6.5x55 swede vs .260rem

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MuleyMadness

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So I am building a new rifle for my son to use as a hunting rig and something he can spend plenty of time at the range with, and I decided a 6.5mm calibre should be about perfect for him for hunting just about everything in our wonderful province. I am stuck between the 6.5x55 and the .260rem as a calibre choice however and mainly due to my inexperince with both calibres I decided to see what everyone on here had to say. I know they are very similar and are in the same 'category' but that doesn't mean they are the same. I do handload, so available of factory ammo is not a factor at all. Mainly I am interested in hearing what everyone feels about both calibre's 'inherent' accuracy, typical ease in working up loads (I do like to experiment though that said I don't want to spend months finding something that shoots really well). I feel that 3/4 moa in a hunting rifle is a good target to aim for, as I don't like the idea of the accuracy of the round being the limiting factor in the relationship (that should be the shooter, which is the one thing every hunter/shooter can improve on, always). Let me know how what you think and your first hand experience with both or either would be great. Cool factor counts too! ;)Thanks!
 
It would be hard to go wrong with either choice though the 6.5x55 is my favorite. It would mostly come down to if you like short or long action better for the job.
 
You know that's a very good point...I hadn't considered that. I traditionally have been someone who prefers a SA, but my boy doesn't have any such preconceptions and doesn't care either way, so it's not a factor really, though the few ounces in weight savings would be nice. How do you find your swede for loading and shooting?
 
I shoot and reload for the 6.5x55 Swede and find no problems with it at all even as I use old actions so I try to keep the pressures low.

ie...44 grains of RL-22 pushing a 130 grain barnes TSX. :)
 
I can't speak for myself but my uncle has 4 rifles in 6.5x55 Swede and he loves them all. Each one has it's own purpose, one of them being his hunting rig. I did get the chance to shoot it and it was very nice. Manageable recoil yet still packs a deadly punch.
 
Pick up a surplus 6.5x55 husquvarna or carl gustav from tradex for around $200. Great quality, smooth mauser action, stock can be customized (bubba'ed) the way you want. If your son likes it, great, he'll have a fantastic little rifle. If not, your only out a couple hundred bucks. Also, one of these guns can take the beating that a teenager is likely to give it. If it gets scratched up, slap another coat of paint on it.
 
Ballistically, they are very similar. I have owned both. The 6.5 has a longer throat so you can load longer (heavier) bullets. With the 260, 140gr bullets seat deeper in the case so you can't load them quite as hot. Having said that, the 120gr is a very good bullet in the 260. You won't find a better deer caliber than the 260, but if you are going after moose/elk...you would likely need to load 140's.
 
MuleyMadness said:
Good idea but he's a lefty like his dad...don't imagine much LH military surplus out there.
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You're right, don't think there's many of them hanging around. That pretty much limits you to either a donor action from a modern factory gun or a custom one which jacks the price up.

Best of luck with your build.

Jacko
 
Both are terrific, both are going to give you great inherent accuracy if your barrel is good.

The Swede has a slightly larger case base and may be a snug fit in a standard .473 bolt face. I'm not sure what you use for Brass, but Lapua makes THE best 6.5X55SE brass going. 260 is very common, or can be made from any .308 derivative (243, 7-08, 308 etc.)

The Swede has an edge with case capacity and I feel it is better for using heavy bullets. It has been around for more than 100 years and it is still one of the best cartridges ever created.
 
Obtunded said:
Both are terrific, both are going to give you great inherent accuracy if your barrel is good.

The Swede has a slightly larger case base and may be a snug fit in a standard .473 bolt face. I'm not sure what you use for Brass, but Lapua makes THE best 6.5X55SE brass going. 260 is very common, or can be made from any .308 derivative (243, 7-08, 308 etc.)

The Swede has an edge with case capacity and I feel it is better for using heavy bullets. It has been around for more than 100 years and it is still one of the best cartridges ever created.
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Thanks for your input...in point of fact that is one of the main sticking points for me with my decision between the two...I can only get Lapua brass for the swede, and I prefer to only use it for reloading. I know I can make it but prefer not to have to. Are there any actions that commonly have issues with the slightly larger case base that anyone is aware of, or is it simply a matter of what the tolerances of one bolt versus another in determining if it will fit without messing around with it?
 
I just went through this and decided on a 260 AI for my build. Both are great cartridges but I like a short action all things equal.
 
The majority of Remington actions have no issues with Swede cases; some do; I have seen it. If it happens, merely take some emery cloth to the rims so that they fit.
 
6.5X55SM is a great round to start with, But the 260rem are more efficiency round to be had, had my 6.5X55SM shoot out of 27" barrel in Mauser 98 and 26" barrel out of a more modern action (rem700LA) speed achieve was around 2900-2950 this is quite hot, with nearly 48.5-49grain of H4831, with 260rem 25" and 26" barrel got it going 2700+fps with 45grain of H4831, I am currently playing with other powder like the RL17, RL19 so don't have result yet, but In my opinion 260rem are much more efficient round, out to 500meter, compare 260rem 2700fps(140amax)-10moa drop. to 308win 2750 168grain bthp 10.5moa drop. even going slower velocity but achieve slightly high trajectory.
 
this sounds like it comes down to being able to find a LH action more than anything else .
how much money is the op willing to spend ?

find a cheap LH action and rebarrel , short action , go with 260 , long action go with 6.5x55 .

other than that , have him learn to operate the bolt with his right hand , and check out what trade ex has to offer .
 
My 260:

stiller.jpg


Krieger barrel courtesy of Obtunded
Stiller action and stock courtesy of Ian Robertson
Assembly by Mick McPhee
 
MuleyMadness said:
Good idea but he's a lefty like his dad...don't imagine much LH military surplus out there.
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For the number of times he may have to get in a second shot learning to reach across to #### the bolt isn't that bad. Besides which in the case of a milsurp the stocks are not monti carlo cheek rest types so one can shoot from either shoulder.

Pretty much any rifle that wears the Swedish crown is a great rifle IMHO, Swedes where persnickety with their rifles, didn't use corrosive ammo, and they didn't trust the quality of German steel at the time and used their own.

Peek at the tradex site.

Also IIRC P&D has a left handed Tikka T3 Lite, Stainless Synthetic in 6.5x55 Mind you the price is quite a bit more then a tradex rifle.
 
6.5x55 is the better of the two in my mind, does better with the heavier bullets(you said it was going to be used for all purpose hunting, so I assume you're gonna wanna shoot moose/elk). Especially since you are going to be using a modern action, you can load to the cartridges true potential.
 
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