Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 6.5 Swede

3.110 is a good seating depth for the 147 IMO it puts that bullet in the case neck just perfect! Nice
load you ended up with. At 52 grains of RL26 I'd guess its pushing around the 2900 fps mark!

I have found RL 23 to be a phenominal powder in the 6.5X55 with 140, 143, and 147s as well

Trystan

My thoughts on the difference in twist rates, by Winchester...

1. the 264 Win Mag, still gets the old one in 9 twist, because it has enough ooomph to stablilize the long bullets in that twist range, but yet if it had a faster twist rate, with the amount of powder it can hold, I'm sure a 1 in 8 or faster, would vaporize 85 to 100 grain bullets ( most of them), especially running them at 3500 to 3700 fps or more.

2. The Swede/ Norwegian 6.5 x 55, getting the 1 in 8 or even 1 in 7.25 or 1 in 7.75, follows the old factory traditional twist, which was developed to shoot 160 grain bullets,
so it fits traditional, which allows the twist to make up for the more powder used in the 264 Win Mag... yet with the usual velocity recommended within the 6.5 x 55, it is not going to vaporize varmint weight bullets.. so the twist of 1 in 8 or faster, takes in consideration for 85 to 160 grain bullets... the 264 Mag's velocity potential with these lighter bullets, was not its original focus, and is definitely overkill, pushing the lighter bullets two hard.

3. yeah it might be cheaper just to use one twist rate, but I think that decision kind of cost them business the first time they tried it, with consumers tried to use mega fast velocities with those lighter bullets... if they didn't vaporize out of the barrel, when they hit a deer or elk, they were like a mini grenade, making a big but shallow hole in the game... and if the game was recovered, I am sure it blood shot a lot of meat. I shot a deer at 300 yds with the 260 Rem, with a one in 8 twist ( Ruger 77 Mk 2), with a 100 grain ballistic tip, leaving the muzzle at 3350 fps.... it hit right behind the shoulder and dropped the deer. The opposite side of the deer, had nothing but blood shot meat, which had to be scrapped, wasting half the meat. I could have imagined what a 264 Win mag, would have done with that bullet and another 300 or 400 fps M.V. the whole deer would probably have been wasted....

4. Winchester evidently learned the first time around.. what a concept in the gun industry....

Did Winchester ever put 8 twist or faster in the 264?

Even saying that, the 6.5 PRC isn't very far behind the 264 in speeds and no one is worried about that one tearing up lighter bullets. I guess it doesn't matter though, cause as you said the 1-9 isn't horrid with the 264.

Historical info notwithstanding, seems the "Swede" label has stuck.

When someone is talking about rifles and mentions "the Swede", people know what round you're talking about.

Thanks for that historical profile, JB. Helpful and informative as always.

DF

Well ph ucking excuse us! Did you type that in your Hugh Hefner robe with your monocle?

This is from nosler load data
6.5 X 55 SWEDISH MAUSER LOAD DATA
Western powder
6.5 X 55MM SWEDISH MAUSER
Hornady
6.5 X 55MM SWEDISH

So with all that what are we supposed to call mr smarty pants? With the 270 for those us not living a mile high 170 will not stabilize in a 1-10 twist..

Don’t evah question the muledeer! He said the 170’s will work and by golly they will work lol..

No they didn’t and why use a 100gr ballistic tip when their are way better bullets to use. I also doubt anyone is really using the 264 as a dedicated coyote gun this isn’t 1960-1970 times have changed slot better options out their.

The heavier high-BC .270 bullets have done fine from 1-10 twists at longer range at our local elevations.

One of the most common misconceptions about downrange ballistics is that bullets start to "destabilize" as range increases. Instead the opposite is true--at least until the bullet's velocity drops to around the speed of sound, when strange stuff starts to happen. But that's at around 1200 fps, and doesn't occur until far beyond most hunters shoot. This because there are two contrary forces involved in bullet stability--air pressure on the front end, due to velocity, and the rate of spin. The pressure on the front end drops relatively quickly, due to the velocity drop, while the rate of spin decreases far slower. Thus the destabilizing effect of front-end pressure drops far quicker than the rate of spin, the reason bullets become more stable as range increases.

The reason many shooters (especially hunters) think bullets start to destabilize at longer ranges is relatively larger groups when they "test" their loads at, say, 300-400 yards. But this is due to wind-drift, which increases twice as fast as range. For instance, if wind-drift for a certain bullet is 2" at 200 yards, it will be about 8" at 400 yards. And even 3 mph breeze (which many would call "calm") works this way.

