I have a Carcano rifle that's chambered in 6.5. I know that most Carcano rifles actually need .268 bullets because the bore is larger than standard 6.5 which uses .264. Having never fired this rifle before (it was my father's), I bought PPU ammo in 139gr fmj and 123gr sp. The loaded ammo was cheaper than buying the brass. PPU loads their ammo using .264 projectiles.

Apparently, mine needs the larger diameter bullets. The groups were horrible at 50 yards with some shots showing slight keyholing. For whatever reason, the 123gr loads grouped much better but still not acceptable.

I bought the Lee die set that comes with a .264 expander. If I buy a .268 expander from them, will it work with this brass?

Brass is easily worked to larger size,your bullets are still the problem, I don't see smaller bullets working in larger brass [ unless I miss read the thread three times.]

Yes, sorry. I intend to buy the larger diameter bullets.

Prvi Partizan makes .268 bullets. Also, Hornady makes a .267 bullet. I may start with the Hornady just to see how it does.

I wasn't sure if I could use the brass I have (.264 neck) or if I had to buy brass with a neck size of .268.

So, I can run the .264 necked brass into the die with .268 expander? Do I need to take any special steps or just run through the die as usual?

Thanks!

A .004 neck diameter won’t even register a blip when sizing. I make 8mm Mauser brass from 30-06 in a single pass. That’s expanding it from .308 to .323, or a .015 increase in neck diameter. In fact, I took my 300RUM brass to 338RUM in a single pass as well. If you’re really fussy and worried, you could anneal it afterwards, but that is most likely unnecessary.

You’ll be fine going to .268 from .264. I’ll bet if you mic your spent brass, it’s already there.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
I’ll bet if you mic your spent brass, it’s already there.

Just checked. You're absolutely right

I'm learning! Thanks.

Properly lube the case necks inside and out. Check for neck splits after sizing.
Grafs had some .268 bullets in stock.

Also, you may consider different dies. Your Lee die will reduce the neck below .264, and your new expander will open it back up to .268. This needlessly works the brass. You can have the neck on a standard set of dies turned, or get some neck bushing dies along with a body die.

Look at the Redding S series of dies. I think Lee also has bushing dies, but don’t let NikonUser catch you using them. Most die manufacturers will customize the dies for you for a small fee, if you don’t want to turn them yourself. If you don’t modify your dies, every piece of brass you resize will be reduced to .262 or less on the upstroke.

quote:

Originally posted by sig operator:
Properly lube the case necks inside and out. Check for neck splits after sizing.
Grafs had some .268 bullets in stock.

Thanks. I bought the bullets and additional brass from Grafs.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
Also, you may consider different dies......

I bought the Lee die set because it was the only one I could find for this cartridge. I wish someone would make a proper set in .268 but I guess there really isn't any demand. Too bad because it seems like a really decent cartridge. If I still hunted, I'd have no qualms about using it.

Doing a little internet search I came across some postings on other forums about reloading the cartridge.

From postings back in 2009, owners of Lee dies stated that the expander has a diameter of .266" which they claim works well for .268" bullets. so maybe measure your expander to see if it measures to that spec.

Also they said that the shell holder that Lee supplied was too loose and would tear off rims when trying to extract form the sizing die, even when using Imperial Sizing Die Wax (which I fully recommend for sizing compared to other liquid lubes I tried). They suggested either Hornady or RCBS shellholders, and torn rims stopped.

Also, a few people mentioned that new Privi brass has a neck size of .268" and finding the Privi brass for sale on Graf & Sons website, they even state a .268" neck size in the description. (sorry, just saw after posting that you already bought additional brass from Graf's so you probably know that...lol)

Hope some of this helps.

Thanks black pepper.

I do have an old RCBS shell holder for this cartridge and it does fit well.

I was going to order the Imperial Wax but I read that it eventually gums up the die. I have no experience loading rifle so I don't know if that's true but it scared me off. I bought One Shot instead.

