6.5x55 Swede loads

[rodell]

52gr of 7828 @ Nosler #7 COAL with 130AB was 2 and one in mine. Gives you a starting point. 52.5 was slight extractor QL max for me buddy.

Wow, it would seem that is a compressed load. Do you use a long drop tube?

 

[Jimbeaux82]

140 gr NBT, VVN160,47.5 grs, 3.120" OAL, WLR, 2745 fps , CZ 550 FS, 20" barrel - MOA - best 140 gr load for this rifle

120 gr NBT, IMR 4350, 47.0 grs, 3.070" OAL, WLR, 2750 fps, same rifle - MOA - best 120 gr load for this rifle

I have tried various combinations of powder in addition to the 2 listed above (H4831, IMR 4895) and various bullets (140 SST, 120 Barnes X, 140 Rem CL, 140 gr Hor IL) but these are the best I could come up with.

Note that CZ550 FS rifles, while incredibly beautiful (IMHO) are not known to be the most accurate rifles around. These loads will very likely shoot much better in a Tikka or a Win 70 FWT.

 

[Wincheringen]

120 BTs and IMR4350 works well in my No. 1.

 

[tddeangelo]

Those Swedish M96/M38's are superb rifles. The only ones I've heard of really making the Swedes sweat are the Swiss K31's and the Finnish Mosin-Nagants.

 

[1Shot]

Yep I have a few of the K31s and a Unissued B barrel Finnish 39 M/N. One of the K31s is just down right accurate and the Finn is pretty accurate but it is still hard overall to beat out the 6.5X55 Swedes. They all seem to shoot great. The reason that we only shot 100 yards with rifles and we shot at 50 yards with carbines is because of range limitation. A group of us went 100 miles to SW Virgina to an old strip mine that one of the shooters had access to a couple times and we did the silhouettes out to 500 yards. Some of us also had black powder cartridge rifles like the Sharps, Trapdoors, Rolling Blocks, Winchester Highwalls and replicas of them and did some shooting out to 1000 yards. Black powder and cast bullets with open sights to 1000 yards. Boom goes the shot, eat lunch, look through the spotting scope and see the bullet almost falling straight down and CLANG goes the 4 foot square piece of steel. We had a blast. We did some shooting at a big rock 900 and some odd yards away with various 30-06 cal. military rifles using tracer bullets we got from Widners and loaded up. They would burn out around 800 yards but you could really see how the wind effected the bullets and see the rise and fall of the ark of the bullet. Shoot two or three tracer rounds from my M1 Garand and then set the sights and proceed to put the rest of the clip with my match loads into a 3 foot painted circle that was painted on that rock from prone position in the sling ain't bad shooting.

 

[tddeangelo]

Now that sounds like some serious fun right there!

 

[ScreaminEagle]

Im going to keep my eye on this thread, as that is the caliber im going with in my model 70 build

 

[SJB358]

I have to order some brass and some scope mounts for the rifle. Seems like there is a plethora of information on the 6.5x55. The most impressive data I have seen so far is actually Nosler's data. It is really good stuff.

http://www.nosler.com/65x55-swedish-mauser

120's in the high 2900's, 125's running mid 2900's, and 140's in the mid 2700's.. Seems pretty good.. Kinda excited to give it a run.

I have all of those bullets, so I just gotta pick one and give it a go..

 

[JD338]

Scotty

What are you going to use the Swede for?

Tough to beat the 130 gr AB for everything.

JD338

 

[DrMike]

You have every reason to be excited at using a new rifle. A new rifle is a promise yet unfulfilled.

 

[ScreaminEagle]

Yeah im thinking of running 120-130gr bullets in mine. It will fit nicely between my 257 ackley with 100gr bts and my 280 with 140gr bts.

 

[SJB358]

Hard telling Jim. I'd probably look at the 125 PT or 130 AB to be honest. I think either of those bullets would work just fine for what I would like. This rifle won't be for chasing elk or anything like that. More than likely just using it for deer and other lighter sorta animals.

I do have an old box of 160 grain RN's though.. Might be sorta fun and be kinda old school too...

 

[Polaris]

IMR 4350 or 4064 (125 gr or lighter) are your friend. Can't quote the loads off the top of my head, but I've cleaned a few targets on the HP course with 140 or 123 gr Nosler CCs and Hornady 140 BTHPs over 4350 or the `123s over 4064. Using PRVI or Norma brass and Fed 210 match primers. All 3 loads were from a Mauser 96 long rifle near the max of M96 spec loads per Hodgedon web data. OAL was max. magazine length for this rifle. These combos should translate to suitable hunting bullets of similar weight and commercial barrels/actions. The 6.5 Swede is the .308 of the 6.5 millimeters. Very user friendly cartridge. I have yet to find a truly bad load, some are just better than others.

 

[Polaris]

I have to order some brass and some scope mounts for the rifle. Seems like there is a plethora of information on the 6.5x55. The most impressive data I have seen so far is actually Nosler's data. It is really good stuff.

http://www.nosler.com/65x55-swedish-mauser

120's in the high 2900's, 125's running mid 2900's, and 140's in the mid 2700's.. Seems pretty good.. Kinda excited to give it a run.

I have all of those bullets, so I just gotta pick one and give it a go..

They have no disclaimer, but I would be cautious about using that data in an M96 based sporter. An M98 or commercial action should be fine. They seem a bit hot vs. pressure tested data available from Hodgedon. Maybe someone from Nosler can answer whether these are "safe" for M96 level actions or intended solely for 6.5 Skan (eg Tikka, Sako, Nosler, Win, R700, Mauser 98) class actions.

 

[SJB358]

Doesn't matter too much as it'll be shot in an M70 Featherweight Classic, but I do get your point.

 

[gerry]

Scotty, the 160 gr RN's do leave nice holes in paper and can be extremely accurate. I tried the 160 gr Hornady and discontinued 160 gr Sierra SMP which is a shame since it was better than the Hornady which can perform pretty erratically. There are so many excellent 6.5mm bullets these days it is hard to go wrong, the 125 gr PT and 130 gr AB certainly are very good.

I loaded up 20 Trail Boss loads for my wife to shoot on Saturday, 15 gr of it with some 140 gr Core Lokt's, should be a lot of fun for her to shoot

 

[Polaris]

Doesn't matter too much as it'll be shot in an M70 Featherweight Classic, but I do get your point.

Yeah, thought I remembered you were going Winchester. Mostly posted that for the benefit of other readers. The M96 is well made, but theoretically not as strong as M98s etc.

 

[SJB358]

Yeah I know Gerry. No real reason to mess with the 160's BUT I do get a little nutty at the bench sometimes.

Polaris, I figured that's why you mentioned that. I'm pretty transparent which rifle I usually pick when I have a choice!

 

[DrMike]

I'm pretty transparent which rifle I usually pick when I have a choice!

No! :shock: Really? :? :lol:

 

[gerry]

Why have one good load when you can have 10 the 160 gr RN is kind of like a junior 30-06 - 220 gr RN and has taken a lot of big and tough game over the years.