doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion German & Austrian Sporting Guns @ doublegunshop.com Drilling

Doesn't hurt to check the groove diameter. My Heeren turned out to be .264 and loves 120 grain Sierras.

Doesn't Oskar have a drilling in this chambering? Maybe he could chime in...

I've been gone. Yes I have one also, it is one of my favorite coyote hunting weapons and very accurate. Mine has a .260 groove diameter, it will shoot .257 bullets but I'm leery of blow-by ruining a irreplaceable barrel. C&H supplied my dies and made me a bullet swaging die to take .264's down to .260. Brass is a bit of a problem in my rifle, regular 6.5x58R Sauer Bertram brass is too thin in the neck and brittle, I have to keep annealing it to keep it from splitting. I have much better luck with Norma 9.3x72R brass and forming it to 6.5x58RS. My chamber is generous enough that I don't even have to ream it.

L-R 243, 6.5x58RS, 9.3x72R


200 yards with the 75gr V-Max .257 bullet


It works well.




Mine is Suhl proofed and was made for Wilkes, I believe a retailer, actual maker unknown.

Oskar,
I advocate using original length( 2.125-2.130") 38-55 cases for 6.5x58R S&S, but don't have a rifle to try them in. I was curious if those necks would be thick enough to hold a .260" ( or .257"), by sizing w/o expander. Have you tried this? Can you?
Mike

For me it is easier to form from 9.3x72R than the 38-55 as I have to turn the face of the rim or the rifle won't close(38-55 Rim is too thick).

To use the .257 bullets I can get away with just sizing the 9.3x72R formed brass in the 6.5x58R die. With the Bertram brass I have to neck size them in a 250 Sav die.

I need to run them through the 250 Sav die with a 260 expander ball for the .260 bullets it is a little undersized for the proper neck tension. In the 6.5 die they won't size down enough for the .260 expander ball to even touch the neck.

Oskar,
Every rifle is different and every handloader is different. I have a couple 9.3x72Rs and an 8x72R, so I'm hesitant to shorten long cases if I can use shorter, available cases. Once I get the lathe set up, with appropriate stops, it is no problem to thin and turn rims. I haven't been able to find a good 6.5x58R at a price I can afford. I didn't want one, until I read of your experiences with yours.
Mike

If I had a lathe I might go with the 38-55 brass also.

I am thinking a mini-mill for making claw mount rings. They make some combo rigs that might be just right for case work also.

Oskar,
A lathe is a requirement of life. One would open up so many more options for you. A mini-mill would be helpful also. I have not been impressed with the combination machines I have seen. I especially don't like the ones with the mill at the headstock. One with the mill midway of the bed might be OK, but I have no experience with them. Keep your eyes open for a used machine, sometimes you can get a good deal. If you find one get all the tooling with it that you can.
Mike

I'm 72 now and my dad was a machinist, until he passed I never needed the machines, I worked in the shop with him and did all the hand fitting so I'm pretty good with files and he did the big stuff.

Low rings I did for my JP Sauer with just a hacksaw, files, calipers and mics. it took almost two months of fooling with it, but as you can see it turned out ok.



Original 6x48mm scope on it.



Just lowering the scope and going from a 6x to 1.5x changed the whole characteristics of the drilling going from a weapon more suited to hunting from a blind to a fast handling hunting rifle, not much different than a DGR.

Good show, I pretty sure I remember when you did it.
Mike