Breaking in a Tikka 6.5 Swede

[1000yardstare]

Just got me a Tikka T3 Lite stainless/synthetic in 6.5x55 Swede. Mail ordered it from Western Canada to Eastern Canada. Must have been sent by dogsled but Hey!, waiting makes the heart grow fonder. Rifle weighs 7 1/2 lbs with a Bushnell 3-9 Trophy.

This puppy has a long throat! Measured seating depth with my Sinclair gauge and Hornady 140s seat with the bullet base just above the donut with a .015" jump to the rifling. I started with Nosler 120s and IMR 4831. Gave the 120s a .030" jump to have at least 3/16 of the bullet shank inside the case neck. The slight boattail on the Nosler contributes to this situation.

Took the Tikka out to my club`s 300 metre benchrest range today. Very windy so stayed at 100 metres. Sighted in the Bushnell with Rem 140 factory loads. Chronod the Rem 140s. Talk about anemic! A sizzling 2550, right on Rem specs but about 150 below what the Tikka should produce with 140s. Guess Rem is afraid of old 93 and 95 Mausers. The Nosler manual and Hodgdon web site are sources of true velocities in a modern rifle.

Got a 7/8 inch 3 shot group at 100 metres with Nosler 120s and 4831. Chronos at 2900 fps. Not bad for a new rifle. Very little copper fouling from the getgo. Now to try Hornady 129s and 140s. Might go to RX22 with the 140s.

 

[1000yardstare]

The Fall winds have subsided below hurricane level for a few days so have done some more work with my new Swede. Had some shells left in a box of Rem 140s that I bought in the 1980s when I had a Ruger 77 in 6.5x55. These gave the 2550 fps reported earlier. Today a three shot group from the old box went into 1 1/8 inch at 100 metres. Not bad for factory.

Just bought a new box of Rem 140s. They printed 6 inches lower and 6 inches to the right and all over the paper compared to the 1980s shells. Chronod the new Rems and they were screaming along at 2410 fps. GOOD GRIEF! The lawyers have taken control of our society. Decided to pull the bullets in the new box, neck size the cases, throw out the powder and put in a full house load of IMR 4831. My Sinclair gauge gave an oal of 3.150 with the bullet jumping .010 to the rifling. Puts the base of the bullet just above the donut at the base of the neck. Chronod at 2750. The original factory OAL is 2.900. Don`t know what rifle the factory Rems are meant for but it sure ain`t a Tikka. The 1/4 inch difference in length between the original and the reloaded can be seen in the pix below. The reloaded shot 3 into 1 1/2 at 100 metres.

 

[1000yardstare]

Got enough fireformed brass to start serious load workups. Started with 95 VMax, a bullet I want to use on coyote this Winter. Seated the bullet to have 3/16 of the shank in the case neck. My Sinclair gauge says this gives me 0.125 inch jump to the rifling because of the long throat for this cartridge. A jump of 1/8 inch caused me some concern but went ahead with a load of RX15, Win brass, Fed 210 primers. Chronod at 3030 fps. Today was calm with a light rain. Put 3 shots into 3/8 inch at 100 metres. One of those results that surprises at first and then gives you a great feeling as you study the group through the 30x spotting scope. The same load with Sierra 100 hp gave a 3/4 inch group, also 3030 fps. Just ordered some 129 Hornady SST and will work with them and the Nosler 120 BT next. The pix below shows the 95 VMax group.

 

[Bugs]

I also shoot a T3 in 6.5 x 55. Chosen bullet is the 140 Berger VLD but my rifle also has a long throat and I can't reach the lands when seating at magazine length. I run 44 grains of RE17 for about 2600 fps and the rifle shoots well. Push these bullets up to 2850 or perhaps a bit more and it sprays them all over the place. Note: the 140 Berger absolutely hammers whitetails. Good luck with your T3 but you'll probably have to be content with slower velocities if yours behaves like mine does.

 

[jlmurphy]

What is the barrel twist rate on your rifle? I have had good luck with H4831 and Lapua 139 gr. Scenars, Re 22 will give more velocity, but is temp. sensitive.

 

[1000yardstare]

jlmurphy, Tikka puts an 8 twist in the 6.5 Swedes, no doubt to stabilize the 160 gr "arrows". The fast twist plus the long throat again for the 160s caused some apprehension for light bullet accuracy but so far no problem.

Put Burris Tikka-to-Weaver bases on the T3. Allows use of cheaper Weaver rings and the bases have multiple slots for more flexible scope mounting.

Today went to the 300 metre bench range and tried out the Hornady 129 sp flatbase with IMR 4831. Chronod at 2750 fps. Bright sun, light tail wind, 5C (41F). really nice day if you are dressed for it. The pix below shows 3 shots in 3/4 inch at 200 metres (220 yds). The rifle continues to amaze me. Not bad for a light rifle. A box of Hornady 129 SSTs are in the mail even as we speak. The SSTs are boattail which some rifles do not like but we will see.

