6.5wsm budget long range rifle project 2012

[Outlaw6.0]

Thanks for the info. I had thought about that round as my next rifle. Seems like the barrel life is a little short.... I'm liking my 6.5-06. Its at 3004 FPS w/ H4831SC running a 140 gr Berger. Looks like I can up it a bit with another powder. We'll see. Thanks for the info. Bruce

Thats the price of performance . I have also been told that the 6.5 RSAUM will do everything the WSM will do with better bbl life.

I also load for the 6.5-06AI which is a great cartridge.

t

 

[GNERGY]

I have read that you can get 900 rounds out of the barrel before you have to cut it back and rechamber it, if you don't get it too hot during your courses of fire.
Bowhunter42, I wouldn't waste any money for cryogenic treatment because Dan Lilja from Lilja barrels did some testing and it doesn't do anything. Check out melonite ( salt bath nitriding ). There was some talk on Accurate shooter lately about it. Some guy has 11,000 rds thru his 223 and it is still as accurate as day one. It makes the outside of the metal real hard 60 to 70 rockwell. It doesn't change any dimension ( bore ).
I have a Krieger that as soon as I get to chamber it, I am going to get it melonited, it's in 308 to shoot F TR class. The only bad thing is that you can't rechamber it when the throat is gone because it ends up being too hard, needs to be machined with carbide.
Just my 2 cents.
Tarey

 

[Outlaw6.0]

I have read that you can get 900 rounds out of the barrel before you have to cut it back and rechamber it, if you don't get it too hot during your courses of fire.
Bowhunter42, I wouldn't waste any money for cryogenic treatment because Dan Lilja from Lilja barrels did some testing and it doesn't do anything. Check out melonite ( salt bath nitriding ). There was some talk on Accurate shooter lately about it. Some guy has 11,000 rds thru his 223 and it is still as accurate as day one. It makes the outside of the metal real hard 60 to 70 rockwell. It doesn't change any dimension ( bore ).
I have a Krieger that as soon as I get to chamber it, I am going to get it melonited, it's in 308 to shoot F TR class. The only bad thing is that you can't rechamber it when the throat is gone because it ends up being too hard, needs to be machined with carbide.
Just my 2 cents.
Tarey

Your thought process is pretty much in the same line as mine. Cryo treating is just a method of stress relieving & will not effect bbl life. Meloniting has shown on several different rifles to increase barrel life, to what extent i'm still not completely sold on. Originally developed for salt corrosion resistance (stuff in the ocean) it does effectively increase Rockwell hardness to HIGH levels & IIRC some added lubricity as well. My 'smith specifically told me that he would in no way set back or rechamber a barrel that had been nitrided so I didn't go that way.....yet. I have a 7mmSAUM that may just get melonited BUT the downfall being, you get melonite in any color you want as long as it's black..... There is a brown too but it isn't as hard as the black.

t

 

[yobuck]

outlaw do you know chuck at macs gunworks out on hoe creek rd ?
he does the 6.5 short mag in both rifle and large pistols.
he didnt build mine but tuned it up for me.
mines on a lefty savage mod. 11 which had been a 243.
it looks all original excepet a sharpshooter trigger a 26" brux barrel and of coarse bolt face and magazine parts.
it was intended as a carrying type gun. the magazine however has been
somewhat of a nightmare.
it shoots about everything i feed it very well. 140 smks are slightly better
than 140 bergers in that gun. lighter bullets shoot very well also.
3" groups at 400 yds are easy even for me.
ive gotten best results with rl22 and 7828. h1000 isnt as good in my gun.
3250 range seems to be the best for all round performance in mine with 140s.
at this point im frankly sorry i did it on that action. that due to the magazine.
i wish i had used a 300 wsm action to start with. im thinking that would have
solved the feed issues.

