Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 6.5-06 AI fire forming load

I am building a 6.5-06 AI. Hoping someone has a favorite "cream of wheat" load for fire forming they are willing to share. I know I can use a bullet seated against the lands but that seems like such a waste of a good bullet. Many, many years ago I used to shoot a 30 Herrett and it really pained me to toss those rounds down range. Any reloading die recommendations would also be appreciated.

Which brass are you going to use ?

6-06AI will likely be my next barrel if the 25-06 ever tuckers out .

I just run a healthy dose of 4831 and 140 amaxs, ww 25/06 brass

I've never done it specifically for the 6.5-06, but about 10grof Unique, a full case of corn meal, and a drop of Elmers glue at the case mouth to hold it in works well for cases of that general size.

I was sitting around last evening,looking at my 280 AI,and the 6.5 Creedmoor. Ran one of my extra AI cases in the creed die. Pure sexy. Please keep us updated of your progress with the build. I could get onboard with something like this.

I use about 13 grains of Red Dot in my 280 AI. Start at about 10 grains and stop when you get almost sharp shoulders. I use the appropriate Lee dipper and then use the same dipper for the Cream of Wheat or Corn Meal. Don't use the instant kind it has salt in it. If I am careful just a wad of toilet paper is enough to hold it all in the case. Tear these into quarter sheets as if wadded below the neck too much it will run up pressure. Be sure to let the barrel cool between strings and run a dry bronze brush down the bore after every 10-20 rounds to get the gradue out. I shoot with an oily chamber which some think helps with head space.

Otter: you just re-created the 6.5x280 RCBS a very good cartridge.

And again....

YEP I'd find a fire-forming load and practice some shooting , likely find a bullet or two the barrel likes .

If you`re building a new rifle, you will have a new barrel...load, shoot to FF and break the new barrel in all at the same time. No waste of anything.
Just got done doing that with a new 280AI.

Haven't gotten that far yet.

CGPAUL I hadn't thought about it that way. I am planning on using a 26" McGowen bbl. They recommend a 50 +- break in. Would be a good time to get some cases formed. I am really thankful for the input on the fire-forming recipes. Someone just told me that I can get RCBS to custom make a set of dies for $200 or less. I'll have to look into it. Giving Redding $300 or more for dies was going to be hard to swallow. I know the quality is there with the Redding but my budget is going to take a hit with this build anyway. Besides, every penny I save can be more money I can spend on good glass.

I didn't post this before but I am building this as a hunting gun. Cerakote bbl and action, Bell and Carlson stock. Nothing fancy but something I won't mind hauling around the mountains.

Wouldn't it be easier to just chamber for the 6.5x280 AI?? Then you can just neck down 280 AI brass, made by both Hornady and Nosler and skip the whole fire forming step. Seems like a no brainier to me......

Good Luck..

I have an AI. Use Bullseye and corn meal. Worked up starting with the recipe from Dr. Howell's book.

I think Shadow's suggestion is the way I'd go if I wanted an improved 6.5 x06. BTW I shot the snot out of a 6.5x270 way back when the dinosaur tracks were new. Great round then and even better today with improvements in bullets and powders. Good luck.

I used 49.0 of H4350 and it worked good.

This is the route I would go. You gain ease of brass forming and cheaper dies and a slight increase in powder capacity. I would get a set of Lee 280 Collet dies and then get a 6.5mm stem from a 6.5x55 and ream out the seater die with the chamber reamer, a 25-06 die would be better for this. The sizer die I would turn into a bump die ala dirt farmer (may take a special reamer to do this, if it requires buying another reamer I would skip this) and them buy a Forester neck bushing die for the 280 AI and get 6.5 mm size bushings. You would have a top notch set of dies for under $150 for the works. Lee will make custom dies for $160 so may be worth a look too.

Money saved by not needing the fire forming will add up too, although I am in the camp that says all cases need to be fire formed not just the AI's.

Great things to think about. Apparently my wife was having a tough idea on what to get me for our wedding anniversary. I told her about the rifle build and she took all of my info I had worked up for parts and pieces along with a few other firearms ideas. So I can't start anything until I know for sure what she is getting me and that may not be until August. I think I am going to put a little pressure on to find out. Not sure I can wait that long.

You married a goodun. Hang tight and decide on the final chamber and dies when the components are all together. Can't go wrong however it turns out.

My FF load is a 130 grain bullet and 48.5 grains of I-4350, shoots small groups. I tried the cream of wheat thing using Bullseye and some tips from Mule Deer but I had problems with it. I had some case separations at the shoulder of the unfired parent case.

