Guns, Bows, Shooting Sports, and Hunting 6.5x55 Swede

[DSpringstead]

For all you reloaders out there... ... ... .

I've just acquired a Tikka T3 in the 6. 5x55 caliber. I'm close to reloading for it & I'd like to open the subject to all that may have a "pet" load for it. I'm mainly going to reload in the 140-142 gr Sierra, but have Hornady 140 SST, Nosler 130 gr Accubond, & Swift Scirocco 130 gr.



So folks... ... bring on the reciepes:-laf

 

[The patriot]

I got no recipies, but I'll be loading some 6. 5 grendel as soon as some $$$ loosens up so I can finish a few builds here.

 

[AMink]

A great cartridge! I have an old Swedish Mauser that has been sporterized. I've take an antelope and a mule deer with it so far. I reload using Barnes in about the same weight range. You should be able to go a little hotter than mine because of the more modern action. Just remember faster doesn't always equate to better. I really wish this caliber had taken on better in the states. It's about a ballistic equal to the . 264 Remington. Guess we just didn't take to "metric" calibers until relatively recently.

 

[DSpringstead]

That's what I was looking for. All the reloading tables are accounting for the huge surplus of Swedish Mausers still out there. I know that Lapua, RWS & Norma load their's a little hotter that the US does. So I was wondering if anyone had worked up a good load for the modern actions. Guess I'll have to stick to the high side of the tables.

 

[jray]

One reason for the late entry into the American market for the Swede is the relatively low chamber pressures that it is held to with respect to the old military receivers. With the likes of Remington, Winchester, Tikka and Interarms Mark-x, the old cartridge has new life and you can actually push that bullet at a reasonable speed.

I own three 6. 5x55's. A Winchester, Mark-x and a Kimber which is a converted military mauser. I haven't developed a load yet but given that you're loading for a Tikka, definitely look at the faster loads and cross reference several books to make sure you're not blowing them down the barrel too fast.

 

[DSpringstead]

Actually I was on the Lapua website & found some reloading tables. Interesting enough they have 2 for the 6. 5 Swede. One is for all the mausers & the other is for 6. 5x55 SKAN. Now I don't under stand what SKAN means but it defines it as all the newer actions Sako, Sauer & Blaser. That table I copied & compared it to the tables I got from Nosler. Very close comparison. Jray... . very true... to crossreference every book I have. But being a newer & stronger action as long as I stay down 10% from max I should find something that works great. My goal is to bring down a Elk. Sound pretty lofty? If they have been bringing down moose sized animals for the last 100+ years with the older style, so can I. All it comes down to is a good load & shot placement. That's all it's ever been. Besides it'll be a great story around the dinner table.

 

[The patriot]

Many an elk has been taken with 6. 5x55 mauser.

Pick a stout load with a heavy bullet and you should be well armed.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Many an elk has been taken with 6. 5x55 mauser.

Pick a stout load with a heavy bullet and you should be well armed.

Really I thought that it might be a little light for Elk but shot placement is going to be critical on large game and I dont think I would be shooting at long range.

 

[AMink]

There is actually old and new Swede actions. I forget what year they changed, but the newer military actions allowed for a higher chamber pressure. There are a bunch of interesting sites that have info on the old Swede actions. I'm keeping my eye open for a Tikka, Sako, Ruger, or other "modern" arm that chambers this round. 'Til then, it'll be the old military gun I have!

 

[The patriot]

Really I thought that it might be a little light for Elk but shot placement is going to be critical on large game and I dont think I would be shooting at long range.

Shot placement is always #1.

If you dont tell the elk, I dont think he'll know the difference. :-laf

 

[BIGNASTY]

with my 338/378 shot placement is critical for meat preservation that thing is like a shouldered howitzer. Going to have minor shoulder surgery in a few days no dought that it had something to do with it :-laf

 

[The patriot]

I'll stick with my mouse gun. Not much to hunt here anyway. :-laf

 

[HHhuntitall]

I've killed a lot of game with the 6. 5x55, and especially the 6. 5x284. I also have a 6. 5x284 that I shoot F-class Open with, and have won several matches. The 6. 5x55 is a bit slow for 1,000 yard ranges, in my opinion, but holds most of the European records at all ranges. The Lapua brass is the best, again, IMHO. Using that and 140 Sierras, in a modern action like a Remington 700, sub MOA groups are possible at almost all ranges. I had an Old model 70 Winchester in 6. 5x55 with a McGowen barrel that shot very well once it finally broke in. I was using 45gr IMR 4350 with 140gr Sierra Game/Matchkings, with CCI BR2 primers, or 48gr H4831. I had a little more free bore, so I didn't have any pressure signs, but those loads are high on the chart for most rifles. I also had a great load with 120gr Sierra's using 50grs of H4831. The 140s would do close to 2800fps, but I also had a 27" barrel. Recoil was non-existant, and it was a blast to shoot. I rechambered it recently to 6. 5x284, and my dad used it at Rosswell, NM to win an F-class competition. **My most accurate load was using 45. 5gr H4831, around 2700fps. Watch out of the Winchester or Federal 210M primers, as they are too hot, most of the time!!

 

[GHarman]

with my 338/378 shot placement is critical for meat preservation that thing is like a shouldered howitzer. Going to have minor shoulder surgery in a few days no dought that it had something to do with it :-laf

BIGNASTY, Dont fergit the "crew served" part:-laf! I'd have to have a muzzle brake to shoot that thing!!! Kinda like a 155MM Howitzer, comes to mind! GregH

 

[DSpringstead]

HHhuntitall, for the terrain that i'll be involved in 300yds is about all I'll be comfortable with even though the Swede can do much more. Did you have a favorite round for your 6. 5x55 for hunting? I'm know that the Swede has no problem with deer, mule deer, etc. And as expressed in this thread Elk are not out of the question, BUT I'd welcome all reccomendations on a load for Elk. My biggest fear is that with a shot gone bad, the Elk will be 5 canyons gone by the time you get to the shooting spot & that's neither good for the Elk or me!

