the 6.5x55 as a all rounder

Calibres, cartridges, ballistics tables and ammunition information.

Re: the 6.5x55 as a all rounder

Post by GQshayne » 02 Jun 2023, 8:03 pm

bigrich wrote:
GQshayne wrote:I have shot some big pigs with the .243, using 87gn Interlock projectiles mainly, but 85gn Sierras in the early days.

I cannot imagine the 6.5 ever being limited on pigs with the right load.


that's the key . the right bullet/load . and good shot placement . i recently stepped up to a 30-06 ,and running 165bt's ,thinking more power better, and had some full length pin hole cause of no bone contact . i know my swede with a 140sst in the same situation would've had a better result . 150's in the 06 probably woulda worked better, but if that's the case i probably shoulda just got a 308 :roll:

i recently read online a article from ssaa magazine, "saint or sinner" , which was a detailed story on the authors experiences using a 243 for pigs/hunting including up north . it's a good read.
the most emphatic pig gun i've owned was my 358win mod 70 . i like the idea of lots of energy transfer putting stuff down immediately .my favorite projectile, the 225 sierra, is just about impossible to get . as are 225 woodleigh RN . maybe one of the rifles from my other topic on 44mag vs 444 marlin might satisfy me. yeah, i know , i'm looking for a excuse to get another toy :D


I have seen a similar problem even with the .243, which was a real surprise. My dad loaded some Noslers (I dunno which type) up thinking they would be better than the usual projectiles we used at the time. But on smaller pigs they were not good at all, with lots of them running off. As soon as he switched back to cup and core projectiles it stopped happening. No doubt if we had only seen very big pigs it may have been different. On balance, the cup and core stuff does the job better I reckon. Of course, a shot behind the ear etc makes no difference, but that is not always possible in thick scrub on running targets.

Change the calibre and that equation changes of course. I have never used a 6.5, but have always liked the idea of a 7mm/08 as a pig cartridge, and reckon 120-140 gn projectiles would be very good. But I would not be using too heavy a construction first up.
GQshayne
Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
 
Posts: 839
Queensland

Re: the 6.5x55 as a all rounder

Post by mchughcb » 03 Jun 2023, 10:00 am

I've hunted moose in Sweden and not be person in the group used a 6.5 x55. While it's always quoted with 160gr projectiles they also have elkhounds too find them when they bugger off.

I've used the 6.5x55 and it's a great round. Very accurate and not to bad on the recoil and way more hitting power than a 243.

However the 3006 with 165gr Nosler ballistic tips @2850fps will slay pigs and sambar, pass through or not.
User avatar
mchughcb
Sergeant Major
Sergeant Major
 
Posts: 1521
Victoria

Re: the 6.5x55 as a all rounder

Post by bigrich » 03 Jun 2023, 10:10 am

mchughcb wrote:
However the 3006 with 165gr Nosler ballistic tips @2850fps will slay pigs and sambar, pass through or not.


this hasn't been my experience on pigs . in hind sight 150's probably woulda worked better . sst's or cheap speers probably woulda done a better job . which is why i'm asking myself , do i really need a 30-06 , who's optimum bullet weight is 165-180 , which is too much bullet for good ballistic performance for what i hunt.
my handloaded swede (and 7-08 i used to have :roll: ) seemed to perform much better with terminal results on the size game i come across :unknown:
User avatar
bigrich
Brigadier
Brigadier
 
Posts: 4483
Queensland

Re: the 6.5x55 as a all rounder

Post by animalpest » 03 Jun 2023, 10:47 am

The 30/06 with 150gr bullets will outperform the 6.5. It's like a 308 on steroids.

Funny how people think the higher velocity of the 300WM is so much better a performer than the 308 and yet don't think the same with the 30/06.

The advantage of the 30/06 is that it shoots 150gr bullets for game such as pigs and can also be loaded with 165 and 180gr for the bigger stuff. It can also be loaded with 130gr for stellar performance on smaller stuff or goats.

Having burnt out barrels shooting animals with both, I loved my 30/06 for its enhanced performance on medium game.

The 6.5 is not an all rounder as it really isn't suitable for small game due to rifle twist and long free bore designed for heavier bullets. Like all things 6.5 it's been rediscovered (due to the 6.5 CM) and the flavour of the year.
Professional shooter and trapper
Trainer and consultant
animalpest
Warrant Officer C2
Warrant Officer C2
 
Posts: 1025
Western Australia

Re: the 6.5x55 as a all rounder

Post by bigrich » 03 Jun 2023, 11:34 am

animalpest wrote:The 30/06 with 150gr bullets will outperform the 6.5. It's like a 308 on steroids.

Funny how people think the higher velocity of the 300WM is so much better a performer than the 308 and yet don't think the same with the 30/06.

The advantage of the 30/06 is that it shoots 150gr bullets for game such as pigs and can also be loaded with 165 and 180gr for the bigger stuff. It can also be loaded with 130gr for stellar performance on smaller stuff or goats.

Having burnt out barrels shooting animals with both, I loved my 30/06 for its enhanced performance on medium game.

