6.5x55 question

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bud69

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Hi
I just scored a nice m96 sporter whit like new bore and a nice custom wood
Who use the 6.5x55 for hunting ?
Which bullet ? 120 vs 140 ?
Which powder work the best for you ?
Im hunting deer and black bear
Can i use s&b and ppu ammo whit the old m96 action ?

Thanks
 
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you can use S&B and ppu ammo but the best factory that shot from mine was nosler trophy grade 140gr accubond, I did reload for mine years ago and used imr4064 with 140gr sierra gamekings worked very well
 
I like the 6.5x55 for whitetail and other such sized game and have hunted with mine for about 25 years. I've only been loading for it for a over a year but I like 140 grain projectiles. I've tried 120 and 160 grain and they work well too. H4350 has worked well for 140&160 grain pills. Many like other powders but I always have 4350 on hand and it shoots well for me.
I've shot quite a few whitetail, a couple muel deer , one pronghorn and 1 black bear . One shot kills with 140 grain bullets.
 
3#cannon said:
I like the 6.5x55 for whitetail and other such sized game and have hunted with mine for about 25 years. I've only been loading for it for a over a year but I like 140 grain projectiles. I've tried 120 and 160 grain and they work well too. H4350 has worked well for 140&160 grain pills. Many like other powders but I always have 4350 on hand and it shoots well for me.
I've shot quite a few whitetail, a couple muel deer , one pronghorn and 1 black bear . One shot kills with 140 grain bullets.
Click to expand...

Did you aim to hit the leg or you aim for the vital
 
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160 grain in the old Swede 96 is generally the most accurate and that long heavy bullet gives great penetration. 4064 is a good powder.
 
My 'go to' rifle for deer and black bear....it seems about the perfect balance ,low recoil and accurate.After 100 yards the ballistics virtually equal a 270. The 65x55 has one of the highest SD of any bullet.isn't picky on bullets either ,just about anything works
 
Congratulations on scoring a great rifle in a wonderful calibre. I have been shooting and reloading the 6.5x55 for over 30 years and it is my favourite calibre. Your 96 will have no problem with the S&B or PPU ammo and the PPU brass is very nice for reloading. I use Barnes TTSX or TSX bullets for hunting using Varget powder with 120gr. bullets and IMR 4350 with the 140 gr. I use the 120 for deer and 140 for everything else. You will find that the 6.5x55 is a very versatile cartridge capable of taking any game on this continent. It is easy to reload for, fun to shoot, and I'm sure you will find the old 96 pleasingly accurate. Enjoy it and have fun.
 
I do own 6 rifles in that chambering it is an excellent round and and i will second what vmax said, 120gr ballistics for deer and 140gr partitions for the bigger stuff, my favorite powder for the swede is IMR7828.
You will like that rifle.
 
M96 Gustof's tend to prefer heavier bullets due to the tighter twist in those barrels. From what I've observed they tend to prefer 140-160 grainers, with the guns being designed to shoot 160 gr. military round nose ammo. I had good accuracy with 140 grain Accubonds and factory loaded Lapua mega's in 156 grains. You will tend to get better velocity from longer barrels as well 26"+. Try a few and she what she likes. You'll enjoy the light recoil compared to the 30 cals. Cheers.
 
We have several rifles in 6.5X55, all of them shoot very well with 120-160 gr. bullets and just about any of the slower burning powders such as 4350 and 4831 seem to do just fine for us. In fact they all shoot pretty well with just about any powder I've loaded rounds with.
For hunting purposes I think I would go with a bullet in the 140-160 gr. range, just my personal opinion.
 
Factory Hornady 140gr SST give me sub-1MOA.

I'm working up loads for 140/143 grains now (with various bullets and powders).
The 140 group nodes were over and under 1MOA but I was being conservative on the loads. May get out this weekend for more testing.

Here is a recent 160 gr Hornady Interlock session - 2330 fps. 20" Tikka T3x with 1:8" twist
Barrel was still warm from some 140 gr testing.....

This is the book min from Hodgdon. Would like to take the velocity up a bit but this group looks pretty darned good for a hunting load.





Be aware you will find most books are 'low' on the published 6.5x55 loads due to the older actions not taking the pressures of the new ones. As always, start low and work up - watch for pressure signs.
The 160 load above in the Hornady manual is well over their book max (for old actions).........
 
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I have shot whitetail and mulies with my 6.5 for a little while now and I have used 140gr partitions, 140gr corelokts, 140gr sst, 129gr sst and 120gr TTSX.

All one shot quick kills except the 140gr sst. That only hit one lung so it's not entirely the bullets fault the deer was found a couple hundred yards away.

Partitions worked perfectly and deer dropped in place, same with the corelokts. The 129gr sst hit spine and blew a chunk of it's back off, immediately down and fatal though ( I tried the 129gr after the 140gr sst deer, looking for more reaction and found it). The TTSX made soup inside but small entry and exit holes. That big deer was dead 20-30 yards away after about 4 big bounces.

My favourites so far are partitions and corelokts, but I could not argue with the internal organ damage of the ttsx with very little actual body damage. I bet it would have done the exact same thing to a second deer if it was standing behind it. I've only found one corelokt against the outside hide and some fragments of the 129gr sst and they rest all passed through, some diagonally.
 
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