The Arisakas are VERY strong. If you get a chance, pull the bolt on one and notice the size of the locking lugs. Interestingly, the M1 Garand will hang in long after many bolt actions give up. As far as the 30-06 in the 6.5mm barrel, that's not hard to believe. After WWII, large quantities of surplus 8x57mm (7.9/7.92) Mauser ammo was imported. Unless put side buy side, the 8mm and 30-06 look very similar. The 8x57mm will chamber and fire in most 30-06's and lot of those people that don't pay attention would fire an 8x57 in their 30-06 with the result being a catastrophic failure. There was a lot of argument over what caused the failure, to large a bullet or excessive head space. Finally the NRA conducted a test. They throated a 30-06 to accept an 8mm (.232") bullet and fired it with a full powder charge. The bolt opened and the case extracted without incident. Then an 8x57 was necked down to .30 cal. and fired in a 30-06 with disastrous results, proving that if the headspace is good, a strong rifle will likely survive an oversize bullet, but not grossly excessive headspace. Kids, don't try this at home.
Last edited by timbo762; 10/14/12.