Took the rifle to a gunsmith and had him check the headspace, it was right on which was no surprise since I got the nice "crush fit" when loading the parent cases. Never did figure out what caused that, even ran it by MD and he couldn't figure it out either.

YMMV.

Also, for sizing fired cases I neck size using a 280 AI Redding bushing neck sizer.

15-16g of bullseye, fill with cream of wheat, tuft of paper towel in the end.

The barrel will get very hot. Fire form 10 cool the barrel, push 5 wet patches down the barrel, then a dry patch to get all the gunk out of the barrel.

When you reach 50 rounds, brush using a new bronze bristle bristle brush, then 4 wet patches, then two dry patches

Repeat.

I fire formed 100 rounds, filled a case guard 100.

I examined the bore with a bore scope after thorough cleaning. The bullseye burns very, very hot, and this is why you need to use a good brush to keep get the powder residue out of the barrel, even though it is only shooting approximately 16 grains.

In many other ackley's, I hunted with fire forming loads, but the distances were not long, and I was hunting coyotes or rock chucks. Forming loads with bullets were usually around 1/2" and within 1.0g of the load with formed brass.

I would advise you to use 25/06 brass, but if you want to go whole hog and use Lapua 30/06 brass, plan on neck turning, plus anytime you neck down brass like this, you are apt to get a doughnut. When necking down the brass, form a false shoulder to headspace up against, this will ensure that you get zero case stretching with NO lost cases.

If you go with Lapua brass, R#26 with 140g bullets are going to blow your mind in speed with accuracy, use Fed 215's. Federal brass is crap to begin with, don't go there.

Barnes 127g long range in the 3150 fps area was a good 25/06 brass load shooting bug holes with Win brass along with 130g accubond. Lapua brass with 140+ will be in the 3100+ fps with #26 and maybe higher depending on barrel length. R#26 gets you speed without wrecking brass.

Choose your bullets, then throat accordingly, twist properly for your bullet choice and altitudes you will hunt. Success will be result of reamer design, throat geometry, twisted for the bullets you want.

I do not shoot over 400 yards as a rule. 140g SST at 3150 is a killer with a .147 throat. 127g Barnes long range and 130g Accubond at 3150 with 123 FB is no slouch. 140g Berger HVLD is a heck of a killer with the .147 throat.

The only surprise with this 6.5/06 AI was how difficult the cream of wheat and powder residue were to clean out of the barrel. So, tap your cases neck down on the bench top, cool the barrel in between 10 shot intervals while pushing patches through the bore, brush every 50 rounds, and life will be easy for you on this case.

Pac Nor Chambered my barrels, one is a 9T set up for 130 and below, the other is a 8t for 140g Berger Hunting, different throats.

For 300 yards and under on deer or hogs, a 120-130g will do it all, speed is a killer.

Redding makes a three die Deluxe set, you can get a standard 280 Neck S sizer if you want neck turned cases sized to a different dimension with .264 caliber bushings.

If you don't like fire forming, then the 6.5/284 is in the same class as the 6.5/06, use lapua brass. 6.5/284 works fabulous on a Remington long action. Again, throat geometry will trump all with bullets in the weight you want to shoot.

I always heard that the dreaded "donut" is only a problem if you neck up, because you're incorporating part of the shouder into the neck whereas when you neck down it's not a problem.

I've always necked down WW 270 brass for those reasons, never had to turn any necks and the brass quality has been good. You do need to trim the length back a good but though so anyone who goes that route needs a case trimmer that's powered by electricity. I just use my Forster hand crank trimmer hooked up to a portable drill.

Necking down is where doughnuts abound, if they are going to form. The AI is famous for limiting brass flow.

Remember we are going AI. So, part of the neck is going into the shoulder. You are going to end up with a shorter neck than standard 6.5/06. I did not run into problems until I went to using 30/06 brass, but it does help in setting a false shoulder to head space on....Lapua brass.

Smoke, a cheap tube mic tells all tapered thickness in your necks kills extremes in accuracy.

K&M sells a carbide inside neck pilot that has 4 cutters on it, heck of a tool. As reloading gets more and more advanced in the reloaders knowledge, having clearance for "bullet release" helps keep ES and flyers down. You should be able to insert a bullet into the neck down past the shoulder neck junction for shooting the extremes in accuracy...use this simple method to check for doughnuts.

Keith, the Km mandrel with the cutter is what I'm using right now necking down and turning necks on Lapua 30-06 brass for a 6.5x06AI.
No donut problems.

And a 3rd time....

And a 4th time......