6.5-06 petloads

hooligan1 · June 22, 2012, 07:34 AM

I'm going to start working up data in the books for this chambering, does anybody have any recommendations to get me started?

Also, Is it advised to use 30-06 brass and just run it through the 6.5-06 dies?

Jimro · June 23, 2012, 08:23 AM

When necking down just make sure that your neck diameter isn't too thick for your chamber and you'll be fine. You probably don't have to worry about that if you use 270 Win or 280 Rem brass to form into 6.5-06, and you don't have to worry if you start with 25-06 brass and neck up.

I don't have any pet loads to give you, as I passed on a 6.5-06 a few years back at a gunshow. But you can find data all over the internet on that round.

Jimro

LkWd_Don · June 23, 2012, 10:05 AM

You might want to start with
http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/de...Powder&Source=

hooligan1 · June 24, 2012, 09:06 AM

Hell your right Jimro, the .270 brass would work fine,,, thanks for the replies gentlemen.

hodaka · June 24, 2012, 09:09 AM

You'll need to trim the 270 brass a good bit. I tried nearly every brass based on that case when I had my 6.5-06 but 25-06 brass was my favorite for ease of use.

hooligan1 · June 25, 2012, 06:58 AM

Well I'm setting on a pile of .270 win brass,,,.Is 25-06 brass as plentiful as .270 win?

sc928porsche · June 27, 2012, 06:43 PM

270 brass will have to be trimmed after sizing.......neck is too long....case was from the original 03 brass length and not the 06. The 280, 06 and 25-06 will work fine. 25-06 is not as popular as 270. If you have a lot of 270 brass, by all means use it. Just a little more work is all.

tekarra · June 28, 2012, 07:26 PM

I necked up 25-06 brass for mine. My load data is quite old so it is better not to post it. The 6.5-06 is a good round and I enjoyed mine very much.

Scorch · June 29, 2012, 01:19 PM

I got rid of my 6.5-06 over 20 years ago, don't ask why. I used 30-06 brass for mine, loaded with IMR4350 and Hornady 140 gr bullets.

Newtire · October 13, 2012, 06:13 PM

I just returned from a trip to the range. Loaded some loads I got from Handloader, May-June 1988 #133. These were the 125 grain Nosler Partition over 55 grains IMR 4831 like in the article and used a CCI200 Match primer. Don't know what they used? Were pretty accurate for first run through. Made these from necked down .270 Winchester in Winchester brass. Will try a few in the heavier brass (less internal volume) that I have. Didn't have to neck turn one single case although I have the neck turning tool ready to go. No turning necessary with Lake City .30-06 '68-'69-'72-"81 either.

Rifle is a M98 Mauser with swastika on action and a 24" bbl. Was a trial run for deer hunting next week. After deer season, will break out the chrony & check out these loads.

Would appreciate any loads you folks have come up with. Thought I would offer up this bit of info that has proved useful to me.

Mike / Tx · October 14, 2012, 05:08 AM

Myself and a close friend have looked thgis caliber over and over but neither of us has actually bit into it just yet.

Even so, if I were starting off with it today, I would go for the 30-06 cases and work them down. I would probably run the necks up into a .270 die just shy of the original shoulder or far enough to just kiss it, before working them all the way down to the final size. I have found this worked quite well when sizing down 06' cases for my 25's, verses doing it all in one step.

I would most likly go with one of the 140gr bullets as these would give me somewhat the best of both worlds, I would be getting some pretty decent velocity, but have enough weight and sectional density to potentially reach out as far as I possibly wanted to (within reason) and still have plenty of energy left over. Hornady makes the 139gr SPBT which has done very well for me over the years as has the straight spire point, plus these are usually a bit ch0eaper than most of the others out there.

I would also look hard at the powders in the medium slow burn rate, and probably be starting out with RL-19 and move up and down one or two from it. I have found that RL-19 does REALLY well in calibers with this capacity and will usually give both top accuracy and velocity with the medium weight bullets. It has done exceptionally well in my 270 Win, .280 Rem, and 7mm Rem Mag.

