Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters The Swede & Modern Rifles

Just wondering if someone can shed some light on loads with the 6.5x55 and 129-130 grain projectiles. I see the saami spec is 51,000 but the creed is running 62,000. Seems to me there is some upside with the old girl. Any thoughts greatly appreciated. 👍

There are several basic rules of internal ballistics that can be used to calculate approximate potential velocities that roughly reflect pressures, but one problem with the 6.5x55 is chamber throat length can vary considerably, from the original military one designed for heavy, very long round-nosed bullets, to much shorter "modern" throats. These have a considerable effect on pressures and hence velocities.

That said, my own custom 6.5x55 is built on a commercial FN Mauser action, with a 21-inch, 1-8 twist Lilja barrel, using a "modern" short-throated reamer. Have found it easy to get 2700 fps with 140s even in the "short" barrel, and 2850-2900 with bullets in the 130-grain range. A 24-inch barrel would add 50-100 fps to those velocities, depending on the bullet and powder.

I've used Ramshot's data for many years, which has an approximate limit of 55,000 PSI, by adding a grain or two of powder. My standard 140-grain load is 50.0 grains of Magnum, which is two grains over their listed max. No problems.

The upside for me is still perceptible. I am not one of those who makes fun of the Creedmore, primarily because I have not used one. But, for the most part (the practical part), my "sporterized" old M96 carbine with careful loading will perform just as well. 130 gr. to 140 gr.

I did pay $50 for it in 1964 and did spend a few dollars on drill/tap, bolt handle mod and my own stock work. Seems like a good upside.

LowBC

There is a lot of info per "Good Loads For 6.5X55.

Scroll down on the Forum Home Page.

The Third Section entitled "Reloading", The First Forum is for ...."Big Game Rifles"

In the Top section are the 'Sticky' subjects in Reloading. Several cartridges are listed with loads & discussions.

Scroll Down and you'll see: " Good 6.5X55 Loads " There are 25 Pages listed.
Plenty Info and Great loads for the Swede.

Good Luck

Jerry

My 6.5 Swede still has the original barrel on it cut down to the 1st step. I think I paid about $69 for it. I found mine shoots the 130 gr Nosler Accubond the best. It is the longest bullet in that weight class I could find. So it matches that long throat that used the old 175 gr round noses. I think it matches the twist rate better too. I think is 9.3 or ?. I did get great accuracy using the 140 gr GK also ,but nothing lighter.

I take no responsibility for others using these loads

My loads are 47 gr of H4831 for about 2800fps

The 140gr GK, 46 gr of H4831 for about 2650

These readings were from and old Chrony

Both gave about 3/4 " groups at 100 yards.

Xeroed at 300 yards and has a Leupold Fix 6X scope on it, Timney Trigger ,cocking conversion, 3 three position safety, Richard's glass bedded stock. I turned down the bolt myself and did all the other work.

It is my main pronghorn rifle, I shoot a few eastern plains deer with it too.

My Swede is built on a 1909 Argentine Mauser with a 24 inch barrel. I don't remember the twist rate but it's set up for bullets in the 140gr range. I let the rifle tell me when to stop with the load. IIRC the most accurate load using 139gr Hornady's is a grain over max

I shoot a "modern" 6.5x55 Norwedish (Ruger 1A) and think of it as easily outdoing a 100 year old Swedish Mauser pressure-handling wise. It has a throat somewhere in length between a mil-spec throat and JB's "short" throat. Even with all that I'm happy as a clam in shooting loads that would be at home in a Swedish Mauser. 47.0gr. IMR-4831/either 129 Hornady or 130 Berger and the same powder charge with 139 Scenars - all seated out to a point that they won't feed through a Mauser. Velocity is just under 2800fps with the 129/130's and nipping at 2700 fps with the Scenars - all with wonderful sub-MOA easy on the shoulder accuracy, and excellent case life to boot. Go faster safely? Sure, but what's the point when I have no opportunity or intention to whack an animal a quarter mile away.

LowBC;
Good early morning to you sir, I see it's about 2:20AM for you so I hope you're not awake for this, but do hope when you read it all is well as can be.

We've been fooling with the Swede for 40 years now, handloading for one since the mid '80's. It was a near new Carl Gustav 96 that I modified into a lightweight and light recoiling hunting rifle for my late father, who passed it to our eldest daughter.




She's since swapped a 2-7 Compact scope onto it and I've installed a Dayton Traister cock on open kit and trigger. It's got a 20" barrel.

We were so pleased with how well that rifle worked on local mulie and whitetail bucks that I ended up rebarreling a 98 commercial roll marked Mauser action with a clean 96 Swede barrel. Like Mule Deer's it's got a 21" barrel.



For about 15 years we've switched to using monometal bullets for hunting, so that's another factor I'd think?

Again I'll echo John's experience with the velocities with 140gr and 130gr bullets. I've been using 120gr TTSX and GMX the past couple of seasons and if memory serves they can be driven to 2950fps without things looking too weird in the 98 action.

We've been shooting 130gr TSX in the 96 for the entire time we switched to monos and I want to say - again without looking - that they're 2650fps in her rifle.

