6.5x55 Mauser Mod 96.

[Hahndorf1874]

One for Larry Gibson,shot my 6.5x55 today,groups 2.5”with saeco 140 gn Lino,10.5gns PB,ditto Unique,25rounds barrel was warm.Cleaned the barrel,shot 142gn Sierra Match Kings 34gns 3031. After 8rounds barrel pretty hot, grouping ok,next 4 shots shotgun patterns ,like 6” out of group both left and right high and low.Possibly a bedding issue?What to look for, how do I fix it?Have seen this on a previous outing with this rifle, BTW bore and rifle in mint condition.

Cheers Hahndorf1874(Mal).

[Calamity Jake]

Don't shoot it until if gets so hot, hot barrels move around causing bedding issues and accuracy issues.

[Hahndorf1874]

I know what is causing the flyers ,a hot barrel!! The Military Match we shoot at Hahndorf requires a possible 12 rounds in 10mins.Gets pretty warm after 6. Thought someone may have a solution to the bedding short coming.

Cheers Hahndorf1874. Mal.

[bouncer50]

Another problem is a bent barrel from the factory. They have a guy checking barrel to check to see if it straight. which they look thru the barrel at a thin piece of wire. IF it bend they bend it back in a press till it straighten back up. Trouble is when the barrel heat up it bend back cool down it goes back till where it was. Wait a few minutes between shots their a real answer beside bedding. Some of the top barrel marker will not sell a barrel that has to be straighten back. I have a few rifle that will do this.

[Texas by God]

There's a lot of bedding on a 29" barrel. My Swedes all shot great but I never overheated them. You might compare groups with another m96 fired the same way.

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[ELFEGO BACA]

Loose receiver screws?

[Larry Gibson]

Hahndorf1874

To check the bedding 1st make sure the bedding screws were tight, at some point we all get caught with loose bedding screws because it's something we usually don't always check. If they were tight then check the bedding. Mausers in full military trim are made for the barrel to be full length bedded. With the hand guard removed and the bands loose secure the stock in a padded vise horizontally.

Make sure the rear trigger guard/receiver spacer sleeve (what we call a "pillar" these days) is in the rear action screw hole in the stock.

Remove the floor plate, magazine spring and follower.

Put the trigger guard/magazine assembly into the stock and use masking tape to hold it in position if necessary. Put the action into the stock. It should lay flat in the stock with the protrusion on the bottom of the rear tang fitting into the top recess of the trigger guard/receiver spacer sleeve. There should be steel to steel contact between the receiver tang, the trigger guard/receiver spacer sleeve and the top rear of the trigger guard.

The action should lay flat in the stock with the protrusion on the bottom of the recoil lug fitting into the recess of the front trigger guard screw extension. Again there should be steel to steel contact.

Tighten the front action screw. There should be no flexing or pulling down on the receiver, the barrel should not flex up (bend) and the rear receiver tang should not flex up to be pulled down by it's action screw when tightened.

If any flexing, bending or pulling down occurs there is a bedding problem and needs correcting.

Also I will advise I never got acceptable (to me or to the rifles capability) with BT'd match bullets. Almost all commercial U.S. made 6.5 bullets are .264 diameter. 6.5x55 milsurps have .266 - .268 groove diameters. I suspect the BT bullet do not obturate to seal the bore. I've found quality commercial bullets of .264 diameter that have flat bases give better accuracy that the match HPBT bullets, especially after the barrel heats up. I'm partial to the Sierra 120 SPs, the Hornady 129 and 140 gr SPs and the Sierra or Hornady 140 or 160 gr RN SP (if you can find any anymore). All have long bearing surfaces and the flat base appears to provide sufficient obturation to seal the bore. The Hornady 140 SP is my standard hunting bullet for my 6.5x55 "scout".

230628

[HangFireW8]

I know what is causing the flyers ,a hot barrel!! The Military Match we shoot at Hahndorf requires a possible 12 rounds in 10mins.Gets pretty warm after 6. Thought someone may have a solution to the bedding short coming.

Cheers Hahndorf1874. Mal.Relieve the stock and handguard for most of the length of the barrel except the last inches, so that the long midsection of the barrel touches nothing.

If rules allow, bed the last inches at the barrel clamp with epoxy, or for a sporter stock, the last inch with epoxy while rifle is upside down with a 2 lb weight on the barrel.

At all steps and tapers, relieve stock to allow at least 1/8" of barrel lengthening when hot (yes barrels get longer when hot).

[Hahndorf1874]

Thank you Larry and others, just the info I was seeking,will attack it this week ,will let you know the results.
Kind Regards Mal.

[blastit37]

Larry: I am confused when reading your instructions for checking the bedding. I read it as you should have metal to metal contact when assembling the receiver, trigger guard and sleeve without the screws in place. Wouldn't that result in no compression of the components into the stock when the action screws are tightened?

[Larry Gibson]

Yes, there should very slight compression into a well bedded stock when the screws are tightened just as there is with "modern" pillar bedding. The Mausers originated that concept.

[Hahndorf1874]

Thank you Larry Gibson and others, We went to the range today with torque wrench,new flat base 140gn pills,same dose of 3031.Fired 10 rnds. Average groups went about 1/12 to 2”, I had increased the torque to 50lbs, they were less than than that last week and we got shotgun patterns from a very warm barrel.Bit the bullet(pun intended) and torqued to 60 lbs, Bingo, the last 4 shots went 22mm H X 12mm Vert. The rifle is now shooting just on the 1” @ about 97yds,our range is a tad short. BTW the pills are Woodleigh .264 140 gn SD.287 BC .444. Flat base.


Thank you Larry ,new you were the one to ask. Later Mal.

[koger]

I have had great luck running Sierra spt bullets with flat bases , 120 or 140 grain bullets in my 96 I sporterized/buit 30 years ago, shoots under 1/2 with both and selected charge of 3031