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> 6.5x55 Factory loads for deer?
6.5x55 Factory loads for deer?
@ 05:22 pm (GMT) |
Craig HenardHi Nathan ,I also picked up a 1896 Swede 6.5x55.Rifle has been sporterized with a ramline stock and scoped. Rifle has original barrel and it is 24 inches long. I have read the knowledge base on the 6.5x55 but a Little confused. There are factory loads drom HSM which have a 130 and I think 140 Grain vld abd Sellior aand bellot has a 131 grain softpoint. So far I haven,t been able to find factory loads for the 125 or 140 grain Partions. Use would be for deer 150-250 pounds and ranges from 20-200 yards. What would you go with for this purpose? Thanks Regards Craig |
Replies
@ 10:03 pm (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: 6.5x55 Factory loads for deer?I really don't like factory 6.5x55 ammo Craig. I have seen game lost to such mild loads, had disappointing results myself, watched the disappointment in others- a first deer, hit squarely through the lungs behind the shoulder at 200 yards, deer breaks into a run, bolts towards a safe gully, falls into a ravine never to be seen again. Such a shame.The Hornady SST load would be my only factory recommendation and you will see some fairly impressive kills with this load. But try not to get overconfident with it. The more cautious you are with the Swede, the better the results. I know we have many Swede fans here from all around the world, I still use the Swede myself, I hunted with my old girl last week. I have seen awesome results with the Swede, but it does have its limitations. Try to keep shots angled towards the forwards portion of the lungs. If this means sacrificing shoulder meat- so be it. I have not seen a Partition factory load for a while. Even if there were one, I doubt it would have a decent muzzle velocity. Hand loads really bring the Swede to life. My trio of best hand loaded bullets for the Swede include the 140gr A-Max for lighter framed animals and especially longer range work, the 140gr SST for lighter framed game under ordinary hunting conditions and the 140 grain Partition for ordinary hunting conditions over a wide range of body weights. The double cannelure bulk buy 140gr CoreLokt can be considered a poor mans Partition, also a very good performer. My recent tests are showing that the 142gr Matrix VLD (I don't know if this is listed on the Matrix site?) is a bit stouter than the A-Max but not too stout, fragmentation is gradual but fully reliable. I think 150 to 250lb is a good weight range for this bullet at intermediate to long ranges but others may want to push it to use on game weighing up to 330lb and many will want to and be able to enjoy its use on lighter framed game. I find describing the performance of the Swede to be very difficult at best. It is a cartridge that can take a great deal of time to understand. A new user may shoot a handful of game with the Swede and declare it to be a veritable death ray. But the the more the Swede is used, the more the chance of a negative incident. But moving through this incident or incidents and continuing on gaining more experience, the Swede user arrives at a point where the cartridge and loads are thoroughly understood, limitations are either overcome or avoided. When I began using the Swede, nobody told me that changing bullet styles would dramatically effect results with this cartridge to such a great extent. As far as I knew, it was simply grab some ammo and shoot anything that walked. I was also under the illusion that the Partition was a stout bullet and only to be used on 'once in a lifetime hunts for the toughest of game'. I mucked around with the usual bullets of the day for a long time, Hornady SP bullets, Sierra and Speer. With these came gun magazine articles loaded with all sorts of rubbish such as the Interlock being extremely tough, designed for shooting big game using the .264 Win Mag. All the while, my Interlock bullets were so soft that the day I finally came across a trophy boar, his shield absorbed the entire energy of the bullet, arrested the bullet and he made his escape- or the deer that I dropped successfully at 15 yards, but found that the bullet had vaporized to the extent that only minute fragments could be recovered from my .264 Moose bullet. So much myth surrounding this cartridge and so much of it detrimental to success. Last week I had yet another email from Europe, a Scandinavian hunter wanted to apprise me of the local hunting scene, helping to inform me, to educate me further and to keep me on top of Eurpoean trends. It was his way of thanking me for providing my knowledge to him and his friends who read the KB. The Swede remains ever popular in Scandinavia, a main reason being that it is inexpensive to shoot (Norma budget training / qualification ammo) at a time when sporting ammo is costing the Scandinavian around U.S $4 per shot. Recoil is factor too, low recoil ideal for the standing qualifying shoots that each hunter must undergo each year. And when all of this is done, a great deal of effort goes into ammunition selection for hunting. The current trend