any one with 6.5x55 experience?

3

300 wsm hunter

Inactive
im building a rifle for my wife. im going to use a small ring 98 mauser with a proof research barrel i'm thinking of 6.5x55. my goal is for her to have a light weight rifle she can backpack hunt with me all around that has a light recoil. i can hand load so dealing with neutered factory ammo is no problem. what do you all think?
 
Perfect caliber that does it all. Even better if you hand load. I love the 6.5x55. It does it all in an easy to shoot and easy to handload rifle.
 
Mine is a custom M98.
First pick whether you want a European or American version of the cartridge .There's no sense in using American cartridges in a European chamber especially when the European one has such a great reputation !
Mine gives me 140 gr at 2750 with no pressure signs., and great accuracy. You also have a 260 or a 6.5x55LITE [ creedmore ]. The 149 will do fine and the premium bullets will give you 160 gr performance. Enjoy !
 
I have 6.5x55,s, but I also like the .260 rem. I bought a rem 700 SA with a syn stock and 24" barrel for 450.00 and it shoots MOA if I do my part and as a reloader I can get all the cases I want as the 243-7mm08-308 can be formed very easy. not so with the 6.5x55
 
The Swede has become a certified cult classic, and you can count me as a cult member. Yes, it's a handloader's round, but components are readily available. Tends to like slow powders. I use mostly Reloder 22, some 19 with lighter bullets.

If you build a very light rifle, remember that its recoil with Mete's (and ligonierbill's) 140 @ 2,750 may not be considered "light" by everyone. You might want to try a good 120 and back off the powder a touch. Up to your wife. I have found accurate loads with bullets from Hornady, Barnes, Nosler, Woodleigh and Sierra in weights from 120 to 160 gr. General load? Try a 130 Nosler AB over Nosler's max of Re-19. It goes 2,800+ from my rebarrelled FN Mauser and is very accurate.
 
yea i think im gona go with 6.5x55. i think she would like it. she is now using my 270 winchester. she does not like it the length of pull is to long.its setup for me. what twist rate / barrel length should i use ?
 
6.5 in the 2600 to 3000 fps range are finally popular in the US, 100 years after the Swedes figured it out.

I like the 22 to 24 inch barrels for the 6.5s. I no longer have a 6.5x55 Swede, but have 4 other 6.5 calibers, largely because of cost and volume of brass we go through. For a hunting rifle that is (hopefully) 200 rounds to work up a load and initial practice then maybe 20 rounds a year for a tune up and a few head of game, the 6.5x55 would be a great option.
 
Since you're cutting weight, 22" would do fine. My FN has a 24" 1:9 barrel. E. R. Shaw's 6.5 mm barrels are available in 8 or 9. I have not found a bullet that my rifle will not stabilize, but I believe the original 96 Mausers were one turn in just under 8". I have one, but have not checked that. That Mauser is extremely accurate with 142 SMK and a modest load of Re-22.
 
I own and shoot eight 6.5x55,s, six military Swedish 96-38 mausers and a Remington 700 classic and a CZ 550 American and they are all very good shooters with the right reloads. and I own three .260 rem,s, a browning low wall and a Remington 7600 and a newly bought Remington sps 700 and they are also very good shooters with the right reloads. in the modern rifles their is not .03 cents difference between them and will shoot all bullet weights with in fps of each other. what ever you choose will be a good choice for all large game with the right bullets, maybe marginal for large bear.
 
On the surface there are equal cartridges.

But I do understand the appeal. I built a 7.5 Swiss for that very reason (target only)

As its fully capable of doing what you want, its a winner.
 
I had a 1907 Swede carbine someone had sporterized that shot mid level 120s using either 3031 or 4064 into 1" groups at 100 yards (3 shots); added a small US-made Burris fixed 4X to replace the Williams peep and it was light handy and accurate.
 
I know nothing about your planned rifle, except no matter how cool Mauser actions are, they are too soft for high pressure rounds....


BUT, the 6.5 Swede is not really a high pressure round. Rather sedate loads are 140 gr hunting bullet at 2650 FPS.....which is good for 500 yd deer performance because 6.5’s shoot soooo flat and straight.

When people compare to 30-06, they see similar mag capacities, harder to find ammo, but better long range performance...>300 yds. Also less recoil for similar performance.

When compared to 243 win/257 Roberts, it has better performance and Elk bullets available.

When compared to magnums, it holds more rounds, recoils way less and gives up just a bit of long range performance.

What is it poor at? In American rifles, it generally needs a long action....causing worse balance and longer action stroke. It has harder to find ammo, but not many fewer loads and not extremely expensive. It lacks much modern pressure data, so 260 Rem, 6.5-06, 6.5x284, 6.5 Creedmor are all a bit more size efficient......but you can load it hotter....that sounds contrary to your plan.
 
looks like in gona go with 26 inch bull 1-8 twist proof it weighs 3lb 15oz the extra few extra oz's over the sendero wont hurt anything. now time to find a fiberglass or comp stock any ideas ?
 
I am fond of the Boyds stocks. At least in Savage the fit is perfect.

The Laminated stocks look nice (lots of choices) and contrary to some views, its a composite stable stock.

Thumb Hole in the Featherlight type has made a great target stock (I do have one of their TH target stocks and I like the Feathelight better)

They also have what I call super grip, (Prairie hunter) havn't used one but shot a similar and I liked it as much as the TH.
 
looks like in gona go with 26 inch bull 1-8 twist proof it weighs 3lb 15oz the extra few extra oz's over the sendero wont hurt anything. now time to find a fiberglass or comp stock any ideas ?
Click to expand...

You’re kidding, right? What is the purpose of this rifle. Maybe my advice was way off...


my goal is for her to have a light weight rifle she can backpack hunt with me all around that has a light recoil.
Click to expand...

To me, this says 22” medium sporter contour.
 
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98 actions don't make good lightweight,(7lb total) custom rifles, especially with a 3 pound barrel screwed to it....which is what we started the conversation with wasn't it, a lightweight rifle for the wife?
There are a ton of lighter, stronger actions for that job.
 
The Proof Research Barrels are a lot lighter.

Ergo, he may be balancing the profile and weight and coming up with a fairly light setup.
 
Sorry for the confusion guys.four weeks ago I built a 6.5 Creedmoor on howa auction and mdt Lss chassis. The wife and I took it to the range to break in. She loved to shoot it.i bet it probably weighs about 10 to 12 lbs mabe more lol.I talked her into 6.5x55 but she wants that barrel. RC20 nailed it
 
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