6.5x55 advice sought

Duncan

New member
I am interested in becoming moderately proficient in what I call "bolt action long range shooting"...which for me is 600 meters at a maximum, though honestly, 100 to 300 meters would see 90% of my time (it is difficult for me to find the time needed to get to the 600 meter ranges). And I define moderately proficient as being able to put 10 shots in a 10 centimeter diameter target at 100 meters.

I have been giving some thought to the above noted cartridge for two main reasons.

#1 I can buy an old Swede rifle and a fair amount of cartridges for under $150 and test out the concept of me putting the effort into developing a skill. I believe 12 months would be a reasonable amount of time for me to figure everything out regarding my desire to become moderately proficient.

#2 If the experience is a positive one, then the familiarity with the 6.5x55 cartridge should carry over into purchasing a new rifle chambered for said cartridge. This cartridge has the bonus of being relatively well researched and good points and bad easily discerned.

Using the above noted criteria, is there anything inherently flawed with my reasoning? Such as the idea of being able to train on an older WW1 rifle and transfer said techiques (within reason) to a new rifle. Or perhaps my thinking of the 6.5x55 cartridge is out of date....like 600 meters is out of range even for a master who's spent a decade shooting it. I am sure there are other criticims people can make that I cannot think of at this moment, so please share them.

Also, if someone else has tried this route before (perhaps with different calibers), are there any pointers you would care to share, or some pitfalls you'd like to point out?

Thank-you for your time.

Duncan

PS Does anyone know if there is a generally acclaimed and lauded manufacturer in the 6.5x55 size?

[Edited by Duncan on 02-19-2001 at 02:29 PM]
 
I find my 1900 dated swede 6.5x55 to be reasonably accurate with surplus ammo at 550 yards.Beyond that I can't say as 550 yds is the length of my back yard range.1 foot groups at that range off a good bench rest with standard battle sites are possible although slightly larger is the norm for me. You will have no trouble finding a modern gun in that calibre Steyr makes one and I am sure others do also.I have guns that shoot faster,flatter,and better but I would not part with my 6.5 .In short I don't think you would be making a mistake they are accurate and colectable and you can probably get most of your money back if you don't like it.
 
Seems pretty logical! The price of the better Swedes has risen (all are good, but some are better than others and some are nearly new), so $150 may be a little low.

The only frustration I've had with Swedish Mausers is the sights, but my eyes are over the hill. 600 yards is a toll call with iron sights, these days. :-( But, heck, getting older beats the alternative.

All of the Swedes are excellent. The Mausers command a slight premium, but IMO that is unjustified. The Swedish government specified the steel to be used, and the Carl Gustaf rifles are every bit as good as the Obrendorf rifles, as are the Husqvarna rifles from the WW2 era. You really have to work to find a bad one. There are several excellent web pages out there, devoted to things like decoding the disks that describe bore condition.

One thought from left field: 6.5x55 isn't the cheapest ammo out there. One alternative, depending on what you're interested in, would be to get into the CMP program and buy a Garand. Now, .30-06 isn't the cheapest ammo, either, but if it suits you, you can have it rebarreled in 7.62x51, which *is* cheap. Just a thought...
 
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