6.5x55 the little overachiever.

Using the barrel life calculator on 6BR.com :

6.5 CREED 140gr @ 2665 fps @ 62k psi (h4350) - 2456 rounds

6.5x55 140gr @ 2760 fps @ 62k psi (h4350) - 1958 rounds

6.5x55 140gr @ 2665 fps @ 57k psi (h4350) - 2308 rounds

6.5 CREED 140gr @ 2695 fps @ 62k psi (h4831sc) - 1845 rounds

6.5x55 140gr @ 2785 fps @ 62k psi (h4831sc) - 1486 rounds

6.5x55 140gr @ 2695 fps @ 56k psi (h4831sc) - 1736 rounds

Interesting...the slower powder is harder on barrels, I wouldn't have thought it worked that way.
 
Chuck will you please elaborate with some examples

Chamber consistency, brass availability, die consistency, factory rifle availability, quality factory ammunition, cartridges design (magazine fit, shoulder and body taper etc.)

I shoot a lot of cartridges, but the benefits to this one aren’t something to overlook.
 
I've owned & tweeked numerous M96's over the years. They shot great for me in 50 and 100 yd Running Deer competitions. For hunting, I used 160 gr Norma bullets
ahead of 4895 powder at 2300 fps. Perfect for shoulder shots on all critters I've dumped with the cartridge. It's such a nice number to load for and shoot, & with accuracy that matches the newer 6.5 cartridges out there when built on similar rifle platforms for the sport intended.

One could hunt the world with the 6.5x55 if regional game laws allowed it fer the really big stuff. Like that would ever happen fer us regular schmucks. :rolleyes:
 
Makes me wonder why we needed a 6.5 Creedmoor, marketing? Or is the Creedmoor that much more accurate?

The creedmoor was developed to sell more stuff to long range wannabes. It’s success is obviously tremendous.

I don’t mind the 6.5x55. Had one. Pulled the barrel off and now it’s a 270 Winchester. It was too euro for me.
 
Interesting...the slower powder is harder on barrels, I wouldn't have thought it worked that way.

The formula uses Quickload's heat of explosion / energy content per granule of powder. H4350 is 3760, H4831 is 3870, H1000 is 3630 and Retumbo is 3710 (Varget is 4050)

Although...95% of the powder charge is consumed by the time the bullet has made it down 19" of the bore (for the 6.5x55 H4831sc load), and H4350 is 95% @ 11", meaning more heat and erosion in the throat of the barrel with the H4350 load, despite the formula on 6BR suggesting longer like with H4350

Splitting hairs
 
None of that makes it a better choice today.

So you don't think there is any variance in factory cambered 6.5CM from one manufacturer to the other?
And you believe in magic shoulders increasing accuracy based on your last post.
Son, you have drank the 6.5cm koolaid. It's neither the most accurate short action 6.5 nor the fastest.
 
So you don't think there is any variance in factory cambered 6.5CM from one manufacturer to the other?
And you believe in magic shoulders increasing accuracy based on your last post.
Son, you have drank the 6.5cm koolaid. It's neither the most accurate short action 6.5 nor the fastest.

Haters gonna hate
 
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Haters gonna hate

Not exactly, I've owned 2 CM, one would not shoot for ####, one of those 700 barreled actions for $500 or wherever they were selling for, tried it in 2 different stocks, B&C M40 and a Magpul, it was dog#### even with a timney trigger. Flogged it at the local plumber for what I paid.
The shooter is a $450 Savage 12FV (Cabela's special), stock is garbage, packed the stock with wheel weights and bedded it, and it's pretty good, made it acceptable.
Now, I have a dozen or more 6.5x55 rifles that shoot better, some are skinny barrel hunting rifles, some even shoot better with irons, but it's at least worthy of keeping.
If someone never had any experience with the 6.5x55 I can see how the CM would be appealing, but with years behind the 6.5 Swede it's really nothing special it's just a slightly slower 6.5. I'm not a factory ammo guy, I load for everything, so I get the CM appeal in that aspect, just don't buy into this "it's better because it's new" BS.
The 6.5Lap is a better cartridge in all aspects, design, accuracy, and winning competitions.
The 6mm's still crush the 6.5's for target shooting out to 1000m, I'm not sure why the 6mm CM isn't more popular, it's a far better cartridge all around, but I guess marketing plays a bigger factor then performance.
 
Using the barrel life calculator on 6BR.com :

6.5 CREED 140gr @ 2665 fps @ 62k psi (h4350) - 2456 rounds

6.5x55 140gr @ 2760 fps @ 62k psi (h4350) - 1958 rounds

6.5x55 140gr @ 2665 fps @ 57k psi (h4350) - 2308 rounds

Seeing these results, the conclusion would be: use higher pressure if you want a longer rifle barrel, all things being equal otherwise. That does not sound right. I don't know how 6.BR do their calculation but the Real Gunsmith in one of his videos commented about the short life of a 6.5 CM barrel. I remember he mentioned 1500 rounds of benchrest accuracy.
 
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Using the barrel life calculator on 6BR.com :

6.5 CREED 140gr @ 2665 fps @ 62k psi (h4350) - 2456 rounds

6.5x55 140gr @ 2760 fps @ 62k psi (h4350) - 1958 rounds

6.5x55 140gr @ 2665 fps @ 57k psi (h4350) - 2308 rounds


I suppose the Creed barrel life is longer because less powder is being burnt in the Creed, more in the x55. Although the difference is negligible, as I suspected.
 
Seeing these results, the conclusion would be: use higher pressure if you want a longer rifle barrel, all things being equal otherwise. That does not sound right. I don't know how 6.BR do their calculation but the Real Gunsmith in one of his videos commented about the short life of a 6.5 CM barrel. I remember he mentioned 1500 rounds of benchrest accuracy.

You want long barrel life in a target rifle, get a .308. :)
 
I would wager a guess that the barrel life is swayed in favour of the creedmoor due to case design, namely shoulder angle. Now, I’m not a ballistician or a scientist, so again, it’s a guess. Also, I admit to having zero experience with the 6.5x55, so by all means correct me if I’m wrong.

One of the advantages of the 125 years we’ve come is we have gained some knowledge along the way. That’s not to say that old things aren’t good, or that only new things are, just acknowledging the fact that things can improve with time, research and development.

Again, between the two (four of we throw in 260 Rem and 6.5x47 Lapua) it pretty much comes down to long vs short action and over the counter ammo availability, if that is a factor for some.

Also, the “has x amount more case capacity”, it is true, but with 6.5’s it’s almost diminishing returns. It takes A LOT more powder to gain any significant improvement, in my opinion anyway. Blame the darned pointy bullets!

Example: 143 eld-x @2900fps (rough 6.5prc velocity) vs 2700fps (rough creedmoor velocity). I know people get higher velocity with both cartridges depending on the powder used, again, these are just rough numbers. At 1000 yards the PRC only drifted 8.7” less in a 15mph 90 degree side wind, that’s about 11% less drift than the creedmoor. It took 22% more powder to do it. 8.7” at 1000 yards is not worth 22% higher powder consumption, on every shot, for me. Granted the prc carried its velocity and energy further, but it is my opinion that for the shooting capability of the average hunter the added lethal range is irrelevant.

And yes, I do occasionally target shoot at 1000 yards, I would never try to shoot a game animal at that distance though. Personal choice.
 
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