6.5x55 Swede

[Westy]

Just a quick shout out to all who shoot 6.5x55,I've just changed over to 140Grn Hornady SSt's and I'm working up a load,I neck sized some cases today and decided to get a COL for my Tikka T3 rifle.

Stuffed a 140 sst pill in the case and ended up with a whopping 3.186 and a 3.183 for the over all length? ADI recommend 3.050 Col for this pill , is this a little to short for this rifle

Cheers Westy

[Chronos]

i'll be reading this with interest. i have a passing interest in the sweede cartridge. i think in a modern action with quality brass it should shoot well above it's weight

in it's original form the sweede is a low pressure round and keeping the bullet away from the lands helps keep pressures low ( these may have originally been loaded with round nosed bullets, not sure). That said something like a modern tikka action is a whole different beast to the old mauser action which are known to stretch actions and strip barrel tenons

if you need to .fit the rounds in the factory magazine i would stick to mag length. i've now owned 3 tikka's and all have been good shooters with mag length ammo

should you have the flexability to simgle load ammo perhaps experiment with different seating lengths (safely of course) and see what you learn

it will be interesting to see what it shoots like

Chronos

[Westy]

You know what Chronos It's Sunday night and I didn't even think of that!!! I'm going down the shed now and will be back in 5 min thanks,problem shared is a problem halved!!!LOL

[Westy]

They fit no problems with0.150 to spare I guess I'm wondering if I jump the lands or stuff it????? Being that it's a hunter a Siloute gun and not a bench rest the Jump might be better??? Nothing worse than Stuffing it in the feild and then removing the round and the bullet comes out and powder then all through your breach!!! Any other thoughts please????

[Westy]

No 6.5x55 Fans here I see!!!! Might have to get a 7mm thigo to fit in with the in crowd!!!

[Warrigul]

No 6.5x55 Fans here I see!!!! Might have to get a 7mm thigo to fit in with the in crowd!!!

I love the swede but don't have one at the moment, I may get another M38 soon for military rifle comp.

[wrenchman]

I have one I just got I will try to post the pick it is surplus that has been scoped my son has claimed it

[wrenchman]

Here is another

[Chronos]

No 6.5x55 Fans here I see!!!! Might have to get a 7mm thigo to fit in with the in crowd!!!

Mmmmmm 7mmx55 swede, gives me an idea. Lol

Might go nicely between a 7-08 and a 7x57 Mauser

Chronos

[wrenchman]

Been looking for rounds I fund some on line for 20 dollers a box think I will get a couple for brass to reload

[Lorgar]

No 6.5x55 Fans here I see!!!! Might have to get a 7mm thigo to fit in with the in crowd!!!

Mmmmmm 7mmx55 swede, gives me an idea. Lol

The three of us have a custom build project to do!

[sha]

Calm down, geez.

You 7mm-08 fan boys

[Westy]

I can't count past 6.5mm what is it that comes after that again

[Warrigul]

Calm down, geez.

You 7mm-08 fan boys

I've recently sold mine, honestly it does nothing tremendously better than anything else in my gun cabinet and is dearer to reload than almost everything else and isn't being used so out it has gone.

Good calibre but a bit of a nowhere calibre really.

[Westy]

I've recently sold mine, honestly it does nothing tremendously better than anything else in my gun cabinet and is dearer to reload than almost everything else and isn't being used so out it has gone.

Good calibre but a bit of a nowhere calibre really.

7mm pills Bugger Me $$$$ Had a look today at QGE they would want to be accurate, I think I'd cry every time I missed !!!!

[Warrigul]

7mm pills Bugger Me $$$$ Had a look today at QGE they would want to be accurate, I think I'd cry every time I missed !!!!

About the only thing worse is 8mm, I load for an 8 x 57 mauser and it is a constant pain in the back pocket..

Actually I reckon I could replace quite a few calibres with 8 x 57 if it were cheaper.

