Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Handloads for 6.5 Swede carbine

I bought a sporterized swedish M94 carbine (18" barrel ) . It shoots well with the one box of 139 grain Privi Part ammo I found at a gun show . Curious what other shooters experiance is shooting / hunting with the carbine . I've a couple pounds of IMR 4350 / IMR 4064 and have seen load data for both in the 6.5 Swede but wonder if they would work as well in a shorter barrel . Any thoughts ?

Thanks - Tortoise

I have a BSA CF-2 in 6.5x55 with a 20" bbl. Maybe a little stronger than your Swede, but I haven't pushed it very hard. The factory throat is very long, but the magazine max length is 3.1". I seated all bullets as long as would function through the magazine except the Sierra 160s at 3" max OAL.

The Norma 156RN factory stuff clocked 2371fps & the Norma 139PPC went 2540fps out of this rifle. All velocities are at 10' instrumental not corrected to MV.

I did a short test with 4064 & the Sierra 100 HP but never bothered with it after that. It may be OK with lighter bullets. IMR 4350 could be one of the optimal powders for the Swede. With 125 Partitions & 129 Horn. Sp.Pts, IMR4831 does well somewhere around 45 to 47 gr. with speeds between 2630 & 2665fps. Older lots of IMR 4350 & IMR 4831 could switch places on a burn chart. (A new lot of IMR4350 is only 35fps faster than an old ['90s] lot of IMR4831 all else equal in 7x57. Just shot the comparison today.) RL26 did well with 130 Sierra GK reaching 2830fps with good hunting accuracy. For 140s I settled on 45gr of an old ('86) lot of H4350 with the 140 Partition at 2606fps. RL22 shot almost as well but was about 50fps slower with the accuracy load. With the Hornady 160 RN RL22 & IMR7828 both shot well with 47 gr. at 2430 & 2470fps respectively. Again 47gr RL22 (a newer lot) with the Sierra 160 SMP reached 2550fps with good hunting accuracy. Norma brass & WLR for all loads. As always start low & work upward because my stuff is different than your stuff & all 4350s are definitely not the same.

I had the same rifle that my father picked up somewhere and had it sporterized. It wore a Weaver K-4 and I killed my first deer with it. I loved that rifle until my dad gave it away.
I'm not positive on the charge weight, but I know he used IMR 4831, a CCI 200 and the 140 gr. Speer SP. I think the charge weight was 42.0 grains, but I'm not certain.

That barrel length isn't a problem.

With that short of a barrel I would look at using something with a quicker burn rate, such as 3031,
but for you guys who like newer powders, then definitely be reaching for AR Comp...