best action for the 6.5x55 ?

eltorro

eltorro

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I kinda' fell in love with thte 6.5s, especially with the swedish one.
Wjile I do own some 96 rifles, the limits printed in all reloading manuals are a grief.....

Are the 38s stronger than the 96s ? Are there any 98 actions originally chambered for the 6.5x55?

And are there any preferred actions to boost the speed of 140 - 160 grainers towards the 3000fps limit?

Any good options to do this?
 
Swede

If you look around there are used Winchester model 70 featherweights and Remington 700 rifles about as well as the Sako. All give the added strength to maximize the Swede. I'm having a custom rifle built on a Husky (FN98) action however that is a costly choice.

The 6.5X55 is a wonderful round and well worth the trouble.

Regards,

Outdoors
 
If you love the 6.5x55 and want more horse power get a Bbl for 264 Win Mag and put it on your choice of action(large ring Mauser #1 choice). The 264 Win madg is a 6.5 projectile in a basic 300 Win mag case, nice to shoot, nice recoil and reaches waaaay out with great accuracey
 
Your best bang for the buck, so to speak, will be a Tikka T3 in that caliber. Very reasonable price (around $700 new), very accurate and a strong, modern action that can handle hotter loads than the old military ones. However, with the ballistics of the cartridge, 3000 fps is over doing it. There is no need to push it that hard or fast. There are several guys shooting the 6.5x55 and the 6.5/284 at long range and keep it around 2900 fps or a bit less.
 
eltorro said:
I kinda' fell in love with thte 6.5s, especially with the swedish one.
Wjile I do own some 96 rifles, the limits printed in all reloading manuals are a grief.....

Are the 38s stronger than the 96s ? Are there any 98 actions originally chambered for the 6.5x55?

And are there any preferred actions to boost the speed of 140 - 160 grainers towards the 3000fps limit?

Any good options to do this?
Click to expand...

Yes, there are 98's that were chambered in 98, I had one for a while, Shultz and Larsen, built them with heavy barrels and micrometer sights, good rifles, and inexpensive to buy. I also have four of the 96/38 twins (I don't think there's alot of difference, although the 38's used later, therefore more modern heat treating), including one which a previous owner rechambered to 6.5-06. I bought that one for parts, but it shot so well that I kept it the way it was. As well, I have a Win 70 in this cal (can you guess I like the 6.5 Swede), and for a modern action, they work fine. You could just as easily use a Rem 700 long action. Ruger, Remington, Tikka, Parker Hale and CZ have all chambered sporters in this cal at one time or another as well as Win. There's lot's of options out there. To get your 140's up around 3k, you should consider either a very long barreled 6.5x55, a 6.5x55 Improved, the 6.5-284 or the 6.5-06. FWIW - dan
 
Thanks for the replies.

Dan, do you happen to know where can I find one of those "inexpensive" 98s chambered for the swede? If not, I'll go with the 38.....
 
Not all 38s are stronger. Some 38s are cut down 96s. The strongest swede action will be a 38 husquvarna dated in the 40s.
I get 2650fps out of a molycoated 156 grain norman alaskan bullet saftely in this action. Granted case life in my rifle is not as good as my 2450fps load. Accuracy is same with both.
The 2650 fps load needs moly!
 
I have an original M700 Classic in 6.5x55. In the 24" barrel, the maximum safe load clocks right at 2800 FPS. I would not care to try to go faster with this case. As has been said, if you are seeking 3000, go with the 6.5-06 or 6.5-284. The Swede is a marvellous little round, but has limitations regardless of action used. Regards, Eagleye.
 
Cheapest route is the T3, but then you have to own an ugly rifle.

I'd definitely get something like an FN98, Montana M1999, Pre-64 winchester or something similar if I was goign to build a rig that improves on the basic M38.

If you're really serious about getting to 3000 fps though, your best choice is to get a Ruger No.1B in 6.5x55 and have it reamed to AI specs. Fire-form your brass and work up with moly'd bullets.

You don't want to pansy-@ss on safety it when cooking up SAAMI maximum hot loads. Use a MEGA-strong action like the No.1 ;)
 
I dont know what you pay for Tikka in canada but here you can scope up a new CZ for the same money! Much the better action and reliable, unbeliaveably accurate!
 
I read that the 6.5x57 (7x57 necked down) is quite popular in europe, same class of performance as 6.5 Swede; but no fiddling with bolt faces.
 
Splatter said:
I read that the 6.5x57 (7x57 necked down) is quite popular in europe, same class of performance as 6.5 Swede; but no fiddling with bolt faces.
Click to expand...

I'm building one on a 98 right now. There is no real difference required in the bolt faces for 6.5x55 vs. -06, they are close enough to function, particularly with North American brass. - dan
 
Thanks, and I have some more questions:
Has anyone used a match barrel on a 38 receiver?
Is it worth it (for Camp Perry maybe), or it's better to start from scratch....... My sin is that I like them in the original configuration....

would a Krieger bbl improve significantly on the stock one? (mine is pristine).
 
Unlikely, unless you bring everything else up to snuff... I have several M-38 based sporters with original barrels. I've glass bedded them - using tuned handloads, and low power scopes, they shoot cloverleafs @ 100y. These rifles exceed the limit of my shooting skill!
In my limited experience, the small ring Mauser actions really benefit from glass bedding - suggest you start with this, and reloading, if you've not already done so. If you want to retain originality of the full stocked rifle, pick up a bubba'd stock (cheap), glass bed it, and you're off to the races.
Finally, if you stick with the original short radius military sights, they will quickly become the limiting factor to accuracy. To avoid D+T ing, go with a no gunsmith scope mount - S+K is better than B-Square, and you can order from them direct in the US.
 
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I'd pick up a cheaper Ruger 1A and yank the barrel, bolt up a Ron Smith to it, and go to town with a 6.5X55 IMP. !!:) :)
But I'm not all there when it comes to turnbolt rifles , unless they have a set of target irons on top and a single point sling!!:D
Cat
 
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