Any stories about the 6.5x55?
- Thread starter Montefeltro
- Start date
Ok ill bite, Ol mister beam an I been feckin about tonight and I'm getting sentimental. One of my closest friends has a hunerd odd year old mauser six 5 fiddy five, Fugly we call er. Now dis rifle is a tac driver if'n i ever seen one. No match fer a mortar though 
The 9fiddygong is easy pickens fer it. So in 2012 we're out for a shoot and Ive got my ten year old brother with us. Got the tree ought eight, the tree dirty 8 and the ol 6.5 fugly fer dis show down. Well my 11 year old brother lays down behind a fellow nutter, vvikings, 6.5 and proceeds to lace the 950 gong on the first round. Thats what the ol 6.5x55 can do, no slouch of a round it is.
The 9fiddygong is easy pickens fer it. So in 2012 we're out for a shoot and Ive got my ten year old brother with us. Got the tree ought eight, the tree dirty 8 and the ol 6.5 fugly fer dis show down. Well my 11 year old brother lays down behind a fellow nutter, vvikings, 6.5 and proceeds to lace the 950 gong on the first round. Thats what the ol 6.5x55 can do, no slouch of a round it is.
RememberTheSomme
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nova Scotia
Never owned one, fired the Ljungman AB2 a few times, gentle recoil in that one.
Seems to have a solid following of all who buy it these days. Just read the other post's.
Accurate, un-temperamental when reloading, and as one writer so eloquently wrote many years ago.....the 6.5X55,...a cartridge renowned for it's gentle recoil and deep penetration"
Guess some said they were even okay for brain shots on elephants with the heavy solids. Not on my radar however.
Seems to have a solid following of all who buy it these days. Just read the other post's.
Accurate, un-temperamental when reloading, and as one writer so eloquently wrote many years ago.....the 6.5X55,...a cartridge renowned for it's gentle recoil and deep penetration"
Guess some said they were even okay for brain shots on elephants with the heavy solids. Not on my radar however.
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
I personally really like the 6.5X55.
This doe was shot with my 6.5X55 O/U FAIR Safari at just over 100 yards offhand with the open sights- which I also prefer t shoot , especially on a rifle like this one.
Cat
This doe was shot with my 6.5X55 O/U FAIR Safari at just over 100 yards offhand with the open sights- which I also prefer t shoot , especially on a rifle like this one.
Cat
I have this Sako 85 in 6.5x55. Stock has been slimmed down a fair bit. It will outshoot my Swedish Mausers but maybe only because they don't have scopes. The Sako is a 1/2 moa rifle with ordinary factory ammo and my full military Swedes with open sights (seen through 65 year old eyes) average around 1.5 moa with same ammo. Its a "feel-good" cartridge, an accurate cartridge, easy on the shoulder and easy to reload if you want to bother.
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One of my most dramatic whitetail deer kills was with the 6.5x55, 140gr Hornady cup and core bullet. Nothing fancy. Approx. 200 yards, broadside heart/lung shot. The deer jumped up, folded up its legs, did a 180 and fell onto the stubble field very dead. A conical spray of bright red arterial blood shot out about 10-12 feet on the far side of the buck. My youngest son (~10 years old and carrying Dad's shooting sticks) commented "is that all there is to it?". Yes, except for the field dressing(!)
Nice and clean.
Shot two WT does on supplemental tags last year as well as a smallish WT buck later in the season. The does were down inside of 3 or 4 seconds. Each one jumped fell within 20-40 yards, both chest-shot at a lazed 165 yards (they were about 30 feet apart). The buck was also chest-shot at ~175 yards and ambled off about 30 yards before packing it in. These were shot with a 129 gr Hornady "plain Jane" spire point. All three rounds passed clean through and were not recovered.
The 6.5 x 55 is a very accurate round and the fact that its recoil is so minimal probably contributes to shooters being able to shoot it well. Penetration is excellent. As always, bullet construction is key. If I was going after bigger game I would choose a Nosler Partition, Barnes TSX or Hornady GMX bullet in the 120-130 grain range. For run-of-the-mill deer, ordinary cup-and-core bullets in the 129-140 grain range have worked fine for me.
Oh, the rifle is a Sako 75 Hunter with a Nightforce 2.5-10 x 32. My "go to" rifle when maximum accuracy is desired (in a lighter sporter).
Nice and clean.
Shot two WT does on supplemental tags last year as well as a smallish WT buck later in the season. The does were down inside of 3 or 4 seconds. Each one jumped fell within 20-40 yards, both chest-shot at a lazed 165 yards (they were about 30 feet apart). The buck was also chest-shot at ~175 yards and ambled off about 30 yards before packing it in. These were shot with a 129 gr Hornady "plain Jane" spire point. All three rounds passed clean through and were not recovered.
