6.5 Wildcat options

[358Hammer]

I am currently shooting two small shank barrels with WSM cases. The rest of the manufacturing world (production) all use one shank size which is roughly the same size as the WSM case. That includes the RUM cases as well.

Any competent smith can open up a small shank action to a large shank if you wish. The action O.D. is the same.

Neal

[lomfs24]

Neal, you have been more than helpful. I think I will be buying a new barrel shortly. I will probably move my 260 Rem barrel to my kids gun and I will get a 6.5 WSM, however, the 6.5 stretch also sounds promising. And it also sounds like the benchmark barrel with the nitride finish is also the ticket.

Looks like that will be my next project.

Thanks a million of all the info.

[okie2]

who and where can you get this treatment done to your barrel and what is the cost?
can it be done to stainless as well as the steel barrels?

[358Hammer]

Thought I might add a slight informational here.

Seems to be a lot of interest still in the 6.5 WSM. To be truthful I have had a lot of interest but never took the plunge because I did not like spending the money for a barrel with a short life. Then I ran across the pheratic Nitite treatment and bells went off. I tried, another tried and yet another tried and shazam. No loss of accuracy and I gained 100fps from my 19" handgun barrel. Others have gained 2-300fps velocity from there longer barrels. One guy why was eating bullets (not Me) from the barrel being 36" long fast twist 7 (.284) at a velocity no one will believe so I won't post it. He did stop destroying bullets though.

If you open up your Barnes reloading books and turn to the 270 WSM. Check out the velocities and barrel length. Don't tell my cardiologist that I can get those velocities with my 19" Benchmark barrel! and a really hard self lubricating finish.

Just for a real heart thumping good time, load some 85 gr Sierra varmint bullets! I wish I had varmints here. I will betcha a rockchuck or coyote and even those nasty bull prairy dogs that Hammer gets into would really make one smike when hit by an 85 or 100 grain bullet at starting at 3500fps.

Neal

[lomfs24]

who and where can you get this treatment done to your barrel and what is the cost?
can it be done to stainless as well as the steel barrels?


I have done a little research on the net about this stuff. I was going to ship a barrel off but ended up getting a new job and moving and that ran the gun stash money a little low. I don't know exactly what the business name is but one of the names that keeps popping up in all the research I have done was Joel Kendrick. Do some search around nitride barrel finish and that name and you will surely come up with some contact info.

I believe the cost is somewhere in the $100 range if you can get it in with another batch of stuff that is being treated. If you are in a hurry and just want it done I think the cost is somewhere in the $350 range. I was willing to wait.

The things that you must keep in mind is that once the barrel is hardened that's where it will stay. It will not change afterward. So another limiting factor for me was that I would have to get a new barrel, get all the machine work done on it, install it, break it in, remove it, ship it off, wait for it to come back and then re-install it. I guess that's not too much a price to pay for what you get out of it but it's definitely a consideration.

[358Hammer]

The things that you must keep in mind is that once the barrel is hardened that's where it will stay. It will not change afterward. So another limiting factor for me was that I would have to get a new barrel, get all the machine work done on it, install it, break it in, remove it, ship it off, wait for it to come back and then re-install it. I guess that's not too much a price to pay for what you get out of it but it's definitely a consideration.

The above statement is not exactly true. As anyone who follows Long Range shooting can say, Joel Kendrick is one of the top shooters in the world. Does anyone know how long he has been working and promoting the Japanese company called MMI in Arkansas?

Many Many years ago family relations split from the original H&M Nitriding business and started up their own business. For whatever reason they sold out to the Japanese.

I have done the nitriding both ways. Shot barrel and never been shot barrel. If you wish to make sure a barrel shoots prior to the hard process then it is a good idea to make sure prior to spending the extra money. If you trust your barrel maker as I do then just have the treatment and enjoy.

I have factory barrels that have been cut and crown Having been shot 1 to several hundred times. As long as the checking and cracking haven't started I think the process is a good investment.

The #1 difference in the Nitriding process that I can see is the finish. One and only one company that I see and have been told hand polishes somewhere during the process. The finish on my barrels reminds me of a 3-$400. blueing job. The other guys do not hand polish.

SInce we a speaking on a Savage website I am going to presume that others on here are like me. Pretty easy to change a barrel regardless. I actually have more than one barrel in the same caliber. SO during that wait of a couple weeks for the hardening process, I am not at a lose for something to shoot.
Phone: 9am - 6pm M-F (EST) 1-740-363-8437 Where I send my barrels!



Neal

[35Whelenshooter]

I also have a 6.5 in a wildcat it is the 256Newton aka 6.5x06 it shoots like a house of fire, loves 120gr bullets turns white tails inside out. It is a 30-06 case necked down to 6.5 works very well.

[savageboy]

I got the AI part with Ackley Improved. What is the BJ part?

Bob Jourdan Ackley Improved. Ackley didn't do the 6.5x55 AI but Bob Jourdan did- writer for a gun mag.