What have you shot with it and what load and bullet have you used. thanks

Have gotten four kinds of deer--axis, fallow, whitetail and mule deer--and pronghorns. Have used various loads, including the 120 Ballistic Tip and Barnes X at around 2900-3000 fps with H4350, plus 140-grain Nosler Partitions at around 2700 with Ramshot Magnum. All have worked fine, and I wouldn't hesitate to use the Barnes or Nosler loads on much larger game.

129 Hornady and 46 gr. IMR-4831 @ around 2650. Put the kibosh to a few deer for me over the years. Not a very hot load, but the deer couldn't tell the difference.

A couple dozen whitetails in the U.S., plus these; eland, gemsbok/oryx, greater kudu, hartebeest, and springbok.

Mostly 140 grain Hornady SpirePoints and Nosler BTs and Partitions in the U.S. Most of my 6.5x55s have deep throats.

156 grain Norma soft point round nose in the old wood-grain boxes in Africa. 8 rounds fire, 8 bullets hit, 5 trophies brought home.

Have killed a couple handfuls of caribou with the 120 Ballistic Tip, (max 7828/R19) another couple 'bou with the 129 Interlock; killed a moose with four 140s: Partitions/A-Frames (4350)




Son put the kibosh on a large beluga with a 120 TSX to the noggin (R19)

One doe antelope. 139gr PMC soft point (probably made by Prvi Partizan). When I killed that antelope that rifle couldn't hit an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper at 200 yds. The original barrel was just toast. It shot ok at 100 but by 200 it was all gone. I've since rebarreled it with a midway barrel and it shoots much better. I was going to take it cow elk hunting this year but someone asked me to test some 30 cal bullets so the 300 win mag is going hunting instead.

I've taken mule deer with mine.

140 grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw (factory loaded).
140 grain Hornady Interlock, handload @ 2535 fps.
129 grain Hornady Interlock, handload @ 2770 fps.

All worked very well.

I only got my first Swede four years ago but I've taken 5 Pennsylvania whitetails with it. Most accurate rifle I own. Tikka T3 hunter spits 140 grainers into Itty bitty tiny little groups around the .5 moa area sometimes more sometimes less pending how much coffee I had

Thanks guy i am looking at a howa 1500 hogue was going to try 120nbt. Just wondering if anyone has tryed the howa and how they liked it.

Minus a 95 grain V Max, about any 6.5 bullet will drop a deer and I wouldn't feel undergunned when hunting elk with a 6.5... as I've carried several different 6.5 calibers before doing so...although a mute point since the elk never cooperated by showing up...

but you choice of a 120 grain ballistic tip is a fine choice...

I normally use 4064 with an MV of 2900 if I want to maximize the velocity.... but have been pretty successful, with loads just leaving the barrel at 2400 fps...never a bullet failure and never failed in doing there job, bang flop...

ya wanna little heavier, Nosler now makes a 140 grain ballistic tip for those who didn't know.. I don't see much talking it up on the campfire...

I read on the 6.5x55 Howas a bit. Google it. Lots of underwhelming experiences with that chambering. Apparently, that chambering just never shot well, and someone said even Legacy told them they couldn't figure out why. Hasn't been current production for several years. I'd look at Tikka instead. Or maybe one of the new Vanguards in 6.5CM for similar ballistic performance.

100gr Nosler BT, 45.0gr Big Game, CCI 200 primer @ 2940fps in a custom 98 Mauser with a 20" barrel:

Several whitetail deer with the Nosler 125 and 140 grain Partition bullets. Powder was Reloder 19. Excellent results.

OlongJohnson,

That's very interesting. They sent me one to test a few years ago and I couldn't get it to shoot with loads that were accurate in every other 6.5x55 I've tried, including military rifles. So I called and explained what was going on, so they sent another one. It shot the same way.

Howa 1500s traditionally have deep throats for bullets in the 150 to 160 grain range. Your rifle may be different, but mine has a lot of freebore jump with most bullets less than 140 grain.

I think i might go with the howa in 6.5creedmore.I hope that will shoot alittle better Muledeer has me concerned with his findings

Aren't the Howa's more crudely fashioned?

Why pass by a near sure thing with the Tikka? I have two. They shoot.

1 cow elk 120 ttsx
1 buck antelope 139 norma soft point
1 big russia boar hog 120 ttsx
1 black buck 139 norma soft point
a pile of whitetails
120 ballistic tip
140 partition
120 ttsx
130 accubond
140 fed blue box soft point

Whitetail and one Axis. I'm at work and don't have my data but use a Berger 130 grain Hunting VLD, CCI LR primer, IMR 4831 and PRVI brass. Could not get my rifle to shoot 140 grain GameKings or 140 grain Bergers.

Perhaps too slow a twist?

