Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game The 6.5X55 Swedish Mauser a POS

What a moron. Probably drove there in a shiny sports car too. Never chrony'd a lot of loads. Only to check SD of the powder I was using and it wasn't mine. I simply shoot and load whatever is accurate and appropriate for whatever I'm hunting. Velocity is the least of my concerns.

not sure if my story resonates with the OP's topic but I was at the local range a few years back and there was one table that was producing the loudest "bang" among all of those tables. When cease fire was called, all walked to the target to get their targets and I had my son go get our target and the owner of the loudest bang at the table walked away and I took a walk over there and looked at her ammo box and it was a 7 Remington Mag. I hardly see these calibers at the range as most places around here is not a long shot at least locally.

Then when we were given the "go" to shoot I glanced over and the person at loudest "bang" table was an elderly lady probably in her 45's to 50's and it surprised me. Not sure why she bought that or whoever sold that to her. When when she shot the rifle I noticed her barrel was resting on the block of wood...the block was not under the stock. I immediately knew she did not know how to shoot properly nor know proper technique for shooting :-) so much for having the loudest bang at the range!

Have a chopped Swede still carrying its 109 year old military barrel. Put together some ladder loads and every round was inside 1 moa all the way into the point where I was getting pressure indications.

It was initially purchased to be a truck gun. No way! Getting it tricked out and it will live in the safe.

[quote=valad]
Then when we were given the "go" to shoot I glanced over and the person at loudest "bang" table was an elderly lady probably in her 45's to 50's and it surprised me.

ELDERLY!!! Am I the only one that picked up on this. Why you young whipper snapper insulting a young woman n her prime.
Signed
Old codger over 60.

Kids these days !!!!!...... (67)

My eyes are pretty damn good but I can't always tell if a bullet is traveling at 2500fps or 3000.

Last yr. I graphed some PRVI 140 ammo from my 70 with 22" bll. My graph is an Oehler 33, distance 15' from muzzle.

2200 + fps. / it's not just American ammo.

Jerry

I killed my first dozen deer with a bow and a 30/30. My records indicate a 30/30 has less than 1000 foot pounds of energy at 200 yards. However, the Swede has about 1500 foot-pounds at 200 yards. And I would use a 30/30 at 200 yards or less. So I do consider the Swede more than adequate for deer. I have nothing bad to say about the Swede. It is not a magnum but in my experience you do not need a magnum for deer.

In the past, (sitting at camp) whenever somebody quotes which rifle or caliber is the best for deer, I always remember my results with a 30/30. I have had a few heated discussions. Here is what I have found out. Usually a person that has never used a 30/30 on deer, badmouths, everything except the gun/caliber that they are using.

Do I consider the 30/30 a good cartridge at 200 yards or less. NO! I consider it an excellent cartridge! There is an old saying " You can't argue with success!" And the Swede is better than a 30/30.

I once read a short story where a fellow had a fish scale in his tackle box . His buddy,s kid caught a nice bass and was thrilled that his big bass had to weigh at least 5-6 lbs. his buddy borrowed the scale & when they weighed it it was about 3 1/2 lbs and the Kid was crushed . The story teller stated that he dropped the scale over the side and hasn't weighed a fish since, saying if a man thinks he caught and is thrilled with a 5 lb bass I don't care if it's 8" long I'm happy for him.. Though I have one I regard chronographs the same way.

For sure. I've only killed a buck at 150 yards with my 300 Win, mag. It's a real short range gun.

And he road the short bus home...

If you fool with rifles and chronographs long enough, you'll find that the "advertised" load thing is pretty much a myth. I've seen some loads "under preform" by a bunch, and some "over preform" by a like amount. For some reason, my 243's most always seem to do better than what the manuals claim while the 7-08 often does less. But, when the dust is settled and smoke has cleared, there are a lot more important factors than a few more fps of velocity.

In 50 plus years of shooting/hunting I've yet to crony a load.

If it works, it works. It's up to me to position it. I don't need to obsess over speed.

Good groups, bullet construction/performance, and knowing the trajectory of the round is far more important than speed.

The crony will only tell you how it should perform according to the charts. You still have to shoot it at ranges.
The other thing it might tell you is the consistency of your loads, which can be a good thing. Again provable otherwise by actual shooting.

I cut out the chrony middleman....tho I do use the factory statistics and charts- which seldom exactly match the gun/me /range live shoots.

Wow!

David

Yes David +2

Add this to that.

bangeye
Campfire Guide


"I once read a short story where a fellow had a fish scale in his tackle box . His buddy,s kid caught a nice bass and was thrilled that his big bass had to weigh at least 5-6 lbs. his buddy borrowed the scale & when they weighed it it was about 3 1/2 lbs and the Kid was crushed . The story teller stated that he dropped the scale over the side and hasn't weighed a fish since....
Though I have one I regard chronographs the same way."
------------------

If one is hunting in woods/short range velocity (speed) isn't very important. But....

Jerry

Used to hunt with a 7mm Rem mag. One day I decided to run the 140 gr Remington factory load over the chronograph.

3225 fps...

I was impressed. I didn't hunt with it a long time, but everything I shot was also impressed. Kinda zippy!

Regards, Guy

I chronograph a 30/378, 180 grain factory ammo. Got 3,200 FPS. Which is (I believe) what the factory claimed. I was impressed. I told the owner that the recoil was about the same as my 30/06. Then I asked him if he ever shot the rifle without the muzzle brake.

He said "Yes, once, then I flinched for a month!"

I have a bull elk in my freezer that will say otherwise.

6.5 anything is accurate and hit hard. Even though velosity seems weak compared to other rounds. I honestly wish that I started shooting 6.5's sooner.

I blew mine up, felt really bad about it until I heard who else in this world has blown up a rifle. 1926 made I believe, "butchered" and I had to replace the replacement safety it came with. But it shot well and truck gun was my plan also as I only had about $210 into it.

I have 1918 Gustaf in full military garb that I had planned on "customizing". Purchased in the 90's for $85 from Big-5. Had a B Square no gunsmithing mount and a cheap Simmons 4x pistol scope mounted on it and it shot Remington 140's quite accurately. As in a +/- 2" three shot group at 200 yds. As the value of the original military versions keeps going up I can't bring myself to "sporterize" it.

Not when I have 6.5x55 bbl for another rifle I own and it shoots even better than the old girl.

Someday even more 6.5x55's might find their way into my locker.................. I hope.

Geno

Hello David. Would you mind explaining what is "Wow" about las post?