6.5x55 or 270?
- Thread starter moosecree
- Start date
Pathfinder
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Northeast Ontario
I like 6.5x55 and I have both....the only thing about 6.5 is the choice or lack thereof for factory rifles and factory ammunition. If you reload and you're getting something custom then its no issue.
Never shot a 270, but have fired a 25-06 many times. I got myself a fine shooting 6.5x55 in a Steyr Prohunter, and just sold a fine shooting Tikka in 25-06. My 6.5 is very accurate and the recoil is night and day difference. A lot of guys here will tell you that the recoil for 25-06 and 270 is still fairly mild, and it likely is compared to a 300 Win mag.
In my opinion it doesn't really matter which rifle or which caliber, what matters most is dedicating the range time to become a better shooter. FS
- Location
- Eastern Edge of the Foothills
With handloads the 6.5x55 can do anything the .270 can do. But in order to do it the 6.5x55 must be loaded HOT to match the .270 loaded AVERAGE.
I was reading somewhere that after 100 yards-the 6.5X55 pretty much matches the .270 anyway-with less recoil.The 6.5X55 beats the 270 with a higher sectional density which gives it the edge on efficiency for killing game.And although the swede has been around for over 100 years-where else can you find the same quality workmanship as you get in an old Husqvarna in for production rifles you pay several times as much?You can buy a swede in ''VG'' condition from Tradeex for around $250, pick up an older fixed power Leupold-and still have enough change left over out of $500 to buy a set of dies for reloading
I have already voted on this one with my wallet, there are 3 6.5x55 rifles in my safe and no .270's. Handloaded, the 6.5x55 is a fantastic cartridge with great accuracy, effectiveness on game that belies the paper numbers and very low drag, efficient bullets available.
If you don't reload, the .270 is a better choice just because of ammo availability.
Mark
If you don't reload, the .270 is a better choice just because of ammo availability.
Mark
mike shickele
Regular
I think that both cartridges are great............But.......I've been a handloader all of my life, so making the ammunition once you have the brass is no problem, but I remember as a kid being enamored with the 6.5X55, and wanting to get a rifle in that caliber; my dad warned me against it (more like nagged me out of it), for one reason. There have been periods in the not so distant past where brass has been unobtainable for the 6.5X55, and the brass can not be properly made out of any other cartridge case. Though the 6.5X55 starts a lot of conversations, there really aren't a lot of rifles out there so chambered (no matter what the advocates say), and when the companies start dropping calibers (either because business is too good or too bad), the 6.5X55 may very well be on their list of droppers. Even if the company still lists it as one of there items, they may in fact go many years without manufacturing that particular item. The point of all of this wind is that you may at some time find yourself with a rifle of which your unable to obtain brass.
The 270 on the other hand is one of the most popular cartridges in it's own right, and even if your unable to obtain brass for the 270, you can still use 30-06 brass in a pinch.
Another thought (yeh, I know, enough already), all rifles that have been chambered in 270 are capable of modern high pressures; the same can't be said for the 6.5X55.
That still doesn't stop me from thinking that a sportarized model 96 in 6.5X55 wouldn't be a neat rifle.
Mike
The 270 on the other hand is one of the most popular cartridges in it's own right, and even if your unable to obtain brass for the 270, you can still use 30-06 brass in a pinch.
Another thought (yeh, I know, enough already), all rifles that have been chambered in 270 are capable of modern high pressures; the same can't be said for the 6.5X55.
That still doesn't stop me from thinking that a sportarized model 96 in 6.5X55 wouldn't be a neat rifle.
Mike
Fact is the 6.5x55 does not need to be matched to the .270, and hotter loads does not mean a better hunting cartridge.
As it is a cartridge that does just fine on it's own as it has the past 100+ years and will put game in the freezer with far less meat damage, less recoil, and outstanding accuracy.
That is if the shooter takes the time to learn proper marksmanship.
- Location
- Eastern Edge of the Foothills
Fact is the 6.5x55 does not need to be matched to the .270, and hotter loads does not mean a better hunting cartridge.
As it is a cartridge that does just fine on it's own as it has the past 100+ years and will put game in the freezer with far less meat damage, less recoil, and outstanding accuracy.
That is if the shooter takes the time to learn proper marksmanship.
Agreed. The cartridge is versatile, which means different people can use it for different things, and some people have different expectations of it than others. Since the OP was asking for it vs the 270, I was just trying to make the most even keeled comparison. I was just trying to say that when pushed it can compete in terms of trajectory and energy to the .270, but I certainly agree with you that there are perhaps drawbacks to pushing it like that. And it does do fine in it's own right where it's most comfortable. I use it in open fields and long shots. I load it with 130gr accubonds and its chronied at 2900fps. That is pushing it, and others won't do that. It'll still do fine with 140 grainers doing 2600 fps [more traditional load].
mike shickele
Regular
Right now, there are items that are popular that can't be obtained. I think that if I had a 6.5X55 I'd personally have a good stockpile of components set aside for a rainy day.
Mike
Without prejudice (I am a 6.5mm fan) I would go with a .270. Ammo anywhere, easy to load for, and it fills the long action required for even the 6.5x55. I would hunt NA with a .270 in a pinch.
And you can get a new Winchester Model 70 in .270.
And you can get a new Winchester Model 70 in .270.
