6.5x55?

[bushog]

So....I found the Winchester low wall I've been looking for forever and am having second thoughts (imagine that)....

It's NIB, chambered in the 6.5x55.

I got it to hunt antelope with but after pouring over the reloading manuals and realizing that I seldom get a shot at a goat at less than 300 yds I'm having a hard time talking myself out of my good ole' .270 with the 110gn Barnes TTSX at about 3300fps.

Somebody talk some sanity into me before I sell this rifle made of unobtanium....

[bigbrowndog]

There are no flies on a good 6.5x55

It is one of my favorite hunting calibers,........the 6.5x55 isn't flashy or speedy, it just does the job, and does it quite well for a lot longer than most other cartridges have been around.
From varmints to Elk, it's a fine round. I quite often compare it to the 308,.......120-125 gr bullets equal 150's in a 308, 130-140gr equal the 165's in 308, and the big long 160's penetrate equal or better than 180's from the 308. It does so with lower pressures, better trajectory, and higher BC bullets.

What's not to like!?!?!

Trapr

[nolongcolt]

Am I missing something here? If you don't need to sell the 6.5 just hang onto it, especially being a rare one. However it wont ever shoot as flat as your .270 which is mighty hard to beat for a mountain rifle.

[potatojudge]

Greg, you prob don't really need it given your battery. Sell it to me 

I don't know what a 6.5 will do with 100 grain bullets compared to what you're running in your 270, maybe 3100fps or so. You might just find it kills as well regardless. I have a No 1 in 6.5x55 that no doubt can be loaded to push the envelope, but in a Low Wall you're probably limited to 60K PSI so just a bit over SAAMI specs. Not sure where you'd get that load data though, but Reloader 17 might get you where you want to be. Low Wall specific info is hard to parse out given new and older actions, etc. 

But seriously, if you sell it you've got my number! 

[keechikid]

My dad has a low wall in a 260. If you decide you don't need that low wall shoot me a pm.

[magnumwheelman]

6.5 x 55 is one I don't own yet... but to me it's like the old 7 mm mauser in that it performs better than you would expect... I have a CZ in 6.5 on my short list

[bushog]

I had a Browning low wall in .260 but that darned thing is 1:10" twist and wouldn't shoot anything well and it wasn't me.....

Maybe it was a lemon but it sure as heck went down the road......

It won't be cheap......

[gunzo]

SAMMI specs are the crutch for the 6.5, old rifles, low pressures. Used in modern actions & loaded to appropriate pressures it out performs the 260 & the magical 6.5 Creed.
Out performing a 110/.270 @3300? It would be close.

[bushog]

I'm seeing a 100gn Barnes TTSX puC is only a little lower than the 110gn .270 bullet.

It's right on it's heels....

[sixshot]

Saw a write up several years ago in either Guns & Ammo or Shooting Times about the 6.5/55 & they showed a survey of how many moose had been taken with it over about a 5 year period in Sweden (I think) compared to about 6-7 other calibers. they also showed number of shots fired, distance traveled after the shot, etc. It was pretty amazing, the 6.5 Swede did very, very well compared to several medium magnums, 7mm, 300, etc. Good bullets in good places always trump horsepower.

Dick

[COR]

A good friend of mine went to Africa for his first trip last year and used the rifles they had available. When he asked for a "Kudu gun" he was handed the PH's favorite 6.5x55 with Swarovski glass... the second favorite was the 30/06 which he used on a big zebra. Educated me a bit.

[Encore64]

I've owned at least one 6.5x55 since 1983. Its my favorite big game cartridge.

Right now I own a Ruger #1 International and Encore pistol in it. I can't imagine being without one.

[kings6]

As a 14 year old ninth grader I got to go on my first elk hunt in NE Oregon. The gun I used was a former military 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser with open sights. The poor cow I had run by me never knew it was an old style, long length 6.5 bullet that ended her life in about 20 steps. I think my brothers wife still has that rifle to this day. Stick that round in a gun that lens itself to a good piece of glass and hunt speed goats to y our hearts content.

