...do I have a need for a 30-06?

Am thinking along the lines of elk hunting.

Not really. The Swedes have been killing moose with it for years. I guess it all depends on what your max range would be and what grain bullet do you want to shoot.

Everyone needs a 30-06. Its un-American not to.

I have one sitting in the corner of my safe and can never figure out when to use it, but i like having it there...just in case.

What is this need deal one is speaking of? I thought it was all about "want."

I think I have two 06's, and I know I have a 6.5x55.

Maybe, but if you have a 6.5 Creedmoor you sure don't need a Swede.

I think it's the other way around...…..if you have a Swede you don't need a 6.5 Creedmoor

Wants and needs LOL. Boss and I are having that discussion right now. A good Swede will do what you want if you do your part.

Mechanics are mechanics.

The rest is Fluff.

Hint.............

A Swede topped off with a 129 grain Hornady is capable of a lot.

You have a 6.5x55, do you really need a 257 Roberts?? 😀

Just get what you want. There is a lot of versatility in an 06. That being said I have a Pre 64 M70 FWT that hasn't seen the light of day in over a decade. I just had a Swede built and have other rifles I much prefer over an 06. Befor I bought an 06 I'd take a close look at a 280, 7x57 in either the std chambering or Ackley Improved. I have a 7X57 AI that I wouldn't hesitate to use on an elk.

How swede' it is!



and though I generally roll my own,



I have become a fan of the 156 gr. Norma Oryx's performance on deer and hoglets!

YMMV

ya!

GWB

No.

I have both and hunted both.
Great cartridges in their own right.

But if your elk hunting will take you into grizzly country I would bend towards the 06', although encounters with ursus horribilis are pretty rare.
Not saying a 6.5 140 partition or Barnes 130 is lacking, just that a .30 180-200gr. is more better.

...and as usual, GW pushes the rifle envy factor up several notches every time he throws up pics of his beautiful blasters.

Yes,you will need a back-up rifle in case something happens to your 6.5x55.

He Dub, have you run those through a chrono? I wouldn't mind trying some someday.

No.

When doing load development I always shoot over a chrono. However as the rifle came with 5 boxes of the Norma Oryx factory rounds, I did not. Two hundred yds. would be max distance I would need to shoot. If I thought I was going to stretch it out to 300 to 400 yds. I would take a different rifle.

Here is the factory dope on the 156 Norma.

https://www.norma.cc/us/Products/Hunting/65x55-Swedish-Mauser/Oryx/

IMHO, 2,559 fps. MV is perfect for this type of hunting, and game, as it does very little meat damage.

IIRC this buck was shot at +/- 90 yds.



He had come in and was walking perpendicular to going right to left. Either something spooked him or he got my wind. He turned and started to walk the other way. When he stopped he was quartering toward me with his head and right front shoulder at 5 o'clock and his flank at 11 o'clock. The Oryx bullet caught him about half way down from the top of his withers just in front of the junction of his neck and shoulder. He did a complete back flip and was DRT. You can see where the bullet exited just in front of his left rear hindquarter. I like that kind of penetration.

ya!


GWB

Excellent, thanks!

Definitely this. ^^^^

Good stuff Geedubya. As usual, your photos and subjects are outstanding. Thanks.

Here is my 6.5X55 built on a 1909 Argentine Mauser action,[img]https:/[url=https://postimg.cc/vgWpNQ4X][img]https://i.postimg.cc/yd5sWxsq/6-5x55-5.jpg[/img]/i.postimg.cc/fLsgChC3/6-5x55-6.jpg[/img][/url]

screenshot

I have no ideda why some of the pictures came through and some didn't.

Damn, that's a really nice rig.

If we had adopted the 6.5x55 instead of being contrarian, the Swede would be our 30/06. However, I suggest a cheap .308 or .30/06 as a backup when traveling.

Nope, 6.5X55, 190 yards, 140 grain Core-lokt, one shot one dead elk. Sample of one! You don't have to convince me.

For a sometime Elk hunter the Swede would be plenty. But also with fewer opportunities for an out of state hunter and Murphy's law which seems to follow us nimrods around I would get a back up rifle. Anything between a 270 and 375 will do or even a second 6.5.

