Somewhat, but it really does compare more to the .260 Remington as they use similar bullets, and the same bore diameter. The 6.5/.260 is my favorite rifle round.
6.5x55 Swede information Please
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Captcurt
Member
I could spend the rest of my whitetail days carrying one.
The 260 and the 6.5 swede are really ballistic twins. I own a 260 it's a fabulous cartridge. I have no idea why it's not as popular as the 7mm-08. The 6.5 mm is really the sweet spot in ballistics and down range power. I have a tikka T3 in260 and love it.
Shanghai McCoy
Member
Man, a 6.5 Swede carbine in a mannlicher stock. That is about as good as it gets in my book for a non dangerous game hunting rifle. Hope you get a chance to use it during deer season.
Crisisbill
Member
6.5x55
I have one that I received in a similar manner many years ago from an old timer that I always looked out for.
It's a great shooter
I have one that I received in a similar manner many years ago from an old timer that I always looked out for.
It's a great shooter
gregp74
Member
My grandpa got rid of most of his gun collection before I was born, but held on to a few of them When i was a kid he gave me a neat old sporterized 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser (iirc that's what it was.)
I ended up selling it when I was in my 20s and broke and not that interested in guns. I felt bad about that especially after he died. I ran across it again 10 years or so later in a local shop -- recognized it immediately even with a new scope attached. Unfortunately it had a "sold" tag on it.
I do still have a couple boxes of grandpa's handloaded ammo for it though. I keep telling myself some day I'm going to find a nice 6.5x55 rifle and shoot these old shells.
I ended up selling it when I was in my 20s and broke and not that interested in guns. I felt bad about that especially after he died. I ran across it again 10 years or so later in a local shop -- recognized it immediately even with a new scope attached. Unfortunately it had a "sold" tag on it.
I do still have a couple boxes of grandpa's handloaded ammo for it though. I keep telling myself some day I'm going to find a nice 6.5x55 rifle and shoot these old shells.
Gregp74;
You need look no further than the Tikka line of rifles. They have several variants in 6.5 X 55mm Swedish Mauser. With a modern action like that, you can also send those 139's & 140's downrange several hundred fps faster. My LH Tikka Swede load is getting 2725 fps muzzle using a Sierra 140 grain Gameking bullet.
900F
You need look no further than the Tikka line of rifles. They have several variants in 6.5 X 55mm Swedish Mauser. With a modern action like that, you can also send those 139's & 140's downrange several hundred fps faster. My LH Tikka Swede load is getting 2725 fps muzzle using a Sierra 140 grain Gameking bullet.
900F
gregp74
Member
I've been looking at picking up another bolt gun. I had been thinking a 223 or 243 with a varmint barrel, but maybe I'll bite the bullet (so to speak) and get myself a nice 6.5x55.
Gregp74;
Another suggestion if I may. If you decide on a .243, take a good long look at the 6mm Remington before you buy. It's not as common, but it can do things the .243 can't, particularly if you want to use it as a dual-purpose gun. The 6mm is based on the larger 7 X 57 Mauser case rather than the .308 case. Therefore, heavier bullets have a longer neck, and don't intrude down into the boiler room. But wait! There's more!
Back when Remington first marketed the .244 Remington (a slow twist 6mm), it wouldn't stabilize the 100/105 grain bullets the .243 would. So, Speer created their 90 grain spitzer particularly for the .244's. Because it was meant to be used on deer sized game, they made it tough. However, when the same bullet is used in the 6mm it steps out pretty nicely & therefore carries more energy, and is tough enough to put that energy to good use.
Just me though, I'd pick the Swede first.
900F
Another suggestion if I may. If you decide on a .243, take a good long look at the 6mm Remington before you buy. It's not as common, but it can do things the .243 can't, particularly if you want to use it as a dual-purpose gun. The 6mm is based on the larger 7 X 57 Mauser case rather than the .308 case. Therefore, heavier bullets have a longer neck, and don't intrude down into the boiler room. But wait! There's more!
Back when Remington first marketed the .244 Remington (a slow twist 6mm), it wouldn't stabilize the 100/105 grain bullets the .243 would. So, Speer created their 90 grain spitzer particularly for the .244's. Because it was meant to be used on deer sized game, they made it tough. However, when the same bullet is used in the 6mm it steps out pretty nicely & therefore carries more energy, and is tough enough to put that energy to good use.
Just me though, I'd pick the Swede first.
900F
6.5x55
Greetings from Denmark
I have a Sauer 200 STR (Scandinavian Target Rifle) with a 74cm 6.5x55 barrel that throws a 130grs moly coated Norma Diamond line bullet (BC 0,548) down range with 2950 fps. I mainly use this gun for 600m shooting. I Like it
For hunting I have a semi-heavy 60cm 6.5x55 barrel for my Schultz & Larsen Victory. I use the 129grs Hornady SST's for roe buck and red foxes.
You normally don't have to try hard to get good precision out of a 6.5 swede
Greetings from Denmark
I have a Sauer 200 STR (Scandinavian Target Rifle) with a 74cm 6.5x55 barrel that throws a 130grs moly coated Norma Diamond line bullet (BC 0,548) down range with 2950 fps. I mainly use this gun for 600m shooting. I Like it
For hunting I have a semi-heavy 60cm 6.5x55 barrel for my Schultz & Larsen Victory. I use the 129grs Hornady SST's for roe buck and red foxes.
You normally don't have to try hard to get good precision out of a 6.5 swede
Scrumbag
Member
Nice rifles pemo! How's your roe buck season been?
