6.5x55 brass problems

[utahcybercowboy]

Last year I picked up a 6.5x55. I use Lapua brass. First few boxes of brass I have had next to no problems with the brass fitting into the shell holder in my press. Opened a new box of brass last night and maybe 20% I cannot get into the shell holder. Did something change? Shell holder is free from debris.

I should clarify this. the brass I bought last year was good. The brass I am having problems with now was purchased this year.

 

[1shot]

My shooting partner and I had the exact same problems with the 400 pieces we bought last year. Rim thickness varied by .015. If I didn't have several re-loads on this brass, it would be going back to Lapua. As a side note, if you send me your lot numbers, we can compare them to what we have and maybe have some recourse with Lapua.
Lloyd

 

[utahcybercowboy]

P00475801 is my lot number. I have more lapua brass on the way. Not sure I want it. I will call the vendor I purchased from and see what they have to say.

 

[BBTC48]

Ok, I'll chime in on this one because after reading your post, I ran to the bench to check anew box of Lapua X55 I just got. Here's what's up on this end. The first X55 I ever got was Lapua. Arriving home, I checked to see if it fit a #3 RCBS holder and it did just fine when compared to the fit of a .243 (308) which is what the #3 is for. I know, specs call for a #2 I believe but with the fit looking good, I loaded up and fired away. BUT...I noticed just a few that needed turned or sort of wiggled in. No biggie..they DID go in. I've since used a small batch of "Frontier" headstamped X55 and now I also have a batch of fifty Winchester headstamp X55 and these all fit flawlessly. Now...the run to the bench. This new batch of Lapua (#P00349504) only a few of them will wiggle or spin in...most won't go in at all !!! So on my end, do I get the correct shell holder hoping that they will then fit ? Or what ???? We can only hope some folks here will come up with some good advice. I can only assume that you are using the correct shell holder and that makes me believe that just buying that one will NOT cure MY blues.

 

[LHSmith]

The proper shell holder for the 6.5 x 55 should solve your problem... RCBS #2, Redding #1. Even though the rim diameter is slightly larger than the more common .308/30/06 sized cases, it is the rim thickness that may cause problems with shell holders and extractors.
The reason some fit and some not is due to manufacturing tolerance stack-ups.

 

[utahcybercowboy]

I am still using the 308 shell holder. So I may need to try the right shell holder.(of course that sounds obvious) I guess my big concern is will this new brass work with my 308 bolt? Why is the lot to lot appearing to be so different on premium brass?

 

[LHSmith]

I am still using the 308 shell holder. So I may need to try the right shell holder.(of course that sounds obvious) I guess my big concern is will this new brass work with my 308 bolt? Why is the lot to lot appearing to be so different on premium brass?

Again due to manufacturing tolerances. I had to have the extraction groove opened up on my Lapua Swede brass for it to work CONSISTENTLY in a Rem. 700. Some have posted they found that WW brass works without a problem. I believe the Remington with it's extractor is the only rifle that has issues. FWIW the only other brass that I have tried in my Swede was an old lot of Norma, and it had no issues.

 

[utahcybercowboy]

So I have a custom 700 action that uses an m16 extractor. I just tried some brass with this and it seems to work fine. I do not want to do any harm to my setup. Would you think with this extractor I am good to go? Thanks for the feedback.

 

[LHSmith]

I would try every piece of Lapua brass and if it extracts you should be GTG. My 700 swede has the standard extractor.

 

[1shot]

utahcybercowboy,
The lot number on the 400 rounds of brass my partner and I bought is POO 475801, the same as yours!


All the brass is tight or won’t go at all when using a Redding #1 shell holder. A RCBS #3 is a 100% no-go, and a RCBS #2 is tight but in the sampling I tried they all fit, although quite snug. As a side note, W-W brass all fit just fine. I also have a custom action and had to have the bolt face opened up slightly for clearance, otherwise it was shaving the edges off the rim of the brass. The down side to that is I now have an action that is dedicated to that caliber unless I want to shell out the money for a 2nd bolt. If I would have known a year ago that W-W brass would fit with no alterations, I could have saved both time and money!
I hope this helps,
Lloyd

 

[LHSmith]

My brass lot # is P00420802, I had the extraction groove opened up on all 100 pcs. rather than modify the boltface. Again it was more of a problem with the groove width than the rim diameter.
FWIW-Since I don't have any un-modified Lapua Swede brass, I tried my old Norma (~ 1990 manufacture) brass in the following various shell holders:
S/H 1.....Redding #1- all brass would go, most required extra force
S/H 2.....another Redding #1-some brass would go, ~30% no go
S/H 3.....RCBS #2- all brass would go, some needed extra force
S/H 4.....another RCBS #2- all brass would go
S/H 5..... Lee #3-all brass would go easily
Note- the Norma brass was fired 2x in an AI chamber, perhaps some of the N/G's were due to case head expansion.
I wouldn't base brass meeting spec on whether it fits the proper S/H or not.