6.5x55 - 140 Grain Reload Velocity?

[Red Devil]

You brought up the 2800 f/s in your post - my response was in line with your speed wishes and how it might be achieved at lower pressure. Not advocating more speed in the Swede.

My comments around pressure are in line with what the sports ammunition bodies list as max - again I offer no guidance or advice in exceeding them, save that you are and it might be fair to any unsuspecting newbie reloaders that could be reading here to caution them.

Unqualified statements like "can be safely loaded to pressure equal to......60K psi" are a little risky IMO.

Otherwise it's your gun, thumbs and eyes

The SAAMI pressure spec. - was determined to make factory 6.5x55mm ammunition safe in the weak and rarely seen Norwegian Krag-Jorgensen M1894 rifle.

The 1896 Swedish Mauser rifles, on the other hand, were proof-tested to nearly 69,000 psi.

So 60K psi won't bother the cartridge/case, and at least the Ruger Hawkeye is built like a tank.


A 140 gr. .264 bullet, like the Speer Grand Slam, at 2800 fps at the muzzle will probably not even reach 60K psi with any 4831 powder.

But it will produce, w/ a MPBR(6") zero, an aperture sighted rifle that shoots dead on to 270 yards, and still have 2200 fps and 1,500 ft-lbs of energy at 350 yards, with a top of back hold.

All with ~ 17 ft-lbs of recoil from a 7.5 lb. rifle.

That, to me, is a nice hunting rifle.

On the other hand, if you limit your shots to 300 yards - 2700 fps at the muzzle does fine.

YMMV.




Red

 

[Shootist43]

Red Devil, I agree with almost all of your previous post. However, I believe the 1896 Swede was proofed at 64,000 PSI not 69,000. When properly loaded, the 1896 Swede doesn't leave very much if anything on the table when compared to "modern" 6.5 calibers.

 

[shootist~]

After I had a broken case in a very nice and accurate 1896 Swede, I bought headspace gauges. GO, NOGO, and Field. The broken case was a second fired Lapua. The charge was book maximum from an older Seirra manual or (IIRC) 0.3 grains above the newer manual's max. RL22 powder and Federal Match Primers. 139 grain Lapua.
A very accurate load that others (on the internet ) used, and I had worked up to.

The RCBS sizer die was set according to the instructions.

The issue was not so much the powder charge, but excessive headspace. Of my three M96s and one M94, three would close on the NOGO and the M94 and one M96 would partially close on the FIELD Guage.

If you plan to load on the warm side for 100+ year old military rifles, I have two suggestions:

1). Set your sizer to only bump the shoulder based on a fired case from that specific rifle.
2). Wear shooting glasses with quality lenses. (Applies to all shooting, of course). I caught hot oil and crud on my glasses' lens from the blowback of the broken case.

Edit to add: I only load the Surplus Swedish Mausers with 139/140s to about 2,600 fps these days.

 

[ZG47]

@shootist~ It is my understanding that SAAMI headspace for the ‘6.5x55 Swedish’ is shorter than the CIP headspace for the 6.5x55 SE i.e., the standard cartridge, as introduced and adopted by the the Swedish armed forces. Hornady dies for the standard cartridge are reportedly designated ‘6.55 Skan’ because the Hornady ‘6.5x55 Swedish’ dies do not comply with CIP requirements and cannot legally be sold in the EU.
Did you buy CIP gauges OR SAAMI gauges?

 

[shootist~]

@shootist~ It is my understanding that SAAMI headspace for the ‘6.5x55 Swedish’ is shorter than the CIP headspace for the 6.5x55 SE i.e., the standard cartridge, as introduced and adopted by the the Swedish armed forces. Hornady dies for the standard cartridge are reportedly designated ‘6.55 Skan’ because the Hornady ‘6.5x55 Swedish’ dies do not comply with CIP requirements and cannot legally be sold in the EU.
Did you buy CIP gauges OR SAAMI gauges?

Mine are Redding (not RCBS as previously mentioned). Bought in the US in the late 1990s, so I assume standard SAAMI specs.