Have a few questions about 6.5x55 chambering, load data.

[David Milisock]

A few years ago I went to Darryl Hollands long range shooting school. I took a 22.5" semi-weight fluted match barreled Blaser R8 in 6.5x55SE shooting 130gr Berger VLD bullets at 2800fps. It was his bi-annual Texas class and we shot out to 1,000 yards in lot's of wind. The Texan's were shooting 28-30" barreled rifles in a variety of chamberings and were giving me a hard time about "how short my rifle was".

I took top gun at that school in the final shoot off with a 640 yard head shot on a pepper popper and planted the bullet right between the targets eyes in an 18mph wind.

The Sweed will get it done for you every time if you do your part.

I really wish we would see a renaissance with the 6.5 x 55, it's super exceptional giving it's age.

 

[rardoin]

I really wish we would see a renaissance with the 6.5 x 55, it's super exceptional giving it's age.

I saw a 7mm wildcat based off the 6.5 x55 BJAI tear up the 600yd segment of the Oklahoma state prone championship (F-open) this past weekend. Rod Brakhage, shooting 184 Berger hybrids at 2850 fps, scored 599-41x and was second only to a 300 WSM shot by the overall winner with 600-42x (a new range record at Red Castle). He said the brass handles the pressure without any issues and the pockets stay tight.

 

[David Milisock]

I saw a 7mm wildcat based off the 6.5 x55 BJAI tear up the 600yd segment of the Oklahoma state prone championship (F-open) this past weekend. Rod Brakhage, shooting 184 Berger hybrids at 2850 fps, scored 599-41x and was second only to a 300 WSM shot by the overall winner with 600-42x (a new range record at Red Castle). He said the brass handles the pressure without any issues and the pockets stay tight.

Great news, I love that old cartridge. Slide rules and old time brain power!

 

[Bemoni]

I'we been shooting the 6,5 Swede for many years and it has never failed me!
The thing is, that it don't like short barrels, my first custom build, had a 20 inch Lothar Walter barrel and it did a perfect job, but velocities was moderate, even with 140 grains bullets.
After some 8000 rounds, it was changed to a LW 25 inch medium palma contour, heavy, yes, but extremely accurate and it has so far, lasted for about 5000 rounds and are still going 0,5 moa and routinely ringing steel beyond 1000 meters.

As for hunting, it can drop anything on the European continent, with confidence and i have been using it for red deer and moose a lot of times, as well as wild boar and they are all going down, without any issue.

In the recent years, there has been some discussion over here, regarding the use of lead free bullets and when hunting in Germany, the use of non-lead is mandatory.
The primary concern is, whether the ol swede can deliver the required energy on 100 meters, ( 2700 joules ) from a standard 22 - 24 inch barrel, but from my point of view, it is not a problem.
Some has called the Swede a obsolete caliber, but it is not!! Even a novice can shoot it, with good results and if you are hand-loading, it's one of the easiest calibers to work with, you really have to screw up badly, to make bad results.

 

[SF-Guy]

I have an RPA Quadlock in one of my laminated stocks and in 6.5x55. Barrel is a 30” Bartlien 1-8”. It shoots the 123 Lapua; 140 and 142 gr bullets well. The 123 is a Lapua and the 140-142 are Berger or SMK’s. I built this before the 6.5 CM was so popular. It shoots bout the same. Its. A good cartridge, shame there is not much out there for the modern chamberings (comparatively speaking). It does not like the Horn 143/147 and my 6.5CM’s all do. Funny i guess. That’s what makes this interesting

 

[MagnumManiac]

I ran into a similar issue regarding case specs when I shot Military Rifle Comp here in Australia around the early 90’s.
I shot with Swedish Milsurp 139gr Spitzerglossh (sic) ammo. This stuff was considered the Match grade of Swedish ammo...and it was extremely accurate out of my Mauser ‘96 Carl Gustav rifle.
However, when I went to commercial ammo at the time, either PMC or S&B, cases would separate either on the first firing or second. Some would pull apart during sizing...very annoying to say the least.
Headspace was on the order of .015” too short on the commercial rounds, but spot on with the military stuff.
I believe it is no longer a problem however.

I really enjoyed how accurate the 6.5x55 is, probably should build another now that the crop of bullets is so large and diverse.

Cheers.

 

[Miagi]

No doubt the Swede in a modern rifle is a treat to shoot.

The problem with crowning any cartridge a "king" based on your personal risk tolerance for pushing pressure is that is says nothing about the merits of the cartridge, but rather it says only how much risk you want to take. A similarly adventurous .260 shooter could push a 140 to 3000fps in 28". Does that make the 260 better? I've elsewhere linked a video of a 6.5 creedmoor pushing a 140gr bullet to >2800 in a 22" barrel. Does that make the creedmoor superior? NO. Because it only shows how far someone will push a round.

So your first premise of "with pressures being equal" is invalid. By design, the pressures are not equal. You are exceeding pressure for the 6.5x55, putting the thumb on the scale.

And 4gr more powder capacity isn't significant when--as you said yourself- burn rates are "slower, near the slowest."

Hodgdon data illustrates this point.

Hodgdon shows only two loads for the 6.5x55 capable of pushing 140gr over 2700fps in a standard barrel. One powder is the new StaBall 6.5, the other is IMR4831, not exactly a slow powder. The 4831 max charge is 46.3gr.

The next slowest Hodgdon power is H4831 (per their chart), giving a max MV of 2586-- a substantial drop-- at 47.0gr

Continuing down the burn rate chart, we get to IMR 4955: 46.3gr, 2684fps.

7828SSC: 48.2gr, 2678fps
IMR7977: 49.1gr, 2646fps.-- This charge is compressed, so there's no point in going slower on powder.

What the evidence says is pretty clear: The loss of burn speed (pressure) more than offsets the extra few grains of powder you can fit in the case. Even at 51.5gr of H1000, you STILL haven't increased the MV above what just 46.3gr of IMR4831 gave you. Again, you can't make up in charge weight what you lose in pressure. There's just not enough case there.


By contrast, the 260 will push a 140 to 2730fps with 50.5 grains of H1000. A grain less of the same powder and yet more speed.

There's no royalty here. Just flavors of excellence.

I disagree with some of that !
These are ALL , conservative numbers...!
AR 2209 easily and safely exceeds these , using 140, 143 and 147 gn projectiles!

2850 FPS for 147 gn and producing .750” groups , actually even .500” groups !

Giving 3.6 SD and 6 or 7 ES ... on average !

From a Tikka T3x heavy barrel!

Not going to specify loads.... each to their own to work it up !