I just won the rifle in the subject on a GB auction, supposed to pick it up at UPS tomorrow...  Is anyone out there familiar with them?  How about the 6.5x53R cartridge?  It is "obsolete" and has been for a long time, so I know that it is unlikely there is any milsurp available and apparently nobody has made much commercial ammo for this cartridge in any significant quantity recently either (nobody has any).  Graf & Sons and Buffalo Arms sell (very expensive, $66 for a box of 20; I ordered two boxes from Graf & Sons) Bertram brass for it, and it is apparently possible to form it from .303 British brass as well.  Even reloading dies are hard to come buy and expensive for it.  I ordered a set of 4D dies from Buffalo Arms for $85, the RCBS ones were $138.  I also orderd from Prvi 140gr .264" bullets.  From what I've been able to gather online 31gr of IMR 4895 (my usual go-to powder for cartidges around this size) is a safe starting load with this weight bullet.

Had to use the Google machine to find out what it was; never heard of it before. Would be interesting to see pics when you get it and a range report if you can.

A book I have for reference is "The Handloader's Manual of Cartridge Conversions" lists the following loading:



160 Gr. RN  32 Gr. IMR 3031   2100 fps



This is not my data, start at least 10% lower etc.

I have an old manual with a surprising amount of data:

I have some IMR 3031, but everywhere seems to be out of the 160gr RN bullets.  I ordered some Prvi 140gr FMJ spire points.  They may not be optimal, but they were inexpensive.

I will be picking it up tomorrow...  in the mean time these are from the auction...




Range report will have to wait until my reloading dies and supplies come in of course.  Oh, and the Mannlicher clips I ordered.

Thanks for the data...  I may have to try some of those if I can find some more bullets.  Seems like a lot of odd sizes are sold out everywhere.

I've had good luck at gunshows wth oddball caliber bullets. I bring a pair of dial calipers with me and a small digital scale. Find one of those guys (they are at every show no matter where you go) who have old bags of miscellaneous bullets and brass all thrown there. Take some time and root around a bit in it. I've come away with some very good deals on odds and ends. Sometime you get very lucky.  

It appears to be a No.5 carbine. It also appears to have been converted from a rifle, per the straight bolt handle. It may have a cartouche on the right side of the butt with a date, maybe 1940 like mine as there was a batch done in 1940.

Despite what you may hear or read, apparently some of the 1940 batch left the armory without handguards. The Dutch museum alludes to this in their narrative on the No.5.

http://www.collectie.legermuseum.nl/strategion/strategion/i004810.html

Introduced in 1938 to provide. In a shortage of rifles in the regiments motor artillery and air defense artillery brigade Since at that time more than enough guns were available, the carbines of the rifles were made. Later also used in other parts. Key features are the wood padded berths for the old cordon brackets and soldered cordon bracket on the upper band. Production about 36,000 pieces. The two examples shown here are different since one does and the other does not have handguard. Both carry a decrease stamp from 1940. (via google translate)

I've been reloading 6.5X53R for a few years.  I have a beat up carbine dated 1918.  The barrel is marked 1919D and 1940.

Thanks for the loads...  I'm looking forward to playing with this rifle...

I just got my Mannlicher clips, dies, brass and bullets...  now all I need to do is round up some powder and primers from my stash and put together some ammo and find some time to get over to the range...

Looking forward to a range report!

I'll have to check the basement... I think I had a pretty good supply of primed brass sitting there, no idea it was worth so much now.

Not only have scrap brass prices gone through the roof, all of the ammo shortages over the past few years have made cases, especially those for obscure calibers like 6.5x53R, extremely expensive.  Ammo makers have put all their resources into trying to crank out the most popular or the most profitable cartridges so the ones of more limited interest are getting the short shift.