 

[DogBuster]

I bought my first SS T3 6.5x55 a year or so ago....now have two...have tested alot of different powders/bullets....Lapua brass with Rem 9.5s & RE22 with the heavy 140/160s....H4831sc for the 120/130s...the Sierra 140 GK..130 NAB and 120 NBT all work very well..loaded shorter than mag length....seems to like the jump into the lands...Even with the Tikka..the Swede is no speed demon....but very accurate...I use Leo bases and Burris Signature turn in rings....pic shown is my first 6.5x55 w/Nikon 3-12 Monarch w/towers calibrated out to 600 yds...

 

[dsbw]

My Father in law got his 6.5x55 Tikka about a month ago. Ever since he is plying with 139 scenars, and 4350 range of powders. I see you guys are recommending the 4831 range (slower) powders?

Can someone give me some load data for the 4831 with 139 scenars?

Tx!

 

[jlmurphy]

With a 26" barrel, 46 grs. of H 4831 gives me 2750 fps. I am trying 48 grs. at 2875 fps. These loads were safe in my rifle, yours may be different. The 6.5x55 is an old cartridge used in old small ring Mausers, pressures were in the 40,000 psi range. Modern rifles can handle more pressure, but no one will publish higher pressure data, thank you lawyers.

 

[1000yardstare]

The Tikka T3s have a ginormous throat in the 6.5 Swede, no doubt for the 160 gr "arrows". So I have seated bullets out accordingly to be 0.015 inch short of the lands for 120 gr on up. For this reason my powder charge weights are above any published data to allow for the extra case volume and I do not wish to put them in print for fear they may wind up in a short throated barrel or even worse, a `93 Mauser.

Don`t laugh. In the 1980`s I was shooting with a chap who had a `93 in 6.5x55. He had loaded up some rounds with powder charges he had read in some magazine. I was down on the right end of the benchrest line with my back to him and he was on the left end. I heard this strange "crump" sound and turned around to see wisps of smoke around his head. The rifle had literally detonated. He was wearing cheap plastic safety glasses and the right lens was cracked. There was a cut along his cheekbone where the bolt had grazed him on its way back to the parking lot. He started counting eyeballs and fingers and luckily all he had was the cut cheek. The top of the receiver ring was imbedded in the roof of the firing point shed. We found the bolt under a car and one locking lug was cracked.

The 6.5 Swede is not unique in exercising caution when reloading. The same could be said for any cartridge available today that originated in rifles that did not use "modern" steel formulas and hardening techniques.

That is why most reloading manuals are whimpy when it comes to the 6.5 Swede. The Nosler manual and the Hodgdon web site are realistic for modern rifles but check out the bullet seating depths to see how they match your rifle and load accordingly.

 

[1000yardstare]

Loaded Hornady 129 SSTs over H4350 to give 2820 fps. Seated 0.020 short of the lands for an oal of 3.145. Puts base of bullet even with bottom of case neck. First group at 100 metres was 3 inches right of the 129 Hornady flatbase. Could be because of the boattail on the SST or because of using H4350 instead of IMR 4831. Results are still pretty good. Second group put 3 shots into 7/16 at 100 metres today as shown in the pix below. Will load the 129 SST again with IMR 4831 - same charge as the 129 flatbase - and compare reults.

 

[1000yardstare]

Great day to be shooting - blue sky, bright sun, light wind, 10C (50F) - incredible weather for southern Canada this time of the year. Switched to IMR 4831 with the 129 SST and got exactly the same result as with H4350 - 3 shots in 7/16 at 100 metres, 2 1/2 high, 2820 fps, OK pressure.

Went out to 200 metres and put 3 in 1 1/2, zeroed on the aiming mark. Two were touching and I flipped the third. Think it is called an "anticipation flinch", trying too hard to put the third into the first two. Still sub-moa which ain`t too bad at all for a light rifle.

Went out to 300 and put 3 in 3 inches, 9 inches low. Think I can do better than that. Will go up a grain of 4831 and see the effect of higher velocity. The pix below shows the 100 metre group.

 

[1000yardstare]

Moved up in bullet weights with the T3 Lite today. The firing line on my club`s 300 metre bench range is enclosed on three sides so the 4C (39F) gusty tail wind driving light rain and snow was just another day in Canada. Bring it on!

Have to say this is the most accurate sporter weight rifle I have owned in 50 years of shooting. The rifle has consistently printed 3 shot groups of 3/8 inch at 100 metres with just about any bullet weight and style that I have put down the barrel. The one exception so far has been the 100 gr Hornady SP which prints one inch groups 6 inches to the left of all other groups.

Today loaded 140 Hornady SP and 160 Hornady RN over IMR 4831. These are 20 year old boxes of bullets used in a Ruger 77 in 6.5 Swede which was not very accurate and it was traded long ago. Chronod at 2600 and 2400 respectively. A little slow but they are starting loads and it was cold which would reduce muzzle velocity.

The pix below show the two 3/8 inch groups shot today at 100 metres with both bullet weights. Zeroed the 160 at 100 which puts the 140 four inches high at 100. Will wait for a calmer day to go out to 200 and 300 with the 140.

 

[haldir]

Tikkas are amazing factory rifles.