6.5x55 Swede

Reloading equipment, methods, load data, powder and projectile information.

Re: 6.5x55 Swede

Post by Warrigul » 27 Jun 2014, 11:27 am

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


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,

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Re: 6.5x55 Swede

Post by Westy » 28 Jun 2014, 10:06 am

^^^^^
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
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Re: 6.5x55 Swede

Post by Warrigul » 28 Jun 2014, 4:15 pm

Westy wrote:^^^^^
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.
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Re: 6.5x55 Swede

Post by Prios » 29 Jun 2014, 2:51 pm

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


Uhhh. Yes, that will do it.
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Re: 6.5x55 Swede

Post by mausermate » 01 Jul 2014, 11:42 am

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.....
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Re: 6.5x55 swed

Post by Hilux2003 » 01 Jul 2014, 10:32 pm

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


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).

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Re: 6.5x55 Swede

Post by Monty » 02 Jul 2014, 12:04 pm

mausermate wrote: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 ;)
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Re: 6.5x55 Swede

Post by mausermate » 02 Jul 2014, 1:12 pm

Monty wrote:
mausermate wrote: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. :)
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Re: 6.5x55 Swede

Post by Westy » 11 Jul 2014, 1:27 pm

Thanks for the info will up date this latter tonight had a good session at the range today still loving that swede !!!!
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Re: 6.5x55 Swede

Post by Westy » 13 Jul 2014, 12:03 pm

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 :D :) :D

Picture 1 is 3 @ 100m
6pt5x55-1.jpg
6.5x55 Swede 3 shot group
6pt5x55-1.jpg (99.32 KiB) Viewed 8647 times


Picture 2 is 5 @ 200 and a old bugger at the trigger :lol: :P :oops:
6pt5x55-2.jpg
6.5x55 Swede 5 shot group
6pt5x55-2.jpg (94.03 KiB) Viewed 8647 times


Please be patient old Fart trying to work out how to upload Pic's!!!!!! :| :oops: :|
Last edited by Aster on 14 Jul 2014, 8:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Added your pics.
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Re: 6.5x55 Swede

Post by Monty » 14 Jul 2014, 9:05 am

Feel free to email mail and I can post them.

mail at enoughgun dot com
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Re: 6.5x55 Swede

Post by Monty » 14 Jul 2014, 8:18 pm

Done, Aster beat me to it.
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Re: 6.5x55 Swede

Post by Westy » 14 Jul 2014, 8:19 pm

Thanks Guys for all the help!!!!!
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Re: 6.5x55 Swede

Post by Chronos » 14 Jul 2014, 10:58 pm

Couldn't help myself. I picked up a 6.5X55 Swede case at the range the other day. Long neck, skinny waist, ok if you like that sort of thing :lol:

so i looked at it and thought, now that would make a nice 6mm case so i necked it down and seated a 75gr vmax to 2.800" so it would feed out of a standard medium action. Damn it looks good, if you had an improved chamber cut i reckon you'd get 3400-3500fps out of a modern action, probably comparable to the 6 mm rem

here it is next to a .243 loaded with the same 75gr vmax, the swede case is 2.815 COAL, to fit in a tikka med mag.

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Re: 6.5x55 Swede

Post by Granting » 15 Jul 2014, 10:27 am

Chronos wrote:Damn it looks good, if you had an improved chamber cut i reckon you'd get 3400-3500fps out of a modern action, probably comparable to the 6 mm rem


Is that a custom build I see in your future? :lol:
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Re: 6.5x55 Swede

Post by Westy » 15 Jul 2014, 8:00 pm

Looks like a lot of work ahead of you Mr C
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Re: 6.5x55 Swede

Post by Chronos » 15 Jul 2014, 8:09 pm

Westy wrote:Looks like a lot of work ahead of you Mr C


Not for a while? I've got plans already for either a .222 necked up to 6mm shooting 65gr Vmax or a 6BR shooting the same bullet a bit faster. I've also got a voice in the back of my head telling me a 30BR shooting 130gr Speer HP's would be awesome on goats and small pigs.

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Re: 6.5x55 Swede

Post by AusC » 16 Jul 2014, 10:10 am

Chronos wrote:I've also got a voice in the back of my head telling me a 30BR shooting 130gr Speer HP's would be awesome on goats and small pigs.


That's the deer trying to trick you into going after other game than them :lol:
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Re: 6.5x55 Swede

Post by Chronos » 16 Jul 2014, 10:17 am

AusC wrote:
Chronos wrote:I've also got a voice in the back of my head telling me a 30BR shooting 130gr Speer HP's would be awesome on goats and small pigs.


That's the deer trying to trick you into going after other game than them :lol:


LOL, could be. Generally all the other voices in my head drown it out :lol:

I have the .243, 7-08 and .308 already but with my wife shooting the .204 i have nothing for myself between the .22 and the .243. I reckon a .222, .223 or 6br in a lite weight gun would be nice. A custom gun would be nice but there's no reason a tikka lite or CZ 527 in .222 or .223 wouldn't kill them just as dead, that said i don't own a savage or howa yet ;)

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