is towards core bonded bullets for large animals and the likes of the Vulcan or SST (SST for those who have gone to the huge effort of getting a hand loading / explosives license) for lighter framed game. Never one bullet for all game. For those who can afford it, a larger cartridge (.30-06 common) is used for tough game. Again and again I see the factors of recoil, economy and National heritage (also subsidies I believe) being linked to this cartridge in Scandinavia- put before performance. The Scandinavians shoot for the shoulder, not behind the shoulder (if possible) and not into the neck. This is the same hard target I talk about in the KB where I promoted the Partition as an all rounder with this shot placement. A simple solution to what can at times be a complex to describe cartridge- producing extremely desirable results. Sorry to go on, but I hope you and other readers will see where I am coming from and find this post as a useful expansion. Of all of the cartridges in the KB, this one was very difficult to explain. The 6.5x55 is neither light (like the .243) nor is it a heavy powerhouse like the .30-06. The Swede sits right in the middle and it is up to us which way performance goes depending on which bullets we choose, shot placement, expectations and so forth. I had to write the 6.5x55 text in such a way as to help readers overcome past myths, explore strengths, explore limitations while hopefully not offending die hard Swede fans (of which there are many). One day I will update the article to include some of what we have talked about here, but I want to be sure of my wording without causing more confusion. |
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@ 10:56 am (GMT) |
Craig HenardRe: 6.5x55 Factory loads for deer?Hi Nathan,I really appreciate the extra information you added to this catridges performance in addition to the knowledgebase.For many years I have tried to make all my shots shoulder shots as I would rather ruin a little meat(not that much on the shoulders anyway)and drop the deer in their tracks if possible. I often hunt close to water(creeks,bayous)and tracking in water is nigh on to impossible !! I would much rather not shoot than take a low percentage shot. I think I will pick up a couple of boxes of the Hornady 140 SST and then if I decide to reload for the caliber I will try either the amax or 125 grain partition,(really like Partitions) Thaks again Regards Craig |
@ 09:53 pm (GMT) |
John SmithRe: 6.5x55 Factory loads for deer?Hello from Washington state,I have a sporterized 96 Swed in 6.5x55. The receiver was made in 1924, it has a new 22 inch barrel and a Timney trigger. I also have a sporterized 94 Swed made in 1901 in 6.5x55. With a Mannlicher-style tiger maple stock I am a reloader and have followed Nathan's advice. I use RL 22 powder loaded to the maximum according to my Nosler Reloading Manual and Nosler's 140 grain Partition bullets in a Norma case. According to the Manual this should give me around 2700 plus fps velocity. Maybe a little less in the short 94's barrel. In the last two years this load and these two rifles have provided me with a whitetail doe and one buck mule deer that never took a step after one shot. I credit the Partition bullet and the low recoil. When seating the bullet in the case I try to get the OAL close to the lands and grouves. Currently an OAL of 3.136 inches. As Nathan suggests reloading the 6.5x55 is the way to go. |
@ 01:08 am (GMT) |
Guy MainlandRe: 6.5x55 Factory loads for deer?Hi guys, I've got a m96 swede (1940 something manufacture) and after reading Nathan's discription in the KB I've been wondering weather to ditch factory loads and get into reloading. I wonder if I could get better results reloading than using Hornaday superformance 140g sst's? (MV 2735 fps). Do you really want to go hotter than that in an small ring mauser? Certainly cheaper-once the rig is paid for, but I'm talking sheer performance here. |
@ 08:21 pm (GMT) |
sllindsayRe: 6.5x55 Factory loads for deer?Guy,I've been shooting the Hornady Superformance SST 140gr cartridges in my sporterized Mauser96 for over a year now and I couldn't be happier with them. I get groups of 3/4" at 100yds. I have not killed anything with it, but I imagine it will do the job at realistic ranges. I don't enjoy reloading, but even so, I don't think I could do better in my rifle if I did reload. I have also shot the Hornady Match BTHP 140gr with even better 100yd accuracy (0.688"). With the expense of initial setup, I can't see a reason, for me at least, to reload with results such as these. Steve Lindsay |
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@ 12:38 am (GMT) |
Guy MainlandRe: 6.5x55 Factory loads for deer?Thanks for the reply Steve. I've not taken anything with them either, though if Nathan recomends them that's good enough for me. I've tried several brands of ammo and the hornaday seems best. Have you noticed how much cleaner the bore is after each shot, compared with highlander or federal? It say's to me more powder burnt cleanly equals more fps. It must improve the accuracy of the next shot as well as barrel life. Do reloading powders burn cleaner? Damn pricey ammo though at about $3 a shot. |
