That's interesting, Kawicrash. It would have made life easier if modern brass makers had all just standardized the rim diameter to .473 the way Hornady has. The Lapua brass I'm using has a .477" rim diameter. The RCBS shellholder designated for 6.5x55 is #2, but the Lapua brass won't go into it. I'm using a Redding #7.

 

I wouldn't lump all "US brass" together. I have generally been unimpressed by Hornady brass in any caliber. It would be interesting to compare it to commercial brass from Remington, Federal or Winchester too.

 

This is the only U.S. 6.5x55 brass I've ever tried.
I have Hornady brass in 223, 22-250, and 308. I don't mind it, never had any issues other than a bit of a pain with the 223 and 308 having crimped primers, but I use lots of L.C., IVI, and Federal so I have a reamer and a swager for the primer pockets.

 

I've discussed Winchester 6.5x55 brass earlier in my posts about my Garand with a 6.5x55 Criterion barrel. The Garand loads en bloc clips, and Prvi factory ammo or reloads with PPU brass will only fit seven rounds into the clip. (These function just fine.) Reloads with Winchester brass will load the full eight rounds. The Winchester 6.5x55 evidently is drawn from .308/30-06 slugs so its base diameter is the same. After firing, the cases are bulged above the base just as the OP described. Reloads with these cases, resized in my Forster 6.5 x55 die will load seven rounds. I experimented with running once fired Winchester brass first through a 30-06 die with the spindle removed. This resulted in conspicuous discoloration of the brass at the web that resembles incipient case head separation. I did not use these cases since I am not going to risk a case head failure.

Regarding Hornady brass in general, I tried their 6.5 Creedmoor brass and results were middling compared with my reloads using Lapua brass. For me, Lapua and PPU brass are my standards.

 

We've had a really nice break in the weather this week and I decided to take advantage and head to the range.
I had my 1944 HVA m/96 FSR rifle along, such a joy to shoot
I got a really good deal on 50 new Hornady 6.5x55 brass a while ago, so I figured what the heck. I know U.S. brass is not made to the same spec. as European in the 6.5, and in the about 35 years I've been shooting Swedes, I've always used nny/PPU, norma, Lapua, Geco, etc.
I measured the virgin Hornady cases out of curiosity and they are .4716 on the web, .468 just past the web.
Fired, the web didn't expand, but just ahead of the web expanded to .4755. You can clearly see this in the picture. The other case is a nny once fired and full length sized for comparison, same session.
New norma, Lapua and PPU were all in the .476 area at the web and .474-.475 just past the web. The Euro case rims are .476-.477 while the Hornady is .473, it fits in a standard #3 RCBS shell holder..
I'll have to be very mindful reloading the Hornady cases. I'll keep them for this rifle, it has a tighter chamber than my military rifles, and neck size only. View attachment 4196050
View attachment 4196049

This is a well known fact and it was debated here several years ago. US-made ammo use '06 based brass to make the 6.5x55 and that's surely one of the reasons why they keep the pressure so low under SAAMI, even lower than the original military ammo...

 

Not sure I understand this. Why should the dimensions of the US-made brass call for lower pressures? I guess I'm missing something here.

 

Your fired US 6.5x55 brass swells only on that first firing. It isn’t sized or worked excessively by a 6.6x55 die. I use it and life is as good as European brass…quality of Lapua still shines!

 

Ya, I'll use them in that rifle and neck size only. Just an interesting visual of the expansion of the cases.

 

I agree with Bigwagon and Leon. Not impressed with Hornady brass at all. I used it in 6.5x55 and 7.62x54R only because I got it for free. In my opinion it's inferior to the PPU in every aspect and certainly not worth the money. As far as Remington goes, I only loaded it for the .303 British and it was the worst brass I've ever tried in this caliber. I try to stick with PPU stuff generally...

 

I have a box of Nosler 6.5x55 brass but have not used it. With the shortages of primers and powder, I am not willing to use up my supplies to test an unknown when I have proven Prvi and Lapua brass to use.

ADDED: The base diameter of my Nosler 6.5x55 brass is nearly identical to Norma brass. I used a caliper so the measurement is not as precise as with a micrometer, but any difference is inconsequential when compared with Hornady brass, which is significantly narrower at the base..

 

Is Nosler brand brass, made by Norma?

 

No. It once was, but is now made by another US company, Silver State Armory, which Nosler acquired.

 

My father had one of those old Lyman 310 tools (those old handled tools for reloading)...I vividly recall when I discovered that the .30-06 worked just fine for decapping the 6.5.

 

Now I'm curious about Dominion/Imperial/CIL Canadian manufactured 6.5x55 what spec was used? I don't remember ever having any myself. Lots of 8mm Mauser though!

 

I have some old (1970's) CIL 6.5 stuff...I'll give it a look over!?!