6.5-06 Ackley Improved

[lgwatson]

I am considering having a 6.5-06 Improved built with an 8 twist barrel. I would appreciate any information on brass for this round. I reload .243 AI, but I am not experienced at neck turning and necking down brass. Is it practical and possible to use Lapua 30-06 brass or should I use brass that is closer to the 6.5mm caliber (.270 or .280)?

 

[dkhunt14]

You can use Lapua brass. I would neck it down in steps. I would do like a 7mm and then the .264. The brass will get thicker when necked down. It might have to be neck turned. Matt

 

[jr600yd]

I shoot a straight 6.5/06. Rather than necking down brass then having to neck turn I neck UP 25/06 brass. Just run it over a 6.5 (264) mandrel. Load and shoot.

 

[Tommie]

Take .270 down or 25-06 brass up. Just use your 6.5-06 sizing die. Easy peasy. Remember that .280 Rem has a slightly longer body than the rest of the 30-06 family and might result in some crumpled shoulders.

 

[R.Morehouse]

I shoot a 6.5-06 Baer and go 280-270-6.5 neck turn then FF using only Lapua brass. 141's doing 3150 with RL22.. 8)

 

[mikegaiz]

Precision shooting had a great article a ways back on how to fire form. Basically use 270 brass (longer neck) then size to 6.5 leaving a .010 bump for the first shot instead of jamming the bullet. Worked great. I started using Lapua 06 brass with good results just more work. H4831 SC, or IMR4350, and RL22 all worked well. Went through three barrels and moved on. I now use it for long range prairie dogs. It is a flat shooting round, 142gr. worked best for me in a 30 in. 1 in 8 twist. Try it.

 

[Flouncer]

25-06 run it through the die. Bang !!! Fireformed. Over. You are welcome.

 

[WyleWD]

I shoot a straight 6.5/06. Rather than necking down brass then having to neck turn I neck UP 25/06 brass. Just run it over a 6.5 (264) mandrel. Load and shoot.

+1. Works like a charm and with a LOT less time and mistakes made. WD

 

[AckleymanII]

Go 25/06 brass and eliminate neck turning...HELLO!!!!

 

[RW]

I have been necking down 270 brass and have only had to trim to the shorter length. I am thinking about the Lapua 30-06 brass but haven't got that far, I neck turn all my brass so that is not a issue, but you do have to trim the 270 brass shorter as it is longer than 30-06. I was not aware that you had to neck turn it also. Ron

 

[1000yardstare]

Had a 6.5-06 McGowen barrel on an M70 action (remember them) way back in the 1980s. Necked up .25-06 brass. Load and shoot. No messing around with anything else.

Flat shooting, accurate but man that sucker burnt the barrel out way faster than I ever imagined when I started the project. Was my intro to the world of barrel burners. Since then I take it easy with .22-250, .220 Swift, .243, 25-06, 6AI, 6.5AI and their ilk. Even then the barrel seems to be gone sooner than anticipated. The 6.5AI is smaller than the 6.5-06 Imp. and it went fast enough.

Can`t see any advantage to using the improved version unless you really enjoy buying barrels. P.O. Ackley in his "Handbook for Shooters and Reloaders", p364, stated that his improved version of the 6.5-06 is "somewhat overbore thus resulting in not quite as efficient cartridge as the standard version". In fact the velocities listed show the improved version slower than the standard version.

To be fair, the slowest powder available to P.O. in 1962 was IMR 4831. With the much slower powders available today no doubt the improved will have faster velocities than the standard.

Good luck with your project. If your heart is set on the improved version - go for it!

Bill

 

[Tommie]

I'm a disciple of Mr. Ackley and have read his books several times. I gotta say that while I agree with P.O.'s assertion that the 6.5-06AI is inefficient, the load comparisons between it and the "standard" 6.5-06 are somewhat flawed. He lists the same maximum charges for both cartridges and then notes a lower velocity with the larger one. Any AI cartridge will lose velocity versus the non-AI when fed standard cartridge powder loads.

Loaded to indentical pressures, the 6.5-06AI will produce higher velocity (albeit slight).