 

[AABEN]

Accurate reloading book has the Swedish mauser 6. 5x55 in it the SAAMI max average pressure is 46. 000

 

[HHhuntitall]

Your Tikka T3 action is one of the strongest out there. Ironically, I just bought one this weekend used from a guy at the Tulsa gun show, chambered in . 243. On my custom rifle, I used the hottest load it would stand, but again, remember I had more throat than most of the factory rifles, as it was built on a long action, and I could seat the bullets out much further than most rifles were. My hunting load was 48gr H4831 with the 140gr Sierra Matchking. I used a Remington action for my hunting rifle, and used the same reamer that I cut my match rifle chamber with. If you research this round, you'll find Walter Dalrymple Maitland Bell (Karamojo Bell) killed over 300 elephants with it, one shot kills, using 160gr Klocke round nose solids. This was back shortly after the turn of the century, and powders and pressures, as well as bullets, have drastically improved over the last 90 years. Any Mauser actions that are not heat treated properly, are only rated to 46,000 psi chamber pressure. Any more will cause the softer action to begin to give, allowing the lugs to move back, increasing head spacing until the case separates. Modern Mausers and those re-heattreated by Gustoff are capable of easily handling 60,000psi, and are some of the toughest actions ever made. Your Tikka is even stonger, but still only rated at 60,000psi. Remember to start lower and work your way. I know you said that, but just a reminder. More than likely, your max load will be closer to 46-47gr H4831. I'd also try some H4350. It's been my experience, the fuller the case, the more accurate the load. Good luck.

 

[DSpringstead]

HH,

I just recieved a box of Berger 140gr's & I'm looking to see if it's a good hunting combination. Have you had any experience with them? I've heard pro's & con's on it, you know "6 of one & half a dozen of the other" I've read that they're pretty savage when it comes to terminal impact to the vitals with Elk sized game.

 

[HHhuntitall]

Berger 140's? Which one? I've used their Match Hunting VLD(PN 26504), Match Target BT(PN 26409), and their Match VLD(PN 26401). All work well and have great BC's, but it seems many of my rifles are somewhat finicky about them. The two built 6. 5x55s I've had, one was a match rifle, and liked them a lot, but the hunting rifle wouldn't group with them. I had a factory Husquavarna Mauser with the Chrome Vanadium barrel that would shoot anything, but it got confiscated by my Dad, and he shoots the Hunting VLD in it. You've got to have a good barrel to shoot them; I'd suggest 1:8 twist for best accuracy. I believe the Tikka uses a 1:9. 5, so you might not have much luck, but occasionally, factory barrel'll shoot the Bergers if they're really good barrels. The bearing surface is much shorter on the Bergers than most other bullets, most factory twist rifles won't shoot them. Of course, you won't know if you don't try, right?!?! If you have to compromise, try the Berger 130s, as they've worked good for me in factory rifles that didn't like the 140s sometimes. The Sierra 140 matchkings have a much longer bearing surface, so they have more bullet in contact with the barrel to better stabilize it, so they typically shoot better in factory barrels.



As for terminal perfomance, I've killed, literally, thousands of hogs with match bullets, countless coyotes, and quite a few deer, including some 170-80 class B&C Whitetail bucks. I use a lot of the Sierra 140 6. 5 and 168 7mm Matchkings, and quite a few Bergers and JLKs(quite a bit more expensive!!!), all with great results. I'm not sure I'd go after a big bear with them, but any less than dangerous game, sure. Elk, I'd personally go for a spine shot, but that's my preference. On a shoulder shot, for yardages around 300 like you're talking, they should work well. You're only going to see 26-2700fps, depending on your load, but that still gives you well over 1,000ft-lbs of energy at 300yds, so it should work very well on elk. At 2600fps muzzle velocity, using the 140 Berger Ballistic Coefficient (G1, old calculations) of . 612, at 8,000 ft of elevation, you would have roughly 1600 ft-lbs of energy. For comparison, a 300 Winchester Magnum, shooting 180gr Hornady Spire Points 3,000fps(guess work here!!), would have @2200 ft-lbs of energy at 300yds, and work very well, if you don't flinch from recoil..... But getting back to the hogs, they are a very tough animal to kill, let alone kill in one shot, and I have killed hundreds with my 6. 5s, be it my 6. 5x55, 6. 5x284, 6. 5'06 RCBS, or my . 264 Win Mag, and very seldom have they ever run off... if they did, it was my fault for poor shot placement. If the round will kill that 2-400lb boar in one shot, it will do the same on an elk. I've only killed one elk with a 6. 5, and that was my . 264 Win mag, so no direct experience with my 6. 5x55. But if it works on elephants, surely it can take down an elk!!:-laf

 

[DSpringstead]

Well finally the company allowed me to get out to the range to work with my swede. All I can say is OMG!!!!! I spent the 1st 25 rounds breaking in the barrel before I sighted in.

Now I've owned a 6. 5 Grendel AR-15 & that was a blast to shoot, but when I squeezed the trigger on this Tikka... . Was it ever a blast! Caught me by surprise. Gave me a new understanding on why this caliber has lasted so long. I has 3 different types of rounds & the one this Tikka liked was the Lapua 155 Gr mega's. Would you believe I shot a cloverleaf at 100yds all in . 5 MOA next to dead center? I'm using the Buck Commander scope on the Tikka. The rangemaster at Plantation in Whatcom county said that was good enough to shave hair off of bugs butts. And to think I traded a 9MM pistol for this.