Cartridge Diagrams on Revamped NORMA website
AccurateShooter.com offers high-resolution Cartridge Diagrams for most of the popular cartridges used in competitive rifle shooting and varminting. But we don’t yet cover many larger hunting cartridges (such as 25-06) and the older military chamberings (such as the 6.5 Carcano). If you need a reference diagram for a hunting or military caliber, head over to the Norma website, www.Norma.cc. Norma’s new caliber information section provides diagrams and information for over 70 cartridges. Here are two examples:
25-06 Remington
Originally designed by A. O. Niedner about 1920, this is simply the 30-06 necked down to handle 25-caliber bullets, with no other changes. In 1969, more than half a century later, Remington standardized it as a factory chambering. During the 1900s many of once highly-regarded 25-caliber numbers faded and died – e.g., 25-20 WCF and 25-35 WCF. Conversely, the 25-06 has maintained some, perhaps increasing, degree of popularity since standardization. Thus, it is the only commercial chambering keeping the “quarter-bore” alive and kicking. Read MORE
6.5 Carcano
This was the official Italian military cartridge from 1891 to the end of WWII. The 6.5 Carcano was designed for use in the bolt-action Mannlicher-Carcano rifle. It is designated as the 6.5×52 in Europe. A fair number of these rifles were “liberated” during the war and many more were sold in the US at very low prices after 1945. Hence, it has achieved fairly wide use.
Due to an unusually modest working pressure, this chambering cannot be loaded to match performance of similar 6.5mm cartridges. However, this remains a fine deer and black bear cartridge. The Carcano is the only smokeless rifle ever commercially offered with gaintwist rifling. Due to this feature and the relatively fast final twist, most of these guns will only produce good accuracy with bullets weighing 140 grains or more. Read MORE
Diagrams and content © 2007 Norma Precision AB.
I’ve looked at Norma’s cartridge page, with respect to the 6.5×54 M-S (Mannlicher-Schönauer). It says:
“The 256 Mannlicher (as the English labeled it) was very popular throughout the British Empire after 1900. At one time or another, practically every famous English big game hunter used it. This included military officers hunting wild sheep and markhor in the mountains of Northern India and the famous big game hunters of Africa. The most famous was probably W. D. M. ‘Karamojo’ Bell, who killed several hundred elephants using 160-grain FMJ bullet loads in a 256 Mannlicher rifle that had been rebuilt by his friend, Fraser of Edinburgh.”
There is an argument whether Bell’s 256 Mannlicher was actually for the older 6.5x53R round, adopted by the Dutch and Rumanian military, rather than the 6.5×54 rimless which was for the mannlicher-schoenauer rifle, adopted by the Greeks. My facsimile Jeffery Gunmakers catalogue from just before WW1 features both, along with Mauser’s 7×57 which Bell adopted later.
i love the 6.5 but the rifle is good for short distance