Thinking about a 6.5x55...

[CowboyTim]

Just picked up a Mauser 98 receiver, thinking about sending it off to ER Shaw and have them put a 23" #1 barrel in matte stainless on it.

Any thoughts about a 6.5x55 on a 98 and would you go what twist for the barrel? I'm currently leaning toward 1:8 as I generally lean toward heavy for caliber bullets.

 

[Balrog]

I don't know anything about the Mauser 98 really, but the 6.5 Swede is a great cartridge. I have a Ruger 77 International chambered in it. Recoil is mild, and accuracy is good.

 

[taliv]

1:7.5

 

[horsemen61]

Just picked up a Mauser 98 receiver, thinking about sending it off to ER Shaw and have them put a 23" #1 barrel in matte stainless on it.

Any thoughts about a 6.5x55 on a 98 and would you go what twist for the barrel? I'm currently leaning toward 1:8 as I generally lean toward heavy for caliber bullets.

I’d go a little heavier on the barrel profile and I agree with @taliv id do 1~7.5 so you can shoot the Berger 156 EOL if you so choose me I like the 160 RN from Hornady

 

[JohnKSa]

The Swedes used something between 1:7.8" and 1:7.9". I think that should work well for heavy bullet loads and would also work for just about anything else in the caliber unless you are planning to go for maximum velocity with light bullet loads.

 

[taliv]

Bullet mfgs seem to be in a competition to see who can make the heaviest bullets these days.

 

[taliv]

The Swedes used something between 1:7.8" and 1:7.9". I think that should work well for heavy bullet loads and would also work for just about anything else in the caliber unless you are planning to go for maximum velocity with light bullet loads.

Probably metric lol.
In any event, last I knew Shaw were button rifled so prob not super precise on the twist rate. But 7.8 was a popular twist for the six and seven mm bbls 15 years ago.

 

[JohnKSa]

Yup. 20 cm.

 

[troy fairweather]

I'd see how it will feed the round and stacks in the mag first.

 

[Gun-Reck]

Have a 6.5 Mauser on a Ruger Hawkeye.

1:8 twist shoots 140 gr. very nicely.

 

[Oldschool shooter]

I know i'm not alone extolling the virtues of the 6.5 x 55. I picked up a bubba'd Swede some years ago. Recrowned the barrel and put it in a sporter stock. I removed the rear sight and machined a piece of aluminum to fit and machined the top surface to Picatinny rail specs. Mounted a 2-6 x LER scope kind of a scout rifle. It will shoot 2" groups at 100 yards all day long using factory ammo. Buy a barrel with similar twist that the Swedes used and have fun with your new rifle.

 

[StrawHat]

I'd see how it will feed the round and stacks in the mag first.

The 98 action was designed around the 57mm cartridge, 7x57mm to be exact. The Model 96 was designed around the shorter Swedish cartridge. I believe more than a few 98s have been built around the x55 cartridge.

Kevin

 

[codytrucker]

Another thing to remember is that the Swede uses a .480 , not .473 rim diameter . So you want to make sure it feeds in your bolt. It probably doesn't take much to open it up that much , if it needs to be done at all .


Edit , I just tried to run a 6.5 swede case through my Winchester M70 .257 Roberts , and it did not work . My 6.5 Swede is a M70 ,too . So there is a difference in bolt face .

 

[Archie]

I do like the 6.5x55mm Swede round. I have several of them in various degrees of originality.

However, since the '98 Mauser is the basis, I suggest the .260 Remington as the chambering. It is essentially a 6.5mm x 308. Do a 6.5mm barrel chambered in .260 Remington. Essentially the cartridge will result in the same velocity range of the bullet weight respectively. The case is the same rim diameter as the bolt face. The final decision is indeed up to you. This is just another possibility to get what you want.

 

[Riomouse911]

Great cartridge! Mine is a CZ 550 that I bought several years ago. I like loading the 140 gr Spitzers over RL 22, it shoots them well with minimal recoil.

Lots of options for barrel, stock and optics, let us know how it goes putting it all together.

Stay safe.

 

[troy fairweather]

Don't overlook the 6.5x57, ppu makes ammo and is easy to make plus it will feed better.

 

[luv2safari]

The 98 action was designed around the 57mm cartridge, 7x57mm to be exact. The Model 96 was designed around the shorter Swedish cartridge. I believe more than a few 98s have been built around the x55 cartridge.

