Author Topic: 6.5X55 As All-around Rifle (Read 12552 times)

WyoStillhunter · « **on:** May 17, 2011, 06:43:37 AM »

The 35 Whelen All-around? thread has been fun and I have chimed in with a thumbs up for the Whelen. But the 6.5X55 All-around? came up on another forum so I decided to bring the topic here.

My response to the question of 6.5X55 as an all-around rifle:

Without looking at my records I am not certain when I bought my Swede but it must have been in the Spring of '08. In 2008 I took a nice mule deer buck with the Swede.

And I tagged an antelope doe for the freezer with it.

After the season I sent the rifle to Hill Country Rifles, Inc. in New Braunfels, TX to be accurized and upgraded the Weaver K3 to a Leupold FX 4X.

In 2009 I used my Rem. 700 Classic 6.5X55 with Leupold FX4 scope to take an antelope buck (no picture $:-\$ ), fork horn mule deer, and spike elk in three ½ day hunts near my home in SE Wyoming. It was a charmed season, for sure.

Ammo was standard Federal 140 gr. for the antelope and deer. The elk fell to a handload using Hornady 160 gr. RN Interlock. The antelope and deer were 200 yard(+ or -) shots. The elk was less than 50 yards away when shot.

2010 was a tough year. My only harvest was a white tail doe with the Swede.

I am convinced that the 6.5X55 is greatly under appreciated and can handle all of my hunting needs as long as I do my part. I was not impressed with the performance of the 160 gr. RN bullet on that little elk. My modern Rem. 700 rifle shoots 140 gr. ammo the best. Going forward I will stick with 140 gr. bullet (Nosler PT, perhaps) in factory loads or handloads for all my 6.5X55 hunting ammo, including elk (and moose if I ever draw the tag).

james · « **Reply #1 on:** May 17, 2011, 07:27:48 AM »

I too discovered the 6.5x55 a few years ago and it has become my favorite. I have taken several deer, a few prairie dogs, three coyotes, and a truck load of antelope with a TC Encore or custom Savage in that caliber. Next year my back up gun will be a 7mm mag for my Wyoming antelope trip just to use on the days when the wind is really blowing. The Swede is accurate but it just takes the bullet so long to get there, at long range, the wind can send the bullet into the next county. Its no biggie if the wind gets me when filling doe tags but I've decided to take a buck to have mounted. It is usually hard to get close to the big old bucks and I'm not the greatest at doping the wind.

roper · « **Reply #2 on:** May 17, 2011, 08:43:24 AM »

I think most hunters have favorite calibers so what I consider an all-around rifle may different what others may like.

parkergunshop · « **Reply #3 on:** May 17, 2011, 09:05:52 AM »

This is a very flexible round for the reloader.

Looking at my reloader's log I see ten different loads that grouped under 1 inch for 3 shots at 100 yards.
Action VZ24 Mauser, barrel 24 inch Shaw medium sporter, MPI stock.
Most accurate load H380 behind a 140 grain Sierra, group size .284 inch.
Hunting load H4350 behind a 140 grain Speer for a velocity of 2672 FPS, groups right at 3/4 inch for 3 shots.

You need to use the slower powders to get maximum velocity with this round for the 140 and 160 grain bullets.
Both Norma 204 and H4350 gave excellent results.

shot1 · « **Reply #4 on:** May 17, 2011, 12:20:11 PM »

For what I hunt I could live with my sporter 96 Swede 6.5X55. I rescued it from a "Bubba" that had started hacking on it. It retains the 29" barrel and I cut the "Bubba" bent bolt handle off and made a new one on the lathe and welded it on and put a Bold trigger with a safety on it in place of the "Bubba" adjusted trigger pull what had been filed until it was dangerous. I put it into a new composite stock and glassed it and drilled and tapped it correctly to fix "Bubba's" misalignment of spacing on the holes. With a max load of AA4350 according to their ballistics people to keep the pressure below 46000 cup of 45 grs AA4350 in Rem cases, Federal 210M primers and 140 gr Sierra or Hornadys I get a little over 2800 fps and with 46 grs AA4350 and same case and primer with 120 Nosler BT I get right at 3000 fps. and 1/2 MOA accuracy. I have settled on just the one load with the 120 BT for groundhogs up to WT deer. It shoots flat and hammers deer but the bullet is a little tough to really blow up groundhogs but it still kills them well. I was shooting groundhogs with the 100 gr Sierra HP with Varget powder but I had to re-zero for the 120's. The 100 Sierra HP is a BOMB. It scatters parts everywhere on groundhogs. It makes things more simple to go with the 120's and just leave it zeroed for them. The deer I shoot are between 100 and 200 lbs on average live weight.

