Guns & Outdoors Forum

I have a 6.5-06 I need to do a load work-up for. I can't find 6.5 A square brass for a reasonable price. I will now have to resize 25-06 -or 30-06. I will probably buy 150–200 pieces, resize all of them and call it good. Which do you think is better, stretch the 25-06 or shrink the 30-06, and why?

I've had better luck going up instead of down! I get a lot of wrinkled cases necking down, but if you anneal first you may avoid wrinkling! I'd experiment with both and see what works best for you!

I neck down .30-06 brass for my 6.5-06 A-Square without issue.

I also use .308 Win brass to make my .260 Rem cases. As well as .243 Win and 7mm-08 Rem.

Worst “issue” I’ve had is a doughnut at the base of my .243 case neck sometimes. But, it irons out after fire forming and hasn’t caused any problems.

I prefer thinning brass by necking up, than thickening by necking down

25-06 can be tough to find but it should work fine. I’d start with .270 brass instead of 30-06. It’s not like it’s useful in its original form and there’s plenty of it around. It seems to be the preferred brass to make 6.5 Gibbs too.

If my memory is correct I made my 50 pieces of 6.5-06 brass from new Sig .270 brass. It may also have been new Sig .30-06 brass though. Finding new .25-06 brass is not the easiest thing right now. I have had good luck with the Sig brass in unaltered form in other chamberings so far. Now I just need a 6.5-06 to use it in....

Does once fired brass effect reforming from 30-06 to 25-06?

Brass in general is hard to come by. New is very expensive and fired brass that has been processed is somewhat affordable. What say ye.

All the .308 brass that I neck up, down, and sideways is always once fired. Haven’t had any issues.

Don’t buy nickel.

Zee wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 8:26 pmDon’t buy nickel.

Yeah what he said.

Zee wrote: ↑Fri Jul 07, 2023 8:26 pmDon’t buy nickel.

But it looks so good

I never even considered it! I used to reload a lot! I never like Nickel brass. I haven't had the need to resize brass like this. I had a 7TCU that I fire formed brass, but what was a different procedure. I used unique, corn meal and paraffin wax fired into a homemade sewer pipe fire forming silencer with a steel plate in the bottom.

I'm excited about this project, it's the rifle Jerry and my late friend John worked on. After 15 years, I'll finally get to shoot it!

The dies for the Creedmoor and 6.5-06 came today $130
Primers are on the way $130
Bullets $110
Powder Varget and IMR4350 $115
I still need 30–06 cases! It will be close to $600 before I start reloading for these two rifles!

I would buy the 25-06 brass

If you go down from .30, watch neck thickness.

All that neck thickness depends on chamber dimensions.
Teach said I couldn’t neck .308 Brass down to .243 Win.
As with many things……he was wrong.

I’m not butt hurt. Just love killing sacred cows and stupidity.

“Match chamber”…….yes. Watch thickness. Standard chambers……hold my beer.

Necking a .308" neck to a .284" neck for my SP is the only time I've ever had to beat a bolt handle open with a block of wood. This was with a light fireforming load.
I normally use 250 Sav cases and neck them up with no issue. 300 Sav necked down, no bueno in that pistol