Jesse Heywood
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I am looking for dies that I can use for neck sizing the 6.5 Carcano. Hoping someone here can help me find something available.
6.5 Carcano die substiitute
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AJC1
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I does not seem to be a regularly stocked item in.my searches. Only lee and hornaday seem to have them available for special order. If neck sizing is your primary desire you may want to look into a lee collet die. It's close enough to a 6.5 jap they might be able to modify one if its laying around.
Random 8
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Not familiar with the dimensions of 6.5 Carcano relative to 6.5 Jap, away from my books, but I was able to neck size the latter with 6.5x55 Swedish dies. I should think a neck sizer for 6.5 CM or .260 Rem would work in a similar manner.
With the 6.5 Swedish dies, only about half of the neck on a 6.5x50Jap case was sized, and this was sufficient for target ammo not subject to rough handling. Any 6.5 die set with a larger case body will allow the 6.5 carcano to enter, the only issue you might encounter is if the die body is too long to allow enough to enter for sufficient sizing.
With the 6.5 Swedish dies, only about half of the neck on a 6.5x50Jap case was sized, and this was sufficient for target ammo not subject to rough handling. Any 6.5 die set with a larger case body will allow the 6.5 carcano to enter, the only issue you might encounter is if the die body is too long to allow enough to enter for sufficient sizing.
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Jesse Heywood
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Random 8
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Thanks, that was what I was lacking. I'm up at my cabin off grid, and looking that stuff up on the smart phone and trying to link side by side is a pain. Looks like 6.5 Swede or any of the .308 based 6.5s will swallow a 6.5 carcano case. May not be ideal concentric wise, but will absolutely be able to neck size your brass, at least partially. You could use a FL sizer from one of these cartridges as well and get the same result. I'd avoid the Lee Collet system unless you find one specific to 6.5 Carcano, unless you wish to add a spacer to a 6.5x50 Jap die. They are cartridge length specific. I don't think the larger .267 diameter (if you have those) bullets will give you any trouble, just make sure you have a generous chamfer of the case mouth. If it does, I think larger expander balls are available for most dies (even now).
Carl N. Brown
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6.5 x 54 Mannlicher-Schoenauer is supposed to be a rechambering often used with 6.5 Carcano rifles. I suspect that the 6.5 M-S dies could be used to neck size Carcano casings.
I use an old Lee Loader ("with mallets for all") to neck size only my fired 6.5 cases.
I make a point of keeping cases from Norma (for .264" bullets) separate from cases from Graf (for .268" bullets). There is lot of talk that .268" is the true size for Carcano. The pulled Italian military bullets 160gr that I have used are smaller than .268". I don't load .268" inch bullets in Norma brass and I don't load .264" bullets in Graf brass. Also long as the neck tension is right, there is little difference in group size in my rifle: Model 38 Terni Arsenal 1940. I believe that given decades of manufacture and use, Carcano bore diameters will vary.
I use an old Lee Loader ("with mallets for all") to neck size only my fired 6.5 cases.
I make a point of keeping cases from Norma (for .264" bullets) separate from cases from Graf (for .268" bullets). There is lot of talk that .268" is the true size for Carcano. The pulled Italian military bullets 160gr that I have used are smaller than .268". I don't load .268" inch bullets in Norma brass and I don't load .264" bullets in Graf brass. Also long as the neck tension is right, there is little difference in group size in my rifle: Model 38 Terni Arsenal 1940. I believe that given decades of manufacture and use, Carcano bore diameters will vary.
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