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Offline kevin.303

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chamber reaming an Arisaka
« on: December 29, 2004, 04:16:41 PM »
a buddy of mine has a bubba'd 6.5 Arisaka he might part with. the bolt handle has already been bent so there is no point trying to restore it. with some work it could be a neat little sporter. of the commercial 6.5mm cartridges available, which ones can an Arisaka be reamed out for? i 've heard .260 Rem mentioned, but what about 6.5x55 or the .264 Win Mag?
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Offline ajj

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chamber reaming an Arisaka
« Reply #1 on: December 30, 2004, 03:11:24 AM »
No first-hand experience with Arisakas but be sure the OAL of the cartridge will cycle. The .260 is going to be the closest thing to the original cartridge length and is probably the most sensible choice for a significant performance improvement. It will give you 6.5x55 velocities with a shorter case. I love the 6.5x55 but, contrary to popular belief, the powder capacity advantage over the .260 is only about one grain and the cartridge requires a "long" action in commercial rifles. As for the .264 Mag, I understand that the Arisaka is a strong action but now you have a really long cartridge that doesn't seem to offer much advantage over the .260/6.5x55 in the real world.
Last but not least, you might try handloading the original round for awhile before you make the investment. Depending on what you plan to hunt it may do just fine. 140's at 2400fps is a deadly combination with 6.5 bullets.
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Offline Zcarp2

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chamber reaming an Arisaka
« Reply #2 on: December 30, 2004, 07:33:22 AM »
Talk about a timely topic!  Just came into possession of a 6.5 Arisaka myself with a bent bolt, ground off front sight protectors and a royally "customized" stock.  I have it taken apart for cleaning as we speak.

After looking at the 6.5 Jap round, I decided to handload with 120 grainers.  I do not have dies for the 6.5 or the 260 Rem, but will not use store bought ammo.  That is a wash, waiting on a set of 6.5 Jap dies to be found and mailed.  Should have it ready to shoot by that time.

This one will be for my 9 year old so top velocity is not in the equation.  120's and moderate velocities are.  You can equal the 260 ballistics.  No advantage to pay for a reaming job, IMHO.

Do you reload?  This is a good reason to start.

Ebay has brass and I am hoping to find an auction cheap enough to get some.  Otherwise, 7 and 8 mm Mauser brass (257 Bob, etc) will work with the bolt face.  A little oversized at the base, but same situation with a 260 rechamber.  Will measure my 308, 30-06, 8mm and 7mm to find the largest base dimensions and form my own if enough cannot be procured at a decent price.

Stocks can be found on-line.  Triggers not so available, but mine is sufficient for a learner.  Looking for better sights.  Need to do load development and then decide on upgrading the sights.

Good luck and keep in touch.  I love 303's also.
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Offline Graycg

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chamber reaming an Arisaka
« Reply #3 on: December 30, 2004, 07:45:26 AM »
In the olden days, they used to rechamber these to use a 257 roberts case necked up to 6.5 mm to use the original barrel.  Seems funny that it took smart gunsmiths in this country with Jap rifles to re-invent the European 6.5x57 mm mauser....  You will see these rifles refered to as 257 Jap or 25 Jap.  
  I'd stick with the original chambering and buy dies and get the brass from Graffs or off of ebay.  Easier than a rechamber and custom dies...Lee makes 6.5 jap dies for $25 or less.  The original round has plenty of omph for deer and black bear hunting without significant recoil.  Good luck, the Arisakas aren't real pretty, but the early ones were strong and safe.

regards,
 graycg
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Offline kevin.303

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chamber reaming an Arisaka
« Reply #4 on: December 30, 2004, 12:00:37 PM »
well, i passed on one in the local gunshop for $40 2 years ago because here in Canada factory ammo or brass is impossible to find. i only saw one box of the Norma load at the last gunshow i went to and it was $50. i would have to import Graf brass, which to do it the legal and proper way would be a paperwork headache. i was hoping that the 6.5x55 would work in it because that way i'd be able to get the most bang for my buck. my AG42 eats cases so it's an expensive rifle to feed. if i had a 6.5x55 bolt gun i could reload cases in it a few times then use the last load in my Ljungmann. a friend of mine has a 6.5x55 reamer so it would still be cheaper than buying a real Swedish Mauser.
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Offline Graycg

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chamber reaming an Arisaka
« Reply #5 on: December 30, 2004, 12:15:15 PM »
Kevin,
  I am sorry to hear that importation of brass for a 70 year old rifle causes your government such concern.  I hope that we don't get that out of control down here!  Best of luck with your project!

regards,
 graycg
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Offline TomD

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chamber reaming an Arisaka
« Reply #6 on: January 12, 2005, 07:34:39 AM »
I have a 6.5 x 50 Arisaka that has been reamed to the 6.5 x 55 Swede round.

I reload with 140 & 160 grain Sierra soft points.

It's a shooter. I keep it in TX and use it for Hogs.
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