6.5x55mm Reloading advice needed

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I am in the process of starting my second attempt at reloading for this cartridge, having had lots of difficulties and very limited success the first time. I know believe the reason was some very low quality (read very soft) Yugo brass I've been using so far. With that crappy brass I have gotten high pressure signs, including hard to open bolt, with the STARTING load in my manuals. Very disappointing!

I have now gotten myself some Lapua brass, which is supposed to be some of the best. At least I hope so. I am planning on loading some Barnes 120g TTSX and some Hornady 140gr SST's and would like to know if any of you guys are loading these bullets in this caliber, and if you'd like to share your loads? Also, if you hunt with them, what kind of performance on game are you getting?

The reason I ask is because I have been reading for some time on this site: " http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase.html " If I judge by the performance I get from a couple of other calibers they talk about and what they say about them, I think their information is pretty accurate. However, when we speak about the 6.5x55mm, I haven't even been able to get anywhere near the performance they talk about. No manual I have gives loads that will allow me to reach the velocities they talk about, unless I go to my very old Hodgdon #26. That is a manual I firmly believe was published back when hodgdon couldn't afford to pay for lawyers, yet. And I am 100% sure I can't approach those loads with my crappy Yugo brass.

That been said, Reloaders Nest site does have some loads similar to those in the Hodgdon #26 manual using RL-22 and Norma brass. I think my Lapua brass should be just as good as Norma's, or close. I'd just like to know if anybody else is loading to similar levels and what your opinion is about it.

Thanks
 
I'm surprised to hear that you're having such troubles. I've been loading for the 6.5x55 for over 50 years with no trouble.

I've used a Norwegian Krag, a Swedish Mauser and now a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight. I also use Privi Partizan brass and have no trouble with it.

If you are using an old Swedish Mauser you should lower the loads. My friend's M96 has bolt opening troubles with loads that are fine in my M70.

I haven't used the bullets you mentioned. I use Speer spitzers for plinking and Nosler Partions for hunting.

I don't overly worry about MAX loads - the 6.5x55 kills with "normal" loads.
49 grs of H4831 or 44.2 grs of H380 with a 120 gr bullet.
47 grs of H4831 or 50.5 grs og H1000 with a 140 gr bullet.
 
In my one attempt to load TSX 120gr bullets in my 6.5 x 55 they shot poorly and at a buck a shot I gave up quickley. Now you can feed my rifle just about any 140gr bullet and get an acceptable group. Reloder 22 is your friend with 140gr bullets. FS
 
You are not alone.I have RELOADED in very small volumes mind you , for over 50 years, 219 Donaldson wasp, 222rem. 30/06, 308 norm mag,270 win, 6.5x55.Never had a problem. I had a 96 6.5x55 and loaded 140 sst 41 gr imr 4350 not a problem. I got a 98 action 6.5x55 voere.It would only handle 40 -41 gr of mir4350 with 140sst. Anything more, sticky bolt. Now in my reloading life I am stating to pay more attention. Bump the shoulder back, trim to the recommended length. Etc. The CGN with some of its Experienced HANDLOADERS has made me aware of many points to pay attention to.For many reason I have a renewed interest in the 6.5x55 .I think my problems with the 6.5x55 are technical awareness problems and I am working on them.
I am also interested in the 120 gr TTSX Barnes and plan on loading this, sounds iteresting.
 
With that crappy brass I have gotten high pressure signs, including hard to open bolt, with the STARTING load in my manuals. Very disappointing!
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Something else is wrong here OP.
Many of us have used Prvi & NNY brass for decades without issues.
We need to know more about your rifle and loading techniques.
 
Measure your case volume for once fired brass. Find someone with Quickloads. I have success with 140gr hornady interlock sp. I use IMR4350 @ 40 grains in my 1901 Swedish Mauser. Shoots 1moa. Pressures are low and I have no bolt closing issues.
 
