Different 6.5 question

[flytie]

M, I will check it out and post again. But what I did before was resize the stoney point dummy case neck, lube, seat 129gn bullet so the round would chamber easily in the action, remove bolt, put in dummy round on Stony point OAL guage and tapped the plastic rod until rifling marks were seen on the bullet which was lightly smeared in engineer's blue, then measured with calipers.

I will try it again though.

ft

 

[mallettn]

Forgive me if I have misunderstood you but I think you have made a mistake if you have actually seated the 129gn bullet in the dummy case.

I have only used a Stoney Point OAL gauge once (this last Saturday), but the reloading expert who showed me pushed the round in fully, then pushed the bullet head forwards driving it with the internal rod (i.e. the rod that runs through the primer hole) till the bullet head lightly kissed the lands. At this point you lock off the internal rod (there is a knurled screw) and remove the cartridge. The bullet head may remain in the chamber. Drop another bullet down the bore to free it then seat the original bullet again in the dummy case. It can't seat back beyond where the internal bar is locked off at. You then measure this to determine your guns OAl to the lands.

I hope this makes sense to you!

 

[hunter gatherer]

Hi
Thanks for the welcome. Sounds as if you have found a good load. I get slightly better groups but only on a good day :>))

The 6.5 x 55 is known to prefer slower powders and a fuller case is claimed to be better by target shooters and its always good fun experimenting anyway (within safe limits). I personally would not bother with 100g for the 55 case and Noslers seem cause to much carcass damage if you really push the velocity up. The groups opened up to 1in +.

As a note the 140g partition bullet works well but not if you demand the groups you are getting.

Slower and accurate seems to work fine.

Re seating depth don't worry about 3.10 but no more, I tried 3.15 and there wasn't enough bullet held in the case to maintain conformity. Best seating depth will vary with powders and rifles anyway so go punch holes and have fun.

Al

 

[hunter gatherer]

Hi
Thanks for the welcome. Sounds as if you have found a good load. I get slightly better groups but only on a good day :>))

The 6.5 x 55 is known to prefer slower powders and a fuller case is claimed to be better by target shooters and its always good fun experimenting anyway (within safe limits). I personally would not bother with 100g for the 55 case and Noslers seem cause to much carcass damage if you really push the velocity up. The groups opened up to 1in +.

As a note the 140g partition bullet works well but not if you demand the groups you are getting.

Slower and accurate seems to work fine.

Re seating depth don't worry about 3.10 but no more, I tried 3.15 and there wasn't enough bullet held in the case to maintain conformity. Best seating depth will vary with powders and rifles anyway so go punch holes and have fun.

Al

 

[flytie]

Forgive me if I have misunderstood you but I think you have made a mistake if you have actually seated the 129gn bullet in the dummy case.

I have only used a Stoney Point OAL gauge once (this last Saturday), but the reloading expert who showed me pushed the round in fully, then pushed the bullet head forwards driving it with the internal rod (i.e. the rod that runs through the primer hole) till the bullet head lightly kissed the lands. At this point you lock off the internal rod (there is a knurled screw) and remove the cartridge. The bullet head may remain in the chamber. Drop another bullet down the bore to free it then seat the original bullet again in the dummy case. It can't seat back beyond where the internal bar is locked off at. You then measure this to determine your guns OAl to the lands.

I hope this makes sense to you!

M, You make perfect sense. And since you posted i have been out and tried again. There is very little bullet seated when it is touching the lands now. I cannot work out what i did wrong, but obviously I have been a complete muppet. This, unfortunately is not a rare state of affairs Thanks for your understanding, patience and willingness to unconfuse me, much appreciated

 

[mallettn]

No problem - I am normally the one who is confused so its nice to be of some use for once!

 

[Muir]

Not below the shoulder/neck junction is a good one but not hard and fast. What works is generally accepted.~Muir

 

[mallettn]

Al,
Thanks for your reply, it is a huge help hearing from someone who has actually tried what you are just contemplating. From what you say about damage I think I will stick with the 120g as my main deer load (mainly muntjac and fallow). Perhaps unfortunately I have already bought a box of 100g Noslers and opened, but not used any! Will be interesting to see if they make a flatter foxing round if they can be made to do an inch at 100yds. Your guidance on seating may be relevant here in that I may seat less than 7mm in the neck to get a reasonable OAL on such a short bullet.

If the opportunity to shoot red, sika presents itself I would be tempted by a heavier more strongly constructed 130 or 140g bullet, so I was interested in your comment on Partitions. Perhaps the Accubonds would be more accurate and fit the bill as they are strongly constructed but have a Ballistic Tip unlike the Partitions? One for the future.

Thanks again
Neal

 

[hunter gatherer]

Hi Neal,
I haven't tried Accubonds they have been unavailable in the UK untill recently and very expensive. Berger VLDs are very very good but the hunting version is difficult to get as they cann't be posted direct and my local dealer wont oblige. Some use the target version for deer and say its OK but I once had a nasty experience doing this.

Currently playing with Hornady A max, look good, but some reports are that they cause excessive carcass damage -- we will see.

For your 100g try an OAL of 75mm (2.95in) and 51.5g RL19. (max load).

I keep a little book to record best loads/AOLs my reloading guide got full of confusing scribbles

AL

 

[mallettn]

Hi Al,
Thanks for the load data and seating advice for the 100g Noslers – it may be a while but I’ll let you know how I get on.

I mentioned the Accubonds because they now seem pretty widely available and they are cheaper than the Partitions albeit quite a bit more expensive than Berger VLDs and particularly Hornady A-max.

Current price comparison, all for 140g bullet weight, (from MidwayUK.com) is:
- Partitions £30.82 for 50
- Accubonds £26.08 for 50 (note: 130g is £23.05)
- Berger VLDs £38.42 for 100
- Hornady A-max £30.28 for 100

Neal

 

[jcampbellsmith]

Tricky question, I shoot 243 and 260. You need a different bolt face for 6.5 x 55, why don't you try the 260? I get 2750 fps with 129gr Hornady SP from 260.

 

[Muir]

Why switch to a smaller case? I get 2750 using 129 Hornady's from the 6.5x55 with no pressure issues.~Muir

 

[flytie]

Why switch to a smaller case? I get 2750 using 129 Hornady's from the 6.5x55 with no pressure issues.~Muir

Muir, What powder are you using?

I am interested as the 129 SST is what I am reloading for, at the moment mine gets 46gns of N160.

ft

 

[Muir]

IMR 4350 from a Winchester Model 70. Most accurate load to date!~Muir

 

[flytie]

IMR 4350 from a Winchester Model 70. Most accurate load to date!~Muir

Thanks Muir, Most kind!

ft