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Iv been having a play. I am particularly interested in the correct trim length for my 6.5x55 cases. I have a rifle with a tight 6.5x55 chamber I did not realize till after I bought it that the barrel had been fitted to a short action(.308) the rifle shoots great but its a bit of a pain to reload for. So correct case trim length as well as correct cartridge overall length is important.
Iv been using chamber length buttons to assess the proper case trim length for my .308 jobbies. My No4 .303 so its the 6.5s turn.
The buttons are made from aluminium the main body of the 6.5 is .264(6.71mm) in diameter the anvil on the end is .284(7.21mm) I might have to alter these measurements depending on the outcome.
So you trim back the neck of a sized case till its short of the standard case length you start the button into the case then chamber the case. Carefully open the bolt extract the case then take a measurement from the base of the case to the front of the anvil and that's it job done record your results then go trim your cases.
From the left 6.5x55. .308 .303 chamber length buttons.

Available from NOE: http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/index.php? ... ah9nikkei2

Yes NOE do them there 6.5 is actually .263 mine is .264 I don't think they do a .303 mine is .311 I could not see a .311/.312 on there web site so I made my own they also have a disclaimer that says the buttons will not work with a tight chamber so I might not be successful with the 6.5 but the .308 and .303 work fine. If you are wanting to give it a go I encourage you to check out the NOE web site they make a superior product. I don't make them for sale.

They also do case neck expanders to work in the Lee expander die in my opinion they are superior to the Lyman M die.
http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/index.php?cPath=88

Alpha1 wrote: I have a rifle with a tight 6.5x55 chamber I did not realize till after I bought it that the barrel had been fitted to a short action(.308) the rifle shoots great but its a bit of a pain to reload for. So correct case trim length as well as correct cartridge overall length is important.

Tight chamber? So, if you try to chamber a brand-new empty 6.5x55 case - you can't close the bolt?

No that's not the case. I was puzzled when I first got the rifle because it does not chamber most makes of factory ammunition. In fact it does not like any factory rounds I have tried. The problem is the rifle has been built using a Shilen heavy profile barrel chambered in 6.5x55. The action is from a .308 rifle it wont feed from the magazine which is disappointing because I have a ten round and a five round magazine for it. So essentially the rifle has to be single loaded. I had loads of problems with jammed rounds when I first got it because I was building to standard cartridge lengths I struggled to get the bolt to open and then the I could not get the bolt to back out. I have worked it out now but cartridge case length and cartridge over all length have to be just right. If I change bullet make or weight I have to re develop the load. It shoots great but its a pain to reload for ideally I would like to get it re chambered in 6x47 but God knows how much that would cost and I don't know any one who would be able to do it any way. I was toying with the idea of having a go my self at one time but I soon came to my senses and binned that idea.
Its a lovely rifle its got character but its a pity it was not built on a long action. Its fitted with a Kahles scope with turrets that are calibrated to the round Its as accurate as my .308 Steyr SSG P1.

Apart from discovering that a 6.5x55 won't load from a 308 mag. what's the problem? Nothing wrong with a heavy profile Shilen barrel - don't forget - it will have passed proof so it will be 'in spec'.

You have a chamber, you have a set of dies. The object is to use the dies to size the brass and load a round that will fit YOUR chamber. You can re-chamber it anyway you like but you will still have to do this.

If you can chamber a brand-new un-fired case then try with a bullet - using a COAL gauge will give you the max overall length - then seat the bullet 20thou. deeper in the case.

When you say "If I change bullet make or weight I have to redevelop the load" - don't we all - nothing surprising here, that's just how it is.

like I said I have worked it out now it's just a pity it has to be single loaded and won't accept factory ammo I can not understand why the original owner had it built on a .308 action. But I can live with it.

Well, I suppose the original owner used what he had. The 6.5x55 is a decent enough round and probably an improvement over the 308.

But, do you NEED to load from a mag.? Unless you are shooting something like CSR/PR, single feeding is adequate for most target shooting.

Single feed is not a problem for the type of shooting I do it's just a pity it does not feed from the magazine. It's a very accurate rifle so that makes up for lack of a magazine it's a keeper so that's all that counts and it was cheap to buy so that's all ways a bonus. Iv had correspondence with the previous owner he supplied me with some dummy rounds and the reloading data to go with it. My guess is he had it built then realised it was not what he expected so he part exchanged it for a factory 6.5x55 rifle.