6.5 x 55 Swede

NWcityguy2 said:

Here is something to think about. If you are planning to...

-Buy a rifle traditionally associated with hunting
-Not compete in any organized long distance shooting competitions
-Want to expand what you are capable of as an individual for the sake of becoming a better shot...

I suggest you also look at .243 Winchester, 270 Win and 30-06. All are affordable, everyone makes rifles and ammo for them and all can give you excellent accuracy. Don't get me wrong, 308 Winchester is a great caliber for those who don't reload. Maybe in a few months you will be able to find some ammo for it as well. Buying a slightly different caliber will distance yourself from the large group of people who go crazy for ammo every so often. Sometimes people latch on to the idea that they need to shoot a caliber that is associated with competition (or police/military/tactical) so they can shoot "match ammo" without realizing that there might be no practical benefit the way they are going to do it. Just a thought.

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IMHO the Swede offers advantages over the calibers you mentioned. More power than the .243, and less recoil and noise than the .270 and .30-'06. About as good a round as the .308, but again with less blast and recoil. Even during this current ammo panic, I've had no problem finding 6.5x55 ammo, certainly a round 'traditionally associated with hunting'.

I love my tikka 6.5x55 SE. Great rifle and awsome round!!!

I bought a 1918 Swede last year as my first venture into the 6.5x55 round and have been very pleased. I have fired the gun perhaps 50 times using a variety of ammo from the Prvi Partian to the Nosler Trophy Grade and everything I have tried has had acceptable accuracy out to 150 yards which is as far as I ever shoot. I have a box of the Nosler Accubond in 140 grain that I got from Grafs a few weeks ago and will shoot some this weekend. It will strictly be a deer rifle for me and my family. I like it because of the minimal recoil and light weight. I do not reload so the american made ammo works fine for me. As I slay some animals with it I will get a better idea of the differetn ammo capabilities.

Sdj, that is a SWEET rifle. But I don't think it is available in the US.

But, this one is.......

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=328034651

Available in either 20" or 24".

Tikka's are great rifles in the 6.5x55. I have 2 of them. And a CZ 6.5. All are good, but, the Tikka's get more outdoor time.

Or save quite a bit and pick up one of the Kimber of Oregon Sporters. They did a decent job. 1:8 twist and very likely a good barrel. A little pricey for a sporter, but they have the scope safety, good stocks, and were, I believe, glass bedded. I don't know if they did anything with the triggers.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=327602472

viking499 said:

Sdj, that is a SWEET rifle. But I don't think it is available in the US.

But, this one is.......

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=328034651

Available in either 20" or 24".

Tikka's are great rifles in the 6.5x55. I have 2 of them. And a CZ 6.5. All are good, but, the Tikka's get more outdoor time.

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You have to wonder what ever possessed Tikka/Beretta to think this beast would sell but the Tikka T3 Light in 6.5x55 would not.

I bet the T3 would outsell it 1000 to 1...........

I've been really wanting a commercial 6.5x55 bolt action recently. Preferably with a wood stock. I've been hoping to find one of these in used condition locally:

Tikka T3 Hunter
Sako 85 Bavarian/Carbine
CZ 550 FS or American
Winchester 70 Classic Featherweight

...but I've only ever seen one of these in 6.5x55 in person. Maybe they just aren't around in central PA.

The only new one I can find locally is the Sako, but I don't have two grand laying around.

This is my favorite cartridge. My Swedish Mausers are a joy to shoot.

This is a beautiful rifle, I even put a bid in on it.................
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=328173790

I am a HUGE fan of the 6.5x55 cartridge, I have to agree with the others that the Tikka T3 in 6.5x55 is a superb rifle, mine is the most accurate centerfire I have ever shot (and I have shot ALOT) Light recoil, fantastic ballistics, and simply dang accurate. I find it funny that 120+ years later we are still trying to copy perfection, neither the 6.5 Creedmore, 260 Rem, or 6.5x47 Lapua will do anything the Sweed has not been doing for over a century. All that said if you don't have time to reload and you want to shoot very long distances you might want to look at one of it's modern ballistic twins since they are more readily available with full powder match ammo. The Sweed is a handloaders cartridge without a doubt. The Creedmore was made to match the full power Sweed and it is my second choice of the bunch, it was intended to be marketed to the long range shooting crowd pre-fit with A-Max bullets.
Never tried the Federal Match ammo, but mine shoots el-cheapo $13 a box Prvi and Winchester SP under an inch with boring regularity.
BTW Prvi brass is some REALLY good stuff if you ever decide to handload, thick as syrup and hard as hell but it is really well made and lasts FOREVER! I am still using the same 100 Prvi brass I got when I bought my rifle years ago, still not one cracked neck or loose primer pocket I have lost count of how many firings.

It's cool this thread popped up as the 6.5 swede is one of the many rounds I'm going back and forth on as I start planning to rebuild my gun collection.

I used to have a sporterized M38 I sold during a bout of youthful stupidity.

Sorry if this counts a thread-jacking, but how do you know a good military surplus swede when you see one and is there a way to mount a scope without drilling into the gun?

