268-140-FN-BM3

It is interesting to note… that recently there was also interest in a 163 Gr cast bullet version for the 6.5 Italian amongst other 6.5 mm military rifle cartridges roaming around out there.

To that end I have attached what I understand from Handloader magazine issue #169 is the typical 6.5 mm Carcano rifle cartridge dimensions… including the bore and grove diameter from that sample rifle, whose bore dimensions I understand tends to vary a good bit from rifle to rifle, or carbine to carbine for that matter

I understand also that the original military rifles were originally setup for ~160 GR bullets, so there might tend to be a good bit of freebore in your new Italian acquision as well as other 6.5 mm military rifle offerings. Thus it might behove you to cerrosafe your chamber and bore down the line to get an inkling on whether your rifle will like the cast bullet that you may choose to feed it with. 
Your call on what floats your boat on that subject…

To aid in your search comparison efforts between a 140 Gr or a 163 grain cast bullet design…  I have put together a composite drawing .jpg (attached) showing the aforementioned 140 & 163 gr intel along with the NOE cartridge dimensional sketches, & the afore mentioned cast bullet images…. for those looking for different weight 6.5 MM cast bullet moulds to consider…

Remember it traditionally has taken at least five individuals to request a specific mould design for it to be considered to be put on the list for a new mould production run by NOE… You may need to get together & pool your requests to get something in a 6.5 mm cast bullet to feed your hungry 6.5 mm’s going.

Again your collective call… on that subject detail…
Take Care, & Stay Safe…

The reason that I normally suggest cerrosafe to those that appear to be starting out with cast bullets was to check the amount of freebore that your particular firearm has…  If you are unsure about that have a gunsmith that you trust do the chamber cast for you…

Slugging the bore unfortunately in my opinion will not tend to give you that needed free bore diameter intel…
However that is your call not mine…

The amount of freebore for a given cartridge type is as important if not more important than the resultant cast bullets diameter… Some of the long time firearm manufacturers, including military firearms manufacturers may tend to push the amount of freebore that a firearm has to maximize the potential cartridge combinations that a firearm will chamber when the pucker factor hits the fan… up to the maximum bullet weight vs twist of the barrel in question to eliminate complaints from their customers down the line..

Other firearm manufactures… may not, & may tend to depend on the traditional mould makers who may also tend to run a bit on the small side diameter wise … when cast… figuring that the average shooter is most probably going to reload with jacketed bullets anyway… if he or she tends to reload at all… and to potentially may not want issues or complaints that their moulds do not throw product that apparently does not fit their customers particular firearm.

Up until recently there was plenty of finished product on the shelf… Now that there is a perceived drought, along with the potential possibility of that drought lasting much longer than previous droughts, shooters are starting to look around for alternatives…

What I tend to believe is that the relatively new comers to the reloading bench — cast bullet reloading bench tend to not realize what the increased possibilities are… & thus… may not tend to do all of what I tend to believe is their increased cast bullet homework….

As a cast bullet maker for lack of a better word you are now taking on the duties and responsibilities of the bullet manufacturers that you have previously purchased product from… Up to and including quality control of your cast product…  The water is lovely, dark, & deep…

Thus the Latin “Caveat Emptor” can potentially & unintentionally come into play in times of potential drought when one is simply looking for a water source in the perceived desert, & you are your own end user…

Thus it is not the mould manufacturers fault if there is not enough product on the shelves, or if what one tends to pick because it may  look right, or potentially as now by necessity, & then tends to find that it’s cast a product does not quite fit… the end users actual chosen application…

If the nose ogive diameter for the cast bullet design in your carbine happens to be a bit too large, & the freebore in front of that particular chamber is not large enough in diameter or length then, … ones loaded cartridges will most probably not easily chamber, or chamber by jamming the cast bullet into the beginning of the rifling… or pushing it deeper into the cartridge case, potentially causing fliers, & inevitably increasing chamber pressure…

I recently helped, I believe… a shooter who ordered a mould from a different mould maker who ended up with a mould whose end cast product would not fit into his rifles chamber…. when mated with his rifles cartridge… because it looked good, and was the right diameter… and asked for help on another forum.

The long time commercial mould makers for better or worse by necessity are in the business of making a mould that… whether one likes it or not… may well be a bit on the tiny side of the specification parameters so as to minimize the chambers that the resultant cartridge may not fit into.

If the result product shoots and everyone is basically happy with the results & when one smells the gunpowder, & the bullet goes down range and strikes the target… somewhere near the aim point… then all is well with the world… and everyone is happy…

The custom mould makers may by necessity come up with some mould designs may possibly tend to push the upper limit for those who potentially may want to try to get a closer, & a tighter fit combination for their particular firearm…

The original shooter or shooters who are touting a specific design type may have a specific purpose in mind that will fit their particular firearms needs,… but not necessarily the needs of all the other shooters out there…

Thus one may end up making a mould that will be fine for some of the cartridge designs in that caliber, & not so optimal for other cartridge designs… that may have been around a bit longer… due to original cartridges free bore design and available jacketed product at the time… thus the actual meaning for the Latin phrase… as noted above…

Only when you personally believe that you have done your cast bullet homework properly by looking at the SAMMI or the CIP specs and taking into account other parameters like freebore and seating depth can you hope..  in my experience tend to find a cast bullet cartridge combination that you particular firearm likes… & tends to shoot well in your smoke pole… It all depends on whether one is satisfied with a 10 shot one hole group or that it just goes bang and ends up striking a 12 inch gong down range… so that one can smell the smoke…

If this has somehow or somewhat possibly have offended any of you… I do sincerely apologize… as I truly tend to believe that I am only trying to help those who may not tend to realize the depth of the water that they are potentially getting into.

I will get down off the soap box now…
Take Care, & Stay Safe…

For all you new 6.5 Italian owners out there attached is the QuickDesign intel on your cartridge that you most probably will not have found on the internet… I plan to post this also on the other 6.5 offering if you are trying to raise support for a new mould run to fill the empty bins.
Remember if you are new to the forum & sign on with a request to purchase a mold to follow through with your request to purchase a mould down the line.

NOTE: I have QuickDesign and can basically do the same for you other 6.5 enthusiasts that QuickDesign has in its data inventory… in my opinion having Cartridge & Chamber intel is an important tool for doing your homework for your feeding your new acquisitions properly… what ever the caliber…
The website will unfortunately not allow me to post the full cartridge and chamber intel as it appears that the file is too large for the website to handle as an attachment…
It is what it is…

Enjoy.
Take Care, & Stay Safe.