Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 8.5 x 63 Reb ammunition importation

I am asking this here, because I honestly have no idea which forum it would fit in.

Is it possible to import 8.5x63 Reb ammunition from European countries to myself or an FFL? If so, what is the process?

I discovered the 8.5 x 63 Reb (basically a 333-06 AI) about a year ago and it seems to be an absolutely excellent cartridge. It should be very easy to reload with excellent case life, make dies for (most makers don't want to make any precision or bushing dies over .338 diameter), it uses a standard long action and '06 bolt face, and be suitable for almost all game. It seems like a cartridge like this should be more popular, but then the 338 Federal, another excellent cartridge, isn't doing as well as it should be either.

If it’s that close to the 338-06 why get involved with importation of obsolete rounds when there’s no shortage of 30-06 brass? It’s obviously going to be a reloading proposition any way you slice it since you won’t be able to buy 8.5x63 Reb off the shelf of your LGS so why hamstring yourself with something that would be exceedingly tough to resell compared to the 338-06?

I know how us gun guys are so if you wanna do it just do it but it doesn’t make much sense to me. 😀. Ravensrock or whatever the new ammo sellers here would where I’d check first though.

Good luck and I hope you update us if you do it.

Thank you for the reply and I completely understand your point. I am able to get brass from Germany without any trouble aside from the wait due to customs. I was hoping to import some Brenneke ammunition in 190g and 225g to try their brass. I agree it would be much simpler to simply neck down 35 Whelen brass or neck up 30-06, but I really prefer having properly headstamped brass. Aside from 25 Creedmoor and 6.5x55, all of the cases I load for a -06 based. 25-06, 6.5-06, 280 AI, 30-06, 35 Whelen. I am careful when I reload, but I prefer to eliminate a potential problem. On the plus side, the 8.5x63 brass will not require fireforming for an AI shoulder because it already has a 40 degree shoulder.

I am definitely going to build. I know it is nonsensical, but I think the round "deserves" it. As with the 338-06, I am surprised that it isn't more popular. I am waiting for the dies to arrive before I send the brass off to have a reamer made by JGS.

Thank you for the lead with Ravensrock. I will see what I can find.

This thread is a perfect example of a rifle loony being a rifle loony....

35 years ago, after carefully perusing and parsing every bit of info I could find, I came to the conclusion the 6.5-06 would be the perfect elk cartridge. High BC, high SD bullets, excellent velocity out of a 22” portable barrel, easy recoil.

I was getting things gathered up to build a rifle, almost ordered a new barrel…..

Then I remembered I already owned a couple 270 Winchesters.

Guilty as charged.

Yep, same here. I own, or have owned, many different chamberings. Some were definitely ballistically similar, but I wanted and enjoyed them just as much. One that, I guess, would be similar to the desire for a 8.5X63 Reb was when I was lying awake in bed about 3AM, and thinking of the 7X57s and 8X57s I had in the safes. Suddenly had the inspiration to keep the progression going!

What comes next, you ask? Why, the 9X57 of course! Not finding an original I could afford, I just bought a .358 barrel and a chambering reamer and made my own using a nice Venezuelan Mauser and an old European styled walnut stock a friend gifted me with. A 358 Winchester would have filled that slot ballistically and been much easier to acquire, but it 'just didn't complete the progression'. Don't regret it for a second!