[junebug]

They work all out of proportion to there size.My wife has used one for deer for 20+ yrs.Good bullets, low recoil, sweet shooting guns that work.

[JM]

This was written many years ago by a member of the old Swedish Mauser mailing list.

From: Alex H.

Well, its been 2 solid years I've spent with a Swedish Mauser in my
hands. In that time, I've worked up loads, tested loads, torn 'em down
to the basic parts, customized 'em, shot 'em in original form, read
everything I could find on 'em including scores of e-mails, and bagged a
couple of deer. I've also built a couple 98 Mausers and 1903
Springfield in the last year. Time to take a pause and reflect a bit.
Most of you know, I'm not a collector. Gunsmithing, stockmaking, and
hunting is what trips my trigger, so that's what my viewpoint is from as
are the following observations.

Its a shame that our tactical weapons wizards are locked in on the .308
Win as are a lot of folks. One can understand it because it has been a
military round for many years. However, if they would run their
ballistic calculators and compare a 140 grain Match load for the 6.5x55
against the 168 grain Match load for the .308 out at "sniper range"
(800-1000 yds), guess who wins? The Swede! There's absolutely nothing
the 308 can do that the 6.5x55 can't do better, whether its competition
shooting, hunting, or sniping. It simply works because the bullet is
optimum in sectional density and ballistic coefficient.

Get out the ballistic calculator again run the following loads: 25-06,
120 grain bullet at 2950 fps; 6.5x55, 120 grain bullet at 2950 fps;
270 Win, 130 grain bullet at 2950 fps. No, I didn't make a typo. All
three of these caliber/bullet combos typically run at 2950 fps despite
what the manufacturer's ballistic table wants yo to believe. One finds
that the Swede does just as well and better in ballistics than the
vaunted 270 load or the heaviest bullet for the 25. The swede is maxed
out pressure wise at this velocity. With handloading, the 25-06 and 270
can go a bit faster but the end result is totally negligible. In short,
the 6.5x55 doesn't give up anything to the other two for a typical
deer/elk loading. I've found the Swede works best with the long 140 and
160 grain bullets it was designed for but the 120 grain loads are not to
be discounted in any way. Try this comparison on the next person who
swears there ain't nuthin' cun beat a 270.

A friend recently told me he prefers his 7mm Mag to ensure he has plenty
of knock-down power on those 400 yard white tail shots. I asked him how
many 400 yard shots he had to take. The answer was none. By far, most
of his deer were taken within 100 yards, just like the national
average. Out came the ballistic calculator an a quick comparison
between the 7mm shoulder-killer and the mild-mannered swede out to 300
yards. His jaw dropped and he walked away muttering about having to
re-think things. Granted, the 7mm Mag will reach out and get something
a long ways away. The Army held with the same argument for years for
the 30-06. Then one day the brass realized that GI's just flat didn't
shoot at anything much beyond 100 yards and 300 yards was about as far
as far gets under field conditions. So it goes on the hunting field. I
just don't need anything with a 400 yard maximum point blank range. Its
too heavy, too expensive and too uncomfortable for frequent use.

Accuracy? Look what G. David Tubb uses to win the high power rifle
matches. A 6.5-308. He prefers a short action rifle which the 6.5x55
is too long for. But, the point is, a 6.5mm bullet and suitable load
can be as accurate as rifle accuracy can be defined. I haven't seen any
of Mr. Tubb's loadings that are beyond the pressure/velocity constraints
of the swede.

In the great middle ground between pure varmint calibers and big bore
polar bear stoppers, the swede will do quite nicely without shoulder
smashing recoil, heaps of powder, and very noticeable barrel erosion. I
still like the 30-06 for its topped power but for something truly
dangerous, better think of a 375 H&H-class rig. I like my 25-06 for its
long range varmint ability, especially here in windy Kansas. The
swede's barrel twist is a tad fast for the short 85 grain varmint
bullets but I can make it work almost as good as the 25-06. Actually,
one also has to go to slower twist on the 25-06 for really outstanding
light bullet performance.

