6.5x55 swedish??

[Fullbore1912]

I am looking I to building a long range practice rifle that I also intend to hunt with. Possibly in 6.5 swedish but I cant seem to locate much real world data can anyone shed light on the following?

Barrel life? (Please specify if long strings of fire were used)

Real world velocity with bullet and powder used (load data not needed) I'm extra curious about the 156 eol and similar.

Thank you for your time.

 

[FLS]

Unless you’re just in love with the Swede, build a 6.5 Creedmoor. They are ballistically the same and match grade factory ammo is available. Barrel life will vary. Some guys push it hard and get 1800 - 2k rounds. I shoot a pretty mild load, 41 gr H4350 under a 140 Berger Hybrid and I’m past 2500 on my current barrel, a Sendero profiled Kreiger. My hunting load is hotter, 44 grains of H4350 under a 130 Sierra, but I don’t near as many of those. Its cool to hate the Creed, but it works.

 

[Fullbore1912]

Unless you’re just in love with the Swede, build a 6.5 Creedmoor. They are ballistically the same and match grade factory ammo is available. Barrel life will vary. Some guys push it hard and get 1800 - 2k rounds. I shoot a pretty mild load, 41 gr H4350 under a 140 Berger Hybrid and I’m past 2500 on my current barrel, a Sendero profiled Kreiger. My hunting load is hotter, 44 grains of H4350 under a 130 Sierra, but I don’t near as many of those. Its cool to hate the Creed, but it works.

I Dont hate the creed just want something that can run the heavies at respectable velocity in one rifle but still can be loaded down for practice with a lighter bullet and lower pressure for barrel life in another....I'm asking for the a lot I know but I'm just seeing if I cant talk my way out of owning both a 6.5 CM & 6.5 PRC.

Thanks for your input!

 

[msalm]

Long action cartridge that in a modern action will beat the Creed hands down. Not by a ton, but 150+ FPS would be my guess. Published load data is pretty anemic but loaded to the same (safe) pressure as the Creed it’ll beat it. It’s a great old round and nothing wrong with it at all. You’ll be able to seat the longer bullets out there too as it’s more of a medium length and will have plenty of space to seat the bullet out of the case if the throat is cut accordingly. The Ackley Imp version was mildly popular years ago for longer distance competitions.

I’ll add that if you already have the PRC and use H1000 powder, your bbl life will be appreciatively longer.

 

[Ozarkansas]

I shoot the 6.5x55 in both an original m94 mauser and a tikka T3x hunter. I’ll give you some general velocity numbers and powder used but please work up and don’t assume they are safe in your rifle (they DEFINITELY aren’t safe in the mauser and I make sure to keep my mauser and tikka loads separate.) the best thing about the tikka is I can seat bullets out extremely far since it has a long throat and magnum length magazine, it gives you about 51-54 grains of case capacity depending on the powder.
My heaviest tikka load is a 156 grain oryx at 2590 FPS using H1000- this load has no pressure signs and shoots about .5 MOA at 200 yards. I would feel comfortable going higher with this load but with that sort of accuracy I don’t want to.
Most of my experience with hot loads comes from the 127 grain LRX, which I could never get to shoot great but which got up to around 2900 with R26 before I started to get some pressure signs. At around 3050 FPS I was getting very significant pressure signs and I consider around 3000 FPS the absolute max I would push it that gun/brass/bullet/powder combo. All these velocities are with a 22” barrel.
I know those aren’t the heavy, sleek bullets you’re going to use but hopefully you find this helpful

 

[NE Herd Bull]

While I can't really speak to your basic question of shooting long range with this cartridge, I am just here to sing my praises of the 6.5 Swede as a hunting cartridge.

Years ago I purchased a sporterized Huskvarna Mauser (model 93?). Elegant strong beautiful action with the original barrel. I customized the wooden stock to my tastes, and it was the rifle that got me started in reloading. The long throat and magazine, in the former military arm, really lent itself to running heavy for caliber bullets. Something none of my peers were really doing back then. Looking back, it was a very easy to load for cartridge.

Short version is that as a hunting rifle, that rifle, in my hands, has taken literally a dump truck full of whitetail and mule deer. All probably under 350 yds, so again that does not address your question.

I own many many modern rifles in all of the cool calibers, in really cool configurations, but the Swede will always be one of my go to cartridges for my hunting applications.

 

[Fullbore1912]

While I can't really speak to your basic question of shooting long range with this cartridge, I am just here to sing my praises of the 6.5 Swede as a hunting cartridge.

Years ago I purchased a sporterized Huskvarna Mauser (model 93?). Elegant strong beautiful action with the original barrel. I customized the wooden stock to my tastes, and it was the rifle that got me started in reloading. The long throat and magazine, in the former military arm, really lent itself to running heavy for caliber bullets. Something none of my peers were really doing back then. Looking back, it was a very easy to load for cartridge.

Short version is that as a hunting rifle, that rifle, in my hands, has taken literally a dump truck full of whitetail and mule deer. All probably under 350 yds, so again that does not address your question.

I own many many modern rifles in all of the cool calibers, in really cool configurations, but the Swede will always be one of my go to cartridges for my hunting applications.

Thanks for the input. I for sure know it's a qualified hunting cartridge but it's more of a question on the performance of the heavier bullets with modern loads that I'm after. I dont plan on shooting game past 400 but I will practice further than that.

 

[tater]

In answer to barrel life and strings of fire the 6.5x55 is a common round for Stangskyting competitions in Scandinavia. Some strings can be 20+ consecutive rounds.

Straight pull Krags and Husqvarna CG63's are popular rifles due to the ability to cycle the bolt quickly.

And yes, i am big fan of the round and think that it if it had been given a North American designation and chambered sooner in commercial high pressure actions that a lot of the 6.5's we see now would never have been invented due to redundancy.

That opinion and a dollar will get you a small cup of coffee at Macdonald's.

 

[Decker9]

Another option is the 6.5x55AI.

I shoot a swede in a tikka but Iv cut my barrel back to 19”. It’s the most accurate rifle I own, my custom defiance 6.5prc doesn’t come close to my tikka in terms of accuracy.

I’m only getting 2625fps with 140gr AB’s over 47gr of R22, but lobbing lead into a moa or smaller group is almost easy. I always thought a swede in a T3 varmint would be a fun rifle for bench shooting.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

I am looking I to building a long range practice rifle that I also intend to hunt with. Possibly in 6.5 swedish but I cant seem to locate much real world data can anyone shed light on the following?

Barrel life? (Please specify if long strings of fire were used)

Real world velocity with bullet and powder used (load data not needed) I'm extra curious about the 156 eol and similar.

Thank you for your time.

If you're wanting to shoot heavier bullets then your best bet is to get the 6.5x55 AI
Or just keep it simple and go with the excellent 6.5x284, the whole short barrel life thing has nothing to do with neck length. Guys who burn them up in 1000 rounds were shooting LONG strings with H4350 which is one of the worst throat toaster powders out there