Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 6.5 GAP 4S?

Jeff
FYI there's some 6.5 brass for sale in the classifieds!

Thanks. Not ready to buy brass. First comes the lead time stuff- barrel and stock, reamer & gauges. This won't be ready till winter/spring 2017.

I spoke with GAP and they've got more brass coming in this fall... honestly I wouldn't consider building it without a brass source. I'm tired of chasing brass.

Every time I think about building a 6.5 4s I think about all the stuff people have been killing for 100 years with the Swede... including millions of moose. So, I just keep shooting the .260... which is about the same thing....

Now you gone and done it.......

You're way ahead.....

Just took me 4 of them for it to wear off.... Grin....

Yep, one can't have too many 6.5's!

Ok, I've been slowly wading through the long thread on SH about the inception of the round. Much respect for all involved and the overall way it's been handled. I love that the 6.5 GAP is spec'd, so to speak, as a low-pressure round run with full cases of slow powder, with long barrel life and brass life. Very cool.

I'm liking the notion to dupe the Xtreme more and more... in Gardner I trust, grin.... with the possible exceptions of the Vais brake, and the DBM setup. With the new, shorter-freebore reamer GAP switched to- at least new in 2014, which is as far as I've gotten in that thread- a Wyatt's would give me plenty of COAL. And I'd never used a brake. However....... guys who know rifles rave about the Xtreme, so.... might be best to follow the recipe <g>.

I like that the shorter-freebore reamer should work well with my Kimber's COAL limits too... oh my... a 6.5 SAUM Montana....

Thanks for the inspiration, guys. Should be ordering my 24" Blumlein #3 fluted 8.7 next week... and the Manners stock. Are reloading dies still a long lead time item?

Whidden probably has dies in stock. They make a nice bushung set. Very happy wih mine. The 6.5 SAUM is a geat round. I got one last year and killed 4 critters in 3 states with the 130 gr JLK at 3150 fps.

Thanks sambo! Talked to Manners and Bartlein on Monday and am getting those two major lead time items ordered in the next few days.

How are you guys liking the Hornady GAP 4S brass? Is GAP still recommending using their neck-turn reamer even with that brass?

Jeff, fire up your manners order asap. I ordered two in early December and just got the shipping confirmation yesterday. Bartlein ran me about 6 months.

Jeff, it might be quicker and cheaper to buy a used Extreme Hunter off snipers hide - there have been a few lately at a substantial savings over new.

Kimber7, thanks, but building it is at least half the fun, and I'm all set up for it.

I ordered the Manners SL stock and a SS fluted 1:8.7 24" Bartlein #3 last week. I'm ordering a bare (no bolt) M700 short action tomorrow and will fit a PTG magnum face fluted bolt to it. I'm going to shamelessly follow the GAP Xtreme Hunter blueprint. Differences will be, M700 action (trued) and I'm a huge fan of the Timney CE trigger so I'm going that way. Also, I doubt I'll Ceracoat it. Other than that in following their pattern to the letter.

It's gonna be a fauXtreme.

Jeff O -
would love to see the progress. I'm 55 shots down my GAP Non-Typical in 6.5 SAUM - basically Xtreme with floor plate and B&C stock that I like tons.

Just so happens that I drew my Wyo Sheep permit on the 17th try so we'll see how she does in the back country in 3 weeks. Love the gun and caliber. Right now I'm a bit slow it seems to some of the other numbers posted.

61.5 H1000 and 140 VLD hunting = 3020 fps. But, I'm punching several honest 1/2" MOA groups at 100 and I'm no benchrest shooter.

Gies, sounds like a great rifle and a great tag! Mine is (nominally) for an antelope hunt next year that I've saved 15 years of points towards.

The lead time on the stock and barrel is ~ 6 months. So it'll be a while before there's anything to show. I am going to true the action and fit the bolt long before then though. And buy parts.

I promise I pulled that thistle. My rancher wife chewed my butt when I sent her the same photo.

PS - I went with their muzzle brake. Never thought I would but it is so mild to shoot other than the sound.

Gies,
Looks nice. Did you have them use Badger M4 floor plate with the GAP mag box?

I didn't specify any options here it's their 3-inch mag box and follower for WSM per the Non-Typical spec.

hope that helps,

That looks like a cow thistle. We have those, they are not great but not SO bad... however, we have been trying to get rid of a Canadian Thistle infestation for the last decade. About got them, but I've said that before... we'll see.

Interesting on the brake. Do you have the VAIS that GAP uses on the Xtreme?

I had confused myself about which of the (3) GAP-spec'd reamers to use. Reading the threads on the Hide, it's confusing because it changes over time... then the new brass comes along and that further changes things... Anyway, I want to use the GAP 6.5 brass, and I don't want to turn the necks. Talked with Dustin at GAP today (such nice folks there!) and the .2962" NK reamer is the one.