Ready to start

[dverna]

If I were starting, a 6.5 caliber would not be where I would start.

If you will be happy staying in the 1200-1500 fps range to start it will be easier. But small rifle bullets are tougher, and the faster you go, the tougher it gets.

My suggestion is to start casting for a .38 or larger cal pistol. That will help you get your process and technique honed while making serviceable bullets. It will be frustrating to cast bullets that shoot patterns. If you cannot cast decent pistol bullets, it will be unlikely you will be successful with rifle bullets.

Lee molds are cheap but if you get poor results will you blame the mold or you? Buying a "good" mold takes a bit of the doubt out.

[Dahak]

I'm not qualified to talk about teaching others major points in the process, but I will say this as a novice speaking to an absolute beginner. Your mold is not hot enough yet. It is not hot enough until you are making essentially prefect casts - warm the mold, then finish heating it with lead from the pot - sacrifice the first 5 or so pours (cut the sprue when you think you should but be really slow about dumping the bullets for the heat transfer from lead to mold).

[Bazoo]

The lube groove is 0.010 smaller in diameter and shorter than the gas check shank and won't fix a gas check when put through my LEE push through sizer.
I found the solution was to fix the GC with Loctite.
ukrifleman

Thanks for the reply. That’s interesting.

[Bazoo]

I'm not qualified to talk about teaching others major points in the process, but I will say this as a novice speaking to an absolute beginner. Your mold is not hot enough yet. It is not hot enough until you are making essentially prefect casts - warm the mold, then finish heating it with lead from the pot - sacrifice the first 5 or so pours (cut the sprue when you think you should but be really slow about dumping the bullets for the heat transfer from lead to mold).

Can’t argue with that. Biggest thing for me was learning that. I often let my mould rest touching the alloy 5 minutes or more (I keep a book and read a few minutes and sometimes go a bit long). Then when I cast the first few are frosty. It doesn’t take very long for the mould to cool off.

[WRideout]

I have an old Hornady reloading manual from the sixties or earlier (I can't find the copyright date any more.) It has several pages of jacketed bullet data for the 6.5 Carcano. If you like, I could scan them and send by email.

BTW: I borrowed a Carcano sporter from a friend for my very first deer season, many years ago. I found it to be superbly accurate, in spite of all the criticisms given Carcanos over the years.

Wayne

[JoeJames]

You also might check this out: http://www.lasc.us/fryxell_book_contents.htm

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I second that . it helped me more than anything else; well, other than the members on here who helped me most of all with all my questions.