Other than that would be primers, I have used Win WLR for so long in most of my rifle loads I would most likly start with them. If for what ever reason they didn't work out I might move over to CCI and then Wolf, just because I have a bunch I need to use up.

Hope this helps, I know it isn't much more than suggestions but that is what you asked for. There simply isn't much difference between the .257, .264, the .277, and the .284 diameters when a load is concerned, they all start off with about the same internal case capacity. If you do a bit of searching between the 25-06, .270 and the .280 and see what is working for others using them, I would figure those components would also be a decent place to start out looking for loads in your 6.5

GeauxTide · October 15, 2012, 07:34 PM

Don't use 270 brass as it's too long. Use native '06 or 25-06 brass. My next purchase of brass will be 25s to use in my 6.5-06 as I've got a 280 and an '06. When I had it built in the late 80s, 4831 gave the best performance for 120s, 129s, and 140s. My barrel was throated for 140SGK, so I could load heavier. I haven't loaded any since I got a 260, but I started with 55gr of H4831 in 120s and 129s with CCI200. My barrel twist is 1-9, so it really liked 120s and 129s better than 140s.

Newtire · July 19, 2013, 08:29 PM

First off, I found that by making the 6.5-06 cases out of .30-06 cases, after the first firing, they shrink and I end up with short necks, not anything you can't live with. The .270 needs alot of trimming back and you end up with this giant "mushroom" of brass to de-burr. Just run the case up into your sizing die until the neck starts to enter the sizing portion of the die and a nice little ring of brass that was sticking out falls right off-makes it easy to de-burr. The .270 cases don't get shorter either when you fireform them.

I've never used .25-06 but bet that would be the way to go. If cases were common as 30-06 cases.

hooligan1 · January 16, 2015, 04:17 PM

Picked up a box of Berger VLD Hunting bullets in 140 grains, gonna use H 4831sc...
Unsure of min -max, but still searchin....anybody tried them yet?

Txhillbilly · January 16, 2015, 10:20 PM

I shoot the Berger 140 Hunting VLD's out of mine. The bad thing about mine is loading them to maximum magazine length,the COAL is 3.385". The COAL to the lands is 3.500",so I'm having to jump the bullet .115" when loading to magazine length.
The good thing is that they shoot pretty good at 3.385". Groups run in the .3's-.4's at 100 yards,and around 2" at 500 yards.
I haven't even tried them seated out near the lands yet,but my 6.5 Creedmoor shoots them outstanding at .010" off the lands.

I make all of my 6.5-06 brass from 270 brass,just run it through my forming die and then the trim die,and trim the neck with a Lee case trimmer chucked up in a drill.

I use H4831,IMR 7828SSC,and Reloader 22 for most of my 6.5-06 loads.

hooligan1 · January 16, 2015, 11:18 PM

Oh yeah hillbilly I'm feeling you....Im workin wit an old turk mauser, but this Douglas barrel loves almost everything tested so far.... I know this VLD will be at least .100 off lands....trial and no error is the key here man.,.

hooligan1 · January 18, 2015, 03:56 PM

Testing BTO, with a standard charge I managed to shoot two 3 rnd groups that will hide under a dime, and both groups I held my breath too long on last rnd.
Its a beautiful day here in Independence, and these Berger 140's may make me look good on paper from here out, next the powder will be increased until maximum velocity within safe pressure is proven....

Powder is H4831sc by the way.

Clark · January 18, 2015, 05:53 PM

I have the 6.5-06 reamer, a barrel, an action, a stock, the dies, the bullets, etc.

