Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Rifle build around a bullet?

10-4 on the double dupe Josh, I'm going to measure max mag box length, then check to see if any aftermarket are available to give a little more working room, also going to check and see how much i'll have to seat a long 143? LRAB or 147 ELD.

Thanks kkalaska, dang right, talk about slapping the grin off a new build, due diligence is paramount.

Thank You too Hondo, I mathed the little 6.5x47 in my head a bit, seems RL-17 or H-414 may give 2700-2800 fps with the 147 ELD's and 25-26 inches of barrel, if doable would be a descent little wind bucker, another guesstimate is around .210-220 freebore should allow near 3.000' coal if needed, especially to keep those long missiles out of the already strained powder column.

In that magazine, the CM will give all the OAL you need and a hair more powder capacity, multiple choices in quality brass and lots of affordable factory ammo.

Don’t be too quick to go with too long a freebore. Been plenty of barrels cut with too much. Give yourself a short enough freebore to chase the lands a bit as it erodes. It’s counterintuitive but the long nosed VLD bullets require less freebore than conventional bullets, not more. Dummy rounds with all the bullets you’re going to shoot is a good idea. Have your chamber based off the one with the shortest base-to-ogive measurement, giving yourself some to chase the lands.

John

Lordy dang, never thought I'd look up the Creedmoor, guess I better check it out, but, I already have 200 more new Lapua 6.5 Swede cases out in the load shop for a little Swede hunting rifle, Redding dies too, decisions, decisions.

Edited above for more detail.

But Swede might be a good deal in that 3.4” magazine. Make some dummies.

John

10-4, Thanks for the hit Hondo, coal runs 3.100" with 140 NPT's on my hunting Swede, it's on a DWM 98 Mauser, i'll get some time after tomorrow amd order some 147 ELD's and 142 LRABS and have a look.

Very good advice there...

Here. Left to right, all with 147s at the shoulder junctions.

6.5x55 3.105
6.5x47L 2.825
6.5 CM 2.880
6.5 PRC 3.030

For 700+ I go with 7mm...

But if I were going to go nutz on a 6.5, why not go 26 Nosler

3.470 to the lands with a 140 Berger VLD. Win 70 box is 3.400....

Doesn't sound like a very appealing way to start to me.

Josh, Thanks for the pics, that damn near makes the case for the 6.5x55 Swede.

Spotshooter, I already have:
7mm Mashburn 160gr NAB's at 3228 fps
300 Win Mag, 210gr LRAB's at 3000 fps
338-378, 300gr NAB's at 3000 fps

I have plenty of heavier long reachers, looking for something milder to fill a gap but still be able to dispatch odd angled shots on hods, deer during season, coyotes and other vermin here on the farm.

Josh, the 6.5x55 with 142 LRAB's or 147 ELD's will make it easier for me to clean the slop in the long action.

After looking at Josh’s pics and measurements, and since you already have good 6.5x55 brass, I’d do that or the improved version. Improved version should put you right there with 6.5-284 and 6.5/06 performance.

John

Makes sense.

And, you'd have Lapua brass and all the room you'd need in a 3.4" mag to do what you want with long ogive bullets.

And, no feeding issues with fat rounds, although that's not a big problem if someone knows his stuff.

DF

Forgot to mention, modern actions, top quality brass, modern pressure, new powders and bullets really energize the old Swede, AI notwithstanding....

Not yo grandpa's Swede, for sure...

DF

No hands on with the Swede but would guess 100fps more than a Creedmoor at like pressures?

John

It definitely is a good one. Great brass and RL26, H4831, RL23, 7828 will make it sing. Improving it just makes it that much better.

Hondo, damn the work anyway, hate it when that gets in the way of having fun here. leaning really hard towards the standard Swede, trajectory is math and easily repeatable most of the time, the improved version giving a few clicks less wind wont, to me, outweigh maybe one third or more barrel life over the standard.

DF, one thing I'm really looking forward too, there may be a new powder not yet tried that could bring some magic, always part of the fun of exploration, and hell yes on the Lapua Swede brass, tough as a damn boot heel it is, i'll be pressuring up all I can get while still maintain accuracy.

Beretzs, thanks for those powder hits, the right one may lie right there in that lineup, 142 LRAB's should hold their integrity, especially at Swede speeds, the 147 Horns are yet to be tested, another possibility is a Barnes LRX of some persuasion, they damn sure wont fly apart due to centrifugal force.

I need my ass kicked for not grabbing that Benchmark 6.5, stainless, 8 twist, fluted barrel in the classifieds a couple days ago!

Std. Swede may feed a bit smoother than the AL version and with the new powders, I think the original could be cranked up to some pretty impressive performance levels. Way different from the 100 yr old version. This old gal has come a long way in over 100 yrs., advances mostly in the last decade, or even the last few years.

DF

I agree, with 26 a 140 Nosler at 2900 doesn’t seem like I’m beating anything up. I’d probably Improve if building from scratch though, just to never worry about trimming. I’d bet Gunner can find a smith to make it feed slick.

You’re right though, in a regular LA a Swede OR Improved Swede should feed, allow you to put Bullets where you want and be a dream to load for with Lapua brass.

Gunner could speak to it and it would feed slick, afraid not to.

Ha!

DF

I think you standard Swede decision is a great one. Good performance, good barrel life and should feed slicker than snot. Would definitely have it throated to your specs though. Factory Swede throats are all over the place, some extremely long. Not sure how most of the reamers are but would definitely not leave that to chance.

John

That’s a darned fact DF!