Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 6.5x55 swedish

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.