A Hunter's Observations on the 6.5x55 Swede

[Shawnee]

Hi Y'All...

Been doing a wee bit of research - admittedly rough-cut - on the 6.5x55 Swede. Looking at common bullets/ammo at claimed "max" velocities and came up with some general observations that (IMHO) explain why the 6.5x55 Swede is so well liked by hunters. So, here they are by loads in order of increasing bullet weight.

95gr. V-max and 100gr. SP, both at 2900fps. Guess what - that's pretty darned close to that wonderfully useful caliber - the .243 Winchester !

120gr. A-max at 2750fps. - Presto, you have yourself a .257 Roberts, and with a better B.C. !

129gr. SST at 2600fps. - Well - say "Hi" to the 6.5x55 Swede, a very effective hunting round of its' own, especially with a B.C. crowding .500 !

140gr. A-max at 2500fps. - Those of you who know the value of the 150gr. load in the 30/30 gotta like this one, especially since the B.C. is greatly improved... enough to make a significant extension in the effective range !

160gr. round nose at 2400fps - You don't need the Leverevolution if you've got your Swede in your pocket. And Elk is delicious !

Seems to me that's real versatility in a caliber !


Could it be the big gunmakers ignore the Swede because it might put a major dent in several other calibers they make plenty of money on ?

 

[Poper]

Could it be the big gunmakers ignore the Swede because it might put a major dent in several other calibers they make plenty of money on ?

Probably not. 6.5mm calibers have never been popular in the U.S. Few metric designations, for that matter, are commercially successful here. (7mm Rem Mag, and 7mm-08 are a couple exceptions)
The 6.5 Swede was a surplus king in the 50's and early 60's. A ton of 'em were sporterized because the surplus rifles were ultra cheap. (My dad had one of them when I was a kid.) In the '70's, 6.5x55 ammo was almost impossible to find in some parts of the country, so if you didn't load your own, you were at the mercy of what you could get. If you could get it. That's about the time Dad sold his, IIRC, for $15. :banghead:

Over the last 10 years or so, the 6.5x55 has found new, well deserved appreciation. Realize, though, you will not realize the performance potential of this caliber unless you do indeed roll your own!

It is a great caliber for accuracy and performance, which is exactly why I don't own just one! If a one is good, isn't more better?

Poper

 

[.38 Special]

Results be damned. Old cartridges like that just aren't gee-whiz enough for this crowd. "Everybody" knows you can't get it done with less than the .338 Lapua.

 

[Shawnee]

"6.5mm calibers have never been popular in the U.S. "

That's understandable. Back in the 60s when Winchester and Remington both made a stab at it - with the .264 Winchester which turned out to be a hellbender that eroded rifle throats quickly, and with the 6.5 Remington Magnum which Remington introduced in their fine 600/660 carbines only to learn that the concussion of touching that rascal off from those carbines would loosen the fillings in Abe Lincoln's statue. I know a lot of hunters simply said "No Thanks" to those thundersticks.

I think if both or either company had simply brought out the 6.5x55 at least some hunters would have grabbed it, maybe enough to let it take root here. But of course those were the days of muscle cars and "magnumitus" and I suppose the Marketing fools would have had the design engineers drawn and quartered if they had suggested merely going on stage with the humble, old 6.5x55. What a pity.

 

[Bartkowski]

You can squeeze more out of the 6.5x55 than that can't you?

 

[Wheeler44]

Back in '79 I had a Ljungman. The only ammo I could find was Norma at $22.00 a box. I was ready to bite the bullet and start reloading for it but because the pressure curve was wrong that ol' gun would throw the brass a mile and if I could find 'em the rim had been busted off by the extractor. I like my model '94 a lot better.

 

[cjanak]

"Could it be the big gunmakers ignore the Swede because it might put a major dent in several other calibers they make plenty of money on?"​

My gut reaction is to say that the marketing disadvantages of the Swede (in the U.S.) include:

1. Use of the metric system instead of good ol' caliber system. Hmmm, sounds foreign to me.
2. Apparently comes from a strange country known as "Sweden". What gives with this infatuation with foreigners?
3. Lack of the term "magnum" in the name.

Maybe it'd be flying off the shelves were it known as ".264 American Magnum". Of course my explanation probably isn’t right, because the .264 Winchester Magnum isn’t exactly flying off the shelves (if you can even find it).

Undoubtedly there are all kinds of factors behind why a particular cartridge takes off. The Swede is very popular in Europe and has a strong (if somewhat small) following in North America. I imagine it’s tough for any all-around caliber (like the Swede) to compete with the .30-06 and the .308, given the advantages conferred on them as US military rounds. Further, I suppose there are several other very similar and fairly well established 6.5mm and 7mm cartridges that the Swede must compete with.

 

[For Freedom]

Results be damned. Old cartridges like that just aren't gee-whiz enough for this crowd. "Everybody" knows you can't get it done with less than the .338 Lapua.

