Is the 6.5 x 55 Swede a do it all cartridge

Thought this was a pretty cool comparison in terms of bullet length.

Hornady 160gr RN flanked by a 127gr LRX and 140gr ECX

20230912-221937.jpg

Round Nose bullets give me the warm and fuzzies :D
 
If I had to shoot 160gr’ish bullets out of my Swede, I’d use the Lapua Mega 156gr. John Barness has mentioned several times that the Hornady 160gr RN was one of the most inconsistent bullet he had used. Sometimes they would work perfectly, sometime they would pencil through and sometimes they would splash.

Lapua156gr-Mega.jpg
 
I have 160 gr 6.5 bullets for my 1903 6.5 MS. Some are Hornady, have a few boxes of Speer. And some Woodleighs. Have tried them on deer, moose and a couple of black bears. They worked well, I didn't notice any difference between brands. In the MS velocities are low, and they work well at those speeds. - dan
 
Round Nose bullets give me the warm and fuzzies :D

That middle bullet looks very similar to what’s in the Sako 156g ammunition I’ve been using the past few years. I’ve shot three white tails and a mule deer with it , all at around 200-300 meters distance. I’ve had full pass through each time with the deer dropping within a few seconds of being shot in the money spot behind the front shoulder.
 
That middle bullet looks very similar to what’s in the Sako 156g ammunition I’ve been using the past few years.

Yeah, that's the Sako Deerhead 156 Gr Bonded Soft Point bullet that looks very good. It has a somewhat higher BC (.377) than most 6.5mm bullets of that weight and, of course, is a bonded core bullet. So should be just great on the bigger species. Seems to be available only in loaded ammunition in Canada, unfortunately. It appears that Stoeger Canada doesn't bring in Sako reloading components although it seems that they are readily available in Europe.
 
Sounds like a really good choice. Couple boxes of ammo should last about forever for hunting at least, can work up a decent practice/range load to compliment it. But yeah...not optimal.
 
Yeah, that's the Sako Deerhead 156 Gr Bonded Soft Point bullet that looks very good. It has a somewhat higher BC (.377) than most 6.5mm bullets of that weight and, of course, is a bonded core bullet. So should be just great on the bigger species. Seems to be available only in loaded ammunition in Canada, unfortunately. It appears that Stoeger Canada doesn't bring in Sako reloading components although it seems that they are readily available in Europe.

Excellent accuracy for this ammunition from my Tikka T3x Lite with 0.6 moa and a speed of 2400 fps. I got 2600 FPS with my handloads of Oryx 156 and 0.3 moa.
 
Excellent accuracy for this ammunition from my Tikka T3x Lite with 0.6 moa and a speed of 2400 fps. I got 2600 FPS with my handloads of Oryx 156 and 0.3 moa.

Being European/Scandinavian made ammo I'm surprised its that slow, but it shows what the right bullet made for the right speed can do. Maybe through a non-Tikka 24" barrel its a hotter lookin number?
 
Being European/Scandinavian made ammo I'm surprised its that slow, but it shows what the right bullet made for the right speed can do. Maybe through a non-Tikka 24" barrel its a hotter lookin number?

The velocity indicated on the box is 2490 fps. I guess this was obtained from a 24 or 26 in barrel.
 
Lots of rough 6.5x55’s going through Intersurplus lately. A model 70 too.

Thank you, Buckmastr! I just snagged it. been watching for more to appear.

ht tps://intersurplus.com/products/winchester-70-xtr-in-6-5x55?_pos=1&_sid=72ae19959&_ss=r

Happen to have a brown Pachmayr "Old English" 1" buttpad that might look pretty good on it and give it a 13.75" LOP and a correct folding rear sight for it already.
 
Back
Top Bottom