BBF · « **Reply #5 on:** May 19, 2011, 07:33:07 AM »

Wyoming stillhunter:
What disappointed you on the 160 gr Hdy?

WyoStillhunter · « **Reply #6 on:** May 22, 2011, 06:13:33 PM »

The first shot hit the upper, front leg bone just below the joint with the shoulder blade and disintegrated. It did not penetrate into the chest cavity. At less than 50 yards the spike absorbed considerable shock, was disoriented and started limping in a slow U-turn. I put the second bullet through the lungs. Then he stopped and stood with head down. Although mortally wounded at this point I fired a third shot high in the neck to put him down on the spot. The entire episode took place at less than 50 yards as the elk continued toward me and the second shot was closest of the three.

When butchered that shoulder I could find no recognizable bullet parts. It was pulverized bone and bullet and bloody meat. I was flabbergasted at this bullet failure. No, this was not a maximum velocity load...just a run of the mill book load. The range was short and the bone was squarely hit.

I have killed elk with factory ammo and handloads in 30-06, 280 Rem., 35 Whelen, and .444 Marlin. So I have some field experience under my belt to compare. I still have confidence in Hornady bullets but this was an exceptional experience. I really can't explain it any other way.

BBF · « **Reply #7 on:** May 23, 2011, 07:29:43 AM »

Considering the low velocity of that round to start with it is a puzzle to me as well. I have not used that cartridge for any hunting to date.

The only unhappy surprise I had with another heavy for cal bullet was the original 200 gr Silvertip bullet in the 308 Win load and a similar weight Canadian bullet in the same cartridge.

rzwieg · « **Reply #8 on:** May 23, 2011, 08:41:22 AM »

I've pretty much switched to a Ruger M77 in 6.5 for most of my deer hunting. It's also accounted for a couple of off season coyotes. The M77 likes 140 and 129 grain bullets but 160s won't group very well. One 140 grain bullet is all I need.

This may sound sacrilegious but my .30/06 doesn't get much use anymore.

Sweet 6.5 · « **Reply #9 on:** May 23, 2011, 09:05:41 AM »

From small impala to big bluewilde beest and nice warthog inbetween - no problem.

BBF · « **Reply #10 on:** May 23, 2011, 02:15:42 PM »

Sweet 6.5

What type of ammo( bullet weight/type) do you use??

hillbill · « **Reply #11 on:** May 23, 2011, 03:43:24 PM »

the ballistic coeffecient of the long for its diameter bullet is very good.its trajectory is good for a bullet of a somewhat low velocity.penatration has been proven as well.it does not use a lot of powder. yu dont find a lot of inaccurate rifles in this caliber.case life is good.shoots well with a lot of powders as well.but as a previous poster said, the 140 grn bullet seems to work the best.doesnt kick much.im not finding a lot of down side to the 6.5x55.im thinkin i could live with it as my only centerfire rifle.i only have 1 at present.but id like to have more.

Mikey · « **Reply #12 on:** May 24, 2011, 02:11:40 AM »

The 6.5x55 is a great caliber and Hillbill is right, the ballistic coefficient for that long for the bore bullet is excellent, as it is with all 6.5mm bores and if I had only one rifle for the type of hunting I enjoy, it would be the Swede. If I wanted something lighter in weight to haul around I would opt for the 260, which I think is, finally, a appropriate development in the 6.5 bore.

I started with a 6.5 Italian Carcano in the mid-60s and handloaded 120 and 160 gn slugs, and even though slower than the Swede, that 6.5 filled the freezer when culling herds. As with the Wyostillhunter, I am convinced the 6.5mm bore is greatly under appreciated.

