25-06/6.5rem mag

[jr meredith]

can i have a 25-06 handi rebored to a 6.5rem mag?
if so has any body had it done
how did it go
did you have any hang ups

thanks jr

[quickdtoo]

I seriously doubt it would work with that big of case head and that much pressure....stick with non-mag calibers and you'll do fine.

http://stevespages.com/jpg/cd65remingtonmagnum.jpg

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/saami_pressures.htm

[Fred M]

jr meredith
There is not really
enough difference in bore size to rebore from 257 to 6.5. Besides a magnum case head is not suitable for the Handi, for once the extraction/ejection system can't  handle the belt, and second the additional back thrust of a magnum would put too much strain on the Handi frame.

You could rebore to a 270 or a 280 30-06 338-06 or the 35Whelen.

You could make a 260Rem from a 243 or a 6.5-06 from a 223 24"bull barrel.

[Gutshot]

I know the case belt is differant on the 450 but How do they rig the extractor/ejector for the 450Marlin? Just curiuos. I am getting a 450 barrel as soon as my rifle comes in.

AL

[Lone Star]

This could never work regardless of action strength or extraction difficulties.  The body of the 6.5 Mag is much shorter than that of the .25-06, and a rechambering job would never come close to cleaning up the .25-06 chamber.   :roll:

[jr meredith]

is there any handi or ulrta that i could have rebored to 6.5
started checking out the 6.5 and i like that round
dont know much about reboring or long/short action

thanks guys jr

[quickdtoo]

A .243 barrel would work as far as chamber dimensions, but the SB2 frame would be questionable at that pressure.

[Fred M]

jr meredith
If you want a good 6.5 for a Handi, then go for a 260 Rem. Use a 243Win with a 24" barrel and have it rebored. The chamber body stays the same. The ejector/ or extrator remains untouched. only the neck gets reamed bigger.

Order it with a 1-9" twist and you be on your way for hunting bullets. Have it throated for a 130gr bullet that way all your lighter bullet will still be in the neck touching the lands, and a 140gr will also fit well.

Forget about the 6.5x55 or the Magnum.. Chamber reamers for the Swede  have long throats unless you find a custom reamer.

[rifleman61]

"Jr" what I gather is that you are looking for velocity, just from following the text and tone of the replies. I find the replies to be pretty much on mark.  One of the things that you should consider is that 6.5 like .257 is overbore.  The very worst thing about 6.5 in just about of any of the loadings 6.5/06 6.5 Win is that they are barrel burners and will eat up the throating on a rifle and change head space parameters , a bad situation. 6.5Win. mag was very bad about that.  Ballistically the difference between 25/06 and 6.5 is minimal at best.  Your frame as one of the "posters" put it will not take the strain.  One thing you can consider is to go to an "improved" chambering on the 25/06. P.O. Ackley is probably the "godfather" of "Improved" chambers.  For a 25/06 as with any of the chamberings involved with the 06 Springfiled case the "improved" chambering requires nothing more than reaming the chamber and moving the shoulder forward.  But what you wind up with is still an overbore rifle  that is even harder than before on the throat and boreand headspace considerations there are far more critical.
My suggestion is to leave well enough alone, because which ever way you choose you are talking tradeoffs of some degree or other that will in the end not satisfy you, in my judgment.  If you want velocity consider a loading with the Sierra 100gr. Matchking, not very many people know about this head.  It has laser accuracy when properly loaded and will "step out there" at 3300fps.  Sierra makes likewise a 120gr. hunting hollow point with a sectional density of 260 and a BC over 500[Ballistic coefficient, that's quite high  which makes for a very flat shootring, hard hitting and  deep penetrating round, commensurate with any loading in 6.5mm . Loadings giving 3000fps are common.  The frame of the Handi and Ultra is quite good and will handle this intensity.
My suggestion for wht it is to you.
Fair winds and following seas


Anchor's Away/Semper Fi
CPO Bull

[Lone Star]

...The very worst thing about 6.5 in just about of any of the loadings 6.5/06 6.5 Win is that they are barrel burners and will eat up the throating on a rifle and change head space parameters , a bad situation.

No disrespect intended, but I can't understand how the 6.5s will "change headspace parameters".  This could only occur if the action or barrel stretches permanently.  Throat wear has nothing to do with it....  