From what I recall, Remington increased the twist rate in their .243 barrels when they introduced the "6mm Remington." I suspect the reason for the 1-9-1/4 listed twist is due to a slight variation in the button-rifling equipment, probably related to the "button." Rifling twist used to vary considerably more when all factory barrels were cut-rifles, due to the adjustable sine-bar machinery used back then. The supposed standard rifling twist for the .250 Savage was originally 1-14, but have owned an old Savage 99 .250 that had a 1-15 twist.

Don't really care what various companies call the 6.5x55; if they want to that's fine with me.

But "common use" does not make terminology correct. A good example is using "caliber" instead of cartridge. Caliber means bore/groove diameter, not cartridge. Yet several dozen rifle and ammo manufacturers use "caliber" on their websites, when they actually mean chambering, or cartridge. Here's my most recent list:

Barrett Firearms
Federal Ammunition
Fierce Arms
Franchi
GA Precision
Heym
Hill Country Rifles
Holland and Holland (calibre)
Hornady
Howa
H-S Precision
Kimber
Lapua
Lyman
Mauser
New Ultra Light Arms
Norma
Rigby (calibre)
Ruger
Sako
Sauer
Shaw Barrels
Smith & Wesson
Speer
Tikka
Weatherby Rifles
Winchester Rifles

This doesn't bother me as much as it does some people, but there it is. But as somebody or Norwegian descent I do get a little weary of hearing of reading "Swedish Mauser," when the cartridge was neither until Norway and Sweden started making or ordering rifles. And even then it wasn't solely the cartridge (not caliber) of either Norway or Sweden.

MD "Thus the destabilizing effect of front-end pressure drops far quicker than the rate of spin, the reason bullets become more stable as range increases." From above. Is this what we use to call a bullet going to sleep at a longer distance. I seem to remember that and a lot of people more than snickered at it but it was a long time ago.

BTW . I do have an original Swede Mauser I bought back when they were $69 I think and the carbine version was $39.It was shipped to my front door. without any checks .I think I order it from an ad in the"Shotgun News" maybe in the 80's.

You paint the picture very well. Its been called the swedish mauser for fu cking ever and will continue to be called that. Let the Norwegians cry.

I have a five digit Win Classic in .270 Win with a 24" original barrel. I loaded 170 grain Bergers with RL 26 powder and sighted it in at my local range at 1300' elevation. Very accurate under .75" three shot groups. I also shot it at a friends range at 2500' elevation on my way to an elk hunt this fall. I had no problem repeatedly hitting 6" gongs at 300 and 400 yards using a Leupold 3.5-10x scope with B&C reticle. On paper at 200 yards it shot consistent with my 100 yard zero at 1300' elevation. I think my mv was about 2800 fps. In that rifle with that load, it clearly stabilized those bullets at those elevations.

Reckon the Norwegians have been relegated to 6.5x55 stepchildren?

Maybe even red headed step children….

You’d think with their contribution to the project, they’d
get at least some token recognition.

DF

History is rife with inaccuracies, but Swedish Mauser is fine. These rifles were made in Sweden and Germany. The English language is always evolving.

In the US, the term "Indian" is an inaccurate description of indigenous people. India Ink was actually invented in China. The list is endless.

This is my Swede. His name is Lars.

Maybe we just call it the 6.5 SKAN for Scandinavian.. Giving everyone some kudos....

There ya go...

The 6.5 SKAN.... Inclusive...

No redheaded step children...



DF

Everyone gets a trophy these days I guess.. Might as well give the Swede one 100+ years later..

C'mon MD... Really???
Gonna insist next that the Swedish Bikini Team isn't Swedish?

Now, now....

Beretzs, in a masterful stoke of international diplomacy, has just solved this thorny issue.

The previously mislabeled "Swede" in now to be called the 6.5 SCAN....

He could well get the Nobel Peace Prize for this stroke of diplomatic genius....



DF

I love my 6.5x55 in Husqvarna action with an unknown 1:9 twist barrel. Worked very well with 129 Hornady. Was someone's else's "project" that I gladly resurrected.





I think after having married in to a Norwegian family with some Swedish mixed in, It should be called the 6.5x55 Scandihoovian,

BTW, I am of German, French and English descent but am 100% American.

I too have not had problems stabilizing 170gr out of my 270's at 3500 feet elevation.