Pet loads for 6.5x55 with 140gr bthp
- Thread starter flintyboom
- Start date
Your powdrs are all too fast.
I would say 4350 is the minimum powder. 4831 would be better, and RL22.
There is a huge variation in pressure/velocity with this caliber. I saw a Start load that was WAY over max for a given rifle.
So ignore the suggestions and pick a suitable powder (4831 or RL22 are good) and work up your own loads.
I would say 4350 is the minimum powder. 4831 would be better, and RL22.
There is a huge variation in pressure/velocity with this caliber. I saw a Start load that was WAY over max for a given rifle.
So ignore the suggestions and pick a suitable powder (4831 or RL22 are good) and work up your own loads.
flintyboom, Ganderite and Eagleye give good advice.
You should mention which rifle you're loading for.
Powders that are suitable for a milsurp M94/36/96 Swede Mauser or Norwegian Krag, which require LOWER PRESSURES to be safe are not appropriate for the best results with a rifle built on 98 type Mauser actions or one of the modern Remington 700, Winchester Model 70, Rem 721 or even a P17 Enfield to name a few.
I don't know which loads Ganderite was referring to but it very weii may have been above the maximum listed loads in most manuals, in deferrence to the small ring Mausers/Krags listed above for litigation reasons.
In Europe, you're expected to know which rifle you have and what its safe pressure parameters are.
They load cartridges such as the 6.5x55 Scan(Swede) to much higher pressures, safely, which are appropriate for modern actions such as the Tikka T3 or North American Rem 700/Win Mod 70 to name a few.
I like that you're being careful and looking for knowledgeable answers pertaining to your loading techniques.
All of the powders you list can be used but are just to fast burning for this particular cartridge, with 140 grain bullets for best velocity results, but may give you some very good results on targets.
H4350 is also on the fast side but better than the others you've listed.
If I may suggest, if you're shooting one of the weaker small ring Mausers or a Krag, then use these powders within the parameters of the load tables.
If you have a stronger action, go onto Google and type in ''hot loads for the 6.5x55 Swede in strong, modern actions"
You will find all sorts of appropriate loads for stronger actions.
The Norma site offers some loads for different actions as well but usually with powders that aren't available here.
You should mention which rifle you're loading for.
Powders that are suitable for a milsurp M94/36/96 Swede Mauser or Norwegian Krag, which require LOWER PRESSURES to be safe are not appropriate for the best results with a rifle built on 98 type Mauser actions or one of the modern Remington 700, Winchester Model 70, Rem 721 or even a P17 Enfield to name a few.
I don't know which loads Ganderite was referring to but it very weii may have been above the maximum listed loads in most manuals, in deferrence to the small ring Mausers/Krags listed above for litigation reasons.
In Europe, you're expected to know which rifle you have and what its safe pressure parameters are.
They load cartridges such as the 6.5x55 Scan(Swede) to much higher pressures, safely, which are appropriate for modern actions such as the Tikka T3 or North American Rem 700/Win Mod 70 to name a few.
I like that you're being careful and looking for knowledgeable answers pertaining to your loading techniques.
All of the powders you list can be used but are just to fast burning for this particular cartridge, with 140 grain bullets for best velocity results, but may give you some very good results on targets.
H4350 is also on the fast side but better than the others you've listed.
If I may suggest, if you're shooting one of the weaker small ring Mausers or a Krag, then use these powders within the parameters of the load tables.
If you have a stronger action, go onto Google and type in ''hot loads for the 6.5x55 Swede in strong, modern actions"
You will find all sorts of appropriate loads for stronger actions.
The Norma site offers some loads for different actions as well but usually with powders that aren't available here.
Then stick with the loads in the North American manuals. Those actions are tough but not tough enough for higher pressures, say over 46,000PSI.
That's Pounds per Square Inch, not Copper Units of Pressure.