[Chronos]

7mm pills Bugger Me $$$$ Had a look today at QGE they would want to be accurate, I think I'd cry every time I missed !!!!

really depends on what you're buying

first time i bought 7mm pills i paid too much. bought a box of siera match kings for about double what i was paying for .30cals then i found better choices

if you buy in bulk you can save, i paid $330 for 1000 140gr rem corelokt's. that means i can reload hunting rounds as cheap as a .308. i paid $37/100 for 162gr Amax and now Nosler have made their 7mm custom comps

all that said unless you plan on hunting or knocking down steel rams at 500m the 7-08 has no advantage over a .308

Chronos

[Lorgar]

7mm pills Bugger Me $$$$ Had a look today at QGE they would want to be accurate, I think I'd cry every time I missed !!!!

Mine does the trick

Tikka 7mm-08

Seriously on cost of projectiles though. I shoot 120gr and 140gr Ballistic Tips in mine and they're the same cost as 30 cal pills at my local in Thornbury.

They're not cheap pills TBH, but same price across the calibres anyway in this case.

[Warrigul]

7mm pills Bugger Me $$$$ Had a look today at QGE they would want to be accurate, I think I'd cry every time I missed !!!!

Mine does the trick

Tikka 7mm-08

Seriously on cost of projectiles though. I shoot 120gr and 140gr Ballistic Tips in mine and they're the same cost as 30 cal pills at my local in Thornbury.

They're not cheap pills TBH, but same price across the calibres anyway in this case.

Yep but there are no real bargains to be had with 7mm whereas .30 cal often come up on sale at around the 20 cents a shot mark and 155 grain HbC dyers are only 30 cents each all the time.

I recently bought 1000 144 grain ex milI .30 cal for $110, they didn't last long at the shop but he is getting more next time he heads to the mainland for a shopping trip.

Regards,

Steptoe and son reloading

[Westy]

^^^^^
I love a Bargin !!!!! Ended up going 3.140 Col and it shot 05moa @100 !! I reckon this will do me as a hunter, now what can I fiddle with now????LOL

[Warrigul]

^^^^^
I love a Bargin !!!!! Ended up going 3.140 Col and it shot 05moa @100 !! I reckon this will do me as a hunter, now what can I fiddle with now????LOL

Buy a remington.

[Prios]

it shot 05moa @100 !! I reckon this will do me as a hunter

Uhhh. Yes, that will do it.

[mausermate]

This topic is a bit old but as a 6.5x55 owner I thought I'd throw in my observations and I don't think Westy really got any answers. I hope this might help. I realize many have heard some of this before but anyway....

I use a few measurements and I don't use manufactures measurements. I like to do my own, every gun is different and as Blondie said "every gun makes its own tune".

First is COL or Cartridge overall length which is measured from base to tip of the Cartridge. Really only a required measurement if you are using a magazine so your ammo will fit and feed in the mag.

Second is what I call OL or Ogive length. The distance between the base of the case and the point where the bullet touches the lands or the rifling in the barrel.

Third is CL. Chamber length which is the distance between your rifles bolt face and the lands of your rifle.

I am metric, Aussie and raised on metric so I use metric. Sorry to our US cousins, you will have to get the conversion tables out.

My current 6.5x55 rifle (R8 Blaser) has a CL of 63mm. For hunting I don't get too carried away so I keep it to the mm. I like all my hunting loads to have at least 1mm of jump. Funnily enough when I measured some factory loads the 149gr Lapua Match ammo is 62mm OL and 73 COL, some Hell and Belly ache (Sellier and Bellot) 131gr is also 62mm OL so they are both right on the money.

I mostly use 120gr in my 6.5x55 for hunting and my Nostler BT are at 62 OL with a 76mm COL. 120gr Sierra Game Kings at 62mm OL but a bit shorter at 75mm COL. Different ogive.

One problem that I do have with the old slow poke swede cartridge is that if I load a 100gr bullet to try and get say 3000 fps the bullets are short and I end up with a max of 60mm OL. That's 3mm of jump in my gun. I could push them out a little further but I only have 3mm of bullet in the case neck and that is not much for a hunting load. Any less and I could knock the projectile out of the case. I suppose my lesson is that if I want 3000fps plus and 1mm of jump...get a different cartridge.

