Rechambering my arisaka to 6.5x55 had crossed my mind. I read about a 6.5 257 rechambering for type 38s done when the 6.5 jap ammo was not around.
Rechambering my arisaka to 6.5x55 had crossed my mind. I read about a 6.5 257 rechambering for type 38s done when the 6.5 jap ammo was not around.
Just buy the PPU brass and be done. Everything else is just a big pain in the butt. I was having a hell of a time w/ a T38 carbine I had a while back. Nothing I tried worked in reference to brass. Then the discovery was made…. Someone (probably the Chinese) rechambered and rebarreled it 7.62x39.
compare to the 220 Swift necked up to 6.5 and fire formed
BUT get these
https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog...ategoryId/700?
NRA Benefactor 2004 USAF RET 1971-95
The fly in the ointment if you will is the grooves .
If I had the tool to "freshen up" the bore ala' Pope and I cut just .015 out all the way around I could get by with .277 dia bullets and not have to "fix" the throat to make it happen , otherwise they would make a dandy 260 Rem .
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I was young and stupid then I'm older now. Me 1992 .
Richard Lee Hart 6/29/39-7/25/18
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Will a .260 reamer effectively clean up a 6.5x50 chamber?
Yes, it should. It's close to the 6.5- 308 mentioned earlier. I recut the shoulder on mine so I could use .250 Savage brass fireformed up. Mine wouldn't shoot that well so I had a gunsmith re- thread a Shaw 8x57mm and fit it. I did the action modifications. Commercial ammo will fit in the magazine but milsurp ammo is single shot only. A neighbor traded me out of that rifle; I should get it back sometime......Sorry for the drift!
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I have a T96 LMG, and eat up a lot of hand loaded 6.5x50sr Japanese.
I have a swager die that converts 308 brass (commercial brass works a lot better than military brass) to 6.5x50sr brass, with a very nice semi-rim.
This is a push in die, all the way to the top surface of the rim, then push the brass out via a rod down through the neck.
Once formed it is just trim and load.
You might try feeding some 260 cases from a fully loaded magazine first. They did not feed well from the magazine of my jap rifle. However, a 308W case formed in a 6.5x55 FL die [the decap pin removed and case lube and tapped in to form the case then tapped out with a rod ala a Lee wack-a-molie die] fed much better because of the tapered case as it will fit into the taper of the magazine better. First shorten a 6.5x55 FL die so a 308W case is formed down with the neck at 6.5x55 length. The formed case is same case capacity as the 260 rem or 6.5-308 so that load data can be used. Use the formed case to headspace on the shoulder cleaning up (basically finish reaming) with a 6.5x55 Swede finish reamer. Easy to do with no real case forming as such other than FL sizing the cases and maybe a final trim to length. Just FL size 308W cases in the shortened FL 6.5x55 die. I also shortened a NS die and a Seater the same amount. The bore on my Bubba'd jap is really pretty poor and it was shortened to 22". Using 7.62 LC 73 cases I push a 129 gr Hornady SP at 2670 fps with less than 2 moa accuracy.
A 266455 cast of COWW + 2% tin left "as cast" at .268 with the GC just crimped on and lubed (2500+) in a .268 H&I die loaded over 10 gr of Unique runs 1460 fps with the same less than 2 moa accuracy at 100 yards. Given the condition of the oversized bore (for .264 bullets) I've not even uniformed the neck thickness. I have annealed the neck/shoulder area after several firings with jacketed bullets loads though.
Here, left to right, are the 6.5 on the 308W case with a 266455 as described, a 6.5 jap Norma cartridge and a 6.5x55 cartridge with a 129 gr Hornady SP.
Attachment 298511
My Bubba'd Jap rifle
Attachment 298512
Last edited by Larry Gibson; 04-03-2022 at 05:55 PM.
Larry Gibson
“Deficient observation is merely a form of ignorance and responsible for the many morbid notions and foolish ideas prevailing.”
― Nikola Tesla
308 Winchester...
wear your scars with pride, a scarless man hasn't felt the hardship of life......
Just made a bunch using 6.5 creedmoor brass. After running into the FL die you have to chuck the brass in a drill and file off the belt. Work great
Good thread. We were just discussing what the best option would be for forming Jap brass. New stock may be the best option...
Jon.
Sounds like buying the PP 6.5 Jap brass would be a very good place to start. Wish it was around in 62 when I started fooling with Japanese surplus rifles and making ammo for them. My experience with Norma, in the 60s was not good, as it was very soft.
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BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |