RL 22 and heavy bullets in 6.5x55

D

david doyle

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OK so my nieghbour has started practicing with his elk bugle and that tells me moose season is just around the corner, gotta get ready:

I am trying to use just one powder for the 6.5s (all 98 or tikka actions) in my life (dam powder storage regs) and as I use RL22 for my 130 grain load I am hoping to get away with it in my 156 norma alaskan load.

some guy on the i-net claims his load with a hornady bullet and 46 grains gives him 2500fps, and another says he gets 2400 with 43.5 grains of powder.

Hoping there is a trustworthy CGNer that could report something similiar. I am over a barrel on this development as yet another in a long line of chronies threw it's self in front of a bullet:redface:


I 'd appreciate hearing any insight
THanks
 
david doyle said:
OK so my nieghbour has started practicing with his elk bugle and that tells me moose season is just around the corner, gotta get ready:

I am trying to use just one powder for the 6.5s (all 98 or tikka actions) in my life (dam powder storage regs) and as I use RL22 for my 130 grain load I am hoping to get away with it in my 156 norma alaskan load.

some guy on the i-net claims his load with a hornady bullet and 46 grains gives him 2500fps, and another says he gets 2400 with 43.5 grains of powder.

Hoping there is a trustworthy CGNer that could report something similiar. I am over a barrel on this development as yet another in a long line of chronies threw it's self in front of a bullet:redface:


I 'd appreciate hearing any insight
THanks
Click to expand...

46 with winchester brass shoots well. Velocity varies somewhat on different barrels but i can believe 2500 fps but Ive never checked it myself, Mind you this is with Hornady 160's so the Norma bullet might have more bearing surface and give you higher pressure.
 
Thanks pathfinder, your nod toward believability counts for alot.

I just checked the norma data and thier velocities for the two bullets (hornadys and Alaskans) are near identical with MRP. I am starting to feel confident. (re22 should behave pretty close to MRP?)
 
ohhhhh 2600 would be nice, used to get 2650 with 47 n sl. The reality of a new chrony purchase is dawning.

Thanks alot horseman appreciate the time it takes to be helpful.
 
47.6 grains of Reloder 22 behind the 156 grain Norma bullet for 2640 average fps.
This is in my Remington 700 with a 24 " pipe.
Lapua brass, WLR primer.
Norma, in their earler reloading guide, lists 48.8 grains of Norma MRP for 2700+, but
I never went there in my rifle, since I actually prefer the 140 Partition in my rifle.
I can drive the 140P to 2800 and pennies with Norma MRP, RL22, AA3100, and WC852.
Regards, Eagleye.
 
horseman2 said:
Sierra Hunting Load: RE-22/ 43.7grs. 2600fps/ 2101ft. lbs.

with 140 grain bullets.

45.7 shows 2700 fps.
Click to expand...

I agree with Pathfinder, that seems optimistic.

45gr RE22 behind a140gr Hornday SP is giving me an average of 2480fps from a 22.7" Tikka barrel (and good accuracy). Perhaps their tests were from a 29" M96?

To the OP, what charge of RE22 do you use behind a 130gr bullet?
 
Kayaker , I pour 50 grains in to get 2900 fps with an accubond. That is in a 98 mauser with lapua brass and it is hard on brass. I am going to back off when I load the next batch. I had loaded up to 51 but it got eratic and boomy. At 2900 they have proven to be the worst performer on game I have ever shot! Accurate enough for any range and it might do better when it has slowed down but at 100-200 yards it proved just this side of useless on the 10 plus (heavy on the plus) deer I shot last year (don't rush to your regs, no panic, all but two were on a cull permit). Yep it killed em but messy and unpredictable describes the results best. The load was developed with grand plans of 300 plus yard sheep. Where it might shine. Let you know in 20 days LOL. Basically IMHO unless you know you are going to be shooting at something beyond 250 yds I'd avoid em like the plague. Do not expect to reach anything vital unless it is lying directly beneath some hide and possibley a rib. Guess the 160 grain bullets spoiled me with thier ability to bore through mammal.

I am looking forward to getting back to the 160 grain bullets, I sucumbed to peer pressure going light and pointy. ( though eagle eye's nod to the 140 s makes me curious)

Eagle eye, thanks for dangling the possibility that 2640 is obtainable. I'd be happy with 2450 but 2650 turns a 6.5x55 into a whole other rifle.

Thanks again all, Scale is calibrated, brass is shiney and it is time to prepare for making noise!
 
Thanks David,

I have got decent accuracy with 129gr Hornady SP in front of 46gr RE22 for an average of 2550fps. I would like a tiny bit more speed, so am trying 47gr tommorrow. I have always been so programmed to never exceed book max but with a modern Swede (mine is a Tikka) one is almost obliged to if you want a bit of perfomance (and am not a hot rodder by any means).

The Hornady Manual max for their 129gr is 45.4gr of RE22 which they state gets you into the 2700fps range. It must be their 29" test barrel barrel.

I am not sure if you saw my post in the Ammo Forum about HSM factory ammo in 6.5 Swede? I chronoed 3 shots of the stuff loaded with 130gr Berger VLD's and averaged 2960fps! I was amazed. The one group I shot was not great, I'll have to try it again.
 