For yesterday's deer, 6.5x55 Swede would work fine. I agree with you that for today's superdeer anything less than .338 Lapua is asking for trouble.

 

[kentucky_smith]

So why not get a .260?

 

[Shawnee]

"For yesterday's deer, 6.5x55 Swede would work fine. I agree with you that for today's superdeer anything less than .338 Lapua is asking for trouble."


That's It !

Heck - we can fix that with a MagicMarker !

 

[Zak Smith]

I believe that 6.5x55, along with .257 Roberts, 7x57, 8x57, etc, are not as popular here because our standard "short action" bolt gun is sized for .308 and is too short for these, while our "long action" is sized for .30-06 (somewhat longer than these), and if people step up to the long action, they go for the longer, more powerful alternatives.

 

[Shawnee]

"So why not get a .260? "

I would think a lot of smart people do but I don't really know for sure. It would indeed be interesting to know the sales figures on the .260 Remington.

I could buy Zak's "short/long-action" theory too. Pretty darned hard to outshine the .243 and 7mm/08 on the "short" side and the .270 and 7 Mag. on the "long" side. That's definitely a tough assignment. Even the .30 calibers can't do that.

 

[kentucky_smith]

I would think a lot of smart people do but I don't really know for sure. It would indeed be interesting to know the sales figures on the .260 Remington.

I'm not so sure. I've got one so you're partially correct.

Was looking yesterday, besides DPMS, who is offering a .260 in their usual lineup? I could only find one special edition CDL on Remington's site that is now chambered in .260.

 

[USSR]

You can squeeze more out of the 6.5x55 than that can't you?

Oh yeah. The 6.5x55 was a VERY popular cartridge in 1,000 yard F Class when the Prone League was running in Bodines, PA. In a modern rifle (not surplus M94 or M96 Mausers), we would run 139-142gr bullets at 2900-2950fps.

Don

 

[Hokkmike]

It certainly is my caliber of choice.

120 grain ballistic tip with 45 grains of IMR 4350. Incredibly accurate in my guns.

 

[xring44]

One of the best deer calibers out there, I had one in the Remington classics and like a fool, sold it I later bought a Remington custom shop .260, poor accuracy, even after several trips back to the custom shop, no'mo .260s for this old man, but I do have a like new set of RCBS .260 dies I could sell someone

 

[Ash]

Perhaps it has something to do with the different head size of the round? Perhaps they don't chamber 6.5 because it requires more than just a different barrel chambering but a different bolt or bolt head as well?

Ash

 

[Z71]

I've never really clicked with the 6.5x55 cartridge.

I do have a beautiful 1904 M96 rifle, and it shoots fine. Ammo is fairly easy to obtain, but just don't shoot it much.

A buddy of mine however, is a huge fan of the 6.5 Swede. Claims it slices and butters bread, as well as killing deer!

I like the 7mm Mauser myself.

 

[Slamfire]

I was able to get my hands on a Remington M700 Classic series in 6.5 Swede. This Feb I decided to do some load development.

Of course everyone is familiar with IMR 4350. I purchased a bunch of WC852 from Jeff Bartlett at GIBrass.com and wanted to see how it would do in this caliber. Jeff’s lot of WC852 is a relatively slow lot of this powder, this is the Government loading data for the 30-06: Lake City case and Primer, 60.1 grs WC852, 152 gr Ball M2, average pressure 40,200 velocity 2750 Lot BAJ 47287

Accurate Arms purchased a different, faster lot of WC852 and called it AA2700.

Anyway with IMR 4350 I was able to get a 140 Hornady spire point up to 2500 fps without the slightest pressure issue. And that load shot reasonably well. I was able to squeeze and extra 100 fps with WC852 with a 140 Rem bullet without any issues. However at 2669, the bolt lift increased, but was not “sticky”. So I probably hit a maximum load.

You know 2600 fps in a 22” barrel, with a 140 grain bullet is not bad at all. In a 29” barrel I should gain 200- 300 fps, which would make it 2800-2900 fps. That little 6.5 mm bullet seems to be two feet long, and should penetrate very well.

My rifle was not a tack driver, just around 1.25- 1.5MOA, and that is because the barrel is bearing on the side of the barrel channel. I purchased pillar columns, but have not had the time to bed the rifle. When I do, I expect sub MOA groups.

