Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Good 6.5x55 loads

Tell me about it...

Am considering switching to a modern powder at the next bulk buy, but IMR 4831 has been so good for the .270 WIN over the years, and now also the 6.5x55mm, that it's hard to walk away from.




GR

My 6.5x55 Tikka really likes this load.

Reloader 23- 47.8 grains
COL- 3.100"
Sierra GameChanger- 130 grains

R26 does really well in the 6.5x55 but might be hard to get a hold of as is any powder now.

I have used 44.5-46.5 grains of norma urp with 120 grain bullets with good results. I have a tikka and a cz, and both have shot well within this powder range.

FN with Shilen.

139 Scenar:
.39” group, 47.2 gr. MRP, Fed 210 @ 2,650 fps
.34” “ 47.1gr. N-560, Fed 210 @ 2,759 fps
.39” “ 48.1 gr. Mil surp H-4831. Fed 210 @ 2,631 fps

155 Mega:
.5” group, 46.5 gr. Mil surp H-4831 Fed 210 @ 2,500 fps

Some speeds clocked, some from data.

Ancient H-4831 smells good, shoots good. Not as old as Ingwe, not as old as I, but really old.

DF

I’ve got a bunch of 147 ELDs I need to try in my Swede. I know Gunner has been raising havoc with them in his Swede. Thinking a bunch of 26 should be a ripper and hard on bucks.

I have that bullet and RL-26, just never tried that combo in my Swede.

DF

I’ve used the 140 ABs for awhile at nearly 2900. Since it’s really only ever going to be a deer getter I figure I’ll give the 147’s a shot in it. Got a passel of Lapua brass for the old bird so I might as well.

My Swede seems to be a Lapua snob, likes 139 Scenars, 155 Megas and Lapua brass...

Go figure.

DF

Mine shot those 155 Megas real well. Mines a M70 Classic and if I’m not mistaken it’s a 1-7.75 twist and it is just a drill with about everything.

It's been quite a while since I've fooled with any of my remaining rifles, or posted anything here, but here it go's. I'm now past my mid 70's & semi retired, and getting a little bored with the BH's antique & collectable furniture resale bidnizz.

I picked up a Tikka swede couple years ago and it & it's compatriots have all been left in hibernation for last 5+ years. Last week I had both of the rifles re scoped last week, intending to use both of them for the coming season if at all possible. I have a Marlin SS 270 as my "beater" ready to go that got what little I've used anything before I let the Range Card expire. The Range Card got renewed too.

I just posted a trade deal on my local board looking to pick up some 6.5 & 7x57 brass & bullets as if times had not changed from 5+ years ago like it was still yesteryear's easy access availability of ammo or components. Still have a complete but very small supply of 6.5 & 7x57 components from a previous Swede, enough to get started with again, and have some trade bait in once fired 7Rmg brass from the guy in the Florida panhandle leftover ...but the Wby SS 7Rmg the brass was bought for was never fired and it went away this spring. The leftover 7mm bullets that were bought for the 7mag are all over 150 gr's are going to go away will be hopefully replaced with 120 - 140 gr'ers in similar styled Game bullets to feed an early 70's era 7x57 1st Year's limited production run from the rebirth of the WW Fwt's , and is in a little better condition for a component stock pile predicament than the Tikka Swede's almost bare cupboard ...but the Swede is going to get used 1st based the success I had with my 1st Tikka Swede.

So the 1st ?? is .....what items should I chase initially and are the hardest items to find in components in 6.5x55 stuff? Got enough Swede brass & bullets to get started with to support mebbe a steady batch of 50-100 rounds of ammo. & about ditto for the 7x57 except for the leftover 150/154/160 gr bullets meant for the now departed 7rmg .... just don't want to leave the the Vintage caliber shooters at home anymore. Ya'lls comments are appreciated.
Ron

I saw some Nosler 6.5x55 brass at shootersproshop.com last week if it's still available.

Reloading components are slowly becoming more available..... with the exception of primers. Good 6.5mm hunting bullets are scarce too. I have found you have to keep looking at the online merchants to get your powder and bullets, but it is out there esp if you are willing to work with powders that are not the "go to" powders of the tacti-cool crowd.

I don't know if this is verboten to post here but these are where I have gotten resupplied with powders:
Powder Valley
Midway
Brownell's
MidSouth Shooters Supply
Precision Reloading
Natchez
Hodgdens

For bullets:
Red River Reloading
Scheels
Shooter's Pro Shops
Midway
MidSouth Shooters Supply
LG

Glad to hear you have rediscovered lost passions.

