6.5x284 brass

[chet]

I am getting ready to have my 6.5x284 with an 8 1/2 twist barrel chambered, the gunsmith gave to 2 neck dia options, a .295 or a .297 I am thinking to go with Lapua brass, if I go with Lapua brass the gunsmith says the .297 is the better choice, I don't want to get into neck turning. barrel length will be 29 1/2'any comments

Chet

 

[bigred]

If you're not going to turn necks,I think you're going to be cutting close with neck clearance even with a .297 neck. Maybe you should consider a .299 0r a .300 for a true no turn neck. Lapua brass is good but it still has variations. I have a .296 and i thought i would be alright not turning necks,but I was never satisfied with the performance. Then i purchased a k and m neck turner, and things started to turn around. Its amazing how much some of them were out of whack. Maybe it was just my brass.

 

[dennisinaz]

I have a .294 neck, or so it is stamped, on my .260. It has been a nightmare. You have to turn everything or you can't put a bullet back in a fired case.

A standard 6.5-284 Winchester chamber has a .301-.302 tapered neck. A match Norma chamber is .297 I believe. I wouldn't go any tighter than this. I measured my Norma brass and it would work in a .297 neck. I don't have any Lapua brass to tell you how thick it is.

 

[TonyR]

I recently spot-checked the necks on some new Lapua 6.5X284 brass. The thickest I saw were .0155 on a side so adding .031 to .264 gives .295 and you would probably want at least .003 or .004 clearance so .299 sounds about right.

 

[queen_stick]

I have a 6.5-284 chambered with a .297 neck. I started out using a no-turn, leaving me with .001 neck tension and a .295 loaded neck. it's a little tight in there, but I've shot several 3/4' groups at 300 yards.,That's not typical, but that's my goal for that range... still waiting to get out to the 600 and 1k ranges). Anyway, I keep getting flyers,sometimes out around 2' from the 3/4' cluster), and I'm starting to think that it may be the clearance in the neck area. I trimmed 10 cases to .013 neck-wall thickness to see if it will clean up the flyers.,Keeping a .001 neck tension, that should give me a loaded neck dia of approx .293, and .004 of clearance in the chamber). Of course, after I turned the necks, I don't have the right neck bushing to get proper tension for seating. I'm waiting on my bushings to come in the mail to test the turned-neck cases and see if it makes a difference? I'll post results in here, good or bad, in the next week or so.

Walt

 

[TonyR]

Hi Walt.
Your 3/4 inch goal at 300 yards is not unreasonable with the 6.5X284 in my experience. If the neck tension doesn't do it, you might want to try the seating depth and trimming and pointing the bullets. I have been amazed at the difference in vertical with changing the seating depth .010 or .015 can make.
Good luck.

 

[queen_stick]

Hi Walt.
Your 3/4 inch goal at 300 yards is not unreasonable with the 6.5X284 in my experience. If the neck tension doesn't do it, you might want to try the seating depth and trimming and pointing the bullets. I have been amazed at the difference in vertical with changing the seating depth .010 or .015 can make.
Good luck.

Thanks for the advice Tony. I didn't play around too much with seating depth yet, as I'm trying to get rid of the fliers before messing around with that. I read, and was told, that seating depth should be the last step in 'tweaking' your loads. Perhaps I'll try it anyway?

Walt