Oh I was thinking of that 45.5gr StaBall load for the 127gr LRX! Happy its working for you. And I hope the 100gr does too!
Won't be trying any more loads for a while sadly, as the rifles under recall. Sauer 100 in 6.5x55. Too bad, its a looker too.
6.5x55s and Barnes/monos...what are your winning combos?
- Thread starter Joel
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Oh I was thinking of that 45.5gr StaBall load for the 127gr LRX! Happy its working for you. And I hope the 100gr does too!
Won't be trying any more loads for a while sadly, as the rifles under recall. Sauer 100 in 6.5x55. Too bad, its a looker too.
That can be excellent ammunition, depending on the condition of the rifle it's being shot through.
If your rifle has a worn bore, don't expect stellar accuracy.
Not all Swede military mausers like that ammo, even in excellent condition, inside and out.
I had a couple of cases of it and the 1900 date M96 would shoot it better than I could hold. The 1947 date M38 wouldn't shoot it well at all.
Everything I had was Berdan primed, so I didn't reload any of it. Gave it to a fellow who did. He liked the cases.
Both of the above rifles had been through an FTR and were excellent throughout.
That ammo wasn't cheap, but IMHO it was worth every penny. Even though it only shot well in the M96, everything else about it was extremely consistent. I no longer have the notes, but remember the brass weights all being within 2-3 grains, and the bullets were within a grain.
I don't remember how close the powder charges were, but they must have been very good.
It's too bad that ammo wasn't available in larger quantities. I would have bought a lot more than two cases. The only reason I was able to get those two, was a friend, who was moving back to Norway, had them in his basement. I don't know where he got them from.
I've never seen any of it for sale in Canada.
Thanks, I'm using a CG63, which is a factory reworked m96 Swede Mauser. It was built around using the military ammo.
I've had a few CG63 rifles and at one point, back in the seventies, a Remington, which was just a Husqvarna built 96 with the Remington name on the receiver. I ordered that rifle from Herter's, but they didn't have any in stock and were very close to shutting down, so wouldn't be ordering any. They did tell me they sold off most of their stock to Sidney I. Robinson and Golden State Arms.
S.I.R. was in Canada and I had purchased several firearms from them previously. If I was only looking for one or two firearms of a particular type, usually milsurps, SIR was my first choice to purchase from. They had the "first pick" of everything that came into Century International and Lever Arms. They bought a lot of firearms and would only purchase the best specimens of the shipments. Of course there were always a few that Century set aside for "special" collectors but as often as not, the firearms from SIR were either factory new, or FTRed.
I don't remember much about that Remington, other than at the time, I had a lot of trouble getting components for it, so I sold it off.
CG63 rifles saw a lot of use in some cases and I remember Alan Lever selling several of them as "parts only" rifles.
They had been well used in the Norwegian or Swede Civilian Marksmanship Program and likely were sent back to the depot for FTR.
It's nice to see folks still shooting those rifles. Most of them just gather dust.
S.I.R. was in Canada and I had purchased several firearms from them previously. If I was only looking for one or two firearms of a particular type, usually milsurps, SIR was my first choice to purchase from. They had the "first pick" of everything that came into Century International and Lever Arms. They bought a lot of firearms and would only purchase the best specimens of the shipments. Of course there were always a few that Century set aside for "special" collectors but as often as not, the firearms from SIR were either factory new, or FTRed.
I don't remember much about that Remington, other than at the time, I had a lot of trouble getting components for it, so I sold it off.
CG63 rifles saw a lot of use in some cases and I remember Alan Lever selling several of them as "parts only" rifles.
They had been well used in the Norwegian or Swede Civilian Marksmanship Program and likely were sent back to the depot for FTR.
It's nice to see folks still shooting those rifles. Most of them just gather dust.
I'm very much a use it type person, it came to me from Paul Rebin (SP?). He was a very well thought of high ranking shooter here in Canada who passed away a few years ago. I'd hate to think of it, never seeing use again. I'm always willing to let others check it out and try it, even with my Savage .338 Lapua Magnum even with it costing 3.50 + a shot. Sometimes it may get another person to get another rifle in that caliber, I've induced 4 local shooters into buying a rifle in the 6.5 Grendel caliber.
I do have my own thread on this here. Have a great day.
I do have my own thread on this here. Have a great day.
Back in 1995, I was using the 140 gr Barnes X bullet in my Rem 700 Classic with the max load of IMR4350. 5 shot groups @ 200 yards would go into less than an inch. I haven't tried a mono in the Swede since, as my current rifles of the past few years have shot very well with 140 gr AccuBonds (my favourite bullet).
I would shoot 500-700 rounds a year through that rifle, and used that load on a nice young bull moose (The rest of my hunting with that rifle was using the 140 Partition). While it worked, I liked the expansion and on-game performance of the Partition more, even though that load wasn't quite as accurate (1" groups @ 100 yards).