Another problem with the 6.5x55 is that it is a low pressure cartridge and when using some powders like 2209 the case capacity is not big enough to create any great pressure trouble in modern guns. The case is literally full at 50gr of 2209 and there is no way you can get a 140gr pill in there. You are not going to have 50 gr of 2209 for the 140 but even 46gr is a really tight fit. I did have a friend that seated his 140gr bullets out a bit further to get more powder in, got up against the lands and well.....got a pressure spike from no jump and.....mushroom cloud.

To my mind, OL is my number one measurement. A little jump is good, no jump can be not so good and pressure can build up really quickly and unexpectedly. If its a hunting load, I stick with 1mm jump and fiddle with other things to make my load a little more accurate.

The last thing I have learnt about the 6.5x55 is that is it not a hot round and was never meant to be. It is however incredibly accurate, really easy to load for, mild in recoil and great fun to shoot. I try to enjoy it for what it is.

Sorry to bore but I kinda find it all pretty interesting.....

[Hilux2003]

No 6.5x55 Fans here I see!!!! Might have to get a 7mm thigo to fit in with the in crowd!!!

I'm a bit slow, just found this posting & there a quite a few 'out there' or out here that have 6.5x55's. Most I know have the m96 & on or two have a tikka/sako (late model stuff) chambered in the cartridge.

Just did a check on the paperwork, I currently have "more than six" m96's in a variety of configuerations. Some were butchered before I acquired them & one I put back in the timber, because it is now more consistently accurate & groups better than the plastic stocked one.

Just to reinforce the above comments regarding the 6.5x55 being a low pressure (45,000psi) round, do not load the cartridge hot for the old Sweeds, they stretch more than modern firearms but will reach a limit. Stay below 45gn of 2209 with a 140gn pill, if you value the old collectors.

I have a limited supply of the FMJ issue ammo & have tested it over my CED along with my reloads.
IN MY GUNS (yours may well be different) with a 139/140gn Lapua/Sierra - anywhere between 40 - 42gn of 2209 will duplicate the issue ammo.

I had a barrel that some "rather stupid person" had attempted to 'make it go faster' & when I bought it (as an original) found the fired cases would touch the insides of the body of a neck die, which meant the case was expanded sidways in the body nearly a full millimetre!
I've since changed the barrel to a near mint, 'un-numbered' & maybe unshot job. A mate sourced it from some 'stripped imports' many years back.

I really want to try the old cartridge in a stronger moderm receiver but finance is the problem, the brass should take up to 60,000psi (maybe more, the 200 Lapua, spare in the shed, just waiting to be used).

Waiting on Lotto!

[Monty]

This topic is a bit old but as a 6.5x55 owner I thought I'd throw in my observations and I don't think Westy really got any answers. I hope this might help.

If you've got something useful to add reviving old threads is always welcome

[mausermate]

This topic is a bit old but as a 6.5x55 owner I thought I'd throw in my observations and I don't think Westy really got any answers. I hope this might help.

If you've got something useful to add reviving old threads is always welcome

Thanks Monty. I'm new to the forum so a bit exited and long winded at the moment. I'll try to be a bit more brief next time. Suppose one can always use the scroll button.

[Westy]

Thanks for the info will up date this latter tonight had a good session at the range today still loving that swede !!!!

[Aster]

Well here's something I prepared earlier, what happens to a rifle when the Coal is modified and the right amount of powder and the right primer is used

Picture 1 is 3 @ 100m

6.5x55 Swede 3 shot group

6pt5x55-1.jpg (99.32 KiB) Viewed 11327 times

Picture 2 is 5 @ 200 and a old bugger at the trigger

6.5x55 Swede 5 shot group

6pt5x55-2.jpg (94.03 KiB) Viewed 11327 times

Please be patient old Fart trying to work out how to upload Pic's!!!!!!

[Monty]

Feel free to email mail and I can post them.

mail at enoughgun dot com

[Monty]

Done, Aster beat me to it.