Nice rifles GWYA and CSpan.

6.5x55 SE is a good one for most any field challenge. However in my opinion the 308 Win is the undisputed versatile cartridge to own as you would have all the trimmings of the 6.5x55SE in the game field as well as the heavy punch of the 30-06. Beauty would be operating a SA with a little cartridge packing a big punch.

Those 156’s shoot nice out of those Sako’s? I picked up a couple boxes to check them out in a Finnlight in a Swede

if you have a swede you don't need a 243 either

Many years ago the 338 mag was my elk rifle. Then wen to the 30 mags, then 7mag. Read about how "Karamojo Bell " ( Walter Dalrymple Maitland ) took elephant & over 400 head of every size of African plains game with the 6.5x54 MS driving a 160gr RN at barley 2250 fps. He averaged 1 1/2 shots per animal. Meaning many were taken with one shot. This was just before & after 1900. His exploits are well documented.

In 1893 the 6.5x55 was developed & has been successively taking Scandinavian moose ever since. Also taking heavy game around the globe. US hunters are just now beginning to comprehend the capability of the 6.5 bore.
My 338 , 30-06 etc just sets while I take mature muley bucks & elk each year with one of my 6.5's. Mild recoil , flat trajectory , & deep penetration with the correct bullet for the game hunted. One of the mono copper bullets is my choice for elk.
The 6.5CM or the 6.5 PRC are not new just a reincarnated versions of earlier 6.5's.

Absolutely correct!! I have a Ruger 77 first year production 243 I bought new in 1967. . If it wasn't for the nostalgia I would have re-barreled it to a 260 years ago.

Matty-I totally agree on the Swede. But that being said, it's all most blasphemous to not own an '06. Go with the '06 my man.

Yes. But will one be enough?

Sure miss the RWS 6.5x55 DK ammo!

I realize that perhaps it may no longer be imported into the US, but RWS still makes this ammo, and it is readily available here in Sweden.

I haven't used it, but I've heard a number of reports that it seems to perform much like a Nosler Partition bullet. Usually VERY accurate.

John

Yes, they do definitely still make it. I live in Romania. Reloading of metallic cartridges is not permitted here. I shoot the RWS DK 140 grain loads in my Browning A-Bolt and it gives me groups around 1/2"-5/8" at 100 meters. I'll be hunting Roe deer this spring with that Swede. RJ

I like the 6.5x55 and think that the 140 grain Partition would be a great choice for elk within whatever you consider to be a reasonable range. The 130 grain AB would be a great all-around choice too.

In a strong action, I don't think that there is any reason that the 6.5x55 can't be safely loaded to higher pressure/performance than most factory ammo, as most of it is loaded to be safe in the weakest common rifles chambered in 6.5x55, the Norwegian Krags.

Why would you not want to have at least one 30-06 in your home? It is the classic do-it-all cartridge in the U.S. I don't shoot many rifles in 30-06, but I almost always bring one with me whenever I travel more than a couple of hours from home to hunt, as a spare or loaner.

Because I live in crappy ohio where I can't use a 3006 and I don't need a fifth deer rifle

The thought was, if I ever wind up after elk or in bear country, would the swede pretty much get it done or do I actually need a bigger hammer

I've never lived in Ohio.

You are not missing anything

I have 4 rifles chambered in 6.5x55 all modern actions ranging from 18 1/2" to 24" barrels. The caliber is capable of taking any North American game especially now with the great variety of bullets available. It is definitely more advantageous for the hand loader. I find the Barnes 130gr TSX capable of stopping anything with proper shot placement. Amazing caliber for being over 100 years old. The Creedmore crowd get almost the same results in a short action as does the Remington 260. I'm surprised the 260 never caught on when it was introduced in 1997 but regardless the 6.5 has come to North America and in all the variations it has proven to be a winner and the 6.5x55 started it all.

All an elk needs is a good bullet thru vitals.
A Swede can do it as well as a 7/08, 260, 270, etc.

Things stand the test of time for a reason.

Hence the success of Swede ballistics in the Creedmoor.

Give me the top rifle in Geedub's picture and I would use it on an elk any day. Awesome rifles in this thread!