6.5 Sherman Short Custom Build

I’ve wanted a 6.5 Sherman Short for a long time! I hunted in South Africa with Piet Malan using his, and Piet even flew to the states so we could build rifles together. I built him a full custom 6.5 SS right here at our shop. Now, it’s finally time to build one for myself! In this video, we go over the build components, machine the barrel, walk through the process, assemble it, and test it.

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Bill of Materials

The heart of my own 6.5 Sherman Short is the 1934 Armory BE3 Action with a custom 22” Bartlein barrel blank I had made to my exact specifications.

I desired a lightweight, non-fluted, steel barrel that could accommodate a suppressor.

My Bartlein blank has a slight, sporter contour and flares to 0.8” at the muzzle to allow for threading. This is similar to my sporter barrel threading process.

To hold it all together I have a Foundation Gideon, trusty Hawkins Precision Hunter Bottom Metal, and Bix’n Andy TacSport X from Bullet Central.

I decided to mount the same scope as I did for my 25 Creedmoor build, the Telson Target Master 5-25x56mm.

This isn’t the first Sherman Wildcat Cartridge I’ve built on the channel. I recently built a 7mm Sherman Short and earlier this year tackled 7mm SWC.

6.5 Sherman Short squeezes maximum 6.5mm performance out of a short action.

For tooling I have a Manson 6.5 SS finishing reamer along with go and no-go gauges.

To put it all together I have a 1934 Armory 3-Lug Action Wrench.

About the 6.5 Sherman Short

The creators of the 6.5 Sherman Short pushed the shoulder back to 40 degrees with minimal body taper to optimize usable case capacity for a 6.5 in a short action.

Pieter Malan decided to chamber his “do-it-all” African hunting rifle in 6.5 Sherman Short so he could shoot high BC 156 grain Berger bullets out of a true short action, something the 6.5 PRC would not allow him to do.

I was especially impressed with the hard-hitting 6.5 SS. It had very mild recoil, but I also shot it with an APW Warbird with a brake which helped.

6.5 Sherman Short Cartridges in an MDT Spare Round Holder

It did not feel like shooting a magnum 6.5, especially given how light the rifle was. This mild recoil also kept me on target, allowing me to see my shots as they impacted.

Five shots resulted in five successful African kills!

From Sherman Wildcat Cartridges:

The 6.5 Sherman Short fills a long overdue gap in short action performance. The ballistics on this cartridge rival belted magnums with 10 grains more capacity and do it at under 3” coal.

The cartridge is at its best with the 140 and heavier class bullets with maximum velocities of near 3100’ with a 160 and nearly 3300 with a 140, when using the slowest powders available. The best operating range is realistically in the 3000-3200’ range with these bullets for accuracy, case and barrel life. Simply put, there is no equal out there in a factory offering, at this cartridge overall length. (coal)

The best powders tested in this cartridge, for overall performance, range in burning rate from H4831 to RL33. My personal favorites are RL26, and H1000 with N570 and RL33 giving top velocities, especially in the 150+ grain bullets.

Good starting loads with 140 class bullets would be 54 grains of RL26, and depending on the individual rifle, might reach as much as 60+ grains. With H1000, you could start 2 1/2 grains higher.

Federal 210’s and BR2’s are the primers of choice for most applications with magnum primers being considered with powders like N570 and RL33.

About the 1934 Armory BE3

This marks my second full build with a 1934 Armory Action. My 25 Creedmoor utilizes the BE1. 1934 Armory securely packages their actions to impress while retaining affordability and quality.

The BE3 is PVD-coated for extra smooth cycling and rust-prevention with a one-piece, spiral-fluted bolt, and toolless fire control group.

It has a lightweight, pinned 20 MOA Picatinny rail and pinned recoil lug. The Rem 700 clone is compatible with Rem 700 triggers and is skeletonized for weight savings.

From 1934 Armory:

Introducing the BE3 bolt action, crafted for those who demand exceptional accuracy, reliability, and lightweight performance. The BE3 series builds upon the iconic Remington 700 footprint, now with a modern 3-lug design, blending classic features with innovative engineering to deliver an unparalleled shooting experience. Whether you’re a precision shooter, hunter, or firearms enthusiast, the BE3 from 1934 Armory is designed to take your skills to the next level.

Lead time is 2-3 weeks.

- Based on the classic Remington 700 footprint with a 3-lug design
- M16 style extractor
- One piece bolt – 0.718″ Bolt Body DIA.
- Wire EDM raceways for more uniform tolerances and smoother cycling
- Pinned 20 MOA Picatinny Rail
- Large ejection port and cut-out for a light-weight action body- 25oz total weight
- .062” firing pin to accommodate SRP brass
- Dual Pinned .300” recoil lug
- Tool-less fire control removal
- Accepts any Remington 700 style trigger
- 1-1/16”-16 thread pitch
- Side bolt-stop release
- Oversize bolt knob
- Spiral fluted bolt
- Full PVD coating for more corrosion protection and smoother operation
- Available in varmint (0.383″), standard (0.481″), and magnum (0.540″) bolt face, short action configurations

About the PM-1340GT

I have several Precision Matthews lathes and had to choose which one to chamber my 6.5 SS barrel on.

I settled on the PM-1340GT because with only 22” finished barrel length and the reversed contour at the end, my 19” spread from the chuck jaws to the spider screws on the outboard spider offered significant flexibility.

The Precision Matthews PM-1340GT is a great gunsmithing lathe, with the following stand-out features at an affordable price:

All Taiwanese built with Japanese spindle bearings
1.5625″ thru-spindle capacity
Geared head
Inch and Metric thread cutting ability
13” Swing, 40” Between Centers
D1-4 Chuck Mount
MT3 Tailstock Taper

If you’d like to know more about the PM-1340GT, check out our full overview HERE.

Looking for more?

Machining and Cerakote

I started with the tenon print as I always do, also referencing the reamer print for the wildcat cartridge. From here I was able to make and execute a plan.

I indicated the barrel in the lathe, pre-drilled, then indicated again in the throat area for a two-point dial. After indicating the barrel to 0.0001”, I used a single-point boring bar to bore the pre-drilled area true.

I turned down the tenon, threaded it, fit the action, and proceeded to cut the chamber using a Manson reamer secured in a rigid reamer holder.

After chamfering the chamber entrance and confirming all was in order, I flipped the barrel around to thread the muzzle.

When it was all finished, I decided to Cerakote it black, utilizing the Built American oven and spray booth in my shop.

Putting It Together

I torqued the action onto the barrel, checking headspace with the gauges before removing it from the vise and putting the rest of the rifle together.

The action fit perfectly into the Gideon stock.

I mounted the optic using some Area 419 rings and added a Maverick suppressor.

To get a weight, I swapped the Maverick for a Hellfire titanium and removed the optic. (The scope is a heavier, tactical scope, so I wanted to look at just the rifle and magazine.)

In this configuration, it weighed 8.07 lbs. Removing the steel AICS magazine brought it to 7.75 lbs.

In my opinion, this is at the lighter end of what I’m willing to shoot in a magnum.

Loading and Range Results

I started with 6.5 Sherman Short headstamped brass from Sherman Wildcat Cartridges and turned to the same bullet Piet swears by, the Berger 6.5mm 156 Grain Elite Hunter.