6.5-06 AI

[SHOOTER 72]

i recently purchased a custom Mauser chambered in 6.5-06 ackley improved . i have no experience with this cartridge . does anyone have any info or experience with this round ?

[Nobade]

Strictly speaking, it can't be a 6.5-06 AI because there isn't or wasn't any 6.5-06 factory ammo to fire in it. That aside, I would see if brand new 25-06 cases were a tight crush fit when you close the bolt on them. If so, you can fireform cases for it with those, using fast shotgun powder and cream 'o' wheat. Just keep adding powder until they form out clean. Once you have cases, see if you can find a way to resize the necks to hold a bullet. A 260 rem die should work. Then you can fire the cases with real loads, and do some measuring. You can send the fired cases to CH4D or Hornady and they will make a set of dies to match your chamber. Lee can also make you a custom collet die to neck size them.

If 25-06 cases don't crush hard when you close the bolt, then all bets are off. You could see if you could partial resize a 30-06 case in a 25-06 full length die until you can just close the bolt and fireform from there, but be careful about the die setting. 

[k3yston3]

Why cannot there be a 6.5-06 AI?  Wildcatters have been necking cases in every which way imaginable.  I've got an 8mm-06 AI and there is no such thing as factory 8mm-06 ammuntion.  How I make my cases, is really simple.  First, I get virgin 30-06 brass and run it through my sizing die, then I load a fireforming load and fire it in the rifle, and viola I have 8mm-06 AI cases.

The 6.5-06 AI should get you really close to 264 winmag performance but with less powder. 

[iiranger]

Let's take this apart.
"Improved" technically meant a factory cartridge was "improved" (usually shoulder blown out for more powder capacity) and you could fire factory ammo in the chamber to get "improved brass." Since there has never been a factory 6.5/'06 cartridge, then this factory round cannot be "improved." Rather, you have a "wildcat" that has to be "made." AT THE SAME TIME, in English, words get "adapted" widely and the term "improved" has grown beyond this strict sense... I'm bored and quit semantics at this time.

b). One of the reasons the 6.5 has not been widely popular is the 6.8/'06 better known as the .270 Winchester. When you can buy a .277 caliber rifle from a factory and shoot factory ammo (fairly widely available) why bother with something that uses a .264 bullet? At one time, Uncle Sam left fired brass laying for anyone who cared to to pick up and a trip thru a .270 full length die... !!

c). How hard do you wish to work? Mr. Ackley did a 2 volume set of books that cover thousands of cartridges, factory, improved, and wildcat... available from eabco.com, sinclair International, ebay sometimes... Several versions are in there with load data for powders from Mr. A's era, pre 1985. There are other authors... but Mr. A was out front and summarized the work of others, his era.

d). The old standard for many "imps" was to start with max factory loads and go up. Pressure dropped from larger powder capacity so this was fairly safe. YOU DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! Me? I would start with 6.8/'06 cases (.270 Winchester)... You will need to neck the neck down in some sort of 6.5 die. .264 WCF Mag would have lots of clearance, but .260 might work.

Now you have to make a judgement call. You want to try a load from .270 or a load from .25/'06? Pick one for the weight of bullet (6.5 bullet obviously) you are using. Reduce it 5% maybe... Load the case. Put in gun tied to tire. Fire with string from behind barricade. Overly safe? I don't think you can be overly safe. !!

Read the fired case. Load probably way light... If not, figure out why first...

As said, 3 fired cases and many die makers will make you custom dies. (Not cheap, no telling what you might find on ebay???) ch4d.com, LEE sometimes, even Huntington.com the RCBS custom shop...

Then enjoy your investment. It will be a substantial investment, but approach the .264 Winchester magnum with much better barrel life. Well, somewhat better barrel life. Not for prairie dog towns unless you like buying barrels. Luck.

[SHOOTER 72]

guy's,
my gun is a 6.5-06 ackley improved . it is in the cartridges of the world book and ackley's loading data is printed also . i have dies from C&H toll and die co. and i also have 6.5-06 factory brass from midway . i am familiar with p.o. ackleys wild cats and i was just looking for maybe some loading data that maybe someone has tried and experimented with already and save me some time . but there is a 6.5-06 ackley improved .

[roper]

Strictly speaking, it can't be a 6.5-06 AI because there isn't or wasn't any 6.5-06 factory ammo to fire in it. That aside, I would see if brand new 25-06 cases were a tight crush fit when you close the bolt on them. If so, you can fireform cases for it with those, using fast shotgun powder and cream 'o' wheat. Just keep adding powder until they form out clean. Once you have cases, see if you can find a way to resize the necks to hold a bullet. A 260 rem die should work. Then you can fire the cases with real loads, and do some measuring. You can send the fired cases to CH4D or Hornady and they will make a set of dies to match your chamber. Lee can also make you a custom collet die to neck size them.

If 25-06 cases don't crush hard when you close the bolt, then all bets are off. You could see if you could partial resize a 30-06 case in a 25-06 full length die until you can just close the bolt and fireform from there, but be careful about the die setting. 

I don't want to get into a contest with you but.  http://members.aol.com/riflemenky/Rifles.html  Midway sells 6.5-06 A-Square cases.

[muskeg13]

I have a set of Redding dies for the 40 degree AI shoulder that work fine. You can form 6.5-06 AI cases fairly easy using .270 Win. brass.  Run the cases in the sizing die to reduce the neck, trim to length and fireform.  I didn't have to fool with special forming dies or have to ream the necks. 

[muskeg13]

The only load I've fired was the secondary fireform load.  The initial fireform loads were with pistol powder and cream of wheat.  The cases were only partially blown out after the first firing.  I got nice sharp shoulders after the second firing and didn't lose any cases.

RP 270 Win cases, Fed 150 primers, 53.5 gr Norma N4 (204), and Sierra 140 gr SPBT
11 rounds fired, velocities ranged from 3036 to 3115 fps from a 27" barrel.  I didn't record the group size, but I believe it was a little over 1 inch, maybe as much as 1.5 inches.  I've since taken this barrel off and replaced it with the original 6.5x55 barrel that will shoot almost any load well under an inch.