Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 257 WSM or 6.5WSM---anyone?

So, has anyone here on the Fire actually done one. A 257 WSM or 6.5 WSM that is?

Gracias

Dober

I have. Brass flow was a major problem.

Terry

Is it a Major problem with the 270, 7mm,300WSM's?

I have a 257WSM.

I have no idea about the others. My only WSM was the with .257. My experience was that it's about 200FPS slower than a .257WBY and the cases needed constant attention i.e. inside neck turning. Now if you had a chamber cut that was very generous in the neck you might not encounter the same problems I did. After playing with it for awhile I came to the conclusion it was more trouble than it was worth. I think Winchester thought the same thing.

Terry

P.S. I hope this makes sense now. It was typed on my cell phone.

I ran a 6.5 WSM for a while. Used new Norma 270 WSM brass but never shot enough to fire the brass more than once. I got up to 3200 fps with 65 gr H1000 and the 140 gr Sierra SBT in a 26" Lilja barrel. Primers didn't look bad and bolt lift was fine but ended up backing off to 64 gr just to be sure.

I would run a 6.5 wsm. That would be a fun rig.

Jon Sundra did the .25 SAUM several years ago. Found better case capacity to caliber balance than with the WSM. Don't know if he still looks in here, but you might PM him and see what he found. I e-mailed him several years back, and he was very good with his reply. Don't have his e-mail any more, though. People are running the .25 Pronghorn (WSM case) with good results, though.

Mark, I have been shooting a 6.5 WSM that I had Kirby Allen build in 2006.

I have no experience with either, but a couple thoughts. I have read on this forum more than once that 140 bergers don't do so well at higher speeds with the bigger 6.5 cartridges. I believe one individual said they did best at speeds around 3000 fps and below. I think the logic was that shooting them much faster than that through the common 1:8 twist barrels was rotating them too fast...

Also, it seems from looking at load data online that the 25 wssm does pretty well already; especially with rl17 or hodgdon superformance. Would a 25 wsm be too much of a good thing? This is assuming you want a light bullet going really fast, since there are no high bc bullets in .257 that can compete with the already mentioned 6.5. A 25 wssm should be able to do 3600+ with an 80 grain barnes, or 3300+ with a 100.

If i was going to build it would the 25 and i would use the Rem SAUM instead of the WSM case.

As we talked.. Dober.

This is the issue many have had. Over and above 3K things go to hell.

The 1/4 caliber pills might hold together better. But I've not played with the 25...

Thx guys---I might just buck the system and go 270 Short Dog (as Tanner has so aptly named the WSM)

Dober

I just built a 6.5 WSM on a rem 700, Dan Peterson barrel 1/8.5 twist at 24 inch finish.
I am seeing 3125 fps w/140 VLD hunting bullets, great accuracy, no jacket problems.

I've got two PacNor Barrels one in 257-270WSM and the other in 6mm-270WSM both melonite treatred in a Kimber Montana config. Along with the reamers and go-no-go guages if anybody's interested.
I have decided to go another route, got tired of waiting on redding for dies

How come? Are jackets too thin?

My friend had a Rem. Model 7 in 6.5 WSM. I could have had it, but he traded it off. I love the thought of a fast twist 6.5 same or faster than a 264 Win Mag in a short action.

Honestly I'm not sure. Although that could definitely be it.

My 6.5wsm as well as many I've talked to all said above 3000ish... they wouldn't shoot.