6.5+55 and 2800 ft/sec

[Buckfever]

I am thinking of shooting the Nosler Partition  or a Grand Slam for whitetails large Canadian type.  <200 yds.  Does it make any sense to try and boost the ft/sec from 2600 to 2800?  The gun is a new Tikka T3. I have heard that the 2600 ft. and lower is a safe bet for the older guns but the new ones can shoot faster speeds.  So does it make sense purpose and all?  Will it decrease accuracy?  What about knock down power and finally which bullet would you recommend my two or others?   Thanks for the help.  This has been a lot of fun setting a gun up for a focused purpose instead of trying to make it do every thing.  This gun fits me better than most I have shot.  Hope my T3 is as accurate as most I have read about on this board.  Thanks for the help!  Buckfever

[Mikey]

Buckfever - I wouldn't bother.  The 6.5 Swede, even in modest loadings (factory velocity) has taken almost everything you can imagine and a 200 yd shot is par for the caliber.  It may effect your accuracy, and may effect the overall functioning of the rifle, especially if you blow out a primer that flows back into firing pin hole and jams up your bolt, or stretches out a case so that she won't extract from your chamber.

I wouldn't bother trying to upload that cartridge.  Factory loadings take Moose, Elk, Stag and large hog all the time.  I wouldn't have any concerns with a 200 yd shot on a Whitetail from a 6.5 Swede.  HTH.  Mikey.

[Questor]

Those 6.5mm bullets were designed with that cartridge in mind, so they perform well at its velocities.  200 yards is not a long shot with that cartidge. I'd zero it for 200 yards and know that any big game animal within 200 yards requires no hold over or hold under.

I've used the Speer and Nosler BT 120 grain bullets from a handgun starting at 2350fps and performance was fantastic.  The last one was a pronghorn shot at 260 yards. The ballistic tip went all the way through the rib cage and exited.

The partition should be just fine for big deer when loaded to standard velocities.  Check the Nosler reloading book to see if they've got any faster loads. There may be some. These new powders that have come out recently have permitted many cartridges to increase velocities significantly while keeping a SAAMI pressure.

In any case, 2600fps with a 140 grain bullet is not bad at all.