6.5x257 from GI 30-06

[madsenshooter]

For some time now I've had a couple Japanese type 38's that have been rechambered to 6.5x257 Roberts. I only had 20rds of Remington 7x57 that I sized down, and the mouths of them are full of little 100gr J-words that don't shoot bad. I've also had for sometime a NOE mold, wasn't a group buy, Swede's 269 163gr. Nice throat filling bullet that drops out of the mold with .270 bands. I finally got around to casting some, needed some empty cases. I decided I'd scrounge around and see if I could size down some LC69 30-06 cases that I have a lot of, using odds and ends of dies that I have. Without too much fussing I found a combination that worked. Wasn't the simplest way to go about it, but it got the job done.

8532585326

L-R:
Unsized 30-06, next same trimmed to 2.23", next ran into a 7.5Swiss die with the expander ball removed to start the neck down (a .308 would work here, but mine has a burr on the shoulder). Next is a trip into a 7-08 die to further reduce the neck and set the shoulder back. Next was a trip into a 6.5x57 die, which doesn't touch the shoulder or fully resize the neck, but I set the shoulder with the 7-08 die. After some adjusting I got it so that when finished the bolt would close hard. Annealing the case made it easier to close. After annealing, final trimming back to 2.23", and sizing in the rifle, I run the case into a Lyman M die, then finally, there's a bullet seated out into the rifling. Check is a bit below the neck/shoulder junction. I could seat it harder into the rifling, but prefer to load so that I don't lose the bullet should I have to unload.

I need more bullet sizing dies, a .268" and a .270", I only have one rifle that'll work with the .266" die that I have. The necks of the LC69 cases won't have to be turned for the .266" bullet, glad of that. If the job would have required anymore effort, I'd have bought PRVI 7x57. Sized only in the 6.5x57 die, the camming action of the bolt easily pushes the shoulder back on PRVI's annealed cases.

I have one of RCBS's large presses, these cases were sized down in very small increments. Push in to a certain tightness, pull the case out, back in to that pressure, repeat until the ram is fully up. Too much pressure going in to the 7.5 Swiss or 7-08 die can cause the shoulder to expand. A little is ok, the 6.5x57 die will push it back in. Going faster just makes wrinkles on the neck and shoulder that are likely to crack when fired. Shoulders don't like to become necks. I only lost the first one I tried to form to that problem. A 7x57 die would have made things a little easier

[45 2.1]

Basic case forming rules are these. Either set the shoulder back OR size the neck down..... not both at once. I used to form cases for Godfrey Reloading....... did a lot of 7.65, 7.7, 7mm, 8mm etc. For 7mm or yours, I set the shoulder back in a 308 sizing die, then ran it into a 7mm trim die. To set the first die, simply put your fired case in the shellholder and run it up all the way, then screw the 308 sizer down to where it touches hard, then set the shoulder back. Size in your real sizer. You can rough trim anywhere in the process usually. Final trim and fireform.

[TCLouis]

ALL of the first cases for my 6.5X257 were formed from OLD 30-06 machine gun brass.

Formed in probably 68 and i still have most of them.

All that I shoot now are reformed 7x57 brass.

Great round tht performs better than mst think and would be nice if one of the manufacturers would legitimize it. Oh wait they have most of the performance in a 260 Remington and it will work through a short action . . .

AND

it does not have that sales killing metric designation that seems to be the death knell in the US except for the well received 6.5X55.

[leftiye]

It's a 7mm mauser necked to 6.5 Mauser, or if the 6mm Rem is a 6mm Mauser, then this could be a 6.5 Remington. If the 6mm Rem is a .244 Rem., then this could be a .264 Rem. if you don't like Metric designation.

It should be quite a bit betterer than a 6mm, Heavier bullets, and more area to push on them. Maybe not too much betterer than a 7mm Mauser though (especially with equal loadings).

[TCLouis]

This sounds weird, but based on design, 6.5X257 is not a 7X57 necked down to 6.5/0.264", but rather a 257 necked up to 6.5mm/0.264"

IF Remington had left the original 257 Roberts specs/design alone they would be one-in-the same, but of course they did not and so for just a few silly degrees of shoulder angle , they are different!

It is a nice cartridge and can handle up to 160 as stand weight bullet.

The barrel is too rough in mine for cast BOOLITS, but handles te coated ones well enough for hunting.