OK, here's a little more info for you:

I had problems when originally loading for a Husky M96, years ago (back when Hodgdon's #26 manual was much fresher than it is today). I got blown primers with H-4895 loads taken from that manual, until I lowered the charges a bunch. Then I got wicked accuracy but still stiff bolt from time to time, specially during very hot days (I think H4895 still wasn't called an extreme powder back then), so I switched to IMR-7828. I got better velocities and only similar but not equal accuracy. However, those IMR-7828 loads could heat up the barrel a lot, pretty fast. All those loads were behind Speed HotCor bullets.

I am now trying to load for a Voere Titan (KDF) which has a heavier action than my Weatherby MK-V and a sporty, but still quite stiff barrel. It also has a chamber a bit tighter than my M96, as is to be expected.

Now, drawing from my experience with H-4895 I decided to skip it right from the start. However, not having any more IMR-7828 left since I had already switched to RL-22 for all my .300 Wby reloading, I decided to try H-4350. I had started using it on my Voere M98 in .30-06 where it is giving me amazing results. And, since it was one of the recommended powders in the article I linked before, I though I was lucky to kill two birds with the same stone. But, alas, why should things be so easy when they can just as easily be much harder?

I loaded 4 different weights of H-4350 under Hornady's 140gr InterLock bullets in the cheap Yugo brass I had. The fist round stuck so badly I had a lot of difficulty getting the bolt to open. Needless to say, that first round meant the end of my H-4350 trials in this caliber. I disassembled the rest of the rounds and loaded them with RL-22 instead. Those worked a lot better but I didn't push them hard enough (I was still afraid of the brass) and got only lame velocities.

I know this caliber is "supposed" to kill well at lame velocities, but that is not what they say in the terminal ballistics studies article. Besides, I just like speed. ;) And I think I should be able to get it, because I am not looking for magnum velocities, either. I am trying the Barnes and Hornady bullets I mentioned because they seem to be very good bullets for hunting.

Also, I didn't say I was using Prvi brass. This is cheap Yugo brass I got ages ago from Higginson Powders , back when I could still call them Ammomart. I do have Prvi brass for another caliber and it seems much better than this cheap Yugo brass.

Here's a pic of the brass, Prvi on the left, mistery Yugo brass on the right:
P5261638R.jpg


And just to conclude, I have been reloading only for the last 18 years or so and presently reload for 12 other calibers without any problems at all with any of them. I also reload for a Winchester Featherweight in .308Win and easily get under 1 MOA with my loads in it. I trim my brass and uniform the primer holes. At the time of the problems I was using Lee Collec dies, which I use for all my other rifle reloading, so I wasn't really working back the shoulder. However, I still have some of that Yugo brass unfired and it headspaces 0.0087" shorter than the onced fired brass from my M96. So I can confidently say the brass wasn't jammed into the lands and the shoulders weren't touching the front of the chamber. I also weighted all my loads on an RCBS 505 beam scale, the same I've used for all my rifle reloading so far and that gives me under MOA accuracy in at least 4 or 5 other rifles I own. I did try other loads using Winchester brass and they didn't give me any problems. However, I didn't like the fact that winchester brass is not dimensionally correct in this caliber, so I stopped using it. The only things I could think of were: 1. the Yugo brass wasn't good. 2. I made a mistake while setting up my scale, which could have given me 5 extra grains per load. It's a stupid mistake to make, but you never know. However, I should have made that mistake on more than on occasion, if that is indeed what happened. And 3. I think some loads in that Hodgdon #26 manual are just way too high. I say so because looking at the loads they now publish, they are much more conservative now.

Anyhow, I am now looking for tips to start all over, this time with top quality brass, different powder and bullets and a much tighter rifle.
 
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Your mystery Yugo brass IS privi partizan...while under Russian occupation.
The head stamp changed from nny to ppu after they became serbia and non comunist.

If you have old nny brass in 6.5x55 I 'll take all of it!!!!! Name your price.
 