 

[Outlaw6.0]

outlaw do you know chuck at macs gunworks out on hoe creek rd ?
he does the 6.5 short mag in both rifle and large pistols.
he didnt build mine but tuned it up for me.
mines on a lefty savage mod. 11 which had been a 243.
it looks all original excepet a sharpshooter trigger a 26" brux barrel and of coarse bolt face and magazine parts.
it was intended as a carrying type gun. the magazine however has been
somewhat of a nightmare.
it shoots about everything i feed it very well. 140 smks are slightly better
than 140 bergers in that gun. lighter bullets shoot very well also.
3" groups at 400 yds are easy even for me.
ive gotten best results with rl22 and 7828. h1000 isnt as good in my gun.
3250 range seems to be the best for all round performance in mine with 140s.
at this point im frankly sorry i did it on that action. that due to the magazine.
i wish i had used a 300 wsm action to start with. im thinking that would have
solved the feed issues.

I know who he is but I can't say that I know him. I've never worked with the guy. If you aren't running a center feed mag, yeah i'll bet you hate it My Stiller based 6.5WSM is a single feeder as the 130 CEB's are too long for any mag that I could find. IIRC the CDI DBM bottom metal would work great with some of the Type 3 Alpha mags which were designed for the WSM case. That would be an area to look at, the Alpha mags have an invernal allowance of ~2.985".....


t

 

[gillettehunter]

Chuck at Mac's Gunworks built my 6.5-06. Does good work. He suggested Titanium Nitride for a finish on it. So far I love it. No copper fouling at all. I cleaned it just before my sheep hunt. I had around 50 rounds through it at that point. NO copper and only like 3 wet patches to get the powder residue. Also should increase barrel life. Bruce

 

[bowhunter42]

Ok I have a couple of questions for you , I am now having the machine work done on my 6.5wsm barrel then Im sending it out to be melonited, can you still ceracoat after it has been melonited and any suggestions on where I should send it to have it done? Thanks, Jay

 

[GNERGY]

Jay
Are you talking about where to get it Melonited, MMI Tru tec is one place and I found that Controlled Thermal Technology here in Phoenix does it. He does a lot of stuff for Ruger and McMillan Bros. He offers 1 day turn around. If you need any more info let me know and I will give you his name and number.
I am sure you can ceracoat over it.
Tarey

 

[Duckman208]

I am researching the smae build you have just done and I have no experience with necking brass down. What type of dies are you using and what steps does it take to go from a fresh .270WSM to a 6.5WSM? Also I was curious how much your rifle weighs? Thanks and great looking shooter.

 

[COBrad]

You should be able to run .270 brass through a 6.5 die in one pass. Be sure the neck diameter of your chamber will fit the resized brass or you may need to ream or turn necks.

 

[GNERGY]

I will try to weigh my rifle later. I used Lee 6.5 WSM dies for sizing the 270 brass down. Then I bought a Hornady 6.5 neck sizing die and bored it out to fit the fat short mag case to be able to just neck size the fired brass. If you decide to do that buy the die and send it to me and I will bore it out for you. It will be easier on your brass.
Tarey

 

[Duckman208]

I will try to weigh my rifle later. I used Lee 6.5 WSM dies for sizing the 270 brass down. Then I bought a Hornady 6.5 neck sizing die and bored it out to fit the fat short mag case to be able to just neck size the fired brass. If you decide to do that buy the die and send it to me and I will bore it out for you. It will be easier on your brass.
Tarey

Copy that, Thanks for the info guys.

 

[bowhunter42]

Hey Tarey, Thanks for the info, I have talked with Rodney @ mmi tru- tec last monday, and as soon as the Machining is done on the barrel its off for a salt bath.The way I look at it even if it only doubles the useful barrel life its worth the $60 it costs to have it done. I did read an artical where it was stated that a guy has put over 75000 rounds thru his 223 barrel and it shows only slight pitting in the throat. the reamer got here yesterday so I think by next week it should be on its way and couple weeks it might be up and running. Jay

 

[COBrad]

Doubling the life of a barrel is huge!