If I can get it all together, I intend to start my work ups with:
1) 120 gr Nos Bal Tip moly 3.34" with 56 gr H4350 ~ 3150 fps ~ 63kpsi
2) 130 gr Nos accubond moly 3.34" with 54 gr H4350 ~ 3000 fps ~ 63kpsi
2) 140 gr Nos Bal Tip moly 3.34" with 54 gr H4350 ~ 2900 fps ~ 63kpsi

hooligan1 · January 18, 2015, 07:19 PM

Im having good luck with H4831sc, although 120 btip load is h4350 andseems to be consistant, my barrel is 1-8" so Im liking heavy bullets.

hooligan1 · January 20, 2015, 06:32 AM

I found out Sunday at the range my rifle likes 140 grn Berger Hunting VLD's, with a side order oh H4831sc...started with 47.1 grains for testing, and worked up three different three round loads of different BTO lengths...ended up with two groups that will fit under a dime, one group could've been a sweet "oneholer" but the dummy(me) that was shooting it, held his breath too long on last shot.......like to load a ten round load and prove this new data, then add powder to find my sweetest velocity spot..

June 23, 2012, 08:23 AM	#2
Jimro Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2006 Posts: 7,097	When necking down just make sure that your neck diameter isn't too thick for your chamber and you'll be fine. You probably don't have to worry about that if you use 270 Win or 280 Rem brass to form into 6.5-06, and you don't have to worry if you start with 25-06 brass and neck up. I don't have any pet loads to give you, as I passed on a 6.5-06 a few years back at a gunshow. But you can find data all over the internet on that round. Jimro __________________ Machine guns are awesome until you have to carry one.

June 23, 2012, 10:05 AM	#3
LkWd_Don Junior Member Join Date: May 17, 2012 Location: Puget Sound area WA Posts: 12	You might want to start with http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/de...Powder&Source= __________________ Lets Unite and REMIND our Government that WE are the source of their authority and that WE demand our Rights be returned, Unabridged, Non-infringed, without denial or disparagement

June 24, 2012, 09:06 AM	#4
hooligan1 Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: Independence Missouri Posts: 4,585	Hell your right Jimro, the .270 brass would work fine,,, thanks for the replies gentlemen. __________________ Keep your Axe sharp and your powder dry.

June 25, 2012, 06:58 AM	#6
hooligan1 Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: Independence Missouri Posts: 4,585	Well I'm setting on a pile of .270 win brass,,,.Is 25-06 brass as plentiful as .270 win? __________________ Keep your Axe sharp and your powder dry.

June 27, 2012, 06:43 PM	#7
sc928porsche Senior Member Join Date: May 29, 2008 Location: now living in alabama Posts: 2,433	270 brass will have to be trimmed after sizing.......neck is too long....case was from the original 03 brass length and not the 06. The 280, 06 and 25-06 will work fine. 25-06 is not as popular as 270. If you have a lot of 270 brass, by all means use it. Just a little more work is all. __________________ No such thing as a stupid question. What is stupid is not asking it.

June 22, 2012, 07:34 AM	#1
hooligan1 Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: Independence Missouri Posts: 4,585	6.5-06 petloads I'm going to start working up data in the books for this chambering, does anybody have any recommendations to get me started? Also, Is it advised to use 30-06 brass and just run it through the 6.5-06 dies? __________________ Keep your Axe sharp and your powder dry. Last edited by hooligan1; June 23, 2012 at 03:42 AM.

June 24, 2012, 09:09 AM	#5
hodaka Senior Member Join Date: April 23, 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 2,010	You'll need to trim the 270 brass a good bit. I tried nearly every brass based on that case when I had my 6.5-06 but 25-06 brass was my favorite for ease of use.

June 28, 2012, 07:26 PM	#8
tekarra Senior Member Join Date: May 26, 2007 Posts: 1,164	I necked up 25-06 brass for mine. My load data is quite old so it is better not to post it. The 6.5-06 is a good round and I enjoyed mine very much.

