6.5x55 factory ammo
- Thread starter owlowl
- Start date
I own 2 .308 Winchester rifles and have a lot of components and tools for reloading so I'm not in a rush to start over with reloading for another cartridge on top of the others I already reload.
You mentioned availability of factory ammunition. I would suggest getting a .308 Win from your 2 choices just for the availability of ammunition.
Rather than getting a .308 or a 6.5 Swede I would suggest a 6.5 Creedmoor. I would buy one now but I'm afraid I won't use up my stockpile of .308 bullets and brass.
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IMHO forget about Federal, Remingto offerings. Shot them out of a m96 and m98 action rifle. Some lousy results. Kept the brass for reloading.
S&B is hotter and lots of European hunters use it as a budget alternative on the range and roe deer hunting. Works good on deer but not so much for wild boar.
Hornaday Custom International 160 grain RN shoots cloverleaf at 100 yards out of my 96 Carl Gustav and 98 Zastava. S&B isn't far behind in terms of accuracy but lacks penetration on boar.
Lots of EU deer hunters swear by Norma 6,5x55 SE Whitetail SP 10,1g/156grs for deer or Norma 6,5x55 Vulkan 10,1g/156grs for more robust game aka boar.
S&B is hotter and lots of European hunters use it as a budget alternative on the range and roe deer hunting. Works good on deer but not so much for wild boar.
Hornaday Custom International 160 grain RN shoots cloverleaf at 100 yards out of my 96 Carl Gustav and 98 Zastava. S&B isn't far behind in terms of accuracy but lacks penetration on boar.
Lots of EU deer hunters swear by Norma 6,5x55 SE Whitetail SP 10,1g/156grs for deer or Norma 6,5x55 Vulkan 10,1g/156grs for more robust game aka boar.
The 6.5 Needmore needs more marketing, lol
6.5 Manbun.....pass... I like the old guy the 6.5x55, the Ljungman was great fun to shoot but I took it hunting once... just to say I tried it.... it is a battle rifle. Sporterized Mauser followed up soon after and from 100g to the 160g factory loads I found the accuracy better than mine. I have come close to upgrading a couple times and am still doing some thinking... where I live now Guns.com and Gunbroker and HiBids are good buying options with the FFLs in place but in Canada the old https://intersurplus.com/collections/6-5-x-55?sort_by=title-ascending seems like it has some good ones sometimes, Tikka, B.S.A., Browning A-Bolt... some good options on there just in time for deer and bear retirement planning 
The Browning A-Bolt and the https://intersurplus.com/collections/6-5-x-55/products/brno-502-5-in-12ga-6-5x55-sku-22853 look interesting but the cost to get them to me... better to buy there!
The pinnacle of 6.5x55... (Liberals explode and foam at the mouth just at the sight of it... total mental devastation!)
Luvo LA-11 A2 Precision in 6.5x55
https://luvo.cz/en/products/sport-and-civilian/semi-auto-rifles/luvo-la-11-a2-precision/
The Browning A-Bolt and the https://intersurplus.com/collections/6-5-x-55/products/brno-502-5-in-12ga-6-5x55-sku-22853 look interesting but the cost to get them to me... better to buy there!
The pinnacle of 6.5x55... (Liberals explode and foam at the mouth just at the sight of it... total mental devastation!)
Luvo LA-11 A2 Precision in 6.5x55
https://luvo.cz/en/products/sport-and-civilian/semi-auto-rifles/luvo-la-11-a2-precision/
A lot depends on which flavour of 6.5 the rifle you really want is chambered in. But 6.5CM and 6.5x55 are close enough that if you reload one, you probably only need dies and brass to do the other with bullets, powder, and primers you already have.
Likely, the more I look into reloading the more I see the new better thing is just a change in brass length.. almost cosmetic but some things like this... a 9mm, 357/38 revolver, just change the cylinder... interesting for interest sake only buy....
https://www.taurususa.com/product/r...mag-38-spl-p-9mm-luger-matte-black-3-00-in-r/
etc.
https://www.handgunsmag.com/editorial/best-convertible-revolvers-multiple-cartridges/512921
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I have been shooting the 6.5x55 for over 30 years. Both factory ammo and handloads.
