6.5mm 130gr. "Kurtz" in the 6.5 Swede

[Maven]

I've mentioned some of this in the [distant] past, but it may be worth repeating. The 6.5mm, 130gr. "kurtz" (Buckshot's name for it) group buy has produced outstanding results in my "as issued" Carl Gustaffson Swedish Mauser...if I do everything correctly. That means sizing the CB's nose first, adding a GC and then sizing & lubing again @ .267". (My rifle doesn't like .266" CB's very much, which makes it a bit of an oddball.) The alloy is WW with perhaps 1% Sn added, but with no heat treatment. I use light charges of powders like WC 820 (16gr.), VV N133 (18 - 19gr.), AA 5744 (17 - 19gr.) or H/IMR 4198 (17 - 19gr.) with standard LR primers to hold the velocity to a modest level due to the fast twist of the rifling. Accuracy has been as good as 10 in 1" @ 50yds. from a rest when the planets are in alignment and I'm paying attention.

[Char-Gar]

You are thowing a craving on me. I have had a minty Swede for about 20 years and have never fired it. About three years ago, I cleaned the fouling out and installed a MOJO rear sight. I have a pair of the original "Oldfeller" cruse missle molds plus the 6.5 Kurtz. I guess i am going to have to get my round tuit and go to the range.

[Antietamgw]

Thanks for the post, now I have something new to keep my mind occupied during slack time for awhile. I have a number of Swede's, as-issued collectables and bubba's. It is 1 of only 2 chamberings I own that I haven't shot cast out of almost exclusively. I shot them a great deal in the past but it just bugs me to spend the $$$ on expendable stuff like jacketed bullets and I shot them less and less as time went by. Other chamberings gave immediate gratification and the Swede's moved to the rear of the safe. I have the Oldfeller "cruise missle" mold and a custom FreeChek tool that Francis Stanard had made up when the Swedish rifles were first being imported in the '80's. Haven't made a sizing die yet. I don't think I ever shot the first cast load yet. I believe I'll get to it. I also think I'll order the "kurtz" mold and some Hornady gas checks. Now that I'm thinking about it, I also have Francis' 6.5 BR reamer, a pristine CG-63 stock and a spare action...

[Antietamgw]

I thought the Kurtz mold was a special from MidSouth but don't see it listed anymore. Was this a group buy mold? Bummer....

[Buckshot]

I thought the Kurtz mold was a special from MidSouth but don't see it listed anymore. Was this a group buy mold? Bummer....

.............Yup, group buy. Done twice.

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

[garandsrus]

Antietamgw,

We are waiting on a 6.5mm group buy that may suit your needs. The buy was placed a couple months ago.

I ordered a couple extra molds that aren't spoken for yet...

John

[Antietamgw]

John,
Thanks, I'll send you a PM regarding the group buy. Maybe you can set one aside for me.

Thanks!

[Pat I.]

Maven,

You mentioned that you sized first in a Lee PT die and then seat the check and lube in a lubesizer. My question is did you try seating the check in the PT die? I use the the Lee die for all my sizing but the 6.5 just wouldn't seat the check without tearing it up. Once I started sizing without and seating the check separately everything was fine.

Actually it might be a better way of doing it because it looked like it was squaring up the base a little even using water dropped WW.

Pat

[Maven]

Pat I., Actually I don't have a Lee PT die for the 6.5 Swede because I don't think Lee Precision offerred PT dies in .267" when I purchased my rifle ~1993. At that time, Stillwell Tool & Die was advertising in "The Fouling Shot" and offering to open a Lyman H & I die (.264") to .267" for a modest fee. What I do is invert the CB, size it nose first, add a gas check and size it and lube it in the normal way. Btw, I stumbled across this method when my LBT spire-pointed CB's would no shoot accurately from my rifle.* Sizing them both ways immediately solved the problem.


*In retrospect, I suppose I could have accomplished the same thing by first pushing the long LBT bullet more deeply into the die, then readjusting the height in order to lube them correctly.

[Pat I.]

Maven,

I know I special ordered my .266 Lee die when I put my 6.5 PPC together but I could have sworn they made a .264 die back then. I don't see it now so they must have discontinued it. I never did figure out why the die wouldn't seat the check without tearing it up but since the way I ended up doing it worked I never looked too hard to find out.

Pat

[Bret4207]

If Lee makes a .264 die it should only take 10 minutes or so to open it to .267, .268, whatever you want using Buksnorts "roll the die on my thigh" method. I opened a .329 sizer to .331+ in exactly 200 rolls using 240 gr alum/ox paper and a 5/16 rod. I would think a very stiff 1/4" rod and thinner auto body paper would work for the smaller 6.5.

[sundog]

Bret, you counted? Is that some kind of manic disorder, or sumthang?

[sundog]

Ya know what I thinK? -- Naw, how could ya. I think the dies are not finished especially well, and doing the buckshot thing takes a lot burrs and imperfections out first. That makes up for a a thou or two like right now. Then you have to work for the rest of it.

[Pat I.]

For the last couple of Lee dies I had to open up a bit I just coated some bullets with 320 lapping compound and it worked pretty easy. It didn't take many bullets to open them up a thousandth. Speaking from experience you just have to go slow and measure often so you don't open them too much.

Pat

[Bret4207]

Bret, you counted? Is that some kind of manic disorder, or sumthang?

IIRC- Joe and I were having a "discussion" about how long it would take. "Nuff said.

[TAWILDCATT]

I just received the cruise missle mold and 41 swiss dies and 43 mauser dies from midsouth.they ordered them from LEE for me. aparently they special order and as you know their discounted.I hope to use the 6.5 swede in a carcano.
----- ------ ------ -------

[olympian]

I am interested in get a Kurtz mold. Are there any left?

[brimic]

I shoot the Kurz's out of my M41b. They usually stay inside of 2-3" at 100 yards using Unique- good enough for fun plinking. They also shoot about that well out of my 94/14 carbine at 50 yards. If I spent the time sorting them by weight and did a little more load development, they probably could do a lot better, but I enjoy them just the way they are. I'll save the serious load development for when I get my hands on a cruise missile mould.