Not .223 Rem or .308 Win. Probably not .270 either . . .

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denton said:
The 6.5x55 is one of the nicest cartridges ever developed. It's just a very sweet balance of characteristics, non-fussy, and widely used in Sweden for moose. The recoil is mild.

On the other side of the ledger, it's an intermediate length cartridge like the 7x57. It won't fit in a short action. That, plus you have to really look to find recipes that load it to its potential in modern firearms.

You can get very similar performance with the 260, and that does fit in a short action.
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Modern action 6.5x55 data is not as hard to find as you think, Nosler lists it and several of us here are more then happy to help.
I don't mind the action length at all, my Tikka comes with a long action bolt regardless of caliber. While the 260 and 6.5 Creedmore are both fantastic modern ballistic twins to the old Swede I still have a soft spot for the original.
 
I was originally going to get a 7mm-08, and everyone said to get a .308 instead because there were so many more reloading options for it. Then Newtown hit, and my reloading store was cleaned out of .308 bullets and brass, while bins of 7mm-08 brass remained and lots of .284 bullets. And you can resize .308 brass too.

I really like my .308, but I've still got this nagging voice in my head that I should have gone with my gut.
 
I might suggest one of the moderate .25's, 6.5's or 7mm's. The .250Savage is a wonderful little deer cartridge but tough to find brass for. The .257 might be a better choice in that bore size. The 6.5x55 is a classic but the Grendel is interesting as well. Then there's the 7x57 and 7mm08.


I sure as heck would not buy an odd ball caliber! Do you think you're gonna find odd ball ammo out side a major city?
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Do handloaders really worry about this? I handload and ammo availability never even enter into my mind. All I worry about is finding brass. Sorry but this whole, "choose a chambering that's easy to find in case you lose your ammo" nonsense is more unsubstantiated fear based on myth and legend than reality.
 
mike sr said:
I sure as heck would not buy an odd ball caliber! Do you think you're gonna find odd ball ammo out side a major city?
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If you check around, you may find someone who is familiar with concepts such as "internet" and "mail order" which will considerably increase your chances of finding components outside of major cities.
 
My bet is every bullet maker out there is trying to fill back orders for every flavor of .224 and .308 they make. 6mm,6.5mm and 7mm bullets are going to dry up in the mean time because the target community shoots plenty of them and none will be made while all production stays focused on .224 and .308. That leaves .257's and .277's unless you want to go big.
 
?? I have had no issue finding 6.5 or 7mm hunting bullets at every store I go to. Trust me Sierra is not going to stop making 140gr SGKs just because the 223 and 308 guys are freaking out. Bass Pro had both my Speer and Sierra bullets yesterday, I could only with they had my 30 cal :(
 
My bet is every bullet maker out there is trying to fill back orders for every flavor of .224 and .308 they make.
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My bet is that if they're smart, they haven't made any adjustments to their production schedule to accommodate a temporary surge in demand.
 
This "temporary surge" is going to impact the firearms industry for a long time with smart and or lucky manufacturers who react correctly getting way ahead of the rest of the competition.
For instance: Is ATK making the right move buying Savage? or Is Cerebus pledge to divest itself of Remington,Bushmaster and Marlin etc. a good call?
 
6mm Rem or it's little brother the .243. Plenty of Boolits available but brass fr the .243 may be slightly harder to find than the 6mm since its based off the .308. The 6mm being based off the 7x57mauser you can make brass from that or even 30-06 if need be if you cannot find 6mm brass. The 6.5 Creedmoor would be a fantastic choice also! Ammo, bullets and brass is easily found online not to mention its a tack driver for target shooting and has enough bullet to hunt most anything. The 25-06 would also be a fine choice for availability and versatility.
 
This "temporary surge" is going to impact the firearms industry for a long time...
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No it won't. It'll all be over with in another year. The "smart" ones don't gamble on these temporary surges. Not good for long term prosperity.
 
Thanks all. Leaning toward a 6.5 x 55 or maybe 6.5 x 47 Lapua. Will have to start window shopping on line.

