Hunting with a 6.5 x 55

Mumptia

Mumptia

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I just loaded some 95 grain v-max over 41 grains of 3031 for the range.

I looked at the book and the bullet selction goes up to 160 grains.

What weight bullet are you guys shooting for which animal.:confused:

I usually shoot 30 cals so thinking in 6.5 is a new thought for this ol dog:cool:
 
I use 129 gr on deer and stopped the 5 that I have shot with it. The Swedish Mauser seems to shoot the tightest groups with 160grn bullets, 1" as opposed to 2 1/2" with lighter bullets. Your mileage may vary.
 
You are losing the advantages of the high ballistic coefficient of the 6.5x55 by using such light projectiles. 120-140 would be more typical for deer and 160's as well and for larger game. 140/160 I believe is the standard military loading.
 
My observations:

Reloading a small bullet pretty hot is not a good thing on deer. Penetration is too low, especially if you hit a bone! I recommend a bullet between 120 and 140 gr. Nosler partitions (which I used) are very solid and likely penetrate through the deer at typical, non-magnum rifle speed. Minimal meat loss, but be prepared to search for your game if it can reach the bush!! They usually go 35 to 50 m before they drop. I shot two deer (perfect bullet placement) with 160gr (7x57 Mauser) but consider them now as too heavy for deer in NS as they over penetrate. Good bullet for Moose though. I'm going to use next season 139gr Interbond bullets and hope to kill my game faster even if the meat loss is higher.

Essentially I agree 100% with beretta boy. I only hope that penetration is a little better by using Interbond as I heard that Ballistic Tip is pretty explosive!?
 
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I wouldn't use the 95gr V-max on deer. It's a bullet that is designed to shoot varmints with and penetration could be an issue.

I've had great success with any of the standard bullets on the 120gr to 140gr range on deer.
 
beretta boy said:
Mumps:

For the 6.5, I've found Nosler 120 Ballistic Tips worked very well on deer and 14o Nosler Partitions to be very reliable on moose.
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Good to know BB,

I have to admit, I don't have the same level of confidence in that 6.5 bullet as I do in a .30 cal. I know its all in the head.

I'll have to try it out on some whitetails if I can restock it. The shagger must weigh in at 12 pounds witha full clip:cool:

By the way BB,

I have found Ruger 96/22 with a 40 gr solid works well on sick cats;)
 
I had a AG42 and you won't be finding a sporter stock for it I don't think.If you look at the sight there should be a tumbler you can flip over with a Pic of a pointed bull 139-140gr or the 156-160 round nose .Use the 140's at 2500-2600fps and away you go.they shoot plenty flat as far as eyesight and open irons allow.Don't attempt to scope these as attaching a mount to the slide just ruins a great gun and doesn't work.Heavy as hell but quite accurate.....Harold
 
The 6.5X55, with 140 grains bullet will cross through a moose without a problem, and it's this load I am using on everything from rodents to bear. A 160 grains will do even better on moose. The Ljungman have a very long throat (just like the M94/96/38) and may not perform so well with lighter bullets (the original military load is 140 grains).
The 6.5X55 SE, with it's moderate velocity, high ballistic coefficient bullet is also considered to be one of the best military cartridge and have gained lots of praise about it's penetration capabilities (because of the very long bullet) and is also a real moose slayer all across Scandinavia and is one of the finest target cartridge still today.
The 3031 might be a little in the fast side powder for this round. RL19 is a very good choice, but some AG-42/B sometimes work better with a little fastest burning powder like IMR 4895 - IMR 4064 - RL15 etc...
Just be careful and don't load too hot.
 
2 friends of mine use 6.5 for fallow deer. They both use 130"s or 140"s in cheap soft points. My group of deer hunting friends have all went off ballistic tips as we think they bruise too much meat. As a dedicated 243 fanatic, I am impressed with the trajectory of the 6.5 with 130 or 140 gr bullets. They stay flat for longer, even at slow speeds.
It"s a great round, but I think you might have loaded a good varmint cartridge rather than a good deer cartridge!
 
Baribal said:
The 6.5X55, with 140 grains bullet will cross through a moose without a problem, and it's this load I am using on everything from rodents to bear. A 160 grains will do even better on moose. The Ljungman have a very long throat (just like the M94/96/38) and may not perform so well with lighter bullets (the original military load is 140 grains).
The 6.5X55 SE, with it's moderate velocity, high ballistic coefficient bullet is also considered to be one of the best military cartridge and have gained lots of praise about it's penetration capabilities (because of the very long bullet) and is also a real moose slayer all across Scandinavia and is one of the finest target cartridge still today.
The 3031 might be a little in the fast side powder for this round. RL19 is a very good choice, but some AG-42/B sometimes work better with a little fastest burning powder like IMR 4895 - IMR 4064 - RL15 etc...
Just be careful and don't load too hot.
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Good info here.

I went with 3031 simply because that is what I use for .308 and since the 6.5 x 55 is so close in size I figured it'd be ok to try.

I'll try and find a pic or take pic of it to post.
 
"...It's a semi and I think it's a Swedish Mauser..." A Swedish Mauser is a bolt action. If you have an Ag42B, you may find 95 grain bullets won't cycle the action.
Like mbogo3 says, you won't find a "sporter" stock for it. Scoping it will cut its value in half as well.
The Swedes have been using the 6.5 x 55 on big moose for eons. It'll do nicely, but not with 95 grain varmint bullets. Work up a load with either 130's or 140's and use it for everything. You'll be getting some great practice for deer and moose shooting varmints. The varmint won't care about the bullet weight.
 
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