This is my first experience with handloading and I'm pretty new to this forum, so take my long post here for what it's worth.
I put together some 6.5x55 Swedish cartridges and tested them with no signs of pressure problems. As anyone reading this thread probably knows, the data for loading 6.5x55's has quite a bit of variability, both at the starting load end and the maximal load end. I understand that people should be safe with their own equipment, so I am not suggesting that any loads in my post are good or recommended to others (or free from typos, etc...). But I'll just show the direction I'm going with working up a load using Vihtavouri N160 and Hornady 140 gr SST bullets for a 1 in 8" twist Howa rifle.
Hornady gives load data for the N160/140 gr SST combination (start at 37.0 grains, max at 41.0). Vihtavouri gives much hotter loads for 140 grain bullets (with a starting load at 43.4), but nothing specific to Hornady SSTs.
Below is the result from testing one each of 39, 40, 41, and 42 grain N160 loads at the same target (Hornady 140 gr SST, once-fired Win brass, CCI-200 primers, 3.00" COAL, Howa rifle, target at 100 yds, Chrony at 10 yds, 30 F, 7000 ft elev., no wind), indicating that these loads grouped together pretty well despite differing muzzle velocities.
![[Linked Image]](http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l605/westgoldrun/sstloading.jpg)
And a comparison of Quickload-predicted velocities to measured
![[Linked Image]](http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l605/westgoldrun/sstgraph.jpg)
For comparison, I clocked Winchester factory 6.5x55 rounds the same day at 2510-2531 fps, so my test loads were all slower than US factory ammo. I am liking the grouping, though, so I might be close to satisfied for my deer/antelope needs.