As for 243 Win, I have a BAR in .243 and don't want or need another 243 rifle. Again, the over-bored calibers like the 243 are much harder on the chamber's throat and barrel, particularly if you shoot them recreationally and don't let the barrel cool completely between shots. And most of the off the shelf rifles in .243 seem to have a 1/10" twist, which falls short of what I would need for the heavier hunting or target loads.

Irrespective of what others may say, my experience is that accuracy drops off quickly if I go over 80-85 grain bullet loads in the Browning, which is a 1/10' twist, just as predicted by what I read about stability factors and external ballistics in Bryan Litz's book. Good round for varmints and relatively small game at close range with 95-100 gr bullets, if 3-4 inch groups at 100 yards will suffice (as with last year's hog at 90 yards with a 95 gr soft point). Not so good for casual bench rest target shooting, especially if you might want to go long.

243hog1.jpg
 
Yeah most 243s come with 1:10 twists which can have issues with heavier bullets, there are a few with 1:9 rates but those are the exception. The 6.5x55 comes mostly in 1:8 which can easily stabilize a 140gr boat tail spritzer or a 160gr round nose, 6.5s in general have no issues shooting hefty bullets capable of taking some serious game, not knocking the 243s but a 6.5mm can be a much more capable cartridge on larger game.
 
TEC;

Another very strong vote for the 6.5 Swede! A short while ago, at the height of "shortages", Brownell's shipped me the 200 Sierra 140 grain Gamekings I ordered. What can I say? Well - - - - I like the cartridge so much I had a custom left hand bolt 6.5 Swede built. T'wasn't what most folks would call inexpensive, but I'm not regretting a dime of the money spent.

Look at the B/C's & S/D's of the bullets. Within that information you will find the reason the cartridge has the reputation for killing all out of proportion to its bore size. Plenty of information & help here at THR about reloading if you do it. Glad to help out.

900F
 
The ammo/loading components shortage is short term, and showing signs of ending soon. Your choices of 223 and 308 is sound. Instead of spending $700-$1,000 for a rifle that you hope will have ammo available during the next shortage, buy $700-$1,000 worth of ammo/reloading components for the guns you have. Put it back and every time you shoot 1 box, buy 2-3 to replace it. If another ammo shotage ever occours you will be set.
 
I just bought two boxes of Sierra game kings from midway, in .30 cal, only took a few days to show up. Pretty sure they had Match Kings, too. How much better do you want?

Anyway, the panic's easing. Wait another month, and you can get anything you want, no need for another rifle.

But, if you're really just looking for an excuse to break out of your two caliber rut, see if Tikka makes a rifle that suits you in .260 Remington, or its Nordic cousin, 6.5x55 Swedish.

Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk 2
 
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6.5x55 Swede. It's a true killer, somewhat widely available in both inexpensive and expensive ammo, is easy to reload, and considered by many to be one of the best hunting rounds in it's class ever created.
 
I have the same issues, and use the 243 Win. 6 mm bullets are still available for reloading and cases can be found but have become expensive compared to what they once sold for. You will find that if you load the 243 for around 2,900 fps you will not burn out your barrel and most Savage rifles in that caliber are a 1:9.25 twist rate and stabilize the larger 6mm bullets without any problems, I use the 105 grain Hornadys all the time in mine.

Just a suggestion.
Jim
 
Last week, I was in Wal Mart in Batesville, Arkansas. They were sold out of ammo, but on top of the ammo case I found two boxes of .30-40 Krag.

So you know of at least one decent rifle cartridge that isn't running off the shelves.;)
 
OK - decision made after a bit of shopping. Her it is: I have been so impressed with my two other CZ bolt actions, the 527 Varmint in .223 and the 550 varmint in .308, I couldn't bring myself to switch. Called the dealer today and ordered myself a CZ-550 American, Kevlar Stock, in 6.5 x55 SE and put down a deposit. It will likely take months to get here, I am told. Perhaps this fall. But that will give me time to set aside some extra for the glass, dies and all the other extras that go with a new rifle in a new caliber. Anticipation . . . :D

8fc17c6b57b96cdc848b54522336e336.png
 
Once you go Swede you are hooked for life...... Good Call :D Let me know if you need any handload pointers I am pretty good with the 6.5x55.
 
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