Good 6.5 range day!

[charlie45]

Thanks to 45 2.1 & Buckshot I had a great range day on the 23TH. I loaded 40 rounds of 6,5 sweadish 10 each of 10.0 (Unique all loads) 10.5, 11.0 & 11.3. Bullet was the Lee custom 6.5 from midsouth gas checked & sized to .2675 and hand dipped in home brued lube.
I fired 5 shot groups in accending order and no barrel cleaning (forgot rod !).
the 10.0 load produced 1.25 & 1.35 outside diametet groups. 10.5 15/16 &
1.06 , 11.0 1 3/8 & 1 9/16, 11.3 were the worst @ 1 7/8 & 2 1/8.
To be fair the second set of groups was fired through a dirty barrel and my older eyes ( mil. sights) were tiring.
Of note was the fact that the tightest group also had nice round holes 10 times while all other groups showed some degree of oblongism (new word)
Having fun please keep the great info comeing guys. :smile:

[David R]

How far did you shoot?

David

[Buckshot]

http://www.fototime.com/B55472729A707A9/standard.jpg

I finally decided the other day that I was going to start a test I'd been wanting to do for some time. Basicly I wanted to test the 3 hardnesses of the Lee group buy 6.5mm Kurtz boolit. That'd be the one on the left. On the right is the Oldfeller custom Lee. The Oldfeller was cast at 15.5 bhn and weighed 169grs naked. And the test would be for velocity AND accuracy.

The Kurtz in this photo wa the hardest of the 3 batches I'd cast. This was AC 21 bhn, dropped at .2713" and wieghed 128grs W/lube + GC. Both were sized to .269". The Oldfeller didn't really touch and had a faint sheen of lube over the drive bands. At .271+ the Kurtz's were well sized.

At the OAL's shown in the photo, both slugs engraved. Both slugs have their GC's in exactly the same place, which is 'just' below the caseneck into the shoulder. Both were lubed with a high temp green type lube. As you can see in the photo, they all got a mild roll crimp into a handy lube groove. The Kurtz at .269" is scuffed up all the way around going into the throat of the M38. Even with that and a bit of engraving it extracts due to the good caseneck grip and the crimp.

I loaded each over the same 4 charges. They were 34.0, 35.0, 36.0, and 37.0 grs of Surplus WC860 + dacron. Cases were both CBC with WLR primers.

I already had a good idea of what the Oldfeller was going to do as I'd been there and done that with it before. The Kurtz was the question, and it was a comparison to what was accomplished with an old Lyman mould, which dropped a little 122gr RNHP Loverin slug. It had shot accurately at velocities well beyond anything I'd ever been able to do with cast 6.5mm boolits before. The Oldfellers were there as a baseline control.

So everyting was set to begin testing. For some reason, instead of using the M96 I'd used in the previous tests, I decided to use an M38? The only thing I recall is that I saw it in the gun closet and I thought, "I haven't shot that in a LONG time".
Ha, why NOT throw a wrench into the monkey works? I couldn't just use the M96 as the ammo is dedicated to the M38 and has been fired in it only. Might not fit, and besides it might whump something up.

http://www.fototime.com/731E440A848E5E2/standard.jpg

I took the 40 rounds to the range last Tuesday along with the chronograph. One other problem with the M38 is the shorter 24" bbl shows a considerably lower velocity then the 29" barrel of the M96. And it's velociy that kills off accuracy.

Bottom line is there was 2 issues nagging at me. I had the ammo loaded so I was going to shoot it, but I decided I wouldn't use this for the 'real' test. I'd see what was going to happen to a degree regardless, but this wasn't the right rifle. The 2nd issue also had to do with this rifle and it was the diameter that I'd sized the slugs too. Just a total mess all arond. One time I'd done a test with this rifle and cast.

I'd used the Lyman 268645 slug at 152grs. I sized 10 rounds each at .264" and .266" over identical charges, same lot of 20 cases. I fired the two 10 round groups at 100 yards and those sized at .264" produced a much better group. SO here I was with slugs sized to .269" 8). So far as proving much of anyhting with these 40 rounds in this rifle, I think I'm just wasting components.

I did fire one 5 round group of each slug with the 34.0gr charge at 50 yards. Both boolits produced similar groups of about 1.25". The Kurtz went about 1560 fps and the Oldfeller did 1520 fps. The wind was blowing and had picked up to the point where the target boards were about lying over backwards, and would then spring up. Rather then make it a total waste I decided to haodl the remaining ammo till next Tuesday.

As it turns out I'm going to have to reload for one of the M96's. I think also I'm going to start with the softest of the 3 batches I'd cast, and see if alloy makes any difference I can see.

http://www.fototime.com/8D65C37E75D7824/standard.jpg

To give an idea of the velocity diference I have this shot a couple years ago just after the Oldfeller slug was available.

In the upper left is the Oldefeller fired from a M96/38 with a 24" bbl, and upper right is same charge etc, fired from a M96 w/29" bbl.

Bottom left is the 152gr Lyman from the M96/38, and lower right is the same shot from a M96.

.................Buckshot

[charlie45]

David R; sorry! I was shooting @ 50 yards. Buckshot; nice shooting and please keep the info coming.

[mooman76]

Makes me want to take my Swedish Mauser out and work something up! Great shootin!

[Pystis]

Shesh, Guys,

I´ve been trying to avoid any swede mauser topics on this board...
You are forcing me to start reloading for my 1928 CG m96. I have´t shot it much so I´m not reloading for it, or vice versa. I have about 400 once fired Lapua and Norma brass waiting...

Jukka

[charlie45]

These fine old guns are too much fun to leave in the closet. I'am tring to do it properly this go round. I started by going back and reading old post on proper cast reloading and seeking help.
Sure seem to be paying off. A lettle more workm with the 6.5 then my .243 Win.
I've read post where people seem to be having fun with this Cal. and then my 308 Win. varmit.
These projects should keep me busy till spring. :)