Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 6.5 question

Pretty likely you could find something to shoot well out of that one.

Yep.

Traded for it here on the Fire. It had a McM Hunter stock; I like the Hunters Edge more. So, I sold that stock, bought a Hunters Edge here on the Fire Store, glassed it then sent it back to McM for paint. It came with a Timney trigger, I mounted a Conquest 3-9x40 with turret in Talley LW's. It's a keeper.

DF

There is so little practical difference between the 6.5x55, .260 Rem and 6.5 Creed, in factory loads, that I would say, pick the rifle that best suits you and buy it in whichever 6.5mm they chamber it for.

Handloading does tend to favor the 6.5x55 and some rifles use a standard length action so you can, as you said, load heavies to their full potential.

My favorite low recoil, will handle 90% of the game I am likely to shoot, rifle is my 6.5 Grendel on a CZ 527 action. My favorite lightweight, full power rifle is my Kimber Hunter in 6.5 Creed. I like that one because, as many have already pointed out, there is a vast assortment of reasonably priced factory ammo available. Oh, and it shoots pretty darn good too.

I own and shoot 6.5's in the Grendel, .260, .6.5 Creed, 6.5x55, 6.5-06, and 6.5x65. I started both my boys at age 8 on the 6.5x55. I loaded 100 grain BT's at 2700 fps and my youngest killed a massive 250 lb PA whitetail with that load. They have since graduated on to full power loads.

If I had to choose one, I'd keep my custom 98 in 6.5x55. But I could live with any "one" of my 6.5's if I had to.

I do handload (and cast) so I have some powder and primers to start with, and will probably look to trade off some brass for whatever 6.5 I settle in on. I like to shoot, so I can see having some fun developing loads up and down the spectrum of the cartridge's capacity. Given you have such a collection of 6.5s, including the Grendel, have you found a common powder or bullets you can use across the different calibers? Is there a difference in brass life, etc.? I'm not a "box a year" shooter, especially since I've gotten out of collecting firearms, calibers and wildcatting. The fun for me now is to thoroughly work with a single firearm to our fullest potential, which requires range time and reloading IMO.

I've played a little with the Grendel in a 527 and Howa Mini - that's a fun caliber for a shooter, and probably great for most hunting in the lower 48!

heldfast,
Suggestion FWIW; go to bullets.com, buy this Lapua factory 6.5x55 ammo, shoot 100-200 rounds to break in the barrel and get it up to speed, then use the excellent Lapua Brass that was fireformed to your rifle to handload.

http://www.bullets.com/products/6-5x55-SE-100-Grain-Scenar-HPBT-Ammo-Box-of-50/BL11012

Good luck!

Great tip - thanks!

Welcome to the forum and thanks for your service. You really can't make a bad choice between the three. They all do the same thing. If buying ammo over the counter, the Creedmoor has the availability advantage. I have a Howa in 6.5x55, and in factory form it is too heavy. As it sits now in a McMillan stock, it is fantastic. I also have two 6.5 Creedmoor rifles that do what they are supposed to do. I handload, so I can kinda take them where I want them with my loads. With the three manufacturers and the three chamberings you listed it's Tikka in a 6.5 Creedmoor all day long.

Dyna Bore coat the barrel, shoot it, forget about "break in".

IMO.

DF

One powder I have found that works well in the Creed, the .260, and the 6.5x55 is RL15. It works well with lighter to mid-weight bullets. For heavier bullets the 6.5x55 prefers a slower powder. I haven't reloaded the Grendel enough to say yet but due to its capacity it likes powders that don't work as well in the others. The loads I mentioned my sons using were crafted using RL15 and shot sub moa in both their rifles.

There is interesting data with RL-26 and heavy bullets in the Swede.

I'm going to load the 147 ELD-M over RL-26, some recommend 50 gr.

That could be a good combo, reportedly accurate and fast. IIRC, QL has RL-26 as fastest powder.

DF

I do not have a Swede, but I do own a .260 and a Creed. I like them both, but favor the Creed, as it handles the long bullets a bit better. Both are great killers and very accurate. If I decided that I could not live without a Swede, it would be in the AI version, to take advantage of the longer magazine etc. A standard Swede is no big deal and is not noticeably better than the short action .260, or Creed. The AI definitely makes the longer action Swede a contender, though, but then again, if I wanted a long action 6.5, I would get my '06 re-barreled to 6.5x06.

DF,
I’m not big on break in either. Mainly just like to shoot a couple hundred rounds to get the bore up to speed. My Bartleins typically gain speed somewhere between 100 and 200 rounds.

I'm a DBC nut as you probably know by now.

Done right, the bore seems pretty slick. After a few firing and cleaning cycles, it gets even slicker and easier to clean.

My premium barrels with DBC just about don't foul. There will be some carbon residue, but little or no fouling. If there is a trace of copper, Wipe Out and a patch will usually remove it. Hardly ever to I have to reapeat that process and I NEVER use brushes on a DBC barrel.

All this info via the Hawkeye, no guessing.

DF

easy enough

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

If you really want a 6.5x55 you will have some solid options. If you are open to the Creedmoor, your options are almost limitless. This is from someone that owns two 6.5x55s (CZ & Ruger).

I don’t think I’ll ever sell my Ruger 77rl tang.

I've been shooting and reloading the 6.5x55 for more than 30 years. Started off with the Carl Gustaff Swedish military rifles and now have 3 modern action rifles. It is very easy to load for and there is an enormous variety of bullets available to choose from. Both the 260 Remington and the 6.5 CM will do almost everything the Swede will do in a short action but I will always keep my Swede. The original 6.5. Good luck with your choice. I'm sure you will be satisfied with whatever you choose.