PS
In the latest 'Rifle' magazine Terry Wieland writes that 48gr of IMR-4350 under 140gr Nosler partition is outstanding in the Swede....
 
kayaker1 said:
Thanks David,

I have got decent accuracy with 129gr Hornady SP in front of 46gr RE22 for an average of 2550fps. I would like a tiny bit more speed, so am trying 47gr tommorrow. I have always been so programmed to never exceed book max but with a modern Swede (mine is a Tikka) one is almost obliged to if you want a bit of perfomance (and am not a hot rodder by any means).

The Hornady Manual max for their 129gr is 45.4gr of RE22 which they state gets you into the 2700fps range. It must be their 29" test barrel barrel.

I am not sure if you saw my post in the Ammo Forum about HSM factory ammo in 6.5 Swede? I chronoed 3 shots of the stuff loaded with 130gr Berger VLD's and averaged 2960fps! I was amazed. The one group I shot was not great, I'll have to try it again.
Click to expand...

Now you see how conservative the loading data is.....mostly meant for 100+year old guns.
 
I have loaded a lot of RL22 in a 6.5x55 target rifle on a Savage action. 30" barrel.

With a 140 or 142 gr bullet
48.0 2875

50gr RL25 3049

42gr RL22 2575

46 3100 2545

45 WW785 2567 (M96)

49 785 2663 (M93)


160gr H160RN 46 gr WW760 2558 (M96)
 
Cartridge : 6.5 x 55 Swedish
Bullet : .264, 156, Norma SP Alaska 66532
Useable Case Capaci: 53.054 grain H2O = 3.445 cm³
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 3.150 inch = 80.01 mm
Barrel Length : 24.0 inch = 609.6 mm
Powder : Alliant Reloder-22

Predicted data by increasing and decreasing the given charge,
incremented in steps of 0.212% of nominal charge.
CAUTION: Figures exceed maximum and minimum recommended loads !

Step Fill. Charge Vel. Energy Pmax Pmuz Prop.Burnt B_Time
% % Grains fps ft.lbs psi psi % ms

-02.1 91 45.02 2524 2207 44584 11141 97.8 1.446
-01.9 91 45.12 2530 2217 44876 11163 97.9 1.441
-01.7 91 45.22 2535 2226 45170 11185 98.0 1.437
-01.5 92 45.32 2541 2236 45465 11207 98.0 1.433
-01.3 92 45.41 2546 2246 45762 11228 98.1 1.428
-01.1 92 45.51 2552 2255 46061 11250 98.2 1.424
-00.8 92 45.61 2557 2265 46362 11271 98.2 1.420
-00.6 92 45.71 2563 2275 46664 11293 98.3 1.415
-00.4 93 45.80 2568 2284 46968 11314 98.3 1.411 ! Near Maximum !
-00.2 93 45.90 2573 2294 47274 11335 98.4 1.407 ! Near Maximum !
+00.0 93 46.00 2579 2304 47582 11355 98.5 1.403 ! Near Maximum !
+00.2 93 46.10 2584 2314 47891 11376 98.5 1.398 ! Near Maximum !
+00.4 93 46.20 2590 2323 48202 11396 98.6 1.394 ! Near Maximum !
+00.6 94 46.29 2595 2333 48515 11416 98.6 1.390 ! Near Maximum !
+00.8 94 46.39 2601 2343 48830 11436 98.7 1.386 ! Near Maximum !
+01.1 94 46.49 2606 2353 49147 11456 98.7 1.382 ! Near Maximum !

Results caused by ± 10% powder lot-to-lot burning rate variation using nominal charge
Data for burning rate increased by 10% relative to nominal value:
+Ba 93 46.00 2708 2540 57637 11097 100.0 1.292 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
Data for burning rate decreased by 10% relative to nominal value:
-Ba 93 46.00 2404 2002 38112 10952 92.1 1.547
 
I am not seeing much love for Ramshot Powders. Perhaps they are too new?

While I have not tried it, Accurate Powders lists 46.0gr of 3100 and the 160 Hornady RN for 2449fps....at a very low 43,200 PSI.

dero338 said:
I was using re22 last year in my old swede mauser, and loads were fairely acurate but this powder is very sensitive to temperature changes
lost little over 100 p/sec with only 15 deg drop
Click to expand...

Which is why I now avoid RL22. There are lots of good options out there.
 
Just picked up some woodleigh 160 grains for the 6.5x55. Just wondering what powder anyone recommends. H1000, H4831 or ?????. Looking for a recommendation. Probably just to load this right now and maybe 140 Hornady A Max. Gun is a Mauser 96.
 
Here is my load data for new remington cases, flash holes uniformed. Berger 140gr VLD, COL 3.21, primer Western Large, RL22. Through a Tikka HB varmint.

Powder (Gr)/Vel (ft/s)
40/2265
41/2302
43/2388
44/2411
45/2477
46/2538

A gave up there as I couldn't get the pressure capture to work properly. I ended up settling on 44gr as it seemed to be a sweet spot.
 
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