How to form 6.5-06 brass...

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DEDON45

New member
I've got a buddy (he doesn't have internet access, believe it or not) that has jumped into the reloading "game" with me... he inherited a decent set of equipment and even reloading components from his father, along with some pretty neat mausers... well, he's got this Turkish Mauser that's chambered in 6.5-06, really sweet shooting rifle... I understand that the brass is formed from 25-06 brass or maybe .270 brass ... all the brass he has and loaded rounds are based on .25-06 brass.

I did find that A-Square makes 6.5-06 brass, but some posts I found on a bulletin board (might have been this one) said that the case necks were too thick and required turning... anyone have experience with the A-Square brass? Also, given the cost... I'm thinking he just needs to reform the .25-06 (necking it up, I guess), he'll save a bunch of money.

Has anyone done this before? I'm sure that case trimming (he has a case trimmer) is in order after being necked up, but can we avoid neck turning going that route? Do the case necks need to be annealed before necking up? Any hints are welcome, thanks!
 
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hodaka

New member
I've used 25-06, 30-06 and .270 brass in my 6.5-06. All work fine but the .270 needs quite a bit of trimming. The 25-06 is a little easier since .257 is very close to .264, but they all work fine. Buying stamped 6.5-06 brass would be a waste of money. Save it towards some 120 gr Sierra Matchkings.
 
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CPTMurdoc30

New member
Just take a 30-06 and lube it good and run it through your 6.5-06 die. This is good and it will finish forming when you fire it the first time in your rifle.

I would measure the brass after forming down from 30 to 6.5 just to make sure the length is right they may need a little bit of trimming. Or you can go up from 25-06 brass because your only going up one caliber size.
 
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Scorch

New member
You can form 6.5-06 brass from 30-06, but you may end up having to turn the necks. I always used 25-06 brass. It's a quick "squeak" in the press as the expander ball goes through the neck and back out, and that's it.

270 Win brass has to be trimmed after forming to 6.5-06.
 
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DEDON45

New member
Cool... so no trimming (or maybe a little) when forming from .25-06, no annealing needed, and no neck turning? Sounds like that's the ticket!

Thanks guys!
 
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DEDON45

New member
Next time I hang out with him I'll get him to let me take a peek at the ammo boxes (the load info is written on the boxes .. his Dad did all the hard work of figuring out what loads worked best in that rifle before he passed on--the man loved reloading) ... I can testify to the loads being quite accurate... and my buddy's brother has killed a number of deer, cleanly, with the same rifle as well. It's seriously got me considering building one.
 
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jonsidneyb

New member
Sorry to pull this off topic but I have a 6.5-06 question.

Will 140 grain Berger VLDs loaded to where they are not overly deep in the seating cycle through the magazine of a Remington 700 BDL?
 
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