 

[6.5_hunter]

Precision shooting had a great article a ways back on how to fire form. Basically use 270 brass (longer neck) then size to 6.5 leaving a .010 bump for the first shot instead of jamming the bullet. Worked great. I started using Lapua 06 brass with good results just more work. H4831 SC, or IMR4350, and RL22 all worked well. Went through three barrels and moved on. I now use it for long range prairie dogs. It is a flat shooting round, 142gr. worked best for me in a 30 in. 1 in 8 twist. Try it.

In 1985 i had a 6.5-06AI built by Buzztail Mfg Keno, Oregon Mauser FN action, Douglas fluted barrel 26 inches, after myself and two boys shooting it often for over 30 years, last year the barrel started loosing its accuracy, I know my boys would shoot over 500 rounds per year at times. This includes varmits, predators, and big game. This gun killed from moose in Alaska to Antelope in eastern Oregon. The only issues I had was fire forming brass, the neck angle had to be at the same exact spot or the brass would crack, very low recoil and my youngest boy at age 12 was hitting our 700 yard gong almost any time he wanted. 55 grains Hogdon 4831 hunt loads with Nosler partion 140 grain second from Nosler, chronograph at 3050 FPS. For fire form we used IMR 45 grains. I used any brass from 25-06 to 30-06 and had great success, typical brass life was 10 rounds. Best investment for a rifle ever. I kept plenty of loads needing fire formed around for the kids to plink and varmit hunt with. Scope was sited in 3” high at 100 yards and I told boys hold on fur. Some of their shots that I witnessed were common at 400 yards, it was our 1 gun.

I hope this information helps
Bob

 

[Flouncer]

Who makes the best 25-06 brass ? And you all get 200-300 fps more than I do with 52g of 4831sc. It's all good.

 

[timeout]

Who makes the best 25-06 brass ? And you all get 200-300 fps more than I do with 52g of 4831sc. It's all good.

Try Reloader 26. I switched from 4831SC. Way more MV and no pressure signs in a 23" #3 contour gunhunt barrel.

 

[Flouncer]

Thanks Timeout !! My V was from a 26-inch tube and Fed Match Primers. Softest possible as far as I can tell. Used them as a safety control to avoid eating a face full of Steyr 1912 Mauser metal. I'll work up slowly. Can you suggest a start load ? - thnaks mark What brass do you use ? No Lapua, a quick Google shows Norma is a good upgrade over WW as a possibility.

 

[timeout]

Thanks Timeout !! My V was from a 26-inch tube and Fed Match Primers. Softest possible as far as I can tell. Used them as a safety control to avoid eating a face full of Steyr 1912 Mauser metal. I'll work up slowly. Can you suggest a start load ? - thnaks mark What brass do you use ? No Lapua, a quick Google shows Norma is a good upgrade over WW as a possibility.

Thanks Timeout !! My V was from a 26-inch tube and Fed Match Primers. Softest possible as far as I can tell. Used them as a safety control to avoid eating a face full of Steyr 1912 Mauser metal. I'll work up slowly. Can you suggest a start load ? - thnaks mark What brass do you use ? No Lapua, a quick Google shows Norma is a good upgrade over WW as a possibility.

I ran it through QuickLOAD and started @ 54 grains. This is in conjunction with 115 grain Berger HVLD's. I did not go all the way up to where I had high pressure indications. The charge weight that I settled on gave me an honest 260 fps increase in MV over the H4831SC. I'm using this rifle as strictly a hunting rig, so I didn't try to wring every bit of accuracy out of it. That being said, when zeroing the new load @ 200 yards it put 2 almost in the same hole and 2 @ 300 were 5/8" on center. I moved to my 4, 5, & 600 yards range location and checked my ballistics but didn't shoot any groups. I am very satisfied with the Reloader 26 for this application. Also switched my son-in-law's 7 Rem Mag using 168 HVLD's to it.

 

[Beeman]

If you want top end performance look into a 6.5 SHERMAN. 3250-3300 fps is achievable with 140's. My top end load drives 140 Bergers at 3339 fps out of a 28" Hart with N570. Use 270 brass as parent case. There is more case prep with the SHERMAN but it is at the top performance wise.

 

[R2surfdaddy]

I shoot a straight 6.5/06. Rather than necking down brass then having to neck turn I neck UP 25/06 brass. Just run it over a 6.5 (264) mandrel. Load and shoot.

Great Idea!!!!