HOWA 6.5X55

F

FourEyes

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I think I want a 6.5x55 the only one that I can find is a Howa...I HAVE never seen a Howa...What do you Guys think about them GOOD OR BAD????or should I go with a 6.5 Creed?? Wheatherby is coming out with the Creed in Mid. June..
Thanks for any input.
Walt
 
it is the same as a weatherby vanguard IIRC

it has gotten some good reviews here in Sweden, sorta in the middle price and quality wise from the cheap axis, ruger american etc and the tikka t3 (which is the most bang for your buck rifle ever)
 
Fine, solid, affordable guns

Made by the same company that makes weatherby. They are a little heavier than I'd like, but chambered in the 6.5 swede you might think you are shooting a rimfire.
 
Never used one, but I hear good things. Whatever you decide on, post a review... I am thinking about picking up a modern 6.5x55, but I have not really researched my options yet.
 
The Howa is a great rifle and you would likely have to spend twice as much to do better. And by the way, the weatherby vanguard is a re-badged howa, not the other way around, and howa does not make "weatherby". Howa makes the vanguard. The mark V is made in the U.S. The weatherby pump and auto shotguns are made in turkey (although until 2007, their autoloading shotguns were made in Italy). The discontinued weatherby over and unders were made by SKB, which no longer exists. So weatherby's have mixed parentages.

As for the 6.5x55 versus the 6.5 creedmoor: I think for both cartridges availability of brass may be a consideration, although the 6.5x55 has been around since 1894. This may not matter to you but the actions lengths wil be different. The 6.5x55 has a long action, while the 6.5 creedmor has a short action.

Plus, what will be it's use? If it will be a range toy or target rifle, then I would choose the creedmoor. If the use will primarily be hunting, then I would choose the 6.5x55, which can be hand loaded in modern rifles to give better performance.
 
Hornady, remington, winchester, lapua, nosler, and norma all make 6.5x55 brass, and if those are all out of stock, you can buy prvi partisan ammo. I have heard their brass is fairly good and the loaded ammo is cheaper than norma or nosler brass.
 
About 125 years difference in cartridge development but not much in performance. I highly recommend the Howa and own several in various calibers. I came close to having a 6.5x55 Howa a few years back but the distributor ran out before filling my order. 6.5x55 is being modernized by a couple of ammo makers and is quite readily "souped up" by reloading in modern actions.
 
All this talk about the 6.5x55. The problem now is that it has always been known as an inherently accurate cartidge.However there are now TWO different 6.5x55 cartidges,European and American .Do you expect accuracy when you shoot the smalle diameter American case in a larger European chamber ??
Make sure you know which chamber you have and match the ammo to it !
 
Actually Howa makes actions they sell to Weatherby who then builds the Vanguard from the Howa action. The actions are the same, and all parts will interchange, but the barrels, triggers, safety, and stocks are a bit different.

I've had both, prefer the Howa to the Vangurd. The differences are minor, but I just prefer the Howa a little better.

Either rifle is generally accurate and well made. The Howa action is the heaviest made, at least on a production rifle. They also tend to put a quite heavy stock on most of them. They are not a good choice if you want a trim lightweight rifle for carrying. That is the only reason I no longer own either. Both were good rifles, but if I were to ever buy another it would make more sense in a heavy recoiling magnum cartridge. I'd prefer a different rifle in 6.5X55. You may want a heavy rifle. If so the Howa would be a good choice.
 
@mete: Could you clarify? Are you saying that CZ's, or howa's, or tikkas' may be built, imported, and then sold in the U.S. with non-SAAMI chambers, or are you saying that american chambers are undersized? If that's the case, how do I buy dies which match up with chambers? I'm not aware of the american die makers offering two different die sizes. I'm not being argumentative here. I'm just trying to figure out what's happening and how this would all work.

I do know that most Remington and Winchester brass, which I've encountered, is very undersized. I just miked some new winchester 6.5x55mm cases and they measured .472 in. dia at the rim and .472 in. dia about .200 inches forward of the rim. My PMC brass miked .473 at the same places. So far everything has extracted and reloaded OK in my remington 700, but I don't consider the situation ideal.

I've been wanting to buy some 6.5x55 lapua brass and see if it is larger, but the cost is so staggering that the experiment has been given a low priority.
 
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Hamie, the American version is made from the .308 family case dimensions while the European cases are a few thousandths larger . Therefore what do you think happens to the accuracy using an American case in a European rifle ??
There are many examples of the 6.5x55 and it's accuracy ,even as a sniper and target rifle . Remington at one time chambered their target rifle in it.
My rifle which I made up in gunsmithing school ,shot less than 1" first time , iron sights .
American makers should have used original specs or just stuck with the 260.
 
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