So, my first ever loaded 6.5 cm and a newly barreled rifle failed to chamber by about 1/2 inch.

Basically I had crushed the case during seating making the base of the shoulder to fat to chamber.   The bullets are pulled and the brass has been resized, but we are now about .006-.008 shorter than equivalent brass new.  The angle or the shoulder has been reduced a bit.

Should I shoot it out or would I die trying to do this ?

Shoot it or Scrap it ?

Issues like this make a good case for buying a case gauge. I once thought they were unnecessary, and while you can get by without one, it sure is nice to just drop a cartridge in to check on the fly.

You are correct, the seat die was a bit low putting a crush vs. crimp on the case.  A case gauge would be nice, but I have done .223 and .308 but not for every caliber I load.

The 3 on the Right are the .006-.008 shorter than the 3 on the left, which are new unfired.  You can see the brass around the shoulder has been worked a bit.  They will now fit in the chamber and 'look' ok.

So, shoot it out, or scrap it ?

Shoot them out.

They will form to the chamber without issue.

I never crimp, not even for semi-auto's. If you have .003" of neck tension it's not needed.

On a bolt action .0015" of neck tension is enough.

If I owned a full-auto I would crimp ammo for it, just for added insurance from the jack hammer effect.

Adjust your die 1/8 to 1/4 turn higher than the crimp. In other words with the bullet seater backed off, screw the die down on a newly sized and trimmed case until it barely touches by feel. Back it off at least 1/8 turn.

Looks like they are folded over themselves a bit.

I would toss them. Not worth torching your chamber if they crack over $2 worth of brass.

This is what I was thinking.  Can't be much different from what the wildcat or AI shooters have to do to form brass.  I have about 40 like this, so I am not deciding on 3 cases.  If that was the question, I would flick them into the scrap and move along.

I have 2 case gauges.  One in .223 and one in 30.06.

The .223 is very handy, but the 30.06 is useless because most of the fired brass from my A-Bolt II will easily fit in the gauge without resizing.

My buddy's fired brass from his semi-auto 30.06 will not fit the gauge unless its resized.

I contacted L.E. Wilson about this and they said my rifle probably has a very tight chamber.

I now use the Hornady headspace comparator to resize the brass fired from this rifle.

Question, and it applies a bit to the OP's situation here too.  This issue of AI shooters forming their brass.  The other poster mentioned "torching a chamber" as a possibility.

I have a friend, gunsmith, down the road from my home.  He's a big AI guy, but he forms all his brass with what he calls a "mule gun".  He cuts the chambers himself obviously, so I guess he knows how close his "good" rifle and the mule chambers are.

I'd never heard this term "torching a chamber" as was mentioned here.  Is this why this gunsmith uses another AI modded chamber to form his brass or is it probably just to avoid barrel wear?

Is torching the chamber just referring to the case neck failing, or something similar, that could damage the chamber?

Just wasn't familiar with the term.

I think he's referring to brass cracking from overworking and the resulting gas exit modifying the chamber walls.

Based on your photo further down I’d toss the damaged brass and call it a cheap lesson.  No way that wrinkle doesn’t affect case life even if it irons out smooth.

Serious question and coming from a guy who has made plenty of mistakes myself...

How do you determine your sizing and COAL dimension?  This problem should be something that is sorted out with the very first few cases you run through as you set up the dies.

If they fit the chamber I'd shoot them. But, first mark them and keep a close eye on them inspecting carefully.

Even if a few crack, the resulting flame cutting would hardly be noticeable. Sure, flame cutting in magnum VS special chambers (ie. 38 & 357) does happen, it is from repeated and continuous exposure to the flame in the same place.