I have not shot any of the S&B ammo in this caliber, and have limited experience with it in other calibers (300 Win Mag and 270 Win; both were PH rifles on hunts in South Africa in 2024 and this spring. In all, my wife and I took 11 animals with these two rifles at ranges of 77-235 yards, including springbok (common, black, and copper), sable, nyala, impala, bushbuck, kudu, warthog, bontebok, and lechwe. The 300 Win Mag was a 180 gr SPCL and the 270 was a 150 gr SP. Only 2 animals required follow up shots, and most fell quickly, and only one travelled more than 100 yards from the initial hit. No different than most north american animals taken with other similar cartridges and bullets. Would I hunt with this ammo again? Sure. But most likely with borrowed rifles in SA, as I have other ammo or handloads that works well in the rifles I have. As to the quality of its brass, I have no experience in reloading them, so cannot say.
As for Norma ammo for the 6.5x55; it is great ammo and produced great performance in my first couple 6.5x55 rifles. It is loaded to European specs (140 gr bullets @ 2780 fps), as compared to the north american loaded ammo at 2650 fps for 140 gr ammo. I took whitetail and stones sheep with this ammo. Norma brass is top notch, and I reloaded these cases numerous times for load development in my second rifle (Rem 700 Classic). Use their brass with confidence! Even better, if this performs well in your rifle, you may not even want to handload... but Norma ammo can be more difficult to find. If you do, stocking up would be recommended.
Hornady used to make a Light Magnum line of ammo, which included a European Spec Light Magnum in the 6.5x55 that had the 140 gr Interlock at 2780 fps. It shot very well in my Rem 700 Classics.
As only my first 6.5 Swede was an older military rifle, all of my other 6.5x55 rifles have been on modern manufacture (Remington, Sako, Steyr Mannlicher, and Winchester), so I have used hotter ammo and handloads in them. My current rifles are a Steyr-Mannlicher Model M FS SE and a Winchester 1885 Low Wall.
I have also handloaded the 6.5x55 with once fired Federal, Winchester, and Hornady brass. Currently, I also have new Norma and Lapua brass for loading. My Rem 700 Classics loved the maximum load of IMR-4350 with the 140 gr X Bullet and 140 gr Partition (both sub-MOA). I took moose and elk with these handloads. I used to put 500-700 rounds a year through those rifles just practicing out to 500 yards at the local range. My Sako Model 85 Hunter loved the Nosler 140 gr AccuBond ammo, and HSM 140 gr Berger VLD (both right at or close to 0.5 MOA).
The Steyr-Mannlicher is showing a preference for the Federal 140 gr Fusion out of its 20" barrel (0.608" group at 2474 fps). Should make for fun still hunting in the thick timber! (Have always loved the look of the mannlicher stocked rifles!)
I have only shot the Low Wall to sight in the scope so far, and while the Nosler 140 gr AccuBond ammo is showing accuracy potential (1.077" groups at 100 yards), I will be shooting it again, as the first two shots of the two groups were very close (.162" and 0.046"), until I pulled the third shot in each group and opened them up to just over and inch. For a handload in this rifle with this bullet, I will be trying Re-16,17, and 26, IMR-4350, and Hunter. I still need to run the data through QuickLoad for the VihtaVouri powders to determine other potential loads to try.
Hope this helps, anad best of luck in your quest!
I use a CG63 think factory target rifle made using a Swedish action. My reloads are as close to the surplus ammo as possible to them. The only difference is the Lapua Scenar, 139 , over VV N150 powder.
These were Berdan primed
These were Berdan primed
I recently bought a M38 Carbine and will start reloading for it shortly. Would you be willing to take a photo of that design on the Swedish surplus ammo box you picked up. Making little boxes for my reloads is one of my hobbies
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/threads/homemade-ammo-boxes.2103526/
WILL DO, I have to step out but I will in a bit.I recently bought a M38 Carbine and will start reloading for it shortly. Would you be willing to take a photo of that design on the Swedish surplus ammo box you picked up. Making little boxes for my reloads is one of my hobbies
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/threads/homemade-ammo-boxes.2103526/
I recently bought a M38 Carbine and will start reloading for it shortly. Would you be willing to take a photo of that design on the Swedish surplus ammo box you picked up. Making little boxes for my reloads is one of my hobbies
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/threads/homemade-ammo-boxes.2103526/
Lots of luck affording that, as I also plink with my .338 LM. Also the one localish 1 hr away shop carries 1 brand (PPU) of 300 Savage at 104 for 20 rounds.
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