If I remember later I'll dig through the reloading notes and confirm.

Her rifle has the military chamber with a very long throat, while mine was done by a smith up the valley and seems to have a tad shorter one.

We tend to use powders in the IMR4350, RL 19, VV550, VV560, IMR 4831 sort of burn rates and despite the shorter barrels we're getting okay velocities and decent accuracy.

A shooting buddy has a 6.5 Creed in a Ruger American Predator and honestly while I'd not trade him, it will consistently be more accurate than either of ours. Again his is a new hammer forged barrel - apparently a good one too - and ours are military barrels that in the case of her rifle is nearly 120 years old.

Hopefully some of that's useful to you or someone out in the ether space.

All the best.

Dwayne

My take on this and similar situations with other old-timers (guns, not the owners!), is that they’re well-worth futzing with and can perform very well, better than many would suspect, BUT charm, panache, nostalgia etc, aside, there’s also a lot to be said for taking the easy path with a modern rifle/cartridge combo. I have a pretty well-balance mix of the old and new and like it all, and it also keeps me from sitting home fussing about not being able to feed my toys. Saw a nice 141 in .35 last week, attractively priced, but when I got home and checked ammoseek.com, they showed nary a single source for ammunition.

I’d like to get a nice M38 some day, both to shoot and admire, and standard-performance ammo will suit me just fine. A fellow that appears regularly at the nearby public range has several Swedes, and they’re lovely things that shoot very well indeed.

Would like to see pics of any of the rifles mentioned here, if not too much trouble.

Most 6.5x55 factory ammo and load data has a lower pressure ceiling in respect for the Norwegian Krags that are floating around. Even if the Norwegian Krags have better metallurgy than the U.S. Krags, the one-lug design doesn't inspire a ton of confidence if you want to push pressure and performance above the design specs.

I'd never loaded or shot a 6.5x55 till last fall when my son cheesy picked up a new Win shot show special 1885 Low Wall so chambered. Since that model is also chambered in 243 and 260 if I remember correctly, I figured it would take more than load manual pressures. The only two bullets we had to work with were the 120 BT and 129 Interlock. Worked up loads in Lapua cases with A4350, H4350, H4831sc, and one with Varget with the 120BT. Even at slightly over book loads I wasn't getting the speed they listed, makes me think the old Pro-Chrono is off somewhat. Accuracy was no problem, if I wasn't well covered in different cartridges I'd be looking at one myself.

Are you thinking about firing them in a milsurp or a commercial rifle? Or just wondering about the cartridge generally?

BC30cal, you've shared the photo of the 96 before, I think it's a cool looking rifle.

You like pictures? Me too.. :




This is what you call an old rifle. A Carl Gustav m96 6.5x55. I don't run hot loads in the girl. Just fairly accurate ones. The only reason I bought it was for my clubs military rifle shoots. They used to have them once a month and they are enough fun that I decided to keep the old girl around for a bit longer. We get some shooters from Portland and Vancouver and other places near by and I'm happy to report, this rifle holds it's own against them all. Had some high up shooters (master class) offer me $800 for the rifle last time. Don't know if they were trying to buy me out of the comp or if they really wanted the rifle... ???


Its no slouch. I generally put them all in the 10 ring and scare some into the X as well.


Not real hard to do with a rifle of this caliber. Again, I don't load them hot in this old girl. As this action is not nearly as strong as say a Mauser 98 or other actions built in the early 1900's, like my favorite m1917. In most load manuals, they warn against running real hot loads in the m96, but to each their own.. Here's some groups shot during load development:





Mine does well with many different bullets I've tried in it. Barnes match burners, SMK, ELD match, SST's, ELDX. It really doesn't matter what I stuff it with..

Beautiful rifle. I’ve seen one or two with similar stocks online.

Good shooter too apparently!

I bought a new Tikka, the price was too good to pass up. My first centrefire rifle was a M96 swede and I loved that old girl. Sold it because youth told me there were bigger and better things out there. Funny thing is i have swung back to the 260rem for the past two decades and love the cartridge. The 6.5x55 will be for my wife to shoot along side me.

Thanks for your help so far. And thanks for the pics guys, there is some great shooting and beautiful rigs.

LowBC, if you don't have that old m96 anymore, there are many benefits to having just the Tikka in 6.5x55. The modern rifles can be loaded to a higher pressure than that m96. Kind of a "win win" situation. You are a lucky dog there. That Tikka is the one to get. I'll bet it will be a shooting machine. Don't get mad if your wife outshoots you with her 6.5x55. If you handload, you can make that Tikka sing...

Not quite so. The Norwegian Krags actually employ two locking lugs: the safety lug on the side of the Norwegian bolt is made to bear against the receiver as well as the main big lug, whereas that lug on the U.S. Krag is left with air between it and the receiver.

Someone wanted pics? Here's the juxtaposition of "modern" to go with the Swedish Mausers presented above. Anybody have a Norwegian Krag to show us?



And before anybody questions why the scope is so far back, if you had my neck on your shoulders you would do the same!!

A modern 6.5x55mm will take more than 51KPSI.




GR