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6.5 X 57 Spence Ammunition

glennjw
Hi - I have 35 rounds of 6.5 X 57 Spence ammunition. Can this ammo be used in any rifle chambered for 6.5 X 57? It has been loaded in necked-up 257 Roberts cartridges. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
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  • nononsense
    glennjw,

    "Can this ammo be used in any rifle chambered for 6.5 X 57?"

    Any rifle? Probably not.

    This will all depend on which reamer was used to cut the chamber. Even though the cartridge has been standardized, the possibility exists for some variations in chambers due to a 'thrifty' attitude that we sometimes encounter between clients and gunsmith. This doesn't account for amateurs that think they know more than they do, either.

    I suggest casting any chamber that you may encounter before you consider shooting this ammunition in it. Measure the cast and then measure your ammunition. Pay close attention to the angle of the shoulder, length of the neck and throat.

    Best.
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  • sandwarrior
    glennjw,

    The problem between the two cartridges boils down to 1 1/2 degrees of shoulder angle. Which causes the difference in headspacing. The 6.5x57 has a 19 deg. shoulder and the .257 has a 20 1/2 deg. shoulder. Which, as I understand it leaves the neck/shoulder junction .046" further forward on the 6.5x57 than the .257. So, if you have unsized for 6.5x57 .257 brass then you may start out with a headspace issue. Since the brass was necked up probably using a 6.5x57 die the shoulder/body should match that of the 6.5x57. Meaning the cases should chamber in your rifle. At some point on the shoulder there needs to be a solid forward contact. If there isn't then you will have excess headspace.

    You can use the cerro-safe method prescribed by nn as probably the first and best step to start with. What I have done when I know I have close rounds that I have formed, is to take a sharpie and color the neck and shoulder area. Pull one round apart and chamber the case carefully. When you extract it there shold be "witness" marks of where the case is hitting. If you do not have a mark somewhere on the shoulder you have excessive headspace. If you can't chamber a round then you will need to pull the rest of the lot and re-form them.

    If you have excessive headspace then you would also need to pull the rounds and reform them as well. What you could do for that is to get a .270 (.277") expander ball. Install that in your 6.5x57 die. Resize all the necks. Don't go all the way down and pop out the primer. In fact you shouldn't even need to install a primer pin in the .270 expander ball. Once the necks are sized out, set up your die to size 3/4-7/8 of the neck back down to 6.5. Take one case and size it down, turning the die in until the case just closes with some force in the rifle. What's basically happened here is you've created a false shoulder to headspace off of.

    -hope that helps a little
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