Just picked up some 156 gr. Oryx's from Grafs. Midway has them as well.

Will split them between my nephew's Swede and my CM.

Primer's & Powder ...I went back through one of the storage chests last week, looking to see what was still around and found 3 box's of 1K count primers. All of my factory ammo & reloading stuff & most of my hunting gear are stored in a free standing lawn storage shed that is not heated or AC'd. The building is weather tight & had been the previous owners grand children's play house, and we renamed it the Toy House. Guns of course stay in the house under lock and key. So,,,Do ya'll think these primers are still viable? I sure hope so as there are no primers I can find in East Texas & don't have the time to run all over DFW ... 100/150+ miles away looking for some.

All of my powder, about 10+ lb's is still in factory cartons, and has been stored in a running refrigerator like it was at Lake Texoma where we came from, with the fresh eggs, soft drinks & beer etc - but not in the freezer section where the frozen stuff stays - that are in the 3 stall carport's tool shop storage area. We use those 2 extra refrigerators behind the carport to store the bulk buys from the grocery store...as Old Habits die hard for geezers like us after living 40+ miles from the grocery store.

If I ever get reinstated here again I've got some shooting/hunting stuff that's been picked up at some of the auction's that the BH & I have made a bidnizz out of in odds & ends I'll post in the classifieds.
Ron

"It's been a while" but I'm looking to get back in the reloading game again more than few years later than planned. For a first rifle to use, I'm going to use a new to me, lightly used Tikka Swede and have several can's of 4831 to start with and some other selections too, but more 4831 than anything else from my 270 only days. The cans of 4831 are from different mfg'ers that have been stored for several years unopened in a running refrigerator. With 30+ years of reloading experience "from back in the day" tells me to try a couple different bullet weights from different mfg'ers from 120gr's that are mostly Remington & Speer and up to the slightly heavier Nosler AB's and concentrate getting ready for hogs and WT's this winter as the goal.

2nd ? ...are the older Hornady & Nosler Manuals on my shelf still current enough to be GTG with initial bullet weight and powder weight choices to get started, then as always let the rifle teach me what it likes best?
Ron

Almost been a year when Flintlocke posted this. First, you're welcome buddy, Glad to help out.

Revisited the concept this past weekend, still works real well. I am trying to help out a campfire member with a bad shoulder and neck problem, who hunts with a Swede. Figuring loads like this might be the ticket. Recoil is silly soft, mild push... no quick kick back...

The load with the 160 grain Sierra and Hornady Round Nose bullets, duplicate the old 1890s velocity at right around 2300 fps.

But a little quicker, with the 140s from Remington @ around 2400 fps, equal to the old 300 Savage velocity range.

120s are about 2500 fps, and the 100 grain B/Tips or 100 Sierra HPs, equal what a Grendal can push them at.

In fact this 30 gr RL 7, pretty much turns the old Swede into a Grendal., although I doubt anyone has a Grendal with a 29 inch barrel, like this 1919 production Carl Gustav. and as a bonus.... the Nordic Accuracy Gods smile on this combo also....

I walked out of the garage with the old Swede this morning, to put it in the safe... and the two deer grazing in the front yard, just took off...
They must know something about a Swede also... normally they just look at ya, while they munch away on the green grass in the front yard...

So glad this thread has such life. 6.5X55 is my favorite cartridge. I've been on kind of a hiatus from reloading for a while. When we moved down south I took all my reloading stuff to my son's in Missouri, more or less pre-inherited it to him (other than my pet caliber dies). Now I've re-set up to load here and the 6.5X55 has come up on the agenda.

Curious, has anyone had any experience with the Sierra 130 grain HPBT GameKing?

I load the 160 Hornady RN to that speed for my "bubba Sporter", a Swedish Mauser. I cut the barrel to 23" and crowned it and drilled, tapped and installed a receiver sight. "The grand old Hornady round-nose" as one of our members here refers to it, is the only bullet that I've been able to get to shoot well in that rifle. My other Swede, a Sako 85, gets all the pointy bullets.

My Ruger 77 MK/II stainless with Hart 24" barrel is shooting sweeeeet.

I'll be hunting with Speer 140 Gold Dots, 46.0 grains of RL-22, Lapua brass, CCI 200 primers. 2783 fps average.

1/2" 3 shot groups @ 100 is close enough for me.