6.5 ITALIAN for the AR15

[nekshot]

For years I have wondered why the 6.5 Carcano has never been only shortened enough to fit in the ar magazine. The capacity would be plenty and it should feed with minimal effort. I am not smart enough to answer this question but it really is bugging me the more I think of it. Is it not used because it would be too simple to do? Or use the cartridge in place of the x39 and give a few more cubic inches to pushing the .310 bullets along. I am not a magnum nut but I do feel that cartridge(6.5 carcano case) is very efficient compared to the dumpy x39's case. Any pearls of wisdom for a gray haired coot concerning this matter?

[Texas by God]

I would imagine that it would be so similar to the 6.5 Grendel that it would be kind of moot.

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[Uncle Grinch]

My question is... why? There surely are more readily available cartridges that would work in the AR platform.

Just saying...

[RED BEAR]

My question is... why? There surely are more readily available cartridges that would work in the AR platform.

Just saying...

Like so many its not why but why not.

[Hamish]

6.8 spc

[Rcmaveric]

Grendel came to my mind as well. Great little cartridge and i love mine.

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[adcoch1]

Capacity with a decent bullet on top at ar mag length would be really close to the Grendel. Plus x39 brass is easy to get, i havent seen carcano brass anywhere in quite a while. Might just be a cost thing...

[beechbum444]

The 400 ar cartridge used it as a parent case ,, blew it out and put a .400 200 grainger in it using a 762x39 bolt

[nekshot]

The 400 ar cartridge used it as a parent case ,, blew it out and put a .400 200 grainger in it using a 762x39 bolt

Cutting off the neck really looks like .375 or 40 something would easily work. I have nothing in this other than working with the mentioned cartridges gets me to wondering. I hate seeing the x39 cartridge so short in capacity fitting in the magazine and seeing the shoulder could be moved forward if the case body was longer. I do gladly use them and choose not to complain, dream a little, you bet!

[samari46]

Kinda OT but some benchrest shooters used the carcano case reformed to either a 22 or 6mm benchrest cartridge some years back, case of choice was Norma. There was one carcano case just necked up to 30 caliber if my old memory is right. That particular wildcat was used in a carcano action. Frank

[GregLaROCHE]

A number of militaries have experimented with 6.5 bullets, but to my knowledge, none have been adopted recently. The 6.5 x 55 Swede has been around for a long time and once was well regarded as a military round. Sweden my still be using them. Otherwise, they are still popular as a sporting round.

[Moleman-]

Cutting off the neck really looks like .375 or 40 something would easily work. I have nothing in this other than working with the mentioned cartridges gets me to wondering. I hate seeing the x39 cartridge so short in capacity fitting in the magazine and seeing the shoulder could be moved forward if the case body was longer. I do gladly use them and choose not to complain, dream a little, you bet!

I had some carcano brass that came with a mauser I bought 10 years ago. Someone did a decent job of putting a fajen stock, and peep sites on a 1891 Argentine Mauser, then modified a rusty pitted 6.5 Carcano barrel to fit. And yes the barrel was made at the Brescia Arsenal for a Carcano rifle and even had remnants of the hex on the barrel stub that wasn't completely turned off along with the Brescia stamp. Used the brass that came with it for testing a couple wildcats including a .40. 6.8 brass is easier to get and cheaper so the 375 wildcat I've been working with the past few months is based off of the 6.8spc case.

[woodbutcher]

FN is doing a 6.5 Creedmore belt fed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[MT Chambers]

The reason that the Carcano rd. is not more popular for your use is that it is not new enough and has not been hyped enough in the gun rags and has not been factory loaded with heat resistant tipped bullets that cost $3/ea.

[bruce drake]

you'd have a 6.5-6.8SPC or a 6.5-30 Herrett Rimless wildcat.

I think you'd at the most gain just a couple of grains more capacity than a 6.5 Grendel and also be limited by the magazine length restriction for AR15 rifles at around 2.26" so you'd be limited to lighter/shorter bullets than the 6.5 Grendel due to the longer case and shorter neck of the wildcat cartridge and in comparison, the 6.5 Grendel can load longer bullets due to its 4mm shorter length than a necked down 6.5-6.8SPC (6.8x43mm) wildcat case and just 2mm shorter length than the 6.5-30 Herrett Rimless (6.5x41mm)
6.8SPC bolts are available for AR15 BCGs and the magazines are available as well but they only load 25 cartridge in a usual 30rnd magazine length for the 5.56 sized cartridges.

I'd still buy one if it was on the market though.

[bruce drake]

little further research. 6.5x40 is a necked and trimmed down 6.8SPC.

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/...r-15-6-5-40mm/

[DonH]

My question is... why? There surely are more readily available cartridges that would work in the AR platform.

Just saying...

You are right but if your thinking prevailed there would have been no new cartridges in my lifetime. And few rifle makers left.
I have been ruminating on all the "new" cartridges and I believe most exist to sell rifles once the shooting world has been properly propagandized. Despite the hype a 6.5 Creedmoor is not leaps and bounds ahead of a 6.5x55 in a modern rifle. .300 WSM or .300 RCM are .30-06s in different wrappers. Real .30 magnums could have stopped with the .300 H&H around 1910 and hunters would be fine. 6.5x284 is a 6.5-06 in a different wrappers and a groundhog can't tell if he was shot with a .223 or a .222.
But it comes down to, as someone else said, why not? Or sometimes because a guy just doesn't want to follow the crowd.
Commercial success is another matter. Signed the various WSSMs, .,30 Rem AR, .30 TC (another .30-06), etc.

[Adam Helmer]

nekshot,

You pose an interesting question regarding the 6.5MM Italian? There are, or were, several other 6.5s I'd go for before the 6.5 Italian. The 6.5 Swede or 6.5 Jap would get my vote before the 6.5 Italian even though I have a half dozen 6.5 Italians in the vault.

Adam

[nekshot]

nekshot,

You pose an interesting question regarding the 6.5MM Italian? There are, or were, several other 6.5s I'd go for before the 6.5 Italian. The 6.5 Swede or 6.5 Jap would get my vote before the 6.5 Italian even though I have a half dozen 6.5 Italians in the vault.

Adam

Yup, got them also and a real economical speedster as a 6.5-06. Got dies for 6.5 rem mag and the 264win mag but my 06 gets me really close to them.

[Harter66]

The Carcano case actually shares the head and rim with the x39 and 35 Rem . Still available from Huntingtons are 6.5-35 Rem dies for the Carcano rifles with a set back .
The 6.8 is the short 25,30,32 Rem sister , rimless 30-30 AI that kept the neck and load data . The 6.8 has cats available from 22-35 , and yes a 40 is possible as a 10mm super mag . The 6.8 is worked out to bug free .......and now I sound like a fan boy .
Just shoot one and you'll see .