Twist for a 6.5 Barrel

[35 Whelen]

Interesting stuff, and of course the main reason I am gawking at that 6.5 Tikka as it already has the correct twist to handle these LR/Berger style bullets. I am thinking now that the best value is going to be to just buy a factory gun with an 8 twist specifically to shoot this super high BC bullets out of it. And if the Swede is really capable of around 2900 with a 129 or 2800 with a 139 ................. I am thinking I can live with that pretty easily! Thanks for helping with those numbers! Appreaciate it.
E

 

[SJB358]

Interesting stuff, and of course the main reason I am gawking at that 6.5 Tikka as it already has the correct twist to handle these LR/Berger style bullets. I am thinking now that the best value is going to be to just buy a factory gun with an 8 twist specifically to shoot this super high BC bullets out of it. And if the Swede is really capable of around 2900 with a 129 or 2800 with a 139 ................. I am thinking I can live with that pretty easily! Thanks for helping with those numbers! Appreaciate it.
E

You should easily get those numbers out of a 22" Swede E. I am not done yet, but I be mine I'll be up over 2900 with the 130's with hammering it with RL26. Should know more this weekend to give you some real numbers. My rifle has a 22" barrel.

 

[35 Whelen]

Thanks Scotty,
I think I have already abandoned the 6.5x06 idea as it is not going to be anywhere near as cost effective as just grabing a Tikka that already has the 8 twist barrel and resale value is going to hold its own a lot better than a made up gun usually does. If the RL26 can get me 2900fps from a Swede out of a 22.5" tube , that is any amount for us, and I could then stabilize the long bullets correctly! Any one that is following this thread that knows anything "bad" about a T3 Lite I am all ears as I am probably going to be ordering one very shortly ???? I would have probably looked at a M70FW as I have a thing for them, but again ..........wrong twist .

 

[gerry]

In my wife's Tikka 6.5x55 we have gotten 2835 fps with 120's and 2650 or so with 140's both with H 4350. Haven't pushed things though and found good accurate loads that work well at decent speeds. Some of the newer powders should be able to get more speed though. In an older Ruger Mk II I used to own IMR 7828 ssc got around 2775 fps I believe with 140 gr Partitions so it is one to look at too. Hodgdon shows some excellent loads with the new IMR 4955, that is a powder I'll be trying as soon as it shows up here.

Some guys are having Tikka T 3's in 6.5x55 rechambered to 6.5/284. I don't know how much extra speed you would get in a 22.4" barrel over the 6.5x55 or how well it feeds but it may be an option to look into. That said there is nothing wrong with the good old 6.5x55, I believe it has a bit of an edge when it comes to speed over the 6.5 Creedmoor and 260 Rem when fed good handloads. M's 6.5x55 has been very accurate with lots of different loads and I doubt if you buy one yours won't please you. I like it in the long magazine, there is lots of room to load long bullets in there.

 

[35 Whelen]

Boy that all sounds great Gerry! I had read over on the LR site, that converting to the .284 case is being done commonly, I think if I were to ever change it because its already a long action, I would most likely be more apt to investigate just make it into
A 6.5x06???
But I usually just follow Scottys lead when it comes to loading, as while he is working away like a mad scientist, the results are likely to be spectacular! About the only thing I would use the gun for would be, LR work on Deer, Caribou, or Sheep.
However if I were to see a nice big Coyote at 6/700 yds out here on the other side of the lake, that thought he was safe, I just might have to try him a crack, with one of those new LR bullets! :mrgreen:
Its been years since I messed with a 6.5 but am certainly looking forward to trying out one now!

 

[muleman]

A 6.5-280AI wouldn't need fireforming if you used Nosler brass. 8) I think you'd darn near get 6.5 WSM velocities too.

Scott

 

[Ridge_Runner]

I run an 8 in my 6.5 Gibbs, knowing what I know now to do it over it would be built 6.5/06 AI, forming brass for the gibbs is a pain, but a 140 at 3300 fps is pretty awesome. those 700 yard targets are pretty easy to hit!
RR

 

[IdahoCTD]

You could rechamber to a 6.5x55AI too. They get bout the same velocity as a 6.5x284 and very similar to a 6.5-06.