Yes, 260Rem is quite similar to the Swede, but the 260Rem goes in a shorter (potentially stiffer, accurate, lighter) action. Both nice calibers though A Tikka Varmint in 6.5x55 is hard to beat !
This year has been slim so far on the deer front. But the freezer is filled by the wild boar I got in june in Sweden and a roe and a doe i got late last season. I mainly shoot for filling my pots and pans and then I keep the foxes down in numbers when I get the chance.
A Tikka Varmint in 6.5x55 is hard to beat !This year has been slim so far on the deer front. But the freezer is filled by the wild boar I got in june in Sweden and a roe and a doe i got late last season. I mainly shoot for filling my pots and pans
and then I keep the foxes down in numbers when I get the chance.
gregp74
Member
I had been looking for a new 223 or 243 rifle, but this thread's got me thinking along the 6.5 Swede lines now.
Looking at a Tikka T3 Hunter. I like it a lot, but I wish it didn't have a detachable mag. I wonder if I could modify it to use a hinged floorplate setup. A quick google search didn't turn anything up about anyone else doing it.
^^^ rather than all that fooling around, I see the CZ 557 Sporter would be just about what I'm looking for. Now to see if I can actually find one...
Looking at a Tikka T3 Hunter. I like it a lot, but I wish it didn't have a detachable mag. I wonder if I could modify it to use a hinged floorplate setup. A quick google search didn't turn anything up about anyone else doing it.
^^^ rather than all that fooling around, I see the CZ 557 Sporter would be just about what I'm looking for. Now to see if I can actually find one...
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gregp74
Member
True!
Scrumbag
Member
I'm mainly a meat hunter, got a fallow last Thursday and a roe buck on Saturday.Yes, 260Rem is quite similar to the Swede, but the 260Rem goes in a shorter (potentially stiffer, accurate, lighter) action. Both nice calibers though
This year has been slim so far on the deer front. But the freezer is filled by the wild boar I got in june in Sweden and a roe and a doe i got late last season. I mainly shoot for filling my pots and pans
Can't resist whacking foxes either
ATB,
Scrummy
vaupet
Member
gregp74
Member
I'm really considering the CZ 557 Sporter in 6.5, but the barrel is only 20.5". Is that ok? Seems awfully short.
Gregp74;
Twenty and a half inches is the barrel length for a CZ 550 fullstock, not sure about the 557 series. There's a CZ550 fullstock in 6.5 Swede on Gunbroker now, auction 509433912. If you want the longer barrel, go to the CZ550 American. My personal Swede wears a 22" barrel, but it's a custom gun.
900F
Twenty and a half inches is the barrel length for a CZ 550 fullstock, not sure about the 557 series. There's a CZ550 fullstock in 6.5 Swede on Gunbroker now, auction 509433912. If you want the longer barrel, go to the CZ550 American. My personal Swede wears a 22" barrel, but it's a custom gun.
900F
gregp74
Member
Looks like the 557 Sporter and the 550 Full Stock have the same 20.5" barrel. When I look at my CZ 455 17hmr with that same length I just think that barrel seems short for a full size rifle cartridge.
The 550 American has a 23.6" barrel, which seems more appropriate to me, but it also has the detachable mag that I'm not crazy about.
Time to go back to racking my brain about what I want lol
Gordon
Member
When I was separated from my .270 Winchester by being stationed on the opposite side of the country in 1966 I didn't want to miss the local Wild Boar Hunting available to this e-4 Language student . I found at a Monterey gunsmith a Swedish Model 94 Carbine in excellent condition and made in 1912 . Somebody had removed the bayonet mount and excess forward wood from this Engineer Carbine but other wise it was all original except the rear sight notch had been finely filed square and a touch of red fingernail polish added to the front sight tip. It was almost perfectly sighted in at 100 yards with the available 160 grain Normal round nose. I , under the tutelage of a Carmel Valley distant relative, got several large tuskers that late summer thru fall I still have that Swede and it has never let me or anybody I loaned it to down for reasonable range hunting in 49 years
I still have that Swede and it has never let me or anybody I loaned it to down for reasonable range hunting in 49 years Gregp74;
Uh, I don't know where you're getting your information, but some of it's wrong. I'm now looking at my son's CZ550 American in 6.5 Swede and it does not, repeat not, have a detachable magazine. Perhaps you were thinking of the Tikka T-3 Hunter, which does have that separate magazine feature? I have a couple of Tikka's & have never had a problem with the mag coming loose, dropping inadvertently, or failing to feed, so don't have a problem on that feature myself.
Now the CZ557 may have it, but I don't think so. It's not a Mauser action on the 557, so it's possible I guess.
900F
Uh, I don't know where you're getting your information, but some of it's wrong. I'm now looking at my son's CZ550 American in 6.5 Swede and it does not, repeat not, have a detachable magazine. Perhaps you were thinking of the Tikka T-3 Hunter, which does have that separate magazine feature? I have a couple of Tikka's & have never had a problem with the mag coming loose, dropping inadvertently, or failing to feed, so don't have a problem on that feature myself.
Now the CZ557 may have it, but I don't think so. It's not a Mauser action on the 557, so it's possible I guess.
900F
gregp74
Member
You're right. I was either looking at the 527 or getting mixed up with the 550 Varmint which according to CZ has the removable mag.
I ended up ordering a 557 Sporter from Bud's. When I went to my local FFL to start filling out my 4473 I found they just took in a used 550 American chambered for the Swede.
It appears the 557's barrel may be heavier, but the 550 is a couple inches longer.
Too late to cancel my order now but when it gets to the FFL I can compare the two side by side and see which one I like better. I can always send the one back if I decide against it.
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