I would shoot 500-700 rounds a year through that rifle, and used that load on a nice young bull moose (The rest of my hunting with that rifle was using the 140 Partition). While it worked, I liked the expansion and on-game performance of the Partition more, even though that load wasn't quite as accurate (1" groups @ 100 yards).
That rifle was still producing consistent accuracy when I sold it in an effort to work towards a LH bolt action in 6.5x55. It had approx 4000 rounds through it when I sold it. Regular cleaning kept the bore in great shape. And I never let the barrel get too warm by waiting 2 minutes between shots when shooting at the range. The barrel was allowed to cool completely between 5 shot groups. The action slicked up so that I could cycle the action with my thumb, and my left hand never leaving the grip. (Something only possible for a lefty shooting a right handed bolt action.) Spent a lot of time shooting paper and steel out to 400 yards with that rifle. For the first couple of years it wore a Leupold 6x42 scope, then was changed out for a 3.5-10x40 duplex for more versatility for hunting and target shooting. (With a 200 yard zero, holding the duplex reticle where the crosshair thickened on the lower post on target @ 400 yards provided the right holdover.) The factory trigger was set for 3 lbs, and broke cleanly. The rifle was a joy to shoot!
I never pushed the velocities by going over max loads in either the Barnes or Nosler Reloading Guides with IMR4350. Never did try a lot of other powders as the loads with IMR4350 were producing accuracy I was happy with, and others didn't provide any better accuracy in that rifle. I didn't have a chrony back then, or access to one, so I cannot say what the actual velocities were in those two Classics I had. I did play with seating depth trying to tweak accuracy, but in the end, the recommended COAL in the Guides provided best results in that rifle. I didn't have any modified cases, so seating depths were adjusted by adjusting COAL in and out by 10 thou at a time to a max of 50 thou.
Different primers resulted in best performance with Federal 210s. Norma brass was used for the most part...although when I didn't have any, I would use Winchester brass with little if any change in overall accuracy for target practice (did not have to adjust for poi), with full length sizing only for first firings. Reloads were neck sized only. Hunting ammo used new Norma brass only (kept 100 rounds for hunting on hand at all times).
(Picked up a second one with real pretty wood in the early 2000's as I hadn't yet gotten a LH rifle, and was missing not having a Swede to shoot! I shot the same loads in the second rifle. While it too provided MOA accuracy, it didn't shoot quite as well as the first rifle. I didn't shoot it as much before someone else decided they needed it more than I and offered a price I couldn't pass on)
I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the Swede, and my left handed rifles have been/are a joy to own.
Although I did part with my LH Sako 85 Hunter as part of the deal to acquire my LH Steyr Mannlicher Model M FS Special Edition rifle. I have always wanted a factory LH mannlicher stocked bolt action rifle...and now I have one in 6.5 Swede with very pretty wood!
I hope to get out and see how it shoots soon. While I will lose some velocity, it won't be a great loss in a beautiful stalking rifle in the thick bush for deer, bear and moose.
(The Sako 85 produced 0.516" groups @ 100 yards with Nosler 140 gr AccuBond factory ammo.)
A Winchester Low Wall in 6.5x55 is high on the Bucket List! (In the interim, I am really liking my High Wall in 6.5 Creedmoor! It'll go on my next pronghorn hunt.)
I liked Paul Reiben a lot. He loved match shooting dearly and was a treasure trove of knowledge for anyone astute enough to listen.
I had one of his bird hunting shotguns, but passed it on to a youngster who appreciated it.
I also have a No4 MKI* Long Branch, converted to 7.62 Nato, which he used, had rebarreled and sold before shooting it.
Good for you for knowing Paul. A real gentleman.
I've got the CG and a 10/22 he breathed on a bit, it's ridiculous how much money people have dumped on these, when all it takes is a bit of work. In the video I was wrong about the trigger, Paul did work on it. Apparently he and I shoot the same zero/eye relief. The first round was a CCI STINGER that the manual says to NOT use.
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Life was simpler back then...
It was my only rifle at the time, so was easy to give it the love and attention it deserved. Hard not to love a cartridge and rifle that was easy to work with, shot well and was such a joy to shoot!
Also had more time to devote to it, as life didn't have as many demands on my time, as there is today between work, lifestyle and a battery of firearms all vying for my time and attention! (Not complaining here as life is good!)
If the Steyr performs as well as the Remington and Sako did (and my 270 in the same rifle except a non-Special Edition version), I will be enjoying this rifle for a long, long time!
Get yourself a 6.5 Swede in a rifle you like and enjoy the ride!
It was my only rifle at the time, so was easy to give it the love and attention it deserved. Hard not to love a cartridge and rifle that was easy to work with, shot well and was such a joy to shoot!
Also had more time to devote to it, as life didn't have as many demands on my time, as there is today between work, lifestyle and a battery of firearms all vying for my time and attention! (Not complaining here as life is good!)
If the Steyr performs as well as the Remington and Sako did (and my 270 in the same rifle except a non-Special Edition version), I will be enjoying this rifle for a long, long time!
Get yourself a 6.5 Swede in a rifle you like and enjoy the ride!