 

[35 Whelen]

6.5 x 55 AI , now I never even thought of that! Well we will see I am going to get the rifle first and try it as a standard 6.5 with some of these new LR bullets and see what it looks like first. I talked to a gov hunter friend of mine and he has used a 6.5x55 for over 20 years and he told me he is shooting a new Sierra 142 gr Matchking HPBT in his that also has a super high BC just under .600 and he claims that is a terrific coyote load out to 700yds !!! Sounded like he was getting similar results with the Matchking as I was getting with the BlitzKing! So if the Nosler LRs wont group well enough ,he couldn't get them to shoot either, maybe these will.
Seams odd to think of the little 6.5x55 shooting like that to me, as Dads was only ever used for deer and we never really thought about shooting it behond 300 yds................... lol
https://www.natchezss.com/leupold-vx-3- ... 95803.html

 

[SJB358]

That little 6.5 is pretty danged good and has the space to really do good things loaded to modern PSIs. The availability of great Lapua brass is another bonus in my opinion. It might be expensive at first but you'll soon forget about the price once you start working with it.

Should have some numbers on Sunday if everything goes right. Most all of the loads are starting loads to get a baseline but it should give me an idea of where I'm at.

 

[SJB358]

Oh, and a fella at work built a 6.5x55 Improved and it was very impressive. Good gains over the standard case from what little I got to see of it. If my little Featherweight wasn't a sorta hard to find rifle I'd be tempted, but building one up would be a cinch.

 

[35 Whelen]

Well I can certainly look into all that IF the standard 6.5 Swede isn't enough but I think if we are in the 2900 area with 130gr and 2800 with 140s , that should really do anything I would ever ask it to do............... I never had any trouble knocking them silly with Dads with those old Norma 129gr bullets and I think that was clear down around 2650! So if I need more I will just whip out the 25 Whelen and shoot 120gr bullets at 3150!
Or my 270 shooting 140gr at 3000fps............ what ever a 140 at 2800 wont do I probably don't need to be doing it anyway! LOL
The new ELD X is impressive looking for less than 35 a box ?? .620BC

 

[HomerOz]

G'Day Fella's,

35 Whelen, I only have 2 x 6.5's rifles but they both have 1in 8" twist barrels.
One of these is a 6.5 x 47 Lapua (140 & 142grn bullets) and the other will be a 6.5 Rem Mag (120 and 140grn bullets).

Hope that helps

Doh!
Homer

 

[35 Whelen]

Thanks Homer, well they have the correct twist to shoot these new bullets I want to try, so that's a good thing !
I will be getting one and from what I can see the T3 lite should fit the bill nicely!

 

[Clarkma]

In 2015 I built a Dumoulin Mauser 6.5-06 with Shilen select match 8" twist ratchet rifling stainless steel barrel, Boyds pro varmint laminated painted stock. Sightron SIII 3.5x10 scope Harris swivel bipod. 12.5 pounds as tested.

I tried a couple groups with 142 gr Nos AccuBond Long Range bullets, but they were doing ~ 1.4 moa, and I did not have time to work up an OAL they liked.


But I was sub moa right off the bat with 120 gr Nos Bal tip moly with 50.7 gr IMR4166 powder 3.34" that QL estimates at 3236 fps 65 kpsi

I had to leave to go hunting. I shot a deer at 250 yards and another at 629* yards with the 120 gr no bal tips.


*A new record for me

 

[35 Whelen]

Wow ,
That's a real rifle.......................... love that 6.5x06 idea. That of course is the ultimate without getting mixed up with a belted case.

 

[Clarkma]

Twice I have have shot a 270 in a 7mmRemMag. I am now a NAZI about this.
Everything goes wrong while hunting, but the public range before hunting season is worse.

 

[DrMike]

That was some fine shooting for the deer. Excellent.

 

[Africa Huntress]

Earle, Sir

The Swede with a 1-8 twist using a 156 Norma Oryx is a deadly combination on Africa plains game and Moose and Reindeer in Sweden.

Best Regards,

Jamila

p.s the last batch of products requested by some members has now cleared customs, but are waiting on mum's clearing house to pay the custom and freight invoice. As soon as that happens, and I am guessing this week, items requested will be on there way to each of you

 

[Polaris]

+1 on what Africa Huntress said. The military M96 has a twist of aprox 1:8.7. This is sufficient to stabilize high BC bullets to at least 140 gr and RN like the Oryx, Mega, and 160 RN. 1-8 you should be GTG. My M96 military mauser will stabilize the Hornady 140 BTHP to 1000 yards and probably beyond, but that's the farthest I've ventured to shoot it. Hardly a match rifle, but I could keep them in the black on a palma target when I did my job and made the right wind call.

You could add some case capacity if you wanted with an AI. IMHO, the only thing holding back the original Swedish cartridge is the pressure limit set in deference to the strength limit of the Mauser 96 action. In an M98 class action, you can gain aprox 200fps over other factory ammo or published data with true match grade brass available from Lapua or Norma. Reference Lapua/Vihtavouri 6.5 SKAN load data and N560.