6.5x55 sweed

[rdog]

I have had a long time obsession with the 6.5x55 Sweed M96 & M38 rifles come in to Australia in the early 1980s sold for about $100.00 many were sporterized , to day a good condition original sells for about $1300.0 An old gunsmith friend & i modified many, he passed away some time ago & i purchased one of his best from his son. unfortunately the bbl was badly corroded inside . I fitted a Lother Walther pre fit cut to 23 inch, refinished the stock & rust blued the metal work & fitted an old Leupold M8 6x scope this is a group at 100 meters using 140 grain Hornady SSTs I have a Tikka T3x super light that does not shoot groups like this.

 

[Bullthrower338]

Excellent cartridge!

 

[Shootist43]

rdog, I share your love for the "old Swede." I havent't posted much about my torrid affair with them for a while. I've given my two oldest grandsons their own Swedes and am about to give the youngest one a Swede of his own as well. I talked to a dear friend of mine a few minutes ago to ask about this year's hunt. He told me that one of his younger sons bagged an 8 pointer that dropped to his shot from a Swede that I sold him a couple of years ago. The youngster absolutely loves his rifle. My rifle for this year's hunt was a Swede built in Mauser's Obendorf factory in 1897. BTW it still shoots well under an inch with the original barrel, which is plenty good enough for me.

 

[leslie hetrick]

n-560 has been my go to powder for my modern sweeds.

 

[ChrisG]

I had a 6.5x55 Ruger M77 MkII for a very long time. Like you I am a tinkerer with rifles and I "Anglicized" my rifle to make it have more English Sporting Rifle lines. I LOVE that cartridge, but because the 6.5 CM has so exploded in popularity, and since most of the sniper wannabe's who own one only shoot paper with it. I couldn't find any decent hunting bullets for it for years. All the manufacturers were churning out were match bullets. I got fed up and traded it for a Ruger no. 1 African in .280 Rem.

But I did take a few deer with it and it is a fantastic killer. It is also the only rifle I have ever owned that would put 3 rounds into 3/4" at 200 yards consistently (After I glass bedded it). Penetration was amazing and recoil was almost non-existent. I only handloaded for it and comparing it to the modern Creedmoor, it outperforms in almost every category.

That is a very nice sporterized rifle. You just need to checker it now and it will be complete!

 

[leslie hetrick]

my sweeds are a cz-550, a rem 700 and several 96-38 swedish army rifles in original condition. n-560 is also my powder for a rem 700 in .260.

 

[Shootist43]

rdog, if you haven't already done so, check out Nathan Foster's evaluation of the Swede. Nathan is a very respected long-range Kiwi hunter. I found it quite interesting, I suspect you will as well.
https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase.html From that page go to 6.5 X 55

 

[rdog]

rdog, if you haven't already done so, check out Nathan Foster's evaluation of the Swede. Nathan is a very respected long-range Kiwi hunter. I found it quite interesting, I suspect you will as well.
https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase.html From that page go to 6.5 X 55

Thank you i have read most of his articles on various cartridges & bedding ect .If you could only have 1 rifle for hunting in Aust the 6.5 x55 would be a good choice.

 

[Puddle]

One of my favorite cartridges. Had a CZ550 American that grouped 140 grain Partition handloads very well. I gave it to a nephew who always liked it as a graduation present for completing putting himself through college. That and 100 handloads. Told him to save the brass and come see me when he runs out.

 

[rdog]

my sweeds are a cz-550, a rem 700 and several 96-38 swedish army rifles in original condition. n-560 is also my powder for a rem 700 in .260.

leslie i am a 6.5 fan with 3 6.5x55s the sporterized M38 in my post an original M38 Sweed, a Tikka T3x Ultra lighta, a 260 REM, Ruger M77 mk2 , 6.5 CM Howa 1500 carbon fiber & ,6.5 Grendel a Ruger M77mk2 with a Pac NOR bbl a rebarreled 7.62x39.

 

[leslie hetrick]

in my CZ 550 i run a 140gr sierra gameking bullet at 2850 with N-560, i have gone heavier but the 2850 fps is a moa load at 100 yards. top rifle is a 375 H&H CZ-550, the bottom is my 6.5x55 CZ-550.

 

[sgt_zim]

My hunting load is 42.0 gr of H4350 under Woodleigh 160 gr, right at 2400 fps. I've also gotten really good groups with Lapua Mega 155 gr right at 2500 fps.

Geoff at Woodleigh says he'll have .264 bullets by end of year. I'd give those a go, especially since you're in Oz and should get first crack at them.

I don't really see much of a point in pushing the 140gr or heavier 6.5 bullets very hard. Even another 200 fps on the MV doesn't really move the needle very much on ballistic arc or energy. I found very good groups at low-ish MV and went with that.

Shot a nice 7 pt, 175 lb white tail buck from about 50 yards with a Woodleigh last season. He went down like he'd been struck by Thor's hammer.

I still have a box of 50 of the Woodleighs, and 75 or 80 of the Lapuas. I'd like to put some 156 gr Oryx through my Tikka, but I'm pretty tickled with what I have. Maybe in a year or 3 when I get low on current inventory.

 

[sestoppelman]

Last couple of Swedes I had were disappointing. I once had a Remington 700 Classic that would put everything, all weights into the same group, it was phenomenal and boring, so I sold it of course.
Had one of the Ruger Africans for a time, very mediocre and another Remington, the same.
My only 6.5 now is a Frankonia Mauser 6.5x57 and its a real shooter.

 

[Shootist43]

sestoppleman, were your Swede disappointments an 1896 Swedish Mauser rifle, or a different rifle in 6.5 X 55 caliber? Just curious, I've got about 15 of them in my possession, (some belong to my grandkids) with build dates ranging from 1897 to 1944. I haven't shot all of them, but the ones that I have, shoot pretty good.

 

[sestoppelman]

sestoppleman, were your Swede disappointments an 1896 Swedish Mauser rifle, or a different rifle in 6.5 X 55 caliber? Just curious, I've got about 15 of them in my possession, (some belong to my grandkids) with build dates ranging from 1897 to 1944. I haven't shot all of them, but the ones that I have, shoot pretty good.

Well no, have never owned one. I outlined above the ones I had that were less than stellar.

 

[Shootist43]

leslie hetrick, I just ran a QuickLoad simulation for the 6.5 X 55 using N 560. I believe I'm going to have to give it a try. BTW what kind of accuracy are you getting?

I've been using H 4350 pushing a 140 Gr. Nosler Partition.

 

[F. Vaccaro]

I like the Swede

 

[sgt_zim]

leslie hetrick, I just ran a QuickLoad simulation for the 6.5 X 55 using N 560. I believe I'm going to have to give it a try. BTW what kind of accuracy are you getting?

I've been using H 4350 pushing a 140 Gr. Nosler Partition.

what sort of velocity are you getting, and how much powder.

I've been using GRT, and for the 160 gr Woodleighs with 42 gr H4350, shows I should be getting almost 2600, but my magnetospeed tells a different story - a bit short of 2400.

 

[Bonk]

I've had a couple and I'm a big fan but I no longer own one. The 6.5x55 was a casualty of me wanting to cut back to only a few calibers. It was one of the last to go.

 

[sgt_zim]

I've had a couple and I'm a big fan but I no longer own one. The 6.5x55 was a casualty of me wanting to cut back to only a few calibers. It was one of the last to go.

Define "a few."

I'm at 8 different rifle calibers, no dupes.

Other than a 7x57, I have everything I want. Wouldn't mind a couple rifle upgrades in the same calibers as what I have.