6.5X55 Scout rifle build suggestions requested

J

johnwilliamson062

Moderator
I don't think I have ever posted about this prospective build here and I was thinking about it today.
I have never really liked "scout" rifles, but then again I haven't really given them a fair trial either. I have been thinking about a 6.5X55 for a while, and now I am thinking the cartridge would make a nice "scout" rifle chambering. I know it isn't ~30 cal as is traditional, but I have a Garand in 30-06, K31 in 7.5, and K11 in 308.

I have a Swiss M96 barreled action that I could use, but I was considering some other options also. CZ makes the "American" in 6.5X55. Tikka, Sako, and Blaser also offer the chambering. The blazer is way outside my price range and I am not sure it is suitable anyways. I don't know much about the other makers.
Norwegian Krag would be awesome, but there is no way I am damaging a complete rifle. Even messing with the M96 barreled action might be a no-go. There are some commercial Husqvarna rifles around that I could probably bring myself to operate on.
 
swedes were the M96, not swiss.

now my nitpicking aside. I'm a purist when it comes to any old gun not russian or chinese so I would personally not use the M96 but if it was already drilled and tapped or otherwise bubbad then there is no point in preserving it and it would make a very good base to build off of. at the last gun show there was a swedish mauser that was converted to a scout rifle and though I'm in the same boat as you... I was drooling over it until someone else bought it first... the jerk.

it can be done and I bet it was a very good scout rifle. though the concept of the 308 was more for readily available ammo, 6.5x55 has a lot in the way of reloading components so in my opinion it would make a very suitable gun. it take any game in america just as well as a 308 could so I say go for it.

however... with my purist nature getting the best of me, if that m96 action is still returnable to collectors grade then I say buy a tika, sako or CZ and build off one of them... they wont be collectable until I'm too old to enjoy them anyway so what do I care:D
 
Well, I could buy a modern M96 stock the same shape as a military one or a surplus one without all the ?cartouches? at a pretty reasonable price. Getting one with all the original parts, especially that matched the rifle, would be considerably more expensive. With as few as I see available I bet I would be stopping someone else from doing the same thing. The barreled actions are available at just over $200, so there are a few out there. Not quite the same as an SKS 2X4 bubba took off to add a synthetic Tapco stock.

I think one of the others would have to have some sort of practical edge over the M96 for me to not use it. Significantly shorter action length for instance.
 
Howa also has a rifle in that caliber that isn't expensive, I think the TC Venture is also offered in 6.5x55 and Ruger used to.
I have a Mauser 98 action that some day I'm going to get around to building a 6.5x55 around. It's my favorite rifle caliber. Samco has barreled straight bolt M96/38 actions for under $300 and complete M38's in stock. I toyed with, for a very brief second with putting a scope on my M38:eek:...but there's no way I'd do it.
 
My M96 is is from Samco a few years ago when they were only $160! Yes, of course it is a Swede and not a Swiss.

The stock sets linked to do not have discs. I guess I could make one, but that wouldn't be quite right either.

I have a K31 and it is a great rifle, but it is not light and I would prefer a lighter recoiling rifle for this scout concept. 6.5X55 is enough to hunt anything in NA, but it is still an intermediate cartridge. I have wanted to build a rifle off one for a bit, but never figured out where I could fit it in. The scout seems like a great place for the cartridge.
 
6.5 is an intermediate cartridge? 6.5x55 has been used in battle rifles for over 100 years. it was developed right alongside the 30-06, 7.62x54R, 7x57, 8x57, 6.5x54, 6.5x52 and 6.5x50. all are full powered cartridges. 300 BLK, 7.62x39, 7.92 kurz, these are intermediate cartridges, 6.5 is still within the realm of big game and long range easily.
 
Or, go to a local pawn shop and pick up a used Savage or Stevens, swap the barrel for 6.5 x 55 and put a forward mount on it. I bet you could do the whole project for under $700.00.
 
The stock sets linked to do not have discs. I guess I could make one, but that wouldn't be quite right either.
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The disks are available as well. There are a few on Ebay right now, and I have seen them on Gunbroker as well.
 
30-06, 7.62x54R, 7x57, 8x57, 6.5x54, 6.5x52 and 6.5x50. all are full powered cartridges.
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Well, the bullets of the 6.5X55 run about 50 grains, or about 30% lower than the 308. At the about 160 grains the 6.5X55 is about 15% slower. Due to the generally lower bullet weight felt recoil in similar weight rifles should be considerably less. Creemore and grendel are also commonly referered to as intermediate and one is lower and one higher than 6.5X55. I have read articles in which the 6.5X55 was referred to as the first intermediate cartridge.
I wouldn't have thoug of the 300 AAC as an intermediate cartridge any more than I think of the 30 Carbine as one.
6.5x55 has been used in battle rifles for over 100 years
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The cartridge was really developed closer to the .30-40 Krag and is probably closer ballistically. A generation before the 30-06. The 30-40 Krag was replaced b/c it wasn't quite up to US MBR standards, right?
Not that "intermediate" "MBR cartridge" and "pea/poodle shooter" have technical definitions as I know them. I would agree the 6.5X55 is on the upper end of the "intermediate" or the low end of the "full power"/MBR cartidges.

I think I will try to get a commercial mauser for the build. They are available pretty cheap and I won't feel bad tearing up the stock or cutting the barrel while I am at it. Probably just sell the barreled action, especially since price seems to be up $80 since I bought it and the commercial guns aren't much more.
 
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I am going off the actual deifinitions of cartridges.
intermediate cartridges are usually designed for assault rifles which have superior ballistics to pistol calibers while significantly lower recoil than full powered cartridges. the 6.5x55 is not an intermediate cartridge by the true definition of the term. though 6.5 uses lighter bullets than 308 it is still considered a full powered cartridge rather than intermediary. 6.5 of any variety are all considered too heavily recoiling to make a fully automatic rifle impractical for application. by that definition, even though 6.5 grendel can fit in an AR it is still not an intermediary cartridge.
 
I'll cede the intermediate cartridge point.

Anyways, more searching for different modern rifles chambered in 6.5X55 and I ran across the Sauer S101 Classic and S202 Outback. Maybe Highlander if I could find the specs and not just a description of design intent. Thinking maybe I should just keep saving because both look like incredible rifles. At $1400 predicted street price and the only place I can find them listing it closer to $4k I would have to wait a while though.

If I could find a Ruger with Tang safety it might be worth the extra expense. Then again, I am not super confident in the out of box accuracy of Ruger rifles, especially older ones.

At the end of the day I think I will get the military stock for the action and see how it groups. If it groups great I will perform surgery on the M96. If it groups mediocre I will set it aside to return to original condition. If it groups like crap I will start looking into a new barrel as part of the surgery. For what I will save using that barreled action I can buy a decent correct specimen to keep correct. Even if I buy A disc for this one it won't be correct. The barrel condition, diameter, and aim adjustment would all be wrong.

I did run across an inexpensive M94 that has already been cut, but, from the little I can find, it wasn't such a great rifle.
 
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