My 6.5X54 is an early 1903 and initial shooting was a significant disappointment with several 160gr Hornadys going thru the target sideways. This with 34 gr of 3031 and Norma cases. My efforts to research my problems discovered in the old NRA reloading manual that bore diameter for 6.5X54 MS is listed therein as .268", not .264". This in a 1950s vintage publication. Further , I found the currently available .264 160gr Hornadys are only .264" below the cannelure. This combination in my barrel is totally unusable. Perhaps Woodleighs would be OK. However, I ordered the .268" 160gr Hornady made for the Carcano and first found them to have a much longer section of bullet at full diameter. Shooting these bullets solved all previous issues with iron sight 100 yard groups consistently under 2". One caveat, be sure to reduce any load developed with .264" bullets at least 15% and work up your load from there. Full diameter bullets with long bearing surface operate at higher pressures than bullets barely touching the rifling!

Otto