• Winner! Quick Shot Challenge: What’s the dumbest shooting myth you’ve heard?

    View thread

6.5 Saum - Action size

Hoyt7mm

Bow Shooter
Full Member
Minuteman
Supporter
Apr 6, 2017
1,030
291
Wisco
Possibly a dumb question here, but answers would be greatly appreciated. I'm working on gathering up parts for a 6.5 Saum build. I'll be using a Defiance action since I've had good luck in the past. My question is, should I go with the SA version or their medium/XM action (perhaps clarify the differences too since I am a little foggy on it)? I don't want to be constricted with OAL and not be able to chase the lands. Thanks!
 
I had built a 6.5 saum on a long action and had it throated out longer, like a 10th of an inch. I get much more velocity than my friend does. He gets 3000 fps out of a 25" barrel with 140's, it won't give more velocity without pressure signs. Mine has a 29" and with the same bullet the fps is 3175 fps at similar pressure if judging by looking at the brass.

My rifle does have an ejection problem, I have to run the bolt at the right speed or it'll malfunction. The same action runs flawlessly with a long action cartridge but not the short saum case. My friends rifle runs fine, it's a short action Stiller.
 
Steve,

Sounds like you may have the same issue as Dasher/BR shooters have. Is the brass hitting the action wall and dropping off the bolt face? If so, have you tried different ejector springs or plunger lengths?

Chris
 
I'm getting 3145fps out of a 28" barrel with a 0.081" freebore chamber, 140gr ELD-M (60.6gr H1000, hornady brass cci 250). I can go over 3200 but this is a pretty mild accuracy load that should save brass and barrel life. I have loaded one Hornady case 10 or 11 times at 62.0 gr H1000 to test longevity and it held up fine.

I'm using a short action M5 Mausingfield and modified ARC magazines (slight feedlip bending). I could easily seat the bullets about 0.090" longer and still have plenty of room to chase lands if I had more freebore. I'm loading ~2.810" COAL right now with a 0.025" jump and have a bit over 2.9" inside the magazines.

Personally, I don't think the 6.5mm bullets are long enough to justify going to a long or intermediate action unless you're absolutely obsessed with getting the maximum maximum velocity out of the cartridge... buuut on an absolute scale, 3050-3150fps with a 140gr 6.5mm pill is a laser beam, and anything else is bonus (or a long barrel).

The other issue I see with longer actions is sourcing magazines. I guess it's a bit of a pain either way with the SA magnum cartridges, but AICS pattern short-action mags are out there, or easily modified.
 
I'm using a short action M5 Mausingfield and modified ARC magazines (slight feedlip bending). I could easily seat the bullets about 0.090" longer and still have plenty of room to chase lands if I had more freebore. I'm loading ~2.810" COAL right now with a 0.025" jump and have a bit over 2.9" inside the magazines.

How many rounds of SAUM does the ARC mag hold?
 
As far as I can see the advantage of the Saum over the 6.5-06 Is the short action. Why lose that advantage by going long action? If going long why not go 06? Brass is cheaper and plentiful.
 
Steve,

Sounds like you may have the same issue as Dasher/BR shooters have. Is the brass hitting the action wall and dropping off the bolt face? If so, have you tried different ejector springs or plunger lengths?

Chris

Yes or the case will turn around backwards. I played around with a lightened ejector plunger spring -no luck. and then bought new one -no luck, even putting a spacer behind the new spring and still no joy.

A lengthened plunger would be a custom one off thing wouldn't it??? Or do you happen to know if such a thing exists? My action is a SurgeonXL.

Thanks
 
I had built a 6.5 saum on a long action and had it throated out longer, like a 10th of an inch. I get much more velocity than my friend does. He gets 3000 fps out of a 25" barrel with 140's, it won't give more velocity without pressure signs. Mine has a 29" and with the same bullet the fps is 3175 fps at similar pressure if judging by looking at the brass.

My rifle does have an ejection problem, I have to run the bolt at the right speed or it'll malfunction. The same action runs flawlessly with a long action cartridge but not the short saum case. My friends rifle runs fine, it's a short action Stiller.

My initial load was 140 hybrids going 3275 fps, it was the high node with Retumbo, the brass looked fine and primers weren't even getting flat yet. Shortly after that I found out some of the bullets were blowing up so I went to the lower node which is 3175 fps which has been golden. I do think I have a fast barrel because I'm only using 60.9 grains.

If I were to find a stronger bullet I could probably go into the 3300's no problem, heck with R26 I might be able to achieve 3400 fps. But I'd rather keep with decent barrel life and stay where I'm at now.

My friend had to back down to 59.3 grains of H1000, He bought his rifle used with the load info the previous owner had and 60.5 gr was ruining his brass in 3 firings also the bolt was sticky most of the time.
 
Yes or the case will turn around backwards. I played around with a lightened ejector plunger spring -no luck. and then bought new one -no luck, even putting a spacer behind the new spring and still no joy.

A lengthened plunger would be a custom one off thing wouldn't it??? Or do you happen to know if such a thing exists? My action is a SurgeonXL.

Thanks

not sure what you can do. Is this a standard m700 extractor or Sako/m16 type? I wonder if it's letting go a touch early. Ultimate fix is a manual ejector, but that's really not an option for an m700. I thought I had seen longer ejectors but I can't find any now. I assume you made sure yours is moving through the entire range of motion and not getting hung up on the roll pin?
 
Last edited:
Steve, tell your friend to look for a carbon ring. Occasionally my rifle will build up fouling and overpressure. Primers look good but i get ejector slot stamps on the head. Cleaning remedies it.

The down side to 60-62gr h1000 in a 6.5mm hole.
 
not sure what you can do. Is this a standard m700 extractor or Sako/m16 type? I wonder if it's letting go a touch early. Ultimate fix is a manual ejector, but that's really not an option for an m700. I thought I had seen longer ejectors but I can't find any now. I assume you made sure yours is moving through the entire range of motion and not getting hung up on the roll pin?

It's a sliding extractor and a plunger ejector. I'll check it to see if it's hanging up on the roll pin. IIRC the ejector goes all the way in and comes all the way out. I think it must because I have the 30-375R barrel on currently and it runs great.

300WM mags that have the indents milled out feed perfectly so at least that turned out well = 10 and 5 round mags.

I bet a long action Mausingfield would solve it!!