Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 6.5x55 and 6.5 Creedmoor

I am interested in a Tikka in 6.5x55 but am having a difficult time finding one, but T3xs in 6.5 Creedmoor are in stock everywhere. How difficult would it be to do this conversion? Or is it better to just be patient and wait for one to come back in stock?

Patience.

If it were me I would just go with the Creedmoor.

Tomatoe tomato.

I have both (not Tikka). The Creed will generally shoot tighter groups than the Swede; both of mine have Shilen barrels, so that should be a wash.

One can reload the Swede and get great accuracy. Factory ammo definitely favors the Creed. The Creed is less sensitive to various kinds of ammo, shoots about everything well. The Swede is more picky, but does great with what it likes. My Swede is a Lapua snob, loves Lapua brass and 139 gr. Scenars over MRP.

Given that choice, to me it would be the Creed, although I really like my Swede. Both are keepers. The Creed will give you more performance with less effort. Their ballistic performance is pretty close. A reloader can push the slightly larger case a bit faster. Critters will never know the difference.

DF

The rim size between the two is slightly different. If using American 6.5x55 brass (same rim as 30-06 family) they will most likely have the same rim size, but as I discovered in my Barrett Fieldcraft the Lapua brass has the original European (larger) rim and will not fit the Barrett. I had no trouble with the Hornady, Federal and Nosler brass. My wife's Ruger MKII 6.5x55 will feed anything

Six o' one, half dozen o' the other after owning a few of each.

To me the most important thing is as the others have said, you can find ammo in the shelves a lot more easily for the Creedmoor than the Swede, even now. Otherwise they throw the exact same bullet at similar enough speeds the difference means nothing to me, at least.

If one has "cool points" over the other, ie: history, looks better, whatever, hey we're loonies, do it up. Both are great.

Dont you really want a 6.5 PRC.

I know i do.

Per SAAMI one operates at 62,000 psi (Creedmoor), the other at 51,000 psi. That’s the real difference, especially if you do not handload.

A creed will do everything a swede will do with factory loaded ammo.

Don't be a hater. #kreedmire

+1

I Have a Tikka 6.5x55 that does ragged holes at 100 yds with Sierra Gamechangers.

However, since I got a Winchester 70 Extreme weather 6.5 PRC that does 1/2 MOA with 143 gr ELDX.. Now the Tikka sets in the safe… I don’t have any interest in a Creedmoor.

Having hunted with a Swede for many years and now hunting with a CM IMHO the Swede is a handloading only proposition if you want to get the most out of it unless you can lay in a supply of European ammo.

On the other hand, you will likely find a suite of amazingly consistent, accurate ammo on the store shelves for the CM.

Both are in the too much fun category.

Well it sounds like I need to squeeze into my skinny jeans and go buy that Creedmoor.

Wait until a 6.5x55 shows up, otherwise the "need" will still be there, only temporarily filled with a new rifle. Eventually the yearning for the 6.5x55 will return.

I have a tikka T3 stainless fluted that's pretty close to new. It came with a laminate stock that I took off and bubble wrapped right when I got it. I put a tikka Tupperware stock on it and I think a newer weaver grand slam 3-12 and took it to the range twice to try a few loads.

I have several boxes of nosler factory 6.5x55 140g Accubond ammo I bought and shot some to get some brass. It liked that load pretty well. I tried just a few loads of 147g eldms over rl26. I got good speed but didn't get great accuracy right off the bat. I need to try it again with some different charges and seating depths. The few loads I loaded only went around 1-1.25 moa. The factory stuff did better just under .75". I keep meaning to get out and finish finding a load but have too many rifles to work up.

I'd probably sell mine if a guy really wanted it. I've still got the box and paperwork and the bubble wrapped original laminate wood stock. I haven't seen too many like it with the stainless fluted barrel. I'm not sure what it's worth but I'd want market value for it since I'm not really looking to get rid of it.

Bb

How does the creed compare to to a 243 ?

The creed has a better designed case and because it's 264 cal it gives you the opportunity to shoot heavier 6.5mm bullets. Plus Creedmoors are all twisted fast enough to shoot the heavies.

They make a 6mm Creedmoor too that shoots the same bullets as a 243 and is comparable but the Creedmoor is twisted faster for heavy bullets and the case is a bit shorter and better designed that the 243. The 6.5 Creedmoor is to the 260 rem what the 6mm Creedmoor is to the 243.

Bb

Why convert it? There's not a damn thing wrong with either cartridge. Learn to like both. I'd get the creedmoor and rock on. If you run across a good deal on the Swede down the road, buy that one then.. Easy peasy..

Hit up Waterdoctor about his safe queen…..

I prefer the 6.5x48 myself

The 6.5x55 offers short action performance in a long action. It was a remarkably innovative cartridge when it came out (superior to the .30-03/06 almost a decade earlier) but suffers from all the problems of cartridges designed for machine gun use, plus being designed for an awkward intermediate action.

Just get the Creedmoor and have the superior gun.