The 6.5 is not an all rounder as it really isn't suitable for small game due to rifle twist and long free bore designed for heavier bullets. Like all things 6.5 it's been rediscovered (due to the 6.5 CM) and the flavour of the year.


yeah mate , the 30-06 definately has more energy than a 6.5 . i'm asking myself do i really need it . going after some of the game you've talked about on other posts ,big northern pigs, buff and such ,the 30-06 is the bees knees . i'm not likely to need a 06 in SE QLD on game down here . average pigs i've come across are 40-50kg with occasionally bigger than that . i saw one recently that woulda been around 100kg. biggest thing in this part of the country is red stag , and i've known fellas who've taken them cleanly with a 243 and good shot placement
as for small game out of my 6.5 , it'll shoot 120 ballistic tips VERY accurately with a max load of 2209. according to noslers data, this should be going over 2900fps . that's as small game as i'll get with it bullet weight wise . would be dynamite on goats and smaller pigs , anything else that's smaller would be a target of opportunity . a serious small game rifle is my 222 or 223 :thumbsup:
User avatar
bigrich
Brigadier
Brigadier
 
Posts: 4483
Queensland

Re: the 6.5x55 as a all rounder

Post by bladeracer » 03 Jun 2023, 12:07 pm

animalpest wrote:The 6.5 is not an all rounder as it really isn't suitable for small game due to rifle twist and long free bore designed for heavier bullets. Like all things 6.5 it's been rediscovered (due to the 6.5 CM) and the flavour of the year.


The lightest bullets I've found for 6.5mm are 85gn, 90gn and 95gn and they shoot extremely well in my scoped M38, at around 3300fps definitely good enough for small game.
Practice Strict Gun Control - Precision Counts!
User avatar
bladeracer
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
 
Posts: 12655
Victoria

Re: the 6.5x55 as a all rounder

Post by bigrich » 03 Jun 2023, 12:20 pm

bladeracer wrote:
animalpest wrote:The 6.5 is not an all rounder as it really isn't suitable for small game due to rifle twist and long free bore designed for heavier bullets. Like all things 6.5 it's been rediscovered (due to the 6.5 CM) and the flavour of the year.


The lightest bullets I've found for 6.5mm are 85gn, 90gn and 95gn and they shoot extremely well in my scoped M38, at around 3300fps definitely good enough for small game.


yeah , there's light weight varmit projectiles for 6.5's alright :) but i tell ya what mate , the difference in listed fps for load data seems to vary a lot . have a look at nosler's online load data for 120-125's and 140's with imr4350/h4350 and compare to listed ADI and uncle nick data that was worked up on old mausers . i don't know what action nosler used, but much higher velocity's .they list 1-9 for their tested twist rate but :wtf: i can say for a fact that 46.5gn of RE22 out of my old madco barreled model 70 went 2810-2830fps with 140sst's . i'm gunna chrono my 6.5x55 t3 loads soon . more out of curiosity than anything :thumbsup:
User avatar
bigrich
Brigadier
Brigadier
 
Posts: 4483
Queensland

Re: the 6.5x55 as a all rounder

Post by deye243 » 03 Jun 2023, 12:38 pm

Nosler would have used a universal receiver mounted on a concrete block
User avatar
deye243
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
 
Posts: 2208
Victoria

Re: the 6.5x55 as a all rounder

Post by bladeracer » 03 Jun 2023, 1:01 pm

bigrich wrote:yeah , there's light weight varmit projectiles for 6.5's alright :) but i tell ya what mate , the difference in listed fps for load data seems to vary a lot . have a look at nosler's online load data for 120-125's and 140's with imr4350/h4350 and compare to listed ADI and uncle nick data that was worked up on old mausers . i don't know what action nosler used, but much higher velocity's .they list 1-9 for their tested twist rate but :wtf: i can say for a fact that 46.5gn of RE22 out of my old madco barreled model 70 went 2810-2830fps with 140sst's . i'm gunna chrono my 6.5x55 t3 loads soon . more out of curiosity than anything :thumbsup:


I don't know how my velocities compare to load data, but I don't push anywhere near pressure signs - I don't chase velocity in anything. In the 29" M96 they'd probably go faster than the 24" M38. I haven't tried them in the 20" M94-14 yet, don't know what speed they'd make from that.
Practice Strict Gun Control - Precision Counts!
User avatar
bladeracer
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
 
Posts: 12655
Victoria

Re: the 6.5x55 as a all rounder

Post by bigrich » 03 Jun 2023, 6:58 pm

bladeracer wrote:
bigrich wrote:yeah , there's light weight varmit projectiles for 6.5's alright :) but i tell ya what mate , the difference in listed fps for load data seems to vary a lot . have a look at nosler's online load data for 120-125's and 140's with imr4350/h4350 and compare to listed ADI and uncle nick data that was worked up on old mausers . i don't know what action nosler used, but much higher velocity's .they list 1-9 for their tested twist rate but :wtf: i can say for a fact that 46.5gn of RE22 out of my old madco barreled model 70 went 2810-2830fps with 140sst's . i'm gunna chrono my 6.5x55 t3 loads soon . more out of curiosity than anything :thumbsup:


I don't know how my velocities compare to load data, but I don't push anywhere near pressure signs - I don't chase velocity in anything. In the 29" M96 they'd probably go faster than the 24" M38. I haven't tried them in the 20" M94-14 yet, don't know what speed they'd make from that.


i go with the fastest accurate load within safe data. in the small 6.5 it helps with projectile performance on game . none of my current loads show preasure signs, but i've a suspision modern rifles like the tikka produce more fps than m96/38 loads .
i defer to the age of my rifles with loads . my old martini that i use in classic comps at my local range uses a very mild but accurate load of 40gn of 2208 with a 150 hornady . with it's LW barrel it's silly accurate . but i don't want to stress a 143 year old rifle :D
User avatar
bigrich
Brigadier
Brigadier
 
Posts: 4483
Queensland

Previous

Back to top
 
Return to Calibres, cartridges and ballistics