6.5mm bullets

thorborg · Mar 20, 2016

I am soon to have time to finish and assemble the fodder for a 6.5 X 257 Roberts rifle and bullets.

In the 5 year process of collecting, I acquired a couple of Old reloading manuals that have that particular cartridge listed.
This being my first 6.5, It would seem, the 6.5 mm bullet has changed from .263 in Speer 1966 manual, to now, @ .264.
Seems unlikely the 6.5 mm has grown in size as it has grown old. One thousandths of an inch seems extreme in bullet talk to me. Especially for a jacketed. It makes a heck of a difference to my 45 Colt.
I will slug the barrel. But...
If .264 is the only offering for sale, what might be my options?
Or, for the converted Jap rifle, do I dwell on it at all?
Care to opine?

TM-Salem · Mar 20, 2016

I reload for my 6.5X57 Mannlicher Schoenauer and I have only ever seen .264 bullets, never a .263

Member 5605 · Mar 21, 2016

@deadeye what say you in your wisdom....??

deadeye · Mar 21, 2016

My Speer #12 book (1994/95) states .263 for 6.5x55 swed, 6.5 Rem. Mag., 264 Win Mag.

But my newer Lee and Lyman show 6.5 jap. arisaka, 6.5 ital. carcano, 260 rem , 6.5x55 swed., 6.5 creedmoor, 6.5 rem. mag., 6.5x284, and 260 rem. mag. all as .264

If you are necking up a 257 Roberts to a 6.5 to run in an arasaka rifle barrel, several other references state the military round was .264.

PaulB47 · Mar 21, 2016

Never heard of .263's, but it used to be the case you could get .223's as well as .224's. Weren't the original Hornets .223?

Is it that dangerous, as long as you are working up the load? Don't people sometimes shoot .358's in guns like a .357 Maximum? E.g. Speer 180gr .358's?

PaulB47 · Mar 21, 2016

Maybe it started out as a metric size, ending up somewhere between .263 and .264?

Never noticed before my Speer #12 called them out as .263...

I don't have any bullets that old. My Speer 120's mic out at .2640, the Sierra 85's at .2638...

thorborg · Mar 23, 2016

It would seem a lot to do about nothing as long as I continue to follow the same start low and work up procedure I've used all my life.
Thanks all, for passing on your experience.

jbett98 · Mar 23, 2016

Thorborg, ain't retirement grand!

thorborg · Mar 24, 2016

jbett98 said:
Thorborg, ain't retirement grand!

Not there yet, I have exactly 30 days left pushing the mill stone up the hill but my mind is already flushed with excitement.

windy wales · Mar 27, 2016

No problemo; use the 264's--and remember: that Arisaka is impossible to damage short of an outrageous load of pistol powder, compressed, under the heaviest of bullets. P.O. Ackley found that thing to be the strongest of military rifle actions, EVER. Couldn't hurt the action, even after he blew the barrel off one. Just don't cover the gas-escape port on top with your scope mount; it's there to vent the pressure in the case of a ruptured cartridge. Kind of hard on scopes to have 'em blown offa the rifle. Have fun with that puppy; it's a heck of a round, and those chrome-lined barrels last forever. Deer, elk, black bear, moose--you'll be amazed at the one-shot kills with that cartridge, if ya use the right bullets.
mind yer topknot!
windy

Ura-Ki · Mar 27, 2016

Retirement sucks! All kinds of time to do the things we planned and no money to do them! (it's actually not all that bad) Have fun with your 6.5 mm, great bullets that fly flat and buck the wind like no other. I got bit by the 6.5 bug with the old CG 80 series of swede's and it took off from there. 6.5/06, 6.5/284, and my favorite barrel burner, 6.5/300wsm!

2ndtimer · Mar 29, 2016

Ura-Ki, that is why it is so important to properly invest before your retirement. And I am not talking IRA's or 401-K's or mutual funds. I mean commodities, and by that, I mean precious metals, lead, brass and consumables i.e. primers and powder. It is critical to have built up a sufficient nest egg so that not only can you shoot as much as you want when you retire, but that your sons can continue to shoot and hunt when you are no longer able to. (Someone has to do it!)

PaulB47 · Mar 31, 2016

Guys, I was just in Sportsmens Warehouse and found their reloading section is better than Cabelas. Anyway I was looking at 6.5 bullets and found a Nosler Accubond 142gr with an advertised G1 BC of .719

. Just the thing for long range shooting, if you can tolerate the 45c per bullet cost...

2ndtimer · Mar 31, 2016

PaulB47 said:
Guys, I was just in Sportsmens Warehouse and found their reloading section is better than Cabelas. Anyway I was looking at 6.5 bullets and found a Nosler Accubond 142gr with an advertised G1 BC of .719 . Just the thing for long range shooting, if you can tolerate the 45c per bullet cost...

Remember Nosler packs big game bullets 50 to a box, so you WISH they were .45 per bullet!

PaulB47 · Apr 1, 2016

No, these are 100 per box:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/33...142-grain-bonded-spitzer-boat-tail-box-of-100

However if you look at the comments there, the BC is grossly exaggerated. Why do bullet companies do this? Do they figure there is nobody out there with 2 chronographs, to check the BC?