6.5mm "Patriot Combat Cartridge"

Tom R
by Tom R
Forming the 6.5 Patriot Combat Cartridge (PCC) from virgin brass. Image is from rifleshooter.com

One thing I have not yet gotten into is reloading, and I know very little about the manufacture of such things. I mean, I know how a round is constructed, but doing it, and further, innovating, is beyond my current skill set. I find things like fire forming and case trimming both fascinating and a little dangerous.

Shout out to Bill for pointing us to this article discussing an interesting way (created by Illirian Engineering and Design) for adapting a standard .223 Rem casing to accommodate a 6.5mm projectile: http://rifleshooter.com/2014/11/6-5-patriot-combat-cartridge-6-5-pcc-6-5mm-wildcat-for-the-ar15m-16/

Since it utilizes a 223 parent case and only requires the change of barrel and magazine in a standard AR-15/M16, you can use the rest of your setup, and presumably your shooting mechanics will remain the same.

And no, I’m not going to include this in the weekly ammo prices… 🙂

Tom R
Tom R

Tom is a former Navy Corpsman that spent some time bumbling around the deserts of Iraq with a Marine Recon unit, kicking in tent flaps and harassing sheep. Prior to that he was a paramedic somewhere in DFW, also doing some Executive Protection work between shifts. Now that those exciting days are behind him, he teaches wilderness medicine and runs an on-demand medical staffing business. He hopes that his posts will help you find solid gear that will survive whatever you can throw at it--he is known (in certain circles) for his curse...ahem, ability...to find the breaking point of anything.You can reach him at tom.r AT thefirearmblog.com or at https://thomasrader.com

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  • Phil Elliott Phil Elliott on Nov 27, 2014

    What was wrong with the old 7mm TCU? I'm getting about 1600 fps. with a 120 gr. in a 10" bbbl.

    • See 1 previous
    • Phil Elliott Phil Elliott on Dec 22, 2014

      @Cal264 Not sophisticated enough to extrapolate from 10" to 20" velocity wise, but I think it would be quite a bit more, probably close to the same velocity. Granted a 120 gr. 6.5 bullet is going to have a better B.C. than a 7mm. My case is still the same as yours, simple neck up from 5.56. Running mine in a T.C.

  • Dragonheart Dragonheart on Dec 02, 2014

    If you want to learn how to reload it's easy and you don't have to start out building wildcats. I have taught numerous friends how to reload in a very short period of time. Like anything there are do's and don't to learn that will keep it safe.

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