6.5x55mm Swede with Heavy Barrel

[Bear2000]

Does anyone know of any modern bolt-action rifles with a heavy barrel chambered for the 6.5x55mm Swede? Or is this something I'd have to build myself?

 

[tweakkkk]

All the Tikka varmint rifles are available in 6.5x55 and have heavy barrels. Those are the only ones on my radar, but then again I look at mid-priced gear, I don't shop the high end rifles. If your budget is rather high, I'm sure Sako and especially the "boutique" European mfgs will have them.

 

[mr.trooper]

Tikka, as mentioned.

i don't see the point though: the point of a heavy barrel is two fold. It is supposed to increase accuracy (the cheap way, by free-floating), and reducing recoil by making the gun heavier.

The few companies that make rifles in 6.5 swede take their time and bead their barrels properly, so you don't really see any accuracy benefit. the 6.5 Swede has low recoil to begin with, so you don't need the recoil reduction either.

If you want one with a heavy barrel, then get it. I'm not telling you not to. What i'm saying is that you don't need it with a 6.5, so if you cant find one with the heavy barrel then don't sweat it.

 

[SteveW-II]

Alternatively, try to find a CG-63. The small ring Mauser action might challenge the definition of 'modern', but with a good trigger they are astonishingly accurate.

 

[USSR]

Oops, double post, see below.

 

[USSR]

I had a heavy barrel 6.5x55 custom-built to my specs:

Winchester M70 Classic action
28" fluted Obermeyer AMU contour barrel
McMillan Prone stock
Williams one-piece steel bottom metal
Jewell trigger
Speed Lock firing pin and spring
Badger 20MOA picatinny rail
TPS tactical rings
Sightron SII 6-24x42 scope

Don

 

[Bear2000]

USSR, that is a really nice looking gun. What did that cost to put together (minus scope)?

I would buy a Tikka T3 Heavy Barrel in 6.5x55mm, but they are not available in the US. Tikka also makes this gun with a set trigger option, but again, not available here. I have a T3 Varmint in .308 and it's amazingly accurate for a factory gun (was shooting 1.5" groups at 300 yards on Sunday). But since I bought a Tikka T3 Hunter in 6.5x55 and started developing loads, I thought it'd be nice to have it in a heavy barrel as well.

 

[USSR]

Bear2000,

I don't exactly know, as I never added it up. What I did was:

Bought a used Winchester M70 Featherweight.
Sold all the parts except for the action.
Bought the McMillan stock used.
Bought the bottom metal, trigger, fp and spring.
Bought the Badger base and TPS rings.
Bought the scope.
Sent it all to Terry Cross, who for about $1,000:

Trued the action.
Bought the Obermeyer barrel.
Chambered and installed the barrel.
Bead blasted the barreled action.
Piller bedded the stock.
Installed all the parts I sent him.
Test fired the rifle.

When I received the finished rifle, I applied a baked-on teflon/moly finsh myself. If I had to guess, I would say I have about $2000 - $2200 into it sans scope.

Don

 

[skinewmexico]

Shilen will sell you a heavy barrel 6.5x55 prefit for a Savage ($300). Buy any used long action Savage. Put it on in about 30 minutes, in your garage.

 

[nyggis]

A friend of mine has a heavy barrel Austrian Voere Sporter in 6.5x55. When hunting Elk a guy from his hunting team scored a lousy hit, and it went on running towards my friend. He took it out with an excellent hit from 450 meters...

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

REALLY nice, USSR!

 

[USSR]

Thanks.

Don