that series a Sabre Jet also... named after the F 86 Sabres and F100 Super Sabres of the 1950s...

there is also a 257 Durham Jet, which the Sabre might have been another gunsmiths adaptation of the name... this cartridge is an improved version of the 25 Souper, or the 25/08...

all of this is just speculation, but I have heard the Sabre Jet name used several times for cartridges developed in the 50s...back when there were 'dynaglide' transmissions, fins on the rear fenders and holes in your front fenders were thought to look racy and space age...

hope this helps a little..let us know if you find out anything better..

evidently Midway and RCBS have heard of it...
http://www.midwayusa.com/esearch.exe/search?search_keyw...elector=all_products

Thanks for the leads, Seafire.

Sounds like it might be something like a 6mm/06 IMP? If so, that would be something I might be interested in. It is built on a Ruger No. 1 and appears to be a nice job. It is out of an estate and the guy disposing of the property knows guns fairly well but has no clue on this one.

Sounds like the only way for me to know for sure would be to get a chamber cast. If I could buy the rifle for the value of the stock/action, then I could gamble on how the chamber cast comes out. If it is something really screwy I could always rebarrel the No. 1 to something more desirable, I suppose.

Check this out:

RCBS

And this:

6mm Sabre

Well Midway and RCBS makes all the dies etc for it.. although mega spendy, because of the rarity...

I am sure CH4D will also have it listed.. as they specialize in stuff like that..

of course couldn't you always set the barrel back and make it into a 6mm AI or something...

sounds kinda cool to me tho...I don't play much with Number Ones... if I did, they'd all be oddball applications anyway...

6mm Sabre

I'd say go for it!

---Mike

Yes, the dies are available, but that doesn't tell me anything about the parent case. Has anyone been able to find anything definitive on this?