Seven 155 gr Bullet Loads for the 6.5-06

Andy

Andy

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Interarms%20Mark%20X%20in%206.5-06_zpshcmmiwjo.jpg




I finally found something chambered in 6.5-06, and it is an Interarms Mark X as shown. Bought off of CGN, the price was right, and I liked the description. It came with a nice walnut stock with vintage rock-hard recoil pad, and a vintage Leupold Var XII 2-7X - old enough that the adjustments are "click-less". Almost the first thing I did was clean and examine the barrel, and I was happy to find an excellent bore and a 1:8 twist, which is enough for all bullet weights. Barrel length is 22" which suits me just fine for where I hunt. Next I checked throat length, and one drawback in a sense was that I discovered that this gun has a very long throat, so long in fact that any of the 140 gr bullets I typically shoot would be about 0.300" from the lands when seated at the max mag length of 3.400", so I looked at the heavier bullets I have "in stock". Among them are the Lapua Mega 155 gr that I bought in response to the excellent "bcsteve" "Huge .264 Bullet Test posted as a Sticky in this forum. That bullet when seated at 3.390", has its base at the base of the cartridge neck and is about 0.150" from