6.5x55 Swede thoughts?

Ocmulgee44

Senior Member
I shoot a 30-06 because I am old school and, well, why not but I have been thinking of downsizing in my graybeard years. I reload and I have always thought the Swede has a lot of potential. Would be interested to hear from anybody who has experience with it.
 

bullethead

Of the hard cast variety
Great round, and an even greater round in a modern bolt action. 140s at 2700-2800 fps will handle all your needs. 120gr TTSX at 2800+ will do what the 140s will.
 

GregoryB.

Senior Member
I have a Swede in a Ruger #1 Light recoil and very accurate. Works great on deer. Handloaders have an abundance of components.
 

bullgator

Senior Member
I hunt mostly with the Swede now. Occasionally I’ll bring something else out like a 7-08 or 30-06.
I have a Tikka and a rebarrelled Remington mountain rifle in 6.5x55. Both shoot sub 1” regularly. Have two loads that run about 2700fps without pushing it. One is a 125 gr partition, and the other is a 130 gr Swift Scirocco.
I kind of laugh at all the hoopla of the Creedmoor craze. Not that it isn’t a great cartridge, it’s just a modern day Swede.
 

Ocmulgee44

Senior Member
Thanks for the replies gentlemen.

Looking for a modern rifle. I was thinking maybe a 1:8 twist for most likely 140 grain-ish bullets but don't want to paint myself into a corner as there seem to be a lot of bullet choices and the offerings will probably grow with the Creedmore coming on strong. I definitely want to hunt meat with it but might want to shoot lighter bullets for varmints or plinking.

I like the looks of the Tikkas. Surely the Finns ought to have this one figured out. But I am open to any mid-price options. May just have to go with what I can find.
Any to avoid?

Thoughts on over the counter ammo or best brass to reload?
 

furtaker

Senior Member
Mine is a Howa 1500 but I'm not sure if they chamber it in that round anymore. That rifle is more accurate than I am.

Be aware that some foreign brass has a very slightly larger diameter case head than American brass. I had trouble with PPU chambering in my rifle. Hornady and Remington work fine.

Most load data for this cartridge is very mild for a modern rifle. I go way over max in most manuals with zero pressure signs. The Hodgdon and Lee data seems to be tailored somewhat to more modern rifles.

It is a great round with light recoil. It has been doing the same thing as the 260 and Creedmoor for over 100 years. I think it's a better round than either.
 

tcward

Senior Member
I hunt mostly with the Swede now. Occasionally I’ll bring something else out like a 7-08 or 30-06.
I have a Tikka and a rebarrelled Remington mountain rifle in 6.5x55. Both shoot sub 1” regularly. Have two loads that run about 2700fps without pushing it. One is a 125 gr partition, and the other is a 130 gr Swift Scirocco.
I kind of laugh at all the hoopla of the Creedmoor craze. Not that it isn’t a great cartridge, it’s just a modern day Swede.
I love that Scirocco out of my Creed!
 

smokey30725

Senior Member
What's the maximum effective distance on deer-sized game?
 

WaltL1

Senior Member
Ive been deer hunting with a Ruger M77 in 6.5 Swede for years.
Always used off the shelf 140 gr. CoreLoks but if you roll your own you can get max potential out of this awesome caliber.
 

bullethead

Of the hard cast variety
What's the maximum effective distance on deer-sized game?
Most likely it's biggest limitation is the shooter. It will do everything the 6.5 Creedmoor will do at all the ranges shooters and hunters are using it.
Easy a 300yd deer cartridge. 6.5mm bullets have some good to great B.C. and S.D.
 

TomC

Senior Member
Funny how all the 6.5's are coming in style now and for a reason. 6.5 x 55 will have you covered from ground squirrels to moose and everything in between. Low recoil, sleek and slippery bullet that packs a lot of punch and particularly so if you reload. Had it been marketed properly in the US along time ago would be one of the most popular calibers.
 

wareagle700

Senior Member
6.5x55 really brought the other 6.5's to life. In it's day, it was a fantastic cartridge and even today is still a good choice for a hunting rifle. However, with the 6.5 Creedmoor and .260 popularity today, there are more options for ammo and brass, and higher velocities can be achieved in those short action cartridges. I wouldn't build a rifle around the 6.5x55 today unless it was for nostalgia but like the 30-06', it's still is a great performing round with a lot of history behind it.
 

bullethead

Of the hard cast variety
With the introduction of the 260 and more importantly the 6.5Creed, the manufacturers really amped up the new bullets in 6.5mm which ultimately helps the Swede a lot also.
 

nmurph

Senior Member
6.5x55 really brought the other 6.5's to life. In it's day, it was a fantastic cartridge and even today is still a good choice for a hunting rifle. However, with the 6.5 Creedmoor and .260 popularity today, there are more options for ammo and brass, and higher velocities can be achieved in those short action cartridges. I wouldn't build a rifle around the 6.5x55 today unless it was for nostalgia but like the 30-06', it's still is a great performing round with a lot of history behind it.


Perhaps the Swedes lack of historical success in the US has to do with the metric designation? Were there other commercially successful metric cartridges prior to the 7RM?

The Swede does have more potential for handloading with its nearly 10% larger case capacity vs the .260, which has an advantage over the 6.5CM.

Here's a decent review-

https://skyaboveus.com/hunting-shooting/65mm-Cartridge-Virtual-Shootout-Which-is-Best
 
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