Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Thinking of a 6.5x55

Thinking im going to add to the herd since we had another boy late last week. really like the sweede as we can trace roots back to the old country. looking at maybe a tikka t3 or maybe splurge and go with a sako. i have no experience with either brand so thats why im asking here. would mostly to shoot paper and steel now until the new one iss old enough to hunt. What say you guys?

I got a stainless T3 swede from Buds, great rifle at a great price-$623 delivered right now

BUY ONE!!!

T3 apparently is being replaced by T3x. The 6.5 is a Niche caliber not always available. I do plan to get one or the other Tikka some day.

Lipseye's claims to have the Ruger No 1 in 6.5x55 now. Now its the 2015 RSI version, a few years ago it was the No1A version in that caliber.

Rem M700 classic for 1994 was 6.5x55, Winch made some M70 FWT in 6.5x55, both push feed (got my first deer with that one) and later a CRF M70 in that caliber, but its not currently in their line up.

I think the CZ550 is also available in 6.5x55. The FS might be cool!

One problem with the 6.5x55 is midway just sent out an email stating that Winchester and Remington have "discontinued" brass for reloading. It had been out of stock for years anyway. Prvi brass from Graf's is good stuff priced fair. Norma brass is better but priced like new ammo, I think Hornady and Nosler may have expensive 6.5 brass too.

I also have sortuva "old country" connection with that caliber, so its one of my favorites.

Shoot good.

double D

How is the Tikka T3 stock on that one at Buds?



These days lots of budget-priced guns have an extremely flimsy plastic stock the squishes and bends... Savage comes to mind.

is this one more rigid? is it free floated?

Poole

IMHO the Tikka stock is the best of the factory plastic stocks.....they are free floated about half way back and stiff

If you're not the type to tinker with a rifle, buy the Tikka.

If you are the type who can't help himself from tinkering with a rifle, buy a Howa 1500 from Whittaker's for $330+/- and go to tinkering.

EuroOptic still has a great deal on the Sako 85 black rifle in he Swede.

I've got a blued T3 in 6.5x55.... and it's great. That being said.... I think I'm going back to the .260 or Creed for everything... just seems to be the sweet spot for my 6.5mm needs.

If you want a good deal on a T3 6.5x55, with a new brass/dies/mags/Limbsaver.... shoot me a PM.

Congrats on the boy.... like others have said, DO IT!! The Swede is a fantastic cartridge. You will love it!!

I have one in a Winchester Featherweight that I am really growing to like. It is actually for my son, once he is old enough to hunt with it. I have had a hard time resisting the urge to hunt with it.

I've got Sako's and Tikka's. In my humble opinion the Tikka makes a better mountain rifle because there lighter than the Sako. Accuracy is the same both being excellent.

If I had to choose ID keep the Tikkas.




Shod

I've got a CZ 550 American in 6.5x55. It is my favorite rifle.

I have a T3 Fluted a Stainless in 6.5x55.

IMO it's one of the best calibers to have in the T3 action. Because it uses the 30/06 length action magazine, projectiles can be seated out really far thus maximising case capacity.


My rifle shoots Barnes 120 TTSXs, Woodleigh 140 gn and 95 gn Hornady VMax into less than quarter inch groups giving me a really versatile accurate lightweight rifle.

Don't think, just buy. If I had to do it all over again that's about all I would have needed, but what fun would that have been.

Just a few thoughts...

I've experimented with the 6.5x55 off and on for more than twenty years. Just sold my latest, an M70 Featherweight a couple of days ago. It has been a reasonably accurate rifle for the last few years, particularly with the 140 Sierra and the 140 Nosler Partition.

Recoil and muzzle blast are, of course, subjective; we all experience these factors a little differently. For me, muzzle blast and recoil of the 6.5x55 in the M70 was about the same as my Cooper in .270 Winchester.

While the .270 certainly has better ballistics, it uses more powder to achieve the superior figures. Yet, many tout the higher ballistic coefficients of the 6.5 bullets over those of other calibers. This seems to be pretty much a moot point until ranges become long, usually longer than most hunters are capable of making humane shots consistently anyway.

The .270 was just an example; I'm not a big .270 fan. I realize the various 6.5s are popular at the moment and the "moment" could last quite a while. To some, I think there may be an abstract attraction of sorts, while with others it might be the cartridge efficiency of the 6.5x55, something we can't argue against.

It's enjoyable to experiment and I may get the 6.5x55 bug again someday. But for now, like other cartridges over a lot of years, I don't miss it.

My dealer just called and told me the No 1 RSI in 6.5x55 just became available at Lipseye's....



These damn things are ADDICTIVE! (No 1 Rifles or 6.5x55 rifles, take your pick!)

Poole

I have a T3 stainless synthetic that I picked up used with a Red field scope, two mags, dies and brass for a good price. The previous owner said he could not get it to shoot. After my first range session shooting 3/4 moa out to 200 yards with Remington factory ammo, I had half a notion to run one of my first groups by him.

Accuracy improved slightly with my relads.

TIKKA makes good rifles, and their action and triggers are outstanding. Love the Swede round as well.

Got two Swedes: a "jack knife sporterized Swedish Mauser with a receiver sight that I shoot 160 grain Hornady RN's in for a rainy day in the woods deer rifle and a Sako 85 with a 2 1/2 - 8 VX III, B &C crosswire that puts 130 grain AB's into bugholes, significantly sub 1/2" five shot groups, consistently. Can't tell you much about long-range use, furthest I've ever killed a deer with it (the Sako) is 400 yards. It sure doesn't bounce off at that range.

I think it could be an excellent first big game rifle for a youngster. It sits squarely between the 257 Roberts and the 270 Win. and can come close to duplicating the performance of either with hand loads. It can be loaded down with 85-100s for practice and loaded up with 140s for performance loads.

It's about ideal for deer sized medium game and has been used on plenty of larger sized medium game too.

If I was looking for a 6.5x55 I'd probably jump on this one:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=551643330