The 6.5 x 55 is a very accurate round and the fact that its recoil is so minimal probably contributes to shooters being able to shoot it well. Penetration is excellent. As always, bullet construction is key. If I was going after bigger game I would choose a Nosler Partition, Barnes TSX or Hornady GMX bullet in the 120-130 grain range. For run-of-the-mill deer, ordinary cup-and-core bullets in the 129-140 grain range have worked fine for me.
Oh, the rifle is a Sako 75 Hunter with a Nightforce 2.5-10 x 32. My "go to" rifle when maximum accuracy is desired (in a lighter sporter).
OK, so I'm all for having a fave cartridge esp if it's one that's a bit different and ammo is not found at Wal-Mart or CDN Tire. My fave is the 257Roberts. Big deal! Who cares what I like?
Saying that, after reading the proceeding sickening 6.5x55 love fest, I still don't think there anything more magical about it than any other std cartridge of similar velocity with std C&C bullets fired in similar rifles. Wondering aloud what can it do that a .260, 7/08, 7x57, 270, 280, 308, 30/06, 303, 8x57 can't do? Do tell!
Saying that, after reading the proceeding sickening 6.5x55 love fest, I still don't think there anything more magical about it than any other std cartridge of similar velocity with std C&C bullets fired in similar rifles. Wondering aloud what can it do that a .260, 7/08, 7x57, 270, 280, 308, 30/06, 303, 8x57 can't do? Do tell!
OK, so I'm all for having a fave cartridge esp if it's one that's a bit different and ammo is not found at Wal-Mart or CDN Tire. My fave is the 257Roberts. Big deal! Who cares what I like?
Saying that, after reading the proceeding sickening 6.5x55 love fest, I still don't think there anything more magical about it than any other std cartridge of similar velocity with std C&C bullets fired in similar rifles. Wondering aloud what can it do that a .260, 7/08, 7x57, 270, 280, 308, 30/06, 303, 8x57 can't do? Do tell!
I'm with you, while there is nothing I can find at fault with the 6.5 swede I can't find anything that makes it stand head and shoulders above many other cartridges.
Using h t t p://gundata.org/ballistic-calculator/ I'm not seeing any differences in flight path that I would consider meaningful between the 308 and the 6.5x55
It seems at most an inch difference in flight path at 300 yard zero. This is disappointing to me since I'd been expecting more.
Anyone want to weigh in on that?
It seems at most an inch difference in flight path at 300 yard zero. This is disappointing to me since I'd been expecting more.
Anyone want to weigh in on that?
Ok ill bite, Ol mister beam an I been feckin about tonight and I'm getting sentimental. One of my closest friends has a hunerd odd year old mauser six 5 fiddy five, Fugly we call er. Now dis rifle is a tac driver if'n i ever seen one. No match fer a mortar though
Well 'slingr, ye sure 'nuff kin swing from a <beam> ... wit de best of 'em ... lol!.
'Lil bro may have only been 10 or 11 years old ... but ye coached him to let off a right fine trigger, so ya did.
That was one of the best shots I've ever witnessed.
If I recall, he laced steel a couple more subsequent for good measure.
Shame the mortar .308 wasn't able to push through them snowflakes that far.
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rocklobster
CGN Regular
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There's only one Kamlooky!
OK, so I'm all for having a fave cartridge esp if it's one that's a bit different and ammo is not found at Wal-Mart or CDN Tire. My fave is the 257Roberts. Big deal! Who cares what I like?
Your premise is flawed. A love for the 6.5x55 (or, if you prefer, .264 caliber cartridges in general) doesn't mean that you dislike or hold disdain for others. I imagine many 6.5x55 shooters also shoot (and enjoy!) other cartridges. I certainly do.
After all, you've indicated that you have a fave in the .257 Roberts. Nothing wrong with that. Certainly not "sickening" (odd choice of words, perhaps an attempt at whimsy?).
And I'm guessing that your appreciation for the .257 isn't exclusive.If I had to sum it up, I like the 6.5x55 (or .264) because:
- it has a long and interesting history
- it offers a variety of bullet weights (ca. 95 gr all the way to 160 gr)
- it is suitable for a wide variety of game
- has plenty of "natural" accuracy
- offers superb ballistic co-efficient
- easy to reload, including a wide variety of components
- easy recoiling so it makes for a great choice for new shooters, smaller or female shooters, and from the bench
- offers good availability in both factory ammunition and rifle choices.
There is some overlap, obviously, and I am probably forgetting a few.
This is not to say that the 6.5x55 isn't the only cartridge to offer many or all of these things. But it stands out, imho.
