6.5x55 Mauser on hogs/deer

More then enough. The old 6.5 drops deer like a bad habbit and penatrates even the toughest hogs. Never had a 130-140gr fail to go through and through. I handload Accubond, SGK, BTs SSTs and VLDs. my 6,5 has quickly become my favorite rifle over the past few years.

6.5mm projectiles have great sectional density (SD) and thus penetrate like nobody's business. The family of cartridges (6.5x55, 260 Rem, 6.5 Creedmore, 6.5x47mm, 6.5 Grendel, etc) tend to be very accurate, light in recoil, penetrate well, kill far beyond their "paper" ballistics.

I can only echo what the above posters have said. It will put the hammer on those pigs. Even really big ones.

Drills like a jackhammer.

Ditto...all the above. Since acquiring several 6.5x55 and 260's, my 270 win is becoming a safe queen. I primarily hunt deer and hogs and the 6.5's are more than adequate and pleasurable to shoot. I've tried all the following which are excellent on deer and HOGS:
125/140 gr NPT, 120 gr TSX, 140 gr VLD, 140 gr SGK, and 120 gr NBT. Of note, I recently bought some RWS ammo while on 1/2 price sale at Midway.....140 gr twin core. Very accurate (1/2 MOA) in my Tikka T3, consistent, and wallops like a sledge hammer!

If you shoot factory fodder, the Prvi 139gr SPs are solid performers and not expensive at all. I used them almost exclusivly before I started handloading. Hit a deer in the shoulder socket at close range with them, sill held together expanded nicly and left a large exit wound, blood everywhere but no tracking needed the deer did not make it 10 feet. Not bad for $13 a box My handloads are more impresive then that with an extra 200 fps and bonded bullets, would not hesatate for a second to use on our very large feral hogs here in Alabama.

Another +1 for the 6.5x55. Very good all around cartridge.

The 260rem and 6.5 Creedmore are good choices too. I like the 6.5x55 because of it's tight standard twist and it's 120year history of taking every game anamal on the planet. Savage/Ruger chamber the creedmore. Remington chambers the 260 and Sako/Tikka/CZ all chamber the 6.5x55. No deer, hog or elk would ever know the difference between them.

"6.5x55 - responsible for bang-flops since 1896"

Kachok,

Of the various loads that you've hunted deer and hogs with in your 6.5x55, has one become your go-to load based on performance?

CT

1894 actualy. It was invented in 1891 and saw it's first public use in 1894. My "go to" load in my Tikka is 46.5gr of RL22 and a 140gr bullet (SSTs for deer). These are super tight shooting and run around 2740fps according to my Nosler manual. This is listed as my max load but shoot without any hint of pressure signs. I know guys that run 48.5gr of RL22 with their 140s (aprox 2820fps) but I never felt the need to push them any faster since I have a 270WSM for super long range work.

Thanks....my 140 gr SGK's are loaded similarly with RL22. I'll have to try the 140 SST's.

That's the Swedish? If so, I bought a kimber sporterized version at auction years back and can attest to it's power on deer and hogs alike. Recoil was straight back into the shoulder with no rise on this rifle I noticed. A good round with interesting history too.

RL22 was MADE FOR THE 6.5x55! Working up the loads I was really impressed with the across the board accuracy in my Tikka. SSTs expand quickly and have no problem holding together with 2700fps speeds. I have yet to recover a bullet to get the retained weight but apperently to get 100% pass throughs it is pretty good. The .520BC of the SST is really good for a hunting bullet, no issue with carrying energy downrange that is for sure.
The only bad part about my Tikka is that it is too good. My hunting buddy is always wanting to borrow it from me. I guess there must be a shortage of them right now since he is having trouble finding one of his own.

Lol, I have the same problem with family and hunting buddies borrowing my 6.5's....that's why I have several in that caliber. The slow burning powders like RL22 do seem to be made for the 6.5x55, esp 140 gr bullets and up. RL 19 works well for my 120 gr TSX load. I've been impressed with the performance of the more frangible projectiles in the swede: SGK. VLD, and NBT (SST and AMAX same catagory). The only .264 bullet that I've tried that trumps the BC of the SST is the Berger VLD @ .612 which has performed well on deer and hogs as well. Thanks for the info on the SST.

Have not had the chance to use VLDs on anything living yet. but I LOVE the super high BC of those bullets. Have you been getting full penatration with yours or do they shed too much weight in fragmentation? I don't know how they managed to make those VLDs fragment in such a controled fassion both at low and high speeds, but everyone that uses them swears they do the trick.

I'm glad to read all this. I'm currently working on building my first sporter, and the barrel is chambered for the 6.5x55mm. I had wanted a .260 Remington barrel,(Adams & Bennet), but they were sold out when I was ready to buy. Part of what led me to the 6.5x55 was reading good reviews on here about it. I get more exited about finishing that rifle everday.

Yeah, you have to throw conventional bullet performance concepts out the window when considering the VLD. I've harvested one deer and about 10 hogs with a 140 gr VLD out of my 6.5x55. They've lived up to their billing....penetrating a few inches before fragmenting like a bomb. Really impressive wound channels.....nothing's traveled more than 20yards and most DRT. Two hogs were about 200 yd kills. Only one exit wound and that was the deer at about 75 yds. They perform well at close range with the modest velocity of the swede but give you excellent long range accuracy as well.

I take my 6.5 swede with me almost every day I check cows, fixing to head out now and will probably get a few shots off at pigs. about sunset they are all over my pastures. I shoot factory Remington 140 grain CoreLokts and pigs are tough (then again I kill em with my .17hmr). I love my Tikka T3 6.5. now which back up rifle to take with me.....decisions decisions.

I have taken Black Bear, Moose, Caribou and Sitka black-tail with the 6.5x55. Works great.
The old 160 grain round nose Hornady bullets do very well within 200 yards.

I may just about to install a tall front sight post for my M 96 Swede . Right now with the original short post it will hit 11 inches high at 175 yds as its grauduated for 300 meters.

I never loaded mine with 160s, I know that is the classic big game load with it's crazy high SD and penatration. I am thinking about getting some Woodleigh 160s they have a much better BC and heavier construction then the Horandy SPs or the other round nose 160s. Don't know what on earth I would use them for but who knows I could run across an 1,100 lbs hog on my next hunt, stranger things have happend while hunting in the deep south.

I had two of the Swedish Mauser, one M96 and the other was a short barreled something with a turned down bolt. I used the M96 for target work and the short barreled (M38 or somesuch import number) in the fields. They are great performers and if you research them you will find all sorts of write up regarding their use on big game (elephant and polar bears included). I have not used them on anything bigger than the white tailed deer and it worked well.