Arisaka 6.5x50mm

[6pt-sika]

I’ve got an original 6.5mm Arisaka my grandfather brought back from the Pacific in 1945 . Any of you guys ever killed anything with the cartridge ? I’ve already worked up a couple loads for it and am contemplating taking a whitetail with it

[Ysabel Kid]

I have the 7.7 version. Late war production, so quality was pretty darn poor. It does have the chrysanthemum intact though. I've never had the opportunity to shot a 6.5. Interested to hear from you on how it works!

[6pt-sika]

I’ve not had it out the safe in several years but I’m pretty sure mine still has the mum although I could be mistaken . I have the bayonet as well . Also there are five rounds of WWII Japanese ammo left from what he brought back . My handloads if memory serves are in Norma brass with Hornady 129 and 140 SST’s .

[earlmck]

I have one, rasty rasty bore and I get patterns instead of groups. Dang it -- it should be a nifty cartridge. I formed cases from 35 Remington and they worked fine in my rifle as far as functioning through the action and being caught by the extractor. I'm envious of yours -- what a fine hand-me-down from grandpa.

[Bill in Oregon]

I used to be addicted to the military 6.5s, some of the most accurate surplus rifles I've ever shot -- if they had a good barrel.
I finally found a Type 38 with crisp bore and it shot as well with handloads as a minty Swede Model 96 -- and a long-barrelled Carcano M91 with fine bore, which surprised me (with the Hornady .268).
The Arisaka round carries more freight than either the Mannlicher 6.5X54 or the 6.5X53 Dutch (.256 Mannlicher in "Britspeak") and these latter two rounds have an excellent reputation for punching way above their weight class in the game fields of the world.
I would love to have a chance to use it on deer, hogs, black bear ... !

[JimT]

Remembering P.O. Ackley's tests of WWII bolt action rifles. The early Arisaka's were the strongest and safest of all of them. He overloaded and blew up a bunch of rifles in his tests. Blew the barrel out of the receiver of an early Arisaka and did not hurt the action! I don't remember the model but I know the later guns were not as good. He rebarreled the Arisaka that he blew the barrel out of. Said it did not harm the bolt lugs or anything on the action.

[6pt-sika]

Remembering P.O. Ackley's tests of WWII bolt action rifles. The early Arisaka's were the strongest and safest of all of them. He overloaded and blew up a bunch of rifles in his tests. Blew the barrel out of the receiver of an early Arisaka and did not hurt the action! I don't remember the model but I know the later guns were not as good. He rebarreled the Arisaka that he blew the barrel out of. Said it did not harm the bolt lugs or anything on the action.

The Arisaka was the one Ackley told the story of a fellow with one that was supposedly turned into a 30-06 . Guy had run the chamber reamer in it and fired it obtaining decent groups but horrendous recoil . Eventually the gun found its way to Ackley and turned out instead of rechambering an Arisaka 7.7 they’d techambered a 6.5 Arisaka and fired 30-06 thru the gun , after that Ackley made the statement that he thought the Arisaka action was stronger than a 98 Mauser etc .

[Bob Hatfield]

Been loading for a 6.5 Jap for a month or so now. Mine has the infamous oversize chamber which from what I understand all have. I use 2 wraps of scotch tape about 3/16 inch in diameter right at the extractor groove. This centers up the new brass in the chamber so it will fireform without bulging on one side. I neck size after firing the first time. I have been using 32 grains of IMR 3031 and a 6.5 140 grain soft point. Very accurate. 5 shots under an inch at 50 yards located about 2 inches high. Chronographs at 2450 fps out of the long barrel.

Bob

[Deaf Smith]

I’ve got an original 6.5mm Arisaka my grandfather brought back from the Pacific in 1945 . Any of you guys ever killed anything with the cartridge ? I’ve already worked up a couple loads for it and am contemplating taking a whitetail with it

Well I shoot a 6.5mm Swed (6.5x55) and it will kill a deer deader than dead. I see no reason with say a 120-140 grain softpoint you can't use that on a whitetail! Nosler even makes a 100 grain partition and that should do great.

Read Chuck Hawks on it.

https://chuckhawks.com/6-5x50.htm