NuclearMeltdown said:

I've been really wanting a commercial 6.5x55 bolt action recently. Preferably with a wood stock. I've been hoping to find one of these in used condition locally:

Tikka T3 Hunter
Sako 85 Bavarian/Carbine
CZ 550 FS or American
Winchester 70 Classic Featherweight

...but I've only ever seen one of these in 6.5x55 in person. Maybe they just aren't around in central PA.

The only new one I can find locally is the Sako, but I don't have two grand laying around.

This is my favorite cartridge. My Swedish Mausers are a joy to shoot.

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I just bought a Sako 85 Finnlight in 6.5 from Cove Creek Outfitters in your state, $1,349. Not cheap, but a lot less than two grand and a better rifle than the T3 anyway. I hear Sako holds their value well.

Jason W, Matching numbers and a good old fashioned inspection. Don't do scopes on old military, sorry......

I have found the SWEETEST SWEDE I have ever seen; it is an M-96. If My guitar sells before it does then it is mine.

With my luck though.......................

Fella's;

Several years ago I bought my son a 6.5 Swede for his birthday present. I reloaded for it, found out what it could do, and got the itch to get one for myself. Only one hitch in that idea though, I shoot from the left shoulder, and it's extremely hard to find an LHB in 6.5 Swede. Not impossible, Mauser G3 and Blaser are imported, plus there are a very few M-S guns in the country. But by the time you pay that premium you might as well build a custom gun. Which is what I did.

I had the barrel reamed for Winchester brass, 140 gr Sierra Gameking bullet. The best three-shot group I've ever gotten is a .261" at 100 yards, but it'll consistently shoot sub-.500". This is a hunting gun with a 20" barrel, not a bench gun. The scope is a Zeiss Conquest 3.5-10X mil-dot, number 43 reticle.

I'm a happy camper.

900F

@ cb : pictures please

I have a unique alpine tpg1 in 6.5x55 on order, should be delivered around may
I plan to equip it with Smidt & Bender pm II 3-20 x 50 with a p4f reticle

I choose 6.5x55 because the longest range in Belgium is 600 meters so the 6.5 will do fine, and 300 wm or heavier aren't aloud at 75% of the shooting ranges.

The caliber is very available at the same price as 308, 7.5, 30-30 etc

If you order the Sako order rings/bases immediately, otherwise you'll have the most beautiful gun in your safe for a month and you can't shoot it!!! It is aggravating! Ask me, I know!!!
Greg

Jason_W said:

It's cool this thread popped up as the 6.5 swede is one of the many rounds I'm going back and forth on as I start planning to rebuild my gun collection.

I used to have a sporterized M38 I sold during a bout of youthful stupidity.

Sorry if this counts a thread-jacking, but how do you know a good military surplus swede when you see one and is there a way to mount a scope without drilling into the gun?

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Look at post # 20, that is a good military surplus swede..............

Vaupet;

I'd love to, the pics have been taken, they're in the computer, but transferring them to a website remains beyond the ability of the programmers to make it easy enough for me to do. In other words, since the process is not absolutely self-evident, I'm waiting on that stupendous pool of mental ability to get it to the point that I don't have to jump through esoteric hoops to do so. Or, to put it another way, my admiration for programmers knows some bounds.

900F

Been recreationally shooting for years, but still a hunting novice when I did alot of reading and picked up a used Steyr Mountain rifle chambered in 6.5x55 this past year before a hunting trip. I have been very pleased with my choice. Accurate, easy shooter, with enough power to do whatever I need it to here in the Southeast. Was able to bag a whitetail, boar and a bobcat with the Swede. Love this round.

ExAgoradzo - I used Leupold rings on my Finnlight with excellent results.....

pharmdon said:

Been recreationally shooting for years, but still a hunting novice when I did alot of reading and picked up a used Steyr Mountain rifle chambered in 6.5x55 this past year before a hunting trip. I have been very pleased with my choice. Accurate, easy shooter, with enough power to do whatever I need it to here in the Southeast. Was able to bag a whitetail, boar and a bobcat with the Swede. Love this round.

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Nice pig, how much did he weigh and how did he react when the 6.5 hit him?

I regularly shoot my 6.5X55 Swede at longer ranges. Not for target shooting or hunting, but rather to see if I can hit things that are waay out there.

The old girl was made in 1917 and still shoots great.

Not much to add based on the good advice you've received on the Swede. It's a very well balanced cartridge and perfect for the majority of hunting that I do which is deer, hogs, predators in the southeast where 98% of shots are <200yds. Good advice on the american ammo except the Nosler trophy Grade 140gr NAB which is loaded hotter and has performed well for me. Norma and Lapua make/made good ammo and the brass is top notch. Norma used to load a 140gr nosler partition, 120gr Ballistic tip, and 156gr Oryx which were all excellent factory fodder options for the swede. I scored a few cases when they went on close out. It's hard to find a bad 6.5mm hunting bullet. You'll really enjoy this cartridge! I'm currently up to 6 rifles in either 6.5x55 or 260. Kinda partial to Sako, Tikka, and Winchester.