6.5x55 pros and cons

[peterf225]

Looking at building a hunting rifle on a customized Remington 40x action chambered in 6.5x55. Wanting to hear some pros and cons about it and what twist barrel for the heavy bullets?

 

[HPMike800]

6.5X55 requires a long action. Are not all 40X's short action? Good accurate cartridge, puts 140's out at 2850+.

 

[peterf225]

Yes the 40x is a short action but it's a single shot so I am not worried about it being a long action cartridge.

 

[DukeDuke]

Great caliber, easy to load, performance second to none. 1-8" twist will do for the heavy once. Most hunters may be surprised by the single shot action.

 

[BoydAllen]

The case head diameter of the Norma brass is slightly larger than .308. I am not sure what Lapua measures. I would take a look at bolt face fit with the brass that you intend to use. Otherwise, it is a great cartridge, giving excellent accuracy, for its case size, and good barrel life.

 

[flatlander]

I've had a 6.5x55 bbl. for a Nesika K prone rifle since '02, which has been used exclusively with 139-142gr. bullets. It's a 1:8tw, and I'd recommend that rate without reservation. I've always thought this was an excellent cartridge - very accurate, easy to load for, very manageable recoil, reasonable barrel life. The only negative thing I can think of is its body taper requires regular trimming, even when you're very careful to avoid excessive shoulder bump when FL sizing.

 

[LHSmith]

I had a Swede Improved (30*) built on a 700 LA last year. Using Lapua brass requires the case rims to be modified in order to extract...... the problem is not so much that the head diameter is too large, but the rim thickness won't allow extraction. My Smith made a cutting tool to take care of the problem. Winchester brass , I believe, functions without modification.
I highly recommend the Swede. After using a 300 Ultra Mag for a few seasons, off-season shooting with the hunting rifle has become a pleasant experience again.

 

[BBTC48]

I had a Mod70 rebarreled from .270Win to 6.5Swede and the brass is a few thou larger and the boltface would shave tiny little bit off of rim. this was cured by just softening the very sharp edge on the boltface...works fine now and is nice firm fit in the bolt. Great shooter, low recoil, deadly 6.5. 1-8 twist Sako barrel, 23 1/4" so you're correct, the rim is a hair larger but will work without cutting boltface out

 

[cfvickers]

Greatest cartridge ever conceived, there are no cons. This is my opinion at least. Great caliber all around. The only possible con would be the length of the action as was mentioned. I have four 6.5x55s and would very much like some more.

LH Smith could you send me your smiths number, I cannot find a case holder that will work right with any of my european swede brass, have had this problem for a while, some barely work, others don't at all for that very reason. I would like to get one of his cutters. It doesn't hold right in a 98 mauser either by the way.

 

[1000yardstare]

My personal recommendation would be to buy a Tikka T3 Lite stainless/synthetic in 6.5 Swede. I have one and it is a dynamite rifle in accuracy, trigger pull, smooth magazine feeding and carry weight in the bush.

The rifle would be built for the cartridge so no fooling around with case shaving. I use an RCBS #3 shell holder for my Win and Rem brass with no problem. Have never used Lapua brass.

 

[cfvickers]

The RCBS #3 works great with american brass but will not always work with NNY Lapua or Norma. I have three of those shell holders and one is a little looser than the others and works with most, but not all. My 98 was acquired from an old man at a gun show who's buddy that had died built for himself. It is a Turkish 98 large ring small shank with a turned down 96 mauser barrel and 96 mag and floorplate somehow adapted to it.the owner/builder was a cabinet maker and built the stock in oak with a cherry forend tip in the exact shape of a weatherby. Interesting rifle that shoots very well just doesn't like european brass. But I do because despite its weight differences NNY is cheap and I get consistent velocities from it. My Steyr SBS has no problem with it but the shell holder still gives me fits when loading. I use RP .308 brass but otherwise steer clear of it. have a hard time finding Win 6.5x55 brass. The model 38 is indifferent toward the brass as well

 

[wwbrown]

Pros:
-Great brass available, I like Lapua
-High accuracy potential
-A good 1,000 yard cartridge for paper when loaded to modern pressures
-Manageable recoil
-Very effective round on most North American mammals
-For a cartridge that is over 100 years it just works

Cons:
-Some short actions will not eject a loaded round, my Stiller Predator ejects them fine
-Rim diameter and thickness may require tweaks on the bolt if you are going to use Lapua or Norma brass, Stiller Predator did not

As I weigh these out I like the 6.5 x 55.

wade