If one HAD to use a swedish mauser for a varmint rig, I would recommend
converting it to a 250-3000 or 257 Roberts. This is the ONLY
circumstance I could understand making sense for departing from the
6.5x55 chambering. On the other end, the action does not make sense for
the polar bear stoppers, ala 338 Winchester to 458 Winchester. If you
need such a rifle, you know it. Go directly to Model 70, Model 98 or
Model 700. Most of us aren't in the business of facing the very
dangerous critters so we don't need to go there.

In my baby boomer youth, the 1903 Springfield was the crown jewel of
milsurp rifles. The quality was superb, it could handle any 30-06
length cartridge, the basic gun was inexpensive, and surplus barrels
were plentiful and versatile. I see the swede filling a similar niche
these days. It doesn't have the caliber versatility of the '03 but so
what. Back again to the argument that the 6.5x55 is all you need on non
dangerous game, target shooting, et al. One doesn't see very many '03's
on the shelves these days and the ones still in original form bring
steep prices.

What about rebarrelling? The 96 and 98 Mausers are the easiest of any
center fire rifle (had to disqualify the Ruger 10/22) to rebarrel. I
fully agree with Frank de-Haas (the Great American Gunsmith's Gunsmith)
that unless the barrel has been ruined (or you just HAVE to make it a
varmint rifle), there's no reason to put a new one on a Swedish Mauser.
If you don't like the military barrel contour, take it to your local
gunsmith. The standard barrel can be turned down to a lightweight
profile with no sweat. Oh yeah, if you are thinking about varmintizing
one, think of this; you can get a M98 action and a new varmint weight
barrel for what you'd pay for a swede off the shelf without
rebarrelling. If that don't dissuade someone from varmitizing (extra
cash outa da' pocket) a swede, nothing will.

How does the M96 action compare to the M98? Well, the 98 is technically
superior. It is stronger, which also means heavier. It can be adapted
to any cartridge from the 22-250 to the 460 Weatherby. It has a better
gas venting system for ruptured cartridges. The cock-on-open bolt feels
a little better than the cock-on-close. So what! The cock-on-close
bolt is not inferior as some folks like to tout. I can live with it
just fine. The M96 gas venting works fine (no personal experience here
yet). Several army ordinance bureaus in the world have destructively
tested both actions; the M96 is more than safe for what it was intended
for. They were proofed to 65,000 psi which percentage wise, is a bit
more overload than the original '03 proof load of 70,000 psi for the
30-06. Triggers and safety mechanisms are the same for both. There are
just as many after market trigger/safety options for the M96 as there
are for the M98.

As an aside, if you really want to see how strong these military bolt
actions are and what happens when things go afoul, read "Hatcher's
Notebook". General Hatcher was the guy who put all those wonderful small
arms in GI hands during WWII. He also got to do a LOT of radical
experimentation between the two world wars with US Army small arms.

I've carried many a nine pound rifle. These days, I much prefer
carrying my seven pound swede carbine. Its hard to get a scoped M98 to
stay at seven pounds without a lot of expensive (and fruitless)
modifying. Plus, the swede just balances better. If you want to
hot-rod the 6.5x55 cartridge, then go to a M98. But, it ain't gonna get
you much more than what you get with the M96.

The only currently produced action I see as making a better lightweight
rifle is the Remington Model 7. You just can't trim a Mauser down to
match it. If I were to get one, it would have be chambered for the 260
Rem, which is a 6.5-308 and ballistically identical to the 6.5x55.

Finally, for collectors, the Swedish Mauser is as collectable as any
other historic arm. There are enough variations to provide diversity in
the collection, yet not so many as to be impossible for one of limited
budget to obtain a complete set. Try getting a complete collection of
Lugers!

Thats a long-winded summary of my two-year romance. I see no reason to
end it. I'll still dable with "other" rifles. Sporterizing M98s can be
somewhat profitable. I've had and maintain a long relationship with a
Ruger #1. Still, the Swedes in my cabinet are earning their keep as
"primary" rifles. As long as I don't have to worry about Grizzly and
Buffalo charges, they are all I need.