Swampman · « **Reply #13 on:** May 24, 2011, 02:28:45 AM »

Never understood why folks like the 6.5X55. I much prefer the .270 or .30-06.

lilabner · « **Reply #14 on:** May 24, 2011, 04:59:20 AM »

Since we are talking about all around cartridges, there is a group of elk hunters in Oregon who have been shooting the Swede for years using 140 gr. bullets. They are dead shots and will not take a chance shot. There are no grizzly bears in Oregon so for this elite group, the Swede may be considered an all around cartridge. The big bears inhabit much of the western mountains. It is a good idea to pack a powerful rifle for protection. Sometimes it is too windy to use pepper spray. The margin of error is small where large bull elk are concerned. A 30-06 stoked with RL22 and premium 180 grain bullets for a muzzle velocity over 2800 fps is at the low end of the scale for the average elk hunter. provided that bullet placement is good. I shoot a 6.5x55 for deer and antelope and it is a very effective cartridge. The 129 gr. Hornady is my choice for large deer and I like the 120 grain bullet for antelope.

Sweet 6.5 · « **Reply #15 on:** May 24, 2011, 07:58:53 AM »

I used 140gr bullets most of the time. I hunted with Speer and Sierras and they worked very well.
I used 160gr Hornady on bwb and it performed great. I shot the warthog with a 156gr Lapua
mega and it also worked great -

Hey this is maybe why I like it so much, everything just works.

semperfi1970 · « **Reply #16 on:** June 10, 2011, 07:15:46 PM »

I have bought, sold, traded all sorts of calibers and have never parted with any 6.5x55. I dont know what it is about it that makes me stay true to the 6.5x55 but I always have. I load on the lite side and take advantage of 26" plus barrels and achive fair velocities doing so. Easy on my shoulder and tough on game. I would say it is an all around cartrage loaded from 160 grain roundnose for bear and hogs to 140 grain accubond's for deer and 123 grain ballistic tips for varms. Heck the 6.5x55 is just plain fun to shoot.

BBF · « **Reply #17 on:** June 11, 2011, 09:26:08 AM »

I got mine finally back from the G-smith after replacing the barrel, getting action bedded and the stock made more suitable for a southpaw. Once the bugs have thinned out( Septermber?) enough to survive a day at the range I'm loooking forward to shoot that rifle for my first time.

I've got Norma 204 and MRP left so I can make real Swede Ammo......except for the brass.

Harry Snippe · « **Reply #18 on:** June 13, 2011, 06:33:26 AM »

Quote from: Swampman on May 24, 2011, 02:28:45 AM

Never understood why folks like the 6.5X55. I much prefer the .270 or .30-06.

Swampy

You do not understand the 6.5 because you never reseached the road or maybe never shot one on game . You much preferthe 270 and the 3006 , but what then do you compare it too?
Those long skinny bullets do well in the wind as well as penatrate deep . They have accounted for many moose oversea's as well as deer, on this side of the pond . The 6.5x55 is very mild as far as recoil, so this makes it a great round to train a new shooter to the centre fire .

BBF · « **Reply #19 on:** June 13, 2011, 10:17:17 AM »

Possibly because it is a European cartridge?

Hooker · « **Reply #20 on:** June 13, 2011, 03:05:01 PM »

I have in my huge stack of unfinished projects a 700 Remy that will someday hopefully be a 6.5x55.
It's right there next to a half finished 257 Roberts

The 6.5x55 is excellent and works well as an all around gitter done cartridge.
I find that most folks who don't like it have not used it, or they are hung up on paper ballistics.
This is one cartridge that out shines it's paper pedigree and does it with a mild recoil and grace.
The 6.5 is one of my favorite rounds I think the 308 win out shines her a bit but not by much.
Swampy if you were to give the 6.5 a good try you'd love it. And your old shoulder would be sure try talking you into leaving that 06 or 270 in the rack more often. You know we ain't gettin any younger and a little lighter recoil might just let us keep hauntin them backwoods a little while longer.

Pat

Mikey · « **Reply #21 on:** June 14, 2011, 02:38:53 AM »

I don't think the 6.5 Swede gives up anything to 308s or 270s, and may even outshoot them. When you look at military match ammo built for long range shooting you will find the 6.5 Swede probably sitting right next to the 308 and the 06 (and I am just throwing these calibers in for comparison).

You can spend many hundreds of $ on somebody's newest tactical rifle designed to give you the maximum possible accuracy out of the newesrt whizzbang caliber, or you can pick up a 6.5mm Swede mil-surp, spend a few $ on sporterizing it and probably come up with something just as nice or just as good.