Use one for work. 123 gr. Scenar's are death on coyotes & wolves.
Have a Ruger M77 MkII to try out this season on big game.
Can't wait!

Beluga - Excellent!!!

I am jealous...

Is it possible to get a better recommendation than this?

(I really love Klik's posts)

The .257 75 vmax drops deer like they were smacked with a hammer...

Factory loads: 140 Federal Blue box, 140 Win PP, 140 Rem corelokts, 139 PMC

Hand loads: 140 Speer, 140 Horn, 125 partition,129 Horn.

All worked very well on game.

Animals taken are a good number of whitetail, two Axis, a truck load of goats and sheep including Auodad. And a large number of feral hogs. My rifle gets used allot as a loaner on youth hunts. I love the round as it kills extremely well with very little recoil.

Klik's post is the ultimate testimonial though!

I'm wishing I had funds available to get one of the Tikka's from Whittakers.

Nope! Jesus was a fisherman, if he was a hunter he'd a used a TIKKA T3 SWEDE

deer........one desert sheep...maybe cow elk in Dec

140 Nosler AB & H4831sc

Any well constructed 140 gr and a casefull of H4831...H4350

VN560...RE22...will drop any lower 48 game animal

http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/6.5x55.html

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ this

One whitetail and one bobcat using the 155 Lapua Mega at about 2450 fps. Whitetail was about 120 yards and ran 20 yards after shot. Blood trail was massive.

I load max. loads in my son's 260 with 125 PT's. He has killed numerous deer but does it qualify as an Elk Bullet day in and day out at sub 200 yard ranges? BTW he is a good game (grapefruit) shot!-Muddy

I have a T3. My barrel prefers Hornady bullets. I load the 129 with Reloader 19, a 140SST with H4831. About 47grains of each powder. Both are accurate and effective on whitetails.

The Swede is my family's traditional cartridge. I built my first one on a Mauser. I've shot mostly 140 Sierra Gameking and a few critters with the 120 prohunter.

My most recent swede is a Sako Bavarian Carbine. Beautiful rifle, no load yet. Looks like I'm going to load the Norma Vulcan in this one. Gotta love the Swede.

I would not hesitate to use that load on an elk at those ranges. I'm no expert on elk and have not shot one with that bullet. I've used and seen this bullet used on some very large feral hogs and big Auodad Rams. Those rams are pretty tough animals. Based on what I've seen with good placement I'm sure it would work well.

Elk can be tough, especially when they are getting pushed around on public lands. Everyone likes to talk about placement, but elk usually don't stand around and let you choose your shots.

I'd step up to the 140gr Partition, unless you had something bigger your son was comfortable with.

I got my first 6.5x55 this year. I took a pig with it using the 120gn Sierra but will take a fallow or two next year.

That is the culprit.

hunter8mm;
Good morning to you sir, I trust that this first Sunday in November finds you doing acceptably well.

With apologies to those who've already read through this thread, I'll link a good discussion we had last year regarding the capabilities of the old Swede military round.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...ssue_Damage_-_.270_vs._6.5x5#Post9248055

Shortly after finishing that thread I went into the garage, set up the barrel vice and twisted the action off of the rifle being discussed as I'd found a gunsmith who agreed to try an idea that the retired smith in the Kootenays had suggested.

That is to install a bushing on an original military barrel from a 96 and thread the bushing to fit a 98 action - which is what was done. I should note this wasn't/isn't the inexpensive way to go in all likelihood, but I wanted to further play with a deep groove, fast twist barrel and the military ones were both.

I've since shot a second rack mulie buck - 116lb carcass weight - maybe 150-200yds - with a 120gr TTSX that exits the 21" barrel at 3000fps. The bullet struck where I was aiming - right scapula, roughly 2" above the joint with the humerus, then took out a rib, traversed both lungs, took out another rib and exited.

The buck was at a mineral lick when I spotted him and this was one of the very few times in my experience where the animal was very much flipped onto it's back with all four feet in the air - and stayed there. Well it had rolled onto it's side and was very sincerely dead when I walked up to it.

There was one shard of bullet in the meat on the entrance side which weighed 3 grains and another on the exit side that peeled off and made a dime sized exit hole in the rib cage before lodging under the hide - it's 5 grains.

Lastly as you can no doubt infer from the linked thread I am one of "those" folks who do buy into the idea that twist rate is a factor in tissue damage, especially when coupled with bullets which perform well either with higher initial velocities, higher rpm or both.

Hopefully that was useful information for you or someone else out there this morning sir. Good luck on your rifle choice whichever way you decide and all the best on your remaining hunts this fall.

Dwayne

Only shot whitetails with mine.... it seems to show love for about any bullet I put down the tube. I am currently using 130 SII with excellent accuracy.

Based on an extensive sampling of exactly one each, the current Vanguard is better finished than the Howa I had about 5 years ago.