I ordered a .268 expander from Lee so when everything eventually gets here, I'll try to make a few loads.

So, I received all the components I needed and I loaded a small batch to try out. Hopefully, I'll get to the range in a few days. I'll let you know how it works out.

In the meantime (as I'm learning a little bit more), it seems that neck sizing would be best going forward after I have fire formed cases.

Can someone point me to a die that will accomplish this? There doesn't seem to be a caliber specific die for this but I see there are dies that take bushings. I just don't know enough to identify the proper setup. I'll be using .268 bullets which actually come in at .2665-.267???

This cartridge is a pain in the ass but I'm getting an education out of it

Just take your regular die and leave it high. Watch how far the neck is sizing and keep screwing the die in until the resized neck is down where you want it.

OR

Once you get the die adjusted for FL resizing, just get a big 1/16th inch thick washer to go under the die to use for neck sizing. That way you don’t need to keep adjusting the die between FL & neck sizing sessions. You just add the washer when you want to neck size, no washer for full length sizing.

If you want to do it right, get the Redding S series dies I recommended earlier. This will eliminate the expander altogether, and your brass will last way longer and the reloads will be more accurate.

Another thought. Imperial wax is the bee’s knees. It only collects on dies that never get cleaned.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
Just take your regular die and leave it high. Watch how far the neck is sizing and keep screwing the die in until the resized neck is down where you want it.

OR

Once you get the die adjusted for FL resizing, just get a big 1/16th inch thick washer to go under the die to use for neck sizing. That way you don’t need to keep adjusting the die between FL & neck sizing sessions. You just add the washer when you want to neck size, no washer for full length sizing.

If you want to do it right, get the Redding S series dies I recommended earlier. This will eliminate the expander altogether, and your brass will last way longer and the reloads will be more accurate.

I looked at the Redding S dies but I don't want to invest $165+ for a die that will only turn out about 40 or 50 rounds a year. I won't be shooting this rifle too often.

I'll try backing out my FL die as you suggested. I assume I'll only need to lube the inside of the neck? The outside of the case won't make contact with the die I guess.

I'll buy the Imperial Wax as you suggest. I do have a question about my One Shot though. Can you describe how much I should be using? I ask because I had to use much more than I thought would be necessary. I basically had to saturate the cases on a cloth and rolled them around the cloth. I did make sure to spray inside the neck. I had to use a substantial amount and it still felt hairy running the cases through the die. Didn't seem right to me. My only experience, however, is loading pistol with a carbide die.

Thanks again for the guidance.

The Redding dies are spendy for sure. I’d still look into turning the neck out .004 on your standard dies to prevent over working the brass. I bet there’s some on the forum with a lathe who would do it for you.

As for One Shot, I’ve used it a bit over the years, and have stuck cases with it as well. I have a theory about it...

I *think* it’s a dry lube like graphite in a suspension. You are supposed to spray it directly on your cases, and then wait for them to dry before sizing. The graphite settles in the can, so you MUST shake the can well before using. If not, it will work great when the can is new, but sucks towards the end of a can after most of the lube has been used from the bottom of the unshaken aerosol can. This is solely from my experience.

To use, stand your cases on end in a row. Spray down one side, then spray down the other. Spray high enough that some of the spray enters the case mouth of the cartridges. That’s all there really is to it. Be advised, the propellant in One Shot will melt some plastic loading trays (my RCBS tray melted). I use an aluminum loading tray when using OS, or just stand them up on a paper towel.

^ Thank you.

I read the One Shot instructions again and it states that you should not get it on any plastic that contains styrene. Not sure how to determine that so I'll keep it off all plastic.

I'm rethinking the Redding S neck die as it can be used with any rifle cartridge with the appropriate bushing installed (I think). That makes the investment a little more palatable. I may get one in the future when I start loading for my other rifles. I have two other rifles chambered in obsolete cartridges and this may be the best method of loading.