There is a lot of hype these days about the newer calibers with their newest loadings that are unequaled by anything that has ever come before it, regardless of caliber comparisons. Why doancha know that now a days the 308 (comparison only)with a 168 gn slug will outshoot and outperform a 190 gn 06, or a 155 gn 6.5 or a 180 gn 7.5x55 or a 200 gn 7.62x54R and, of course, the lowly 6.5 Swede doesn't even fit into that equation - dincha know that??

I think the 6.5 makes a excellent all-around cartridge and I also feel that the plain ol 260 would be a close runner-up. Years ago the ballistics of the old 6.5 Carcano (6.5x52mm) on game really impressed me. The 260 is a modern update (6.5x51mm) as far as I'm concerned and the 6.5 Swede is even better. jmtcw.

Hooker · « **Reply #22 on:** June 14, 2011, 08:45:57 AM »

Mikey I wasn't taking anything away from the 6.5 by my statement on the 308.
If I could have just one caliber it would be the 308 manly because there has been one in my rack longer than any other cartridge and it has never let me down.
The fact is there are many cartridges out there that would fit the bill for all around purposes. In fact there are probably as many as there are opinions on the subject.

Pat

Swampman · « **Reply #23 on:** June 14, 2011, 09:45:10 AM »

Quote from: Harry Snippe on June 13, 2011, 06:33:26 AM

The 6.5x55 is very mild as far as recoil,

As are the .270 & .30-06....and they've killed everything everywhere.

mannyrock · « **Reply #24 on:** June 14, 2011, 01:24:32 PM »

Now come on Swampy, you know that sometimes I agree with you, but I can't always. Saying that the .30-06 doesn't have much recoil is not true. In fact, the military found that it was at the upper limits of what an average man could tolerate in a military bolt action rifle. And lots of recruits just plain couldn't handle it.

I'll bet that if you run the math, you would find that the 6.5 Swede has significantly fewer foot pounds of free recoil energy than the .30-06, comparing a standard 140 grain Swede load to a standard 150 grain .30-06.

Now maybe its true that the recoil of the .30-06 doesn't bother you, but that's not the same as saying that it doesn't have much recoil. Fire 100 rounds of Swede from the bench. Then fire 100 rounds of .30-06. You will see.

Just my opinions. :-)

Manny

yooper77 · « **Reply #25 on:** June 14, 2011, 07:18:43 PM »

Absolutely nothing wrong with the 6.5X55 Swedish cartridge.

My 338-06 A-Square is my choice for an all around rifle cartridge.

yooper77

BBF · « **Reply #26 on:** June 15, 2011, 10:50:33 AM »

Quote from: Hooker on June 14, 2011, 08:45:57 AM

........................
The fact is there are many cartridges out there that would fit the bill for all around purposes....................

Pat

No doubt unless you go to the extreme end of the spectrum.

BBF · « **Reply #27 on:** June 15, 2011, 10:52:14 AM »

Quote from: Swampman on June 14, 2011, 09:45:10 AM

Quote from: Harry Snippe on June 13, 2011, 06:33:26 AM
The 6.5x55 is very mild as far as recoil,

As are the .270 & .30-06....and they've killed everything everywhere.

A look at a recoil calculator will prove you are mistaken.

Swampman · « **Reply #28 on:** June 15, 2011, 02:43:30 PM »

No it doesn't prove anything except that a deer sized game only caliber kicks a little less than one that is suitable for 95% of the worlds game. If you can't shoot an adequate cartridge, respect the game and don't hunt it.

lgm270 · « **Reply #29 on:** June 15, 2011, 03:13:26 PM »

I got bitten by the 6.5x55 bug many years ago and I love the round, although I've not actually hunted with it. It's accurate and easy to shoot. There are so many gorgeous bullets available for it. I really think a 120 Barnes TSX at 3,000 fps would not be far behind a .270 130 grain bullet at 3,100 fps. I recommended the 6.5 for a friend for his son to hunt with and he loved it. I handloaded 140 Grain Nosler partitions at 2,750 fps. He said they killed very well on Wyoming Mule Deer. It was a Howa that was rebarreled to 6.5x55 (23") with a 3x9 scope.