Cartridge design help please
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MontanaRifleman
Well-Known Member
Norma WBY brass costs just over $1.50 per case. Not sure how accurate it is but I read LRM brass is $1.25 per case and probably as good or better than the Norma and it's annealed. I ordered my Hornady 300 Dakota brass directly from Dakota and a lot of 100 was about $2.00 per case and of very good quality. Dakota usually has inventory in stock.
If you merely necked down the LRM or 7 Dakota, fire forming would be next to nil and could be accomplished with load development. If you improve the WBY case, there will be some work and cost involved, so the cost f comparable quality brass would close to equal Dakota brass cost.
My next 6.5 will be a 6.5/300 Dakota. If I was looking for your wanted performance, it would be the LRM or 7 Dakota. I can not think of one good reason the WBY cartridge would be better than either of these.
Interestingly, you also almost never hear of belted mag cartridges being improved.
If you merely necked down the LRM or 7 Dakota, fire forming would be next to nil and could be accomplished with load development. If you improve the WBY case, there will be some work and cost involved, so the cost f comparable quality brass would close to equal Dakota brass cost.
My next 6.5 will be a 6.5/300 Dakota. If I was looking for your wanted performance, it would be the LRM or 7 Dakota. I can not think of one good reason the WBY cartridge would be better than either of these.
Interestingly, you also almost never hear of belted mag cartridges being improved.
MontanaRifleman
Well-Known Member
The RWS brass is almost impossible to come by. Norma 8x68S is available for a good price but would require some work and cost in necking down and improving.
cummin_un_glued
Well-Known Member
The cost of the brass really isn't a concern to me as long as it is readily available. A year ago when I started building my 7x300win I started out to build a 7mm Dakota but getting brass seemed to be an issue at the time. You cant exactly run down to the local sporting goods store and pick up anything Dakota to make brass from. Wby isn't as popular but at least it can be found locally in a pinch.
The 6,5x68 is interesting and I actually did some research on the brass from across the pond and like that it is beltless. Would be real cool but again getting brass would be difficult.
A lot of guys steer away from belted magnum rounds but maybe its just because they are what i'm used to shooting they don't bother me at all. I agree that its hard to find an improved belted magnum in fact the only 2 that I came up with while researching is the 270 and 7mm Ackley magnums which were 7mm rem mag brass shortened 050" and improved by pushing the shoulder back which dosnt leave enough case for the velocity i'm wanting.
The rage has moved away from belted magnums to non belted cases so the amount of wildcatting on them has nearly disappeared. 15-20 years ago we did numerous belted wildcats. I still shoot a lot of belted wildcat calibers. The belt hasn't been a negative to me but there are so many more calibers without belts today. The number of non belted cases to wildcat off of today way out numbers the belted cases. Pretty much you have 6.5/350mag, 7rm, .300wm, .375H&H, and .378 Weatherby based belted cases to work with. There are probably 2-3 times that many parent cases for non belted calibers and the brass for them is becoming more popular and more readily available than belted cases.
MontanaRifleman
Well-Known Member
Did you try ordering brass direct from Dakota? That is the best way to get it. 4 of the last 6 years I have bought almost all of my brass with a phone call and most of my powder due to lack of availability. The local sores usually only carry Rem or Win brass which I will not buy if I can get Lapua, Norma or Hornady. LRM brass should be readily available for a very reasonable price considering the quality.
The 6.5x68S brass is basically unavailable. If you want to wildcat that, you need to go with the Norma 8x68S and neck it down.
I think the LPM is your ticket. Just neck it down, no improving needed. GTG
cummin_un_glued
Well-Known Member
never called Dakota. there was a group buy going on here at the time but if my memory serves me correct it was for a back order at that time....I could be wrong tho
The LRM is .060" shorter and .020" fatter than a 7-300wm with the same performance. 
It would be the easiest though. I almost built a 6.5-7LRM but I already had a 7-300wm and dies from nearly 20 years ago so I built another 7-300wm and a 6.5-300wm. Now I have 2 of each along with 500 rounds of RWS brass. 50 rounds of RWS brass will out live a 6.5-300wm barrel so I have a lot of barrels worth. I have a few cases with 5 or 6 ejector marks and the primer pockets are still tight.
It would be the easiest though. I almost built a 6.5-7LRM but I already had a 7-300wm and dies from nearly 20 years ago so I built another 7-300wm and a 6.5-300wm. Now I have 2 of each along with 500 rounds of RWS brass. 50 rounds of RWS brass will out live a 6.5-300wm barrel so I have a lot of barrels worth. I have a few cases with 5 or 6 ejector marks and the primer pockets are still tight.bigngreen
Well-Known Member
A guy has to be careful of RWS brass, tried to use some 6.5x68 or 65 to make a 6.5 Sherman case and it was almost impossible to push a shoulder on and end up with a usable case, a lot of reaming and trimming and fire forming even for what seemed like what should be a simple push and form.
elkaholic
Well-Known Member
Yup! I thought I really had something doing this at first but soon found that the thicker shoulder area was leaving a lot of material on the INSIDE of the neck. It's great brass if you stay on the original neck......Rich
cummin_un_glued
Well-Known Member
if pacific makes a die reamer for me could I possibly buy some redding bushing dies and have a smith use the reamer on them to improve the shoulder?
cummin_un_glued
Well-Known Member
that's what I was afraid of
bigngreen
Well-Known Member
Just have Whidden cut you some dies, I think it was $260 ish for the set I got for my 6.5 SS which I did not think was bad for a bushing FL and micrometer top seating die for a wildcat!!
