6.5-55 swede

[LittleJeff]

I have heard a lot of good things about this cartridge, so I decided to get my 6.5 barrel chanbered for it. The rifle is a switch barrel rifle, my other caliberes are 300 WIN MAG and 270 WIN Ackley improved. The twist on the 6.5 barrel is 1-8.5, stainless Pac Nor supermatch 3 groove. I will be using Lapua cases and shooting 130-142gr. bullets. Anybody have any pet loads they would like to share?
Little Jeff

 

[DukeDuke]

Great choice! As long as it's a postmodern action

 

[londonhunter]

I shoot a sweede in Europe for hunting

in a single shot Blaser

Please be careful with data but here is my load

berger 140 VLD hunt
H4350 43.5 grain
0.003 back from land
Laopua case
CCI LRP
2640 fps at sea level in Europe

Deadly with antelopes up to 400 yards

 

[1000yardstare]

The various reloading manuals are anemic for the 6.5 Swede. Must be a lawyer thing warning about liability for small ring Mausers.

You didn`t mention your action type. If it is a small ring Mauser this would limit load velocities. But from the other cartridges in your switch barrel setup, I would guess it is a modern action and you could realise the full potential of the 6.5x55.

I have a Tikka T3 Lite stainless/synthetic in the 6.5 Swede, 8 twist barrel, and it is very accurate with all bullet weights despite having a ginormous throat for the 160 grainers. The 95s and 100s have quite a jump to the lands but it doesn`t affect their accuracy.

Hence my loads could be dangerous in a short-throated barrel and I hesitate to give exact powder charges. My main powder is IMR 4831. I can comfortably achieve 3100 with 95/100, 2900 with 129, 2800 with 140, 2600 with 160. But again this is with a large freebore. I couldn`t guarentee these velocities in a short-throated barrel.

You read about chaps edging towards 2900 with 140s but I hesitate to guess the pressures they must be operating at.

 

[eggman]

I too shoot a long throated Tikka T3 chambered in 6.5x55 Swede. My favorite load is enough RL-22 to reach 2800 fps with a Danzac coated Berger 140 gr. VLD. This is my deer load and I get sub MOA 3 shot groups at 100 yds but it will shoot other bullet weights equally well. I like the new 100v Hybrid powder for lighter bullets.

Rodney

 

[LittleJeff]

I forgot to mention action, sorry. It's a Remington 700 long action that has been blueprinted. Thanks for the replies so far.
Little Jeff

 

[k80skeet]

1000yard stare, I have a friend that has a 6.5 X55 swede in a 700 Remington Classic and he has found a few good loads but the volisty is only 2400-2450fps I would like to get the load for the IMR 4831 from you. His throat is long he can touch the lands with any of his bullets.

 

[1000yardstare]

k80,
Remingtons tend to be long-throated in all calibers. PM sent.

 

[Matt Pitchon]

I have an FN Mauser (Large Ring) with a 30" Broughton in 6.5x55. The throat is standard SAMI (long for the 160s). I shoot a 142SMK in a Lapua case, with 50gr of 4831 and getting 2900FPS. No pressure signs. The firing pin is the standard Mauser size, large, and I'm not getting any cratering, and no ejector wipe.

 

[1000yardstare]

Great stuff Matt. My guess is that your 30 inch barrel is generating the extra 100 fps compared to my 23 inch barrel. So I would think you are working at the same safe pressures as me. Anyway, the 6.5 Swede is a beauty cartridge.

As an aside, I want to use the Swede next Fall in the Ontario moose hunt. I am told, and I can believe it is true, that the Swede has harvested more moose than any other cartridge because the Swedes, Finns and Norwegians have been using it for more than a century in their moose hunts.

 

[brush_buster]

This week I worked a new load for my Swede but like you the velosity needs to be a little higher. I only got 2385 fps but it shot a .223 three shot group.

 

[Laurie]

Hence my loads could be dangerous in a short-throated barrel and I hesitate to give exact powder charges. My main powder is IMR 4831. I can comfortably achieve 3100 with 95/100, 2900 with 129, 2800 with 140, 2600 with 160. But again this is with a large freebore. I couldn`t guarentee these velocities in a short-throated barrel.
Posted by: 1000yardstare

If your chronograph is accurate, these are impressively high MVs for 140s from 6.5X55mm and a 23" barrel. Matt's 2,900 fps is what you'd expect from a 30" barrel with a stout load, and the seven-inch length difference would normally add up to much more than 100 fps in this cartridge - I'd expect 200-300 fps, more likely near the top end of that range.

Laurie,
York, England

 

[2506]

I have a M-96 Swede Mauser 6.5X55 that has been sported. With the 29" barrel and max 45,000 CUP loads given in the Accurate Powders manual of AA4350 I get 2950 fps average with 120 gr Nosler BT with 46 grs and 2800 fps with 140 Sierra SP with 45 grs. with one hole shot groups at 100 yards. These loads will smoke white tail deer. Drops them in their tracks out to a little over 300 yards which is as far as I have shot them to so far.

The 160 Hornady Round Nose interlock bullet with a max load of AA4350 should make a good moose load.

 

[1000yardstare]

2506, you must have a small ring Mauser that contains "modern" steel metallurgy and it received proper heat treatment. This is allowing you to operate at modern pressures. I agree that the 6.5 Swede is an ideal deer cartridge.

For moose next Fall with the 6.5x55, I plan to load Hornady 160 RN for short range and 140 Nosler partitions for long range.

Roy Weatherby extolled the virtues of freebore 60 years ago for obtaining velocities that seemed to go beyond the theoretical capabilities of a cartridge. It is my impression that the long throat for 160s in the 6.5 Swede gives the effect of freebore for the lighter bullet weights. Hence the 140s are hitting 2800 fps with slow powders which some people find puzzling.