6.5x55 Swede hand loads?

roysclockgun · Nov 29, 2007

I am hand loading for a military surpluse Swede Model 96 6.5x55mm. The barrel was cut to 18". Firing issue Swede ammo, the rifle is very accurate at 100 yards, putting 4 rounds in a one ince ring, shooting off a benched sled.
Anyone have any pet loads for this caliber, using a shortened barrel?

Ol` Joe · Nov 29, 2007

For best velocities the powder that does best in long barrels almost always does best in short ones.
As far as accuracy goes, the rifle will have to tell you that. All rifles are diferent, and what works well in one may not work at all in another. trial and error is the only way to find out for sure.
Personaly though, I like R22 with 129-140 gr bullet for hunting loads in my Swede and 120 gr Balistic tips over H4350 does well for paper........

midway83 · Nov 30, 2007

Roy,
I have a M38 Swede cavalry carbine with a 20 inch barrel. I've never chronographed it, and never target shot with it. (except to sight it.) However, I load 37Gr IMR4064 under a 140 Nosler Partition, and it is a very effective round for river bottom whitetails and black timber elk. I sporterized it and installed a Lyman 56 peep, and a Williams ramp front sight with bead. The Lyman 56 has a Merit adjustable aperture sight disc. I've taken alot of whitetails with an '06, and that 6.5x55 is absolutely impressive. A good friend who guides elk hunters in Wyoming saw me take an elk with it, and immediately had to buy a CZ in 6.5 Swede. Light, handy, and effective. I read that in Finland they hunt moose with it regularly, and I wouldn't be averse to that.

FOTIS · Dec 1, 2007

140 gr bullet and IMR 4831 worked great for my Swede.

roysclockgun · Dec 1, 2007

Pop, is your Swede a Swedish military rifle/carbine? If not, what twist barrel.
I am convinced that the reason this barrel of mine is shooting so well, is that when the barrel was cut, the muzzle was neatly recrowned, apparently by someone who knew what they were doing.
One reason I was able to buy this rifle at a good price, was that the previous owner had the bolt altered to cock on closing and he believed that the job was not done right, as the bolt was "rough"! Turns out the rear receiver hold down bolt was coming through too far and scraping on the rifle bolt as the bolt slid in and out. I ground a couple thread lengths off the receiver hold down bolt and now the rifle bolt runs very smoothly.

midway83 · Dec 1, 2007

I thought all Swede Mausers cocked on closing. Same for the German 98's. It has to be modified to cock on opening. As for the rear action screw, that is a common mistake made when someone sporterizes or modifies the stock and doesn't inlet or bed correctly. Be sure the action is bedded correctly, as you can change the geometry of the action and in so doing make the trigger function unreliable, or unsafe. Sear engagement can be off. Rate of twist for a 6.5x55 is 1-9".

roysclockgun":1ub3gzic said:
Pop, is your Swede a Swedish military rifle/carbine? If not, what twist barrel.
I am convinced that the reason this barrel of mine is shooting so well, is that when the barrel was cut, the muzzle was neatly recrowned, apparently by someone who knew what they were doing.
One reason I was able to buy this rifle at a good price, was that the previous owner had the bolt altered to cock on closing and he believed that the job was not done right, as the bolt was "rough"! Turns out the rear receiver hold down bolt was coming through too far and scraping on the rifle bolt as the bolt slid in and out. I ground a couple thread lengths off the receiver hold down bolt and now the rifle bolt runs very smoothly.

roysclockgun · Dec 1, 2007

Thanks for the correction on the "cock on". This modified Swede bolt has a short shaft that sticks out the back of the bolt mechanism.

midway83 · Dec 1, 2007

Roy, could you perhaps post a photo? I can't quite picture this. Does the end of the bolt striker still have the manual cocking tab on it? Or has that been machined off? Most Mausers had a groove cut near the end of the striker to facilitate manual cocking with the cartridge rim. The Swedes I've seen have a finger tab. By the way, my rifles bolt has not been modified. I minimally cut and recrowned the barrel, installed peep / ramp sights, installed a Dayton Traystor trigger and full Mannlicher stock. As it was a M38 Cavalry Carbine it already had the turned down bolt handle.

Dr. Strangelove · Dec 2, 2007

My favorite load for the ol' Sweede is 43,5 grains MRP and a Hornady 160 grains round nose seated to the crimpgroove... It does the same job as a Nosler Partition, (deep penetration) but at a smaller price...