June 29, 2012, 01:19 PM	#9
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	I got rid of my 6.5-06 over 20 years ago, don't ask why. I used 30-06 brass for mine, loaded with IMR4350 and Hornady 140 gr bullets. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

October 13, 2012, 06:13 PM	#10
Newtire Member Join Date: September 20, 2008 Posts: 26	6.5-06 Hard to find data for I just returned from a trip to the range. Loaded some loads I got from Handloader, May-June 1988 #133. These were the 125 grain Nosler Partition over 55 grains IMR 4831 like in the article and used a CCI200 Match primer. Don't know what they used? Were pretty accurate for first run through. Made these from necked down .270 Winchester in Winchester brass. Will try a few in the heavier brass (less internal volume) that I have. Didn't have to neck turn one single case although I have the neck turning tool ready to go. No turning necessary with Lake City .30-06 '68-'69-'72-"81 either. Rifle is a M98 Mauser with swastika on action and a 24" bbl. Was a trial run for deer hunting next week. After deer season, will break out the chrony & check out these loads. Would appreciate any loads you folks have come up with. Thought I would offer up this bit of info that has proved useful to me.

October 14, 2012, 05:08 AM	#11
Mike / Tx Senior Member Join Date: April 8, 2000 Posts: 2,101	Myself and a close friend have looked thgis caliber over and over but neither of us has actually bit into it just yet. Even so, if I were starting off with it today, I would go for the 30-06 cases and work them down. I would probably run the necks up into a .270 die just shy of the original shoulder or far enough to just kiss it, before working them all the way down to the final size. I have found this worked quite well when sizing down 06' cases for my 25's, verses doing it all in one step. I would most likly go with one of the 140gr bullets as these would give me somewhat the best of both worlds, I would be getting some pretty decent velocity, but have enough weight and sectional density to potentially reach out as far as I possibly wanted to (within reason) and still have plenty of energy left over. Hornady makes the 139gr SPBT which has done very well for me over the years as has the straight spire point, plus these are usually a bit ch0eaper than most of the others out there. I would also look hard at the powders in the medium slow burn rate, and probably be starting out with RL-19 and move up and down one or two from it. I have found that RL-19 does REALLY well in calibers with this capacity and will usually give both top accuracy and velocity with the medium weight bullets. It has done exceptionally well in my 270 Win, .280 Rem, and 7mm Rem Mag. Other than that would be primers, I have used Win WLR for so long in most of my rifle loads I would most likly start with them. If for what ever reason they didn't work out I might move over to CCI and then Wolf, just because I have a bunch I need to use up. Hope this helps, I know it isn't much more than suggestions but that is what you asked for. There simply isn't much difference between the .257, .264, the .277, and the .284 diameters when a load is concerned, they all start off with about the same internal case capacity. If you do a bit of searching between the 25-06, .270 and the .280 and see what is working for others using them, I would figure those components would also be a decent place to start out looking for loads in your 6.5 __________________ LAter, Mike / TX

October 15, 2012, 07:34 PM	#12
GeauxTide Senior Member Join Date: April 20, 2009 Location: Helena, AL Posts: 4,423	Don't use 270 brass as it's too long. Use native '06 or 25-06 brass. My next purchase of brass will be 25s to use in my 6.5-06 as I've got a 280 and an '06. When I had it built in the late 80s, 4831 gave the best performance for 120s, 129s, and 140s. My barrel was throated for 140SGK, so I could load heavier. I haven't loaded any since I got a 260, but I started with 55gr of H4831 in 120s and 129s with CCI200. My barrel twist is 1-9, so it really liked 120s and 129s better than 140s.

July 19, 2013, 08:29 PM	#13
Newtire Member Join Date: September 20, 2008 Posts: 26	.270 cases for making 6.5-06 & de-burring after trim job First off, I found that by making the 6.5-06 cases out of .30-06 cases, after the first firing, they shrink and I end up with short necks, not anything you can't live with. The .270 needs alot of trimming back and you end up with this giant "mushroom" of brass to de-burr. Just run the case up into your sizing die until the neck starts to enter the sizing portion of the die and a nice little ring of brass that was sticking out falls right off-makes it easy to de-burr. The .270 cases don't get shorter either when you fireform them. I've never used .25-06 but bet that would be the way to go. If cases were common as 30-06 cases.