...For a 25/06 as with any of the chamberings involved with the 06 Springfiled case the "improved" chambering requires nothing more than reaming the chamber and moving the shoulder forward.  But what you wind up with is still an overbore rifle  that is even harder than before on the throat and boreand headspace considerations there are far more critical.

P.O. told me in the 1970s - and also wrote about it extensivley - that a correct AI chamber requires the barrel to be removed from the action and set back prior to cutting the new chamber.  Otherwise it will not reliably fire factory ammo due to imporper headspace, as you hinted.  Obviously this method is not possible with the Handi.  Although it is not uncommon to just ream out the existing chamber, it would not be considered a real AI chamber - at least not by the late P.O.  

My take is the OP wants the heavier bullets of the 6.5 bore.  If all he wants is velocity, then the Nosler 85 Ballistic Tips will scream (3500 fps) out of a .25-06 and give great downrange ballistics.  The 75-grain Hornacy V-Max can be pushed faster (near 3800 fps) and has almost as good downrange performance; both are varmint bullets.

[rifleman61]

I neglected to say, and that is my hit after writing, on review.  A common place was to take 270Win. cases and then neck them down to 25/06 and then fireform them in an AI reamed chamber; the problem in this respect is that when doing in this manner great care must be taken to get correct head space.  Then when fire forming, a fire formed case can appear to be quite normal but may have .050 or more headspace; this can be disastrous the second time that they are fired.  The fireformed case  assuming correct spacing is still  over bore capacity which will result in maximum velocity for .257, but at the same time makes it evry hard on a barrel.  I have a 30/06 AI long range match rifle and I regularly fireform 30/06 Sprg'fd. with little or no lose in accuracy or velocity, so I go right from firing to sizing without the intermediate step, safely.  Throat wear is indeed a consideration; the big hit on 264 Win. mag when it came out was the increased throat wear and erosion and it is logical to make the jump from throat erosion to eventual head space problems.
My own thoughts are much the same as yours, he can "step out there" with proper loading [heads, powder, primers and brass].


Anchor's Away/Semper Fi
CPO Bull

[rifleman61]

Did you really know "PO"; I think that is really great. I have two of his books and I treat'em like "Holy Scripture" [no disrespect intended]
Please I do not intend to let on that I know any more than I do, jus what I've learned.  I had my .long range rifle set up by a gunsmith in Accokeek Maryland and he always called him "...pore old...".  Well I never got to know PO but his chambering in 30/06 AI got me a "distinguished" at Quantico in '91.

Signing Off
Anchor's Away/Semper Fi
CPO Bull

[JPH45]

Not to stir up the ju-ju.....

jr meredith, I think you ought to go for a 257 Wetherby Mag myself, it will outperform the 25-06 and the 6.5 Remington. I don't know how you are going to deal with the streached frame, guess that'll be your problem. But even with the 6.5 Remington, you'll have a streached frame. Others have tried rechambers to 300 Win Mag only to get the streached frame they were told they would get. The 450 only operates at 42,000 psi , not 55,000-60,000 psi. It is the reduction of operating pressure that allows for the chambering of the 450 Marlin with it's .513 case head diameter.

Operating at the same 42,000 psi the 450 does, the 6.5 would hardly give velocities equal to the 257 Roberts, but people are free to do any damned fool thing they want.

After the last fiasco we went through over rechambers, it would stirike me that it would be wise to lock a thread on what is known to be an obviously unsafe rechamber such as this one would be.  (rimless AI chambers should fall into that catagory as well so far as I'm concerned) It should contain a note of interest to the poster that such a rechamber would be more wisely done in an action of a stronger design than the Handi and leave it at that. Poster is free to get ticked off, leave, or follow the good advise as they see fit.

Not my intent to ruffle any feathers, just it is not senseable to entertain threads that can obvioulsy go nowhere. The proper answer is to this whole disscussion is "If you want a breakaction single shot in a 6.5 Remington Magnum, go get an Encore. The TC factory offers H&H based magnum chamberings and warrants their frame for use with such, NEF does not, and none of us here are qualified to question their judgement. However, with the ongoing demand there is for such chamberings, it would be a sure bet that NEF would chamebr H&H based magnums were it practical in in the SB2 frame"