[SIZE="3"]M700  22" Barrel 			
						
[B]143  gr Swedish Ball 1986 headstamp	[/B]					
						
2 Feb 2008 T = 54 °F						
						
[B]Ave Vel =	2470[/B]					
Std Dev =	18					
ES =	48					
High =	2491					
Low =	2443					
N =	5					
						
						
[B]						
140 gr Hornday Spire Point 43.0 grs AA4350			
	R-P new brass CCI-200 OAL 2.990[/B]"			
						
2 Feb 2008 T = 52 °F					
						
[B]Ave Vel =	2512[/B]			 	 	 
Std Dev =	27			 	 	 
ES =	72			 	 	 
High =	2547			 	 	 
Low =	2475			 	 	 
N =	5					 
						
						
[B]140 gr Rem PSP 47.0 grs WC852 wtd  Norma brass CCI-200 OAL 3.000"[/B]
	 					
2 Feb 2008 T = 52 °F					
						
[B]Ave Vel =	2495[/B]					
Std Dev =	18					
ES =	62					
High =	2519					
Low =	2457					
N =	12					
						
Best accuracy of series					
						
						
[B]140 gr Rem PSP 48.0 grs WC852 wtd  Norma brass CCI-200 OAL 3.000"[/B]
	 					
2 Feb 2008 T = 52 °F					
						
[B]Ave Vel =	2541[/B]				 	
Std Dev =	11				 	
ES =	39					
High =	2563					
Low =	2524					
N =	10					
						
						
[B]140 gr Rem PSP 49.0 grs WC852 wtd  Norma brass CCI-200 OAL 3.000"[/B]
	 					
2 Feb 2008 T = 52 °F					
						
[B]Ave Vel =	2607[/B]				 	
Std Dev =	12				 	
ES =	37					
High =	2624					
Low =	2587					
N =	10					
						
						
[B]140 gr Rem PSP 50.0 grs WC852 wtd  Norma brass CCI-200 OAL 3.000"[/B]
	 					
2 Feb 2008 T = 52 °F					
						
[B]Ave Vel =	2669[/B]				 	
Std Dev =	13				 	
ES =	40					
High =	2680					
Low =	2640					
N =	10					
definite increase in bolt lift, but not "sticky", probably max load			
						
[B]140 gr Sierra Matchking 39.1 grs AA2700  Lapua brass CCI-200 OAL 3.035"[/B]
	 					
2 Feb 2008 T = 52 °F					
						
[B]Ave Vel =	2408[/B]					
Std Dev =	33					
ES =	103					
High =	2463					
Low =	2360					
N =	10[/SIZE]

 

[Shawnee]

The 140-grainer at 2500+fps. with that B.C. is like having a 350yd. 30/30.

Hard to complain about that !

 

[jlbraun]

I´m an example of Zak´s sentiment. I´m buying a .308 Savage and rebarreling it to .260. Can´t do that as easily with a long case like the 6.5x55.

 

[Drgong]

Except that I love playing with Old Mosins, I would not have anything other then .22 lr and 6.5 x 55 swede

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

95gr. V-max and 100gr. SP, both at 2900fps. Guess what - that's pretty darned close to that wonderfully useful caliber - the .243 Winchester !

120gr. A-max at 2750fps. - Presto, you have yourself a .257 Roberts, and with a better B.C. !

129gr. SST at 2600fps. - Well - say "Hi" to the 6.5x55 Swede, a very effective hunting round of its' own, especially with a B.C. crowding .500 !

140gr. A-max at 2500fps. - Those of you who know the value of the 150gr. load in the 30/30 gotta like this one, especially since the B.C. is greatly improved... enough to make a significant extension in the effective range !

160gr. round nose at 2400fps - You don't need the Leverevolution if you've got your Swede in your pocket. And Elk is delicious !

ThisiswhatI'msayin! Good analysis.

I´m an example of Zak´s sentiment. I´m buying a .308 Savage and rebarreling it to .260. Can´t do that as easily with a long case like the 6.5x55.

But see, that makes no sense to me. Why not buy a 110 Savage and re-barrel to 6.5x55? Then you can seat those looooong bullets (156s-162s), have them feed through the mag, and still have plenty of room in the case for powder. It will *way* outperform the .260 rem.

160gr. round nose at 2400fps - You don't need the Leverevolution if you've got your Swede in your pocket.

Wait a sec - this from the levergun-whisperer?

 

[SprayAndPray]

The 6.5x55 is the most popular canterfire caliber here in Sweden. To legally hunt bear, moose (or is it elk we have here) and the rest of the large animals there are some regulations regarding muzzle energy and bullet weight. 2700 J left at 100m and 9g (or 10g bullet and 2000 J at 100m) bullet is the minimum to hunt these critters.

Its only maginally more expensive than shooting .223 so its also economic.

More bear and elks have been shot with this caliber here than all the others combined so its tried and proven, the animals become just as dead as with the more powerful calibers, or so I've heard. Its also recoilless imo.

 

[skinewmexico]

I´m an example of Zak´s sentiment. I´m buying a .308 Savage and rebarreling it to .260. Can´t do that as easily with a long case like the 6.5x55.

I did buy a Savage 110 and rebarrel it to 6.5X55. And I can run the pressure up, and seat bullets way out. I just don't understand this recent obsession with shot actions, and the inference that long actions are practically unusuable. I mean, if that extra 3/4" of bolt stroke screws you or your accuracy up that much, you have bigger issues.