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@ 07:56 pm (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: 6.5x55 Factory loads for deer?Hi Guy. If you have a 1940's rifle, the throat may be cut for the 139gr military load rather than the 160gr round nose. This means that the rifle is capable of generating slightly higher velocities than older rifles with the Superformance load and has the potential to achieve its stated velocites in your rifle.2750fps is a typical hand load velocity for the Swede so yes, you will not see any increase in performance if the rifle is yielding full velocities with SF. If the rifle is only generating 2650fps due to wear or a long throat (either wear or deign), hand loading could best this, especially if the rifle is capable of something in the region of 2800fps. But such velocities are not that common. An advantage of hand loading is that you do at least get to find out what an individual rifle is capable of. Most Swedes lose accuracy at 2800fps- but some don't. I load my rifle to 2820fps as this is its accuracy sweet spot. Again, velocities of the Swede are something I struggle to explain. In the 7mm rem Mag for example, I am happy whether the rifle produces 2900fps or 3100fps- that's a 200fps velocity range. But in the Swede, I like to push it as fast as possible. I will take every bit of velocity I can get. The more velocity I get, the greater the range at which the Swede is able to produce fast killing and wide wounding if using controlled expanding hunting bullets. As for going hotter in a small ring Mauser. I don't know who first came out with the notion that a small ring Mauser can't be loaded to modern pressures. All you have to do is set a Swede beside a modern sporting rifle action and study the two. If you were to compare a Swede to say a Tikka T3 .300 Win Mag, you'll note the Swede has a much beefier action. The metallurgy of the Swede is very sound. If you look in the long range book, I have a line up of bolt heads. Note the Swedish Mauser bolt head amongst them. I just had a read of my Swede data in the KB. I see it is a long way behind with no reference to the Superformance load. I thought I had notes in place. Just goes to show, I always need to check to make sure the KB is updated. |
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@ 08:55 pm (GMT) |
Guy MainlandRe: 6.5x55 Factory loads for deer?Thanks Nathan, once again for some more info about the swede, I'm starting be feel a little more educated about my first rifle! I figure the more I know the better, as you say there seems to be so much mis-information about this calibre, it's good to cut through it to the facts. Once I've restocked the lemon I bought (cheap and nasty stock job which has cracked up after 60 rounds) I'll see how she shoot's (gotta improve on 100mm groups), then it's a decision on whether to get into reloading or not. According to the bloke who sold it to me it hadn't had alot of use (could be bullshit) so it's off to look closely at the barrel, looking forward to delivery of your bedding compound, and I'm saving for the book. Cheers mate. |
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@ 10:00 pm (GMT) |
sllindsayRe: 6.5x55 Factory loads for deer?Guy, I should also mention that my accuracy with both Hornady loads is after the gun was bedded with Nathan's compound. Mine is also a 1940s build and was sporterized about 20 years ago.Steve Lindsay |
@ 03:39 am (GMT) |
Peter BjerregaardRe: 6.5x55 Factory loads for deer?Hi all,The hottest factory load for the 6.5x55 is made by the German company RWS ( at least of what is available in Europe ). With a 140 grain twin core ( basically a Partition - correct me if I'm wrong, Nathan ) V0 is 870 m/s or 2850 f/s if I get my math right. You might want to check this link out: http://rws-munition.de/en/hunting/products/rws-centerfire-rifle-cartridges.html#!0/40/28 Wether you can find RWS ammo, that's another story....... Good hunting to you all Peter |
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@ 07:47 pm (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: 6.5x55 Factory loads for deer?Hi Peter, it is not quite the same as a Partition, the H-Mantel is closer. But yes, the goal is the same.Rather than a full copper partition, the DK jacket is tightly and deeply swaged at a mid point in the bullet body. Hard lead below the swage, soft lead above the swage. In the field, I find the DK a wicked killer, very traumatic. The downside is that it has a low BC throughout the calibers. The 6.5 load at 2850fps is down to 2500fps at 100 yards. The DK and KS bullets really excel in the magnums and bigger bores. Immensely wide wounding and relatively good penetration, average trajectories, good to use out to 250-300 yards in the magnums. Wounding is very much the same as the SST where impact velocities are identical. I have thoroughly enjoyed the DK bullets over the years, I have a pack of 181 grain 8mm DK bullets staring at me at the moment, begging to go hunting. |
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