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ciphery said:
Your mystery Yugo brass IS privi partizan...while under Russian occupation.
The head stamp changed from nny to ppu after they became serbia and non comunist.

If you have old nny brass in 6.5x55 I 'll take all of it!

PS the "mystery"brass pictured is a 8x56
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Thanks a lot for the info ciphery, I certainly didn't know that.

And I think you meant the non mistery (Prvi) brass is 8x56. I know, it's the only Prvi brass I have right now, and the only brass I could find to be able to fire my Mannlicher M95 carbine (I am still looking for a good load for this one, too). It really looks of a much better quality than their old brass, at least the one I got does. And sorry, I have only a couple of pieces of the unfired NNY brass left. The rest I have fired at least once, either in my M96 or my Titan.
 
Having used 100's of NNY 6.5x55 cases over 20 years, I found it to be good brass until pressures get up to near max. The bolt did become more draggy to lift with heavy loads, than say Win. or Lap cases would be when loaded to the same vel's.. Max in my M96's was 47.7gr R22, NNY, 140 SP, BR2, seated long at 3.20"oal. The same rifles/load when using Lap brass likes 48.0gr, all else the same. Bolt lifts are easy. Vel's are in the 2650fps range.
I've found the 4350's to be capable of great accuracy, however they get somewhat touchy, inconsistent, and sudden up near max for me. 45grH4350, 140 SP, seated long, has proven much too hot in some of my rifles. 43.5-44.5 usually shoots the best at 2575-2600fps.

Like you, I've not had much luck accuracy wise with 7828, or H1000. The speed is there, but not the groups.

Only once have I had a start load go overpressure. Blown primer and locked bolt. It was a 1900 Oberndorf M96, turns out the barrel was constricted with over two thou. of built up cupro-nickle jacket fouling.


Anyhow, I am now looking for tips to start all over, this time with top quality brass, different powder and bullets and a much tighter rifle.
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For me, go to load is: Lap brass, 48.0gr R22, BR2, 140 Amax seated to .015" jam, or hunting load 140SP's seated .020 jump. These are max, approach from below. YMMV.
 
Thanks vviking! What you say does make sense to me, however I've found brass flow into the ejector hole with charges much lower than yours. I think this brass just doesn't like pressures that peak too early (from faster powders). My lower H4895 loads worked acceptably fine, but the bolt still got draggy, as you say, from time to time. The only other powder I tried in my M96 was 7828. Everything worked fine with it, though, except I wasn't getting spectacular accuracy. Maybe RL22 will do better.

I have tried RL22 only in my Voere, but I didn't go more than 45gr with a 140gr bullet. Velocity was 2465 fps only and I stopped (for lack of time, not because of high pressure) before I could go any further. Hopefully I will get better results with the new bullets.

At one point I also thought that maybe something was wrong with my M96's bore, but I did clean it with CR10 until I got it squeaky clean. So unless it's a manufacturing problem I cannot see with my naked eyes, I don't think the bore is the problem. Besides, I did also get a sticky bolt in my Voere with the one and only round loaded with H4350 in the NNY brass. The load was 42.0gr behind a 140gr Hornady Interlock loaded to a COL of 3.000" That one round gave me 2,506fps.

48gr of RL22 is still hotter than most published data I have found so far, which stops at 45gr. with a 140gr bullet. However, the old Hodgdon manual does give a max of 49gr with that bullet weight and 50gr with the 120gr bullet.

Anyways, as usual, slow and carefully is the only way to go. It just helps a bunch to find out what others are experiencing, also. Thanks.
 
Yeah, the older data goes hotter. Hodgdon # 26 is my most used manual, have found it to be close to the mark in many cals. that I load.
Often, their published max runs a grain or few more than I'm comfortable with though. I like primer pockets to last and last. Got some Lapua here with over twenty reloads, and still nice and snug.

Keep us posted .... plenty of 6.5'ers out there who gobble up any info we can find.
 
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