January 16, 2015, 04:17 PM	#14
hooligan1 Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: Independence Missouri Posts: 4,585	Picked up a box of Berger VLD Hunting bullets in 140 grains, gonna use H 4831sc... Unsure of min -max, but still searchin....anybody tried them yet? __________________ Keep your Axe sharp and your powder dry.

January 16, 2015, 10:20 PM	#15
Txhillbilly Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 2008 Posts: 512	I shoot the Berger 140 Hunting VLD's out of mine. The bad thing about mine is loading them to maximum magazine length,the COAL is 3.385". The COAL to the lands is 3.500",so I'm having to jump the bullet .115" when loading to magazine length. The good thing is that they shoot pretty good at 3.385". Groups run in the .3's-.4's at 100 yards,and around 2" at 500 yards. I haven't even tried them seated out near the lands yet,but my 6.5 Creedmoor shoots them outstanding at .010" off the lands. I make all of my 6.5-06 brass from 270 brass,just run it through my forming die and then the trim die,and trim the neck with a Lee case trimmer chucked up in a drill. I use H4831,IMR 7828SSC,and Reloader 22 for most of my 6.5-06 loads.

January 16, 2015, 11:18 PM	#16
hooligan1 Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: Independence Missouri Posts: 4,585	Oh yeah hillbilly I'm feeling you....Im workin wit an old turk mauser, but this Douglas barrel loves almost everything tested so far.... I know this VLD will be at least .100 off lands....trial and no error is the key here man.,. __________________ Keep your Axe sharp and your powder dry.

January 18, 2015, 03:56 PM	#17
hooligan1 Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: Independence Missouri Posts: 4,585	Testing BTO, with a standard charge I managed to shoot two 3 rnd groups that will hide under a dime, and both groups I held my breath too long on last rnd. Its a beautiful day here in Independence, and these Berger 140's may make me look good on paper from here out, next the powder will be increased until maximum velocity within safe pressure is proven.... Powder is H4831sc by the way. __________________ Keep your Axe sharp and your powder dry.

January 18, 2015, 05:53 PM	#18
Clark Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 1999 Location: WA, the ever blue state Posts: 4,678	I have the 6.5-06 reamer, a barrel, an action, a stock, the dies, the bullets, etc. If I can get it all together, I intend to start my work ups with: 1) 120 gr Nos Bal Tip moly 3.34" with 56 gr H4350 ~ 3150 fps ~ 63kpsi 2) 130 gr Nos accubond moly 3.34" with 54 gr H4350 ~ 3000 fps ~ 63kpsi 2) 140 gr Nos Bal Tip moly 3.34" with 54 gr H4350 ~ 2900 fps ~ 63kpsi __________________ The word 'forum" does not mean "not criticizing books." "Ad hominem fallacy" is not the same as point by point criticism of books. If you bought the book, and believe it all, it may FEEL like an ad hominem attack, but you might strive to accept other points of view may exist. Are we a nation of competing ideas, or a nation of forced conformity of thought?

January 18, 2015, 07:19 PM	#19
hooligan1 Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: Independence Missouri Posts: 4,585	Im having good luck with H4831sc, although 120 btip load is h4350 andseems to be consistant, my barrel is 1-8" so Im liking heavy bullets. __________________ Keep your Axe sharp and your powder dry.

January 20, 2015, 06:32 AM	#20
hooligan1 Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: Independence Missouri Posts: 4,585	I found out Sunday at the range my rifle likes 140 grn Berger Hunting VLD's, with a side order oh H4831sc...started with 47.1 grains for testing, and worked up three different three round loads of different BTO lengths...ended up with two groups that will fit under a dime, one group could've been a sweet "oneholer" but the dummy(me) that was shooting it, held his breath too long on last shot.......like to load a ten round load and prove this new data, then add powder to find my sweetest velocity spot.. __________________ Keep your Axe sharp and your powder dry.

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