6.5x55 loads

[wboggs]

Interested in building a lightweight hunting rifle in 6.5 mm. Why are the loads for the 6.5x55 so low for use in modern rifles and using Norma brass? Seems to me it would easily beat the .260 Rem. with equal pressures. The other possibility is the 6.5-284 which offers an extensive list of quality components, dies, etc. Would appreciate hearing from some members about the pros and cons of these or other choices.

 

[15Tango]

It's an old cartridge to come from the beginnings of smokeless powder and the standardized pressure is low, manufacturers and book data reflect that, probably out of liability. Standard pressure is 55K but you'll be hard pressed to find any data for it that even exceeds 50K, most of them are around 45K. With today's brass and actions I'm sure you could run it safely up to 60K, where most other modern cartridges typically are.

Guys that are running it for benchrest ect are certainly running it up to the levels today's brass and actions can handle and from what I've heard it does in fact hang with the .260.

It's just one of those cartridges the manufacturers and reloading manuals doesn't favor for getting performance out of even though it's certainly capable. Reminds me of the 9MM Luger, you won't find much data running it up to its standard pressure but all the other popular cartridges do, it's a very down-tuned cartridge now.

I think the 6.5 Swede would and does make for a fine hunting cartridge, I can't think of a better one more suited for your project and its case capacity really shines with heavy bullets like the 160s.

Wayne

 

[rbertalotto]

I have three rifles in 6.5X55....An old sporterized M96 Mauser, a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight and an Ultra Light Arms. This is a GREAT cartridge for everything up to and including elephant (do a search on this last part). Seriously, I'd use it on anything, non dangerous, up to and including moose and elk.
I load the snot out of the modern guns. I have bested velocity of the 260 Remington quite easily..........But only in a modern gun. I throttle it down quite a bit in the M96, but it's still an amazingly accurate cartridge in all three rifles.......

 

[Raptor]

I have a 260 and a 6.5x55 and shot the barrels out of a couple of 6.5x284s. I went to the 6.5x55 in hopes of having a round that would be between the 260 and the 6.5x284.

What I wanted was a round that would give me the same or better velcoity than the 260 and still get better barrel life than the 6.5x284 and the 260. The 6.5x55 does that.

Its very accuate and you can expeed the velocity of the 260 and still not be pushing it hard. Or you can push it up to right with 6.5x284 velocities. But then you will have short barrel life.

I talked to a sniper over in Norway who said their rifles will go 4000 to 5000 rounds easy using Lapua match ammo. Factory match may not be fast but it still out shoots the 308s and gets as good a barrel life. A win win in my book. I think its the perfect case for the 139 to 140s where the 260 is a little weak for the heavier bullets. The 260 really shines with the 120 to 130gr bullets. Just my thoughts on it, hope this helps!!

 

[1000yardstare]

The Nosler #6 manual gives honest loads for the 6.5 Swede in modern rifles. I think lawyers have written most of the other manuals. They are afraid of old small ring Mausers.

My Tikka T3 Lite stainless/synthetic in 6.5x55 is very accurate with just about any bullet I have used. As an example, the Nosler 120 BT over 48.0 gr IMR 4350, COAL 3.150, chronos at 2950 fps and put three shots into 1 3/16 inch at 300 metres (0.35 moa). That velocity is on a par with the .260 Rem.

Factory 6.5 Swede chambers tend to have ginormous long throats for the 160 gr bullets. The 120 Nosler seated 20 thou off the lands has about 3/16 shank retention in the case neck, enough to give good runout and accuracy. Still fits in the magazine with room to spare. If I was having a custom reamer made up I would cut a shorter throat to match the bullet weight you would most likely be using.

 

[jonbearman]

I have a ruger77 in swede and love it.It is accurate for a pencil tube sporter.Its recoil is very manageable and a delight to shoot.The 6.5x284 is an all out powerhouse with a fair amount of recoil and very short barrel life. The swede will last longer than you will probably be able to shoot the rifle from a wheelchair in the old folks home. A ridiculous comparison but accurate nonetheless. I would go swede all the way. Just do load deveopment till the ugly pressure sign rears its head.In its stock form it will kill anything in the lower 48.

 

[Laurie]

Since you're building a hunting rifle, barrel life is unlikely to have as much priority as we paper punchers give it, assuming you don't go out and practice firing 100 rounds every week, of course!

You don't say what game either, or at what ranges. .260 Rem and 6.5X55mm will take the same game animals efficiently at shorter ranges using the same bullets.

As Raptor says, it's better suited to 140s than the .260, largely down to the longer allowable cartridge length giving greater powder capacity as well as a slightly roomier case. The downside to that is the need for a long action of course, in which case you need to consider it against .270 Win, .284 Win long-throated, 6.5-284 Norma (long throated) and a host of other cartridges in the 3.00 - 3.3" length bracket. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a great cartridge - effective, good external and terminal ballistics, light recoiling, potentially very accurate. It's just you're risking comparing apples and pears to some extent in your present comparison.

In your question about relatively low MVs, it's not just the low SAAMI and loading manual pressures, but look at the barrel lengths employed as well. A large number of surplus Swedish Model 1894 cavalry carbines were imported into the USA during the 1970s and these seem to be what many bullet and powder companies acquired for their loads manual results tables. Cut a .260 Rem barrel (or that for any decent sized cartridge) down to 18" and you'll get some pretty pathetic MVs for them as well.

I'm having a Savage 12F rebarrelled to 6.5X55mm for 2011 and look forward to seeing how it performs at longer ranges with a 28" Heavy Palma contour match barrel. I have very high expectations.

Laurie,
York, England

 

[acloco]

I built a couple 6.5x55 AI's. Performance is at or above the x284 cartridge (using 28" barrel). http://www.6mmbr.com/SixFive284.html

Many flavors of GOOD x55 brass and is almost always available. Sorry, I only have 102 rounds down the tube, so cannot provide real world barrel life data from the Rock Creek barrel.

 

[Tikkatoy]

It's a great cartridge for accuracy and hunting but no need to build one. CZ 550 is extremely good, like 1 3/8" 5 shots at 300 yds. You will need a high power scope to pull it off though and good loads. Tikkas are lighter weight still. 6.5 - 284 is an expensive dinosaur with only a little more velocity. 42 grns H-414 and 140 grain Game King very mild effective hunting in the old Swedes. 48 grs Rl 22 with 139 Lapua solid long range load but too much much power for regular hunting. Quite accurate.