I've tried a ton of powders. You can use fast powders in the burn range you listed for 308 type powders. One of my best results was with IMR 3031 at 36.6 grains withb130gr Sierra game kings. My old Speer manual has load data for 3031.
All my stuff is super hot, you would have to work up safely
36.6gr 3031(130gr bullet)
38gr 4064
43gr win 760
41gr Ramshot hunter
45gr H4831SC
44gr Superformance
44gr N160
49gr N165
All my stuff is super hot, you would have to work up safely
36.6gr 3031(130gr bullet)
38gr 4064
43gr win 760
41gr Ramshot hunter
45gr H4831SC
44gr Superformance
44gr N160
49gr N165
Your loads are not over listed Lyman #50 maximum, so not "super hot"
They look like pretty decent loads to me as most 6.5 cartridges seem to perform better when loaded close to the maximum of the particular rifles they're chambered in.
The original #44 bofors powder that was used by Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark for their 6.5x55 chambered M96 and Krag rifles had a very close burn rate to IMR3031 and they used it for both the 140 grain and 160 grain bullets.
The only thing powder burn rate will have any effect on is velocities and sometimes accuracy nodes.
In the past, I've played with charges of pistol powder in cartridge cases, such as 308Win/30-06 and the 6.5 Japanese.
The powder was 2400, which is one of the slower powders.
They worked quite well as long as I was careful to work up the loads and fill the air space remaining in the case with Dacron fibre.
Powder speed for any particular cartridge case isn't written in stone, however, before making changes of any kind or utilizing those not listed in manuals, you need to know what you're working with and how to "make do" to keep everything within safe parameters of not only the firearm but the components of the loaded cartridge.
You can't expect to get similar performance with ''make do" loads as those listed in manuals. The loads listed in manuals use powders that some very knowledgeable people felt would perform the most efficiently and with the least amount of issues legally.
The 6.5x55/7x57/7.62x53/30-06/8x57 and even the 303 Brit are all popular cartridges that come with a very wide spectrum CAVEAT.
All of them were chambered in several different action types that ranged from weak to very strong.
Right now, the 6.5x55 is one of the most beleagured cartridges out there. MOSTLY FROM LACK OF KNOWLEDGE.
The M96 type actions look to be very strong and IMHO are quite strong but they still have their limitations.
Because of this, people try to load them beyond their capabilities. Often they get away with it, until they don't.
The Mauser 98, Remington 700 types, Winchester 54/70 and a myriad of other popular but modern actions are just much stronger and bring new life to these old cartridges, by allowing more appropriate and efficient powders to be used to gain a couple of hundred feet more velocity and often better accuracy.
The loads I shoot out of my 6.5x55 chambered Tikka T3 perform slightly better, velocity wise than the 6.5CM with any given bullet weight and configuration. With two T3s shooting side by side with max loads in each, there wasn't any perceptible accuracy difference and the 6.5x55 gave appx 100fps more velocity than the 6.5CM.
If I were purchasing a new rifle today, the 6.5CM would likely be my preference though. Mostly because of the availability of good cartridge cases, from all of the top manufacturers.
I have a load for my Tikka T3, 6.5x55 that shoots 140 grain bullets consistently into less then 1moa at 100yds at slightly over 2800fps, SAFELY, with IMR7828ssc, from a 22in bbl. I WOULDN'T EVEN CONSIDER USING THIS LOAD IN A M96 type rifle.
I don't give any of these handloads away and won't even give the recipe for the load to anyone, unless I know the rifle they're going to use it in and trust their integrity to the point they won't put them in ''weaker'' actions.
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Accuracy is much more important than velocity IMHO and it appears so in your's.
You aren't telling us what rifle you're shooting. H4350/H4831 are excellent choices and can be used efficiently in several other cartridge types.
However, if you have a strong, modern action IMR7828 in either original form or sc/ssc types will give exceptional accuracy and superior velocities when used with magnum primers.