Kevin

The 6.5X55 Swede is a tad too long for a short action, especially with long bullets, and it works fine in a 98 Mauser. It's a very simple job to open the bolt face another .006". For a hunting rifle I would get a light contour barrel with 1:8 or 1:7.5 pitch. It would make for a sweet Swede.

 

[Steve S.]

OP, have you ever noted the pattern that you ask one thing and you always get told to get, use or buy something else. It is always geared toward what they have, own or use. We all need approval and acceptance I guess. Anyway, any of the 6’s you choose should perform well for you - they all do about the same thing. Enjoy the build.

 

[WisBorn]

I love the history of the 6.5 × 55. But I look at the 6.5 Creedmoor boom and wonder why you wouldn't go that route.
The heavy for diameter bullets were designed around that cartridge.

If your in the never a Creedmoor crowd. I would take advantage of the Mauser action strength and go 6.5-06...

 

[CowboyTim]

I love the history of the 6.5 × 55. But I look at the 6.5 Creedmoor boom and wonder why you wouldn't go that route.
The heavy for diameter bullets were designed around that cartridge.

If your in the never a Creedmoor crowd. I would take advantage of the Mauser action strength and go 6.5-06...

Probably the same reason I built an 8x64s when an 8mm-06 would have probably made more sense, I just like the old early 20th century cartridges. They really were a marvel of common sense design, and while the 6.5 Creed and the .260 will be do all the same things ballistically but they are a little short for a 98 action. A 6.5x57 though...well that fits perfectly, but most local shops around here HAVE 6.5x55.

 

[sage5907]

I like what you are doing but I would choose a 22 inch barrel. The last rifle I built has a Bartlein 22 inch featherweight barrel and it worked out really good for me. My goal was to keep the weight of the rifle with scope down to about 8 pounds and to have a rifle that was user friendly.

 

[CowboyTim]

I like what you are doing but I would choose a 22 inch barrel. The last rifle I built has a Bartlein 22 inch featherweight barrel and it worked out really good for me. My goal was to keep the weight of the rifle with scope down to about 8 pounds and to have a rifle that was user friendly.

I hear that, but I'll be putting this in a Bell and Carlson Medalist...my 8x64s is in one with a #2 1/2@23". Just a very handy length, handles nice and looks good in that stock. Thinking when it's all done, I'll leave the barrel unfinished and coat the action in matte black. Then I'll finish the stock in dark earth with black web, maybe just repose the one currently on another rifle that just never worked as well as I'd hoped.

 

[WestKentucky]

I got a Swede rifle last summer and it’s been a lot of fun so far. I really like the round. If I hadn’t killed a doe in early muzzleloader I would have carried that Swede during modern gun season. I was carrying anything to offset what my daughter carried so that if a deer showed up we would be properly gunned for her to get a shot.

Anyways, that Swede is a great shooter and Swedes are known for great accuracy. I would like a Swede single shot, but the Mauser makes a lot of sense too. With the action length of the 98 you could load as long as you would ever want and really play with loads to get it dialed. The 1:20cm twist does seem like a compromise but it’s a really good one. I wouldn’t pay extra money to not have the 1:20cm twist.

 

[ECVMatt]

I enjoy the graceful lines of the more traditional cartridges, the 6.5x55 being one of the best examples. I like cartridges with a long neck and a slight taper that aids in feeding. The 6.5x55 has a bit more taper than the .30/06 and feeds like a dream in bolt actions. I foolishly let one go when a friend convinced me that I needed a 260 Remington instead. I’ve always been looking around to pick one up again. Definitely go for it and keep us posted.

 

[sage5907]

I hear that, but I'll be putting this in a Bell and Carlson Medalist...my 8x64s is in one with a #2 1/2@23".

I was curious about the Bell and Carlson Medalist stock so I looked them up. I have one of their stocks on a 50 calober muzzleloader and it works good to dampen recoil. The Medalist for a M98 is a good looking stock but in the comments it said that their Model 98 stock would not fit an action with an adjustable trigger. I have used Timney triggers on a Mauser action before and I would want to use a Timnney trigger so how do you get around this? Maybe it has to do with the aluminum bedding block that is molded into the stock. On other stocks I have had to remove material in front of the trigger to get the larger Timney trigger to fit.