Loading for a Dutch Carcano Carbine

GUTS

I recently aquired a HEMBRUG made Dutch Carcano carbine. From what I can figure it's a 6.5x53R. I checked around and found some new factory ammo for it, but it's really spendy(around $60 for 20). I also read that I can buy the dies and resize Brit .303. Anyone here load for this odd caliber? Thanks fellas

K.W.

-Resize Brit.303? 6,5x53R bullet .263" and .303 Brit. .311"!
The British listet your cartridge as the 256 Mannlicher.
120gr SP IMR 4895 33gr and IMR 4064 35gr.
140gr SP IMR 3031 35gr.
156gr SP IMR 3031 34gr and IMR 4350 38gr.
160gr SP IMR 3031 34gr.
I don´t load this caliper, but was reading Cartridges of the world 7th edition.
I think that RCBS can to make dies if you will to send 3 cases shooting with your gun.

GUTS

Thank you Sir!

windy

Guts
I have one, and about 80 rds. of brass for it, almost all Bertram; I bought most of it from Grafs, the rest on line. I love the little rascal, and with the aftermarket peep sight it's fast, handy, and pretty accurate, except for the little 100gr Hornadys, which shoot tighter'n ticks at 50 yards but fly all over by 100--I think the twist is too high for these short bullets and as they slow down they wobble. Mine has been sporterized by an expert--maybe not up to the ones Holland and Holland customed, or Rigby, but lovely just the same. Have you had any trouble with feeding? Mine feeds everything I load for it, from those 100's to the 160gr rnsp's. Don't know if it was reshaped at the throat or not, but it feeds stuff my 6.5x54MS would choke on. By the way, they're not "Carcano"; they are Mannlichers, though, and quite a bit better built than the Mannlicher-Carcano the Italians (and Lee Harvey Oswald) used. This round, by the way, is considered in Africa to be much better than the 30-30, or even the .303 for killing power; the penetration of the 156-160gr bullets is spectacular. In the hands of an expert, it'll take any game on the planet, and has--even elephant, rhino, cape buffalo and grizzly bear. My big-game load is a Hornady 160gr rnsp with 39gr of H4350 behind it; I also use 36gr of 4064 with 140gr sp's. Work up to those easy, but don't be surprised if it'll take even more; most modern load tables are smudged with lawyer spit.
Mind yer topknot! windy

fnuser

anyone have a source for the clips? I have three but would like to have more mine got rebarreled to 30-40 Krag and I have to turn the rims down a little to make em feed right. and the 180 Nosler b.t.'s feed and shoot great. I usually have to make the cartridges close to the max length allowed by the mag well to feed reliably.

windy

Have you sealed off the bottom port to keep from losing your clips? I'm thinking a small hole on each side with a wire clip would retain them without building up debris in the magazine well (not that that's the problem with a sporter that it would be with a trench-rifle). I have a few, including some I sprung from loading the clips wrong; there is a trick to it. Best shot for newer ones seems to be ebay.
mind yer topknot! windy

wile · Rookie Member Joined: Jan 06, 2009 Posts: 2

I have had one of these for years and really love it. I had some of the Bertram brass but really did not like it, the quality seemed to be lacking. A lot of necks split. I resize 303 brass and after annealing the necks they last a long time. To save some money instead of getting 6.5 dutch dies made which are expensive you can use 6.5x54m/s dies and a .303 shell holder. I have been using this set up for over 20 years with out a problem.

Here is a link to load data:
members.nuvox.net/~on....index.html

another link to making cases out of .303

can't find the proper link as soon as i do i will post it.

windy

Hi, Wile
Have you hunted yours? Is it a rifle or a carbine? Used it on big game? How did it perform for you? Bullet choices? Inquiring minds just gotta know!
mind yer topknot! windy

wile · Rookie Member Joined: Jan 06, 2009 Posts: 2

Mine is a carbine and I have hunted a lot with it. Now I load the hornady 160 for it because that round closely duplicates the standard military round that the rifle was designed for, the lighter weight bullets are shorter and this leaves a little more free bore before the bullet contacts the rifling effecting accuracy, at least in my rifle.

I bought the rifle at an auction in 1984, I paid 25 dollars for it, I was 17 my mother actually had to buy it. Didn't know what it was, took it to a gunsmith and he did a chamber casting and told me it was a 6.5x54m/s. I got a partial box of norma ammo and some mil surplus ammo and shot them single shot because I couldn't find an en bloc clip that would work. Probably fired a hundred rounds through it like that before I found out it was supposed to be the rimmed round. I would grind the tip flat and drill a hole in it so it would be legal in PA. Then as I got older I started reloading. I took several PA bucks and a black bear with mine before moving out of state, 2 of the bucks with the converted military ammo. The bullet penetrated straight through leaving a huge wound tunnel. Most dropped in their tracks. Now I use it more on hogs and smaller white tail dear in Texas.

The 6.5 is a penetrating round, it has even been used on elephant at the turn of the century. Here is a good link to another article on the 6.5

bobshellsblog.blogspot...rifle.html

This rifle is still one of my favorites and the first one I take out every hunting season