6.5 X 55 for long range

willr1

willr1

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I'm thinking of building (or buying) a rifle in 6.5 X 55 for 1000 yd plus shooting. I'm already doing 1000 yds with a 7-08 but thinking it runs outta legs. I notice there's alot of knowledgeable long range shooters on here and would greatly appreciate your input. Thanks in advance for all your help!
Regards, willr1
 
don't shoot one myself but have a friend that does and works fine. i am sure ian will chime in and say the same. 6.5 caliber has access to some high bc bullets that really help in the wind. just put in the time to know what it does in the wind. have fun
 
The 7-08 is a very capable 1000yd plinking cartridge. Load some 162gr Amax or 168gr Berger VLD's. Push them out around 2600/2700fps and you are good to go. I see no issue pushing these bullets out to a mile.

At present, 1000yd and further F class is being dominated by 7mm cartridges. More fun then I want and further then I will likely compete so I will stick with the 6.5.

To your orig question, the Swede is a superb LR target rd. Stoke them with 139/142gr VLD/match bullets and have fun as far as you want to go.

8 twist, 28 to 30" barrel.

There will be an increase in ballistics with the 6.5 but if just having fun, the 708 will do just fine.

Jerry
 
I used one for 1000 yards and wore the barrel out after 5000 rounds.

have rebareled with 260 Rem Ackley (6.5-08 Improved). Same case capacity.

Both shoot the 142 Sierra at about 2900 fps with RL22. (30 in brl)
 
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mysticplayer said:
The 7-08 is a very capable 1000yd plinking cartridge. Load some 162gr Amax or 168gr Berger VLD's. Push them out around 2600/2700fps and you are good to go. I see no issue pushing these bullets out to a mile.

At present, 1000yd and further F class is being dominated by 7mm cartridges. More fun then I want and further then I will likely compete so I will stick with the 6.5.

To your orig question, the Swede is a superb LR target rd. Stoke them with 139/142gr VLD/match bullets and have fun as far as you want to go.

8 twist, 28 to 30" barrel.

There will be an increase in ballistics with the 6.5 but if just having fun, the 708 will do just fine.

Jerry
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Jerry:


All things being equal-wise in regards to rifle and equipment, how does the 6.5x55mm and 7mm-08 compare to, say .308win in terms of recoil? Cost?
 
The Swede is a fantastic long range cartridge and has many sure-thing recipes to make it work quite well.

7mm bullets are indeed used by competitive long range shooters and the UK F-Class team won the FCWC with them, but it is definitely not the most popular caliber, even though it probably is pound-for-pound one of the best for competitive shooting. It requires a big case to work well and these hurt the shoulder and the wallet. Bingo 1010 has done some great things with a 280AI (Necked-up, blown out 30-06) and I must confess he has me tempted to go there myself.

6.5 cartridges still offer superb long range performance, wind-bucking and accuracy. Best of all, the 6.5 Swede will not kill you with recoil, and brass from Lapua is the best you can get.

The Swede is a fantastic cartridge that requires no fiddle-farting: Add powder, primers and bullets. I would definitely build if you plan on trying to shoot more than 500M. You won't find many factory rifles that can shoot that sort of distance well. The gun HAS to be accurate if you want to learn anything from your results, otherwise you'll never know if the 3 foot group was you or the crappy factory barrel.


Firemachine: all the cartridges you mention (Assuming you mean a 260 in 6.5) are based on 308 cases, so brass is identical. Bullets are more expensive the larger they get, but powder use is negligible.

Recoil increases with bullet weight and size. 308 being the worst. 260 and 7-08 are progressively less. The smaller the bullet in a given case, the less barrel life though. The Swede has roughly the same recoil as a 7-08. It is not punishing to shoot at all.
 
Both the 7-08 and the 6.5X55 are fine cartridges, however to choose one with the anticipation of greatly outperforming the other at long range will leave you disappointed IMHO. Consider the following comparison:

6.5X55
142 gr MK @ 2600
373" drop @ 1000 yards

7-08
168 gr MK @ 2600
372" drop @ 1000 yards.
 
The only comment I have is youhave the capability to achieve much better than 2600 with the Swede. 2900 with 140/142 is easily within reach.
 
I love the 6.5x55. I've done what your thinking about doing, got a slicked up 700 action and had Guntech screw on a heavy Krieger barrel. If I ever get it bedding into it's stock I might be able to shoot it one day:rolleyes: My main hunting rifle is a T3 in 6.5, 140g SST's are easy to get to 2850fps and there's still lots of powder room. She's already beyond book max so I haven't gone anyfarther...at .75" at 100y I don't care to anyway.
 
I have 3-6.5x55 Swedes, One a Husqvarna build M96, One a Remington 700 Classic [Shilen 1-8" twist barrel] and the last a custom built, 1-8" twist Lothar-Walther barrelled Remington 721. This latter is actually 6.5x55AI, and all are superb long range rifles. I like the combination of superb accuracy, relatively small powder charges, and light recoil. Those long 139-142 Match bullets buck the wind with authority, and shed velocity at a much lower rate than similar weight bullets in larger diameters. Longer barrels will get some bonus velocity, but in 28" or longer barrels 2900 is a realistic figure with the 139-142 offerings. The AI gets about another 100 FPS. Regards, Eagleye.
 
Obtunded said:
The only comment I have is youhave the capability to achieve much better than 2600 with the Swede. 2900 with 140/142 is easily within reach.
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The fact remains that both the 7-08 and the 6.5X55 share similar capacities, so when loaded to similar pressure with similar bullets (140/142 6.5s vs 168 7mm MKs) the muzzle velocity will be similar as will the down range performance. Attempting to make a case for huge ballistic advantages of one cartridge over the other is not possible. A .264 Winchester loaded with 155 gr MKs, a 7 mag loaded with 168 gr MKs or a .300 magnum that can make use of even longer heavier bullets should be the next logical step. Of course the superior ballistics of the larger rounds cannot be exploited by everyone.
 
First and foremost, thank you all for your input. Secondly, I'm thinking perhaps I need to look at a larger calibre than 6.5X55. What catridge in the 7mm or 30's would be a possibility for 1000 +? I have been looking at 7RUM. Your thoughts and suggestions please. Thanks!
 
you don't need any thing that big, for out to 1000yard, 6.5X55 would be exellent for 1000 yard, no problem...
my 260rem going at 2650 with 140 amax(light load) does an MOA better than 308 out to 500meter, with 168grain going at 2700.
 
i would stay away from the RUM unless you like rebarrelling often. i get over 2950 out of my 280 ai with the 180 berger and h4831...28"barrel. so honestly a RUM is not needed... i have not shot it way out there but i believe it is super sonic till about the 1900 yard range. a regular good old 7 rem mag is another option, i do believe this is what the FBI use as their choice of caliber. times up. later
 
Thanks one and all very much! I have decided to go with the 6.5 and am currently dealing on a rifle here on CGN. Almostly exactly what I wanted to build and will be alot less $$ than a build. Will let you how how it shoots.
 
willr1 said:
Thanks one and all very much! I have decided to go with the 6.5 and am currently dealing on a rifle here on CGN. Almostly exactly what I wanted to build and will be alot less $$ than a build. Will let you how how it shoots.
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Good choice, good luck.
 
FWIW
When choosing a cartridge and the objective primarily is punching paper at targets of known distances, bullet drop doesn't enter the equasion as long as the optics can dial the elevations required. Of more importance to paper punchin is bullet drift or windage.When you hear target shooters talking about this cartridge shooting "inside" that one,it basically means the chosen bullet (case / load) will be deflected less in like conditions and allow more room for error.
However,that being said, on targets of unknown or estimated distances(like hunting) a flatter shooting cartridge(less bullet drop) becomes as important as windage as it will allow more room for error in ranging and extends your pointblank zero.
The 6.5x55 is an excellent round quite capable of extreme accuracy and fairly forgiving to reload for ,and easy to shoot. It will in most cases ,fill the needs of both target/hunting requirements.
Enjoy your purchase and caliber decision.
There are some really excellent bullet choices available for both target and hunting in the 6.5.
I have my own preferences ,but you'll need to find out just what your barrel prefers.
Welcome to the world of 6.5!!!!
Gord
 
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