6.5x55, 260rem, 308 rims sizes

[johnmventers398]

im after building a 6.5 from my 243 win rem 700. however im not keen on changing anything about my bolt face.. so question is will 6.5x55 case fit or will i need to go with the 260 remington?

 

[Hopkins]

Winchester 6.5x55 brass in the past has fit a RCBS shell holder for .308 Winchester and that family of cartridges based on that parent case. Lapua 6.5x55 brass will not.
6.5X55 with heavier bullets seated normally will not fit in a short action magazine.

 

[AckleymanII]

Don't forget about AOL, mag box length, case size, and freebore amount on your cartridge size choice. Most bullets like a certain distance from the land for best accuracy...

 

[LHSmith]

Lapua and Norma cases need to be modified by machining the extraction groove wider in order to function with 100% reliabilityin a Remington 700. The larger head diameter is not the problem. Don't know about Winchester cases.

 

[mj2evans]

Lapua 6.5x55 brass in a Savage needed no mods.

 

[memilanuk]

SAAMI drawings for .308 Win, .260 Rem & 6.5x55...

 

[LHSmith]

Lapua 6.5x55 brass in a Savage needed no mods.

Perhaps useful to someone, but the OP has a Remington 700.

 

[Exercion]

The answer is "it might"

First question is if you plan to use Lapua brass or some American made (remington etc.) The actual dimensions for 6.5x55 is larger than the .473 and Lapua and other European makers use the correct size.

Second question: is this a hunting repeater or a target gun for single shot? If you need to feed from a mag, yes you need to check length. You may want to make sure that whoever does the barrel does not throat it long like the original military rifles for the heavy 156-160 gr round nose bullets or you won't get a 140 class bullet even close to the rifling.

I shoot a 6.5x55 in a Remington 700 action for F-Class. My gunsmith did not have to open the bolt face for the brass to fit. And I certainly do not modify my cases for the extractor to fit (that would be a nightmare on the amount of brass I use) and I have yet to experience anything other than perfect reliability and I'm on barrel #2 with this rifle. And I only feed it Lapua brass.

Get a few examples of the brass you plan to use, and see if it fits into the bolt face, that will tell you exactly. After all, why settle for the 260 when you can have the round the 260 would like to grow up to be?

Eric

 

[1shot]

.308 & .260 bolt face is .473 no matter who's brass you use.
6.5x55 in Lapua is .479 but Winchester keeps there brass at .473 .
That being said, I really test the limits of my brass in my 6,5x55 Improved. What doesn't phase my Lapua brass ruins the primer pocket of W-W brass in 1-2 firings. BTW, I only shoot Panda actions which are similar to Remington's.
I hope this helps,
Lloyd

 

[mj2evans]

LH - the point being the small head dif likely not an issue with a factory (mass produced) bolt. American brass for 6.5x55 is made with 308 family head (and this WRONG in my view and I won't use it anymore, too many issues with it).

 

[HTSmith]

Safest route is to go with the 260

 

[johnmventers398]

thanks for all the info guys. seems like if it goes ahead it would be wise to go with 260.
however i may just go for a higher twist 243 and shoot the heavier rounds. saves that paperwork from police Scotland who are painfully slow at variations and renewals.

john

 

[red_mamba]

I have 6.5x55SE build on 30-06 REM700 LA
And you need to modify cases or bolt face if you want shells to eject.

I did none of that and have to pull the case out by hand. A couple of them eject on their own.
I use Lapua brass.

 

[flatlander]

I've got a long M700 in 6.5x55AI - use mainly WW brass with no issues, but have also ran Lapua through it with no problems either. Only issue I've had with the Ackley version is that the sharp 40* shoulders tend to hang up on the sharp edges of the bolt raceway/lug seats if I extract slowly. Need to pull the bbl and break/polish these sharp edges with a Dremel.

I went with the 260 Improved 30* in my short action 700, and am very pleased with it. Made my own dies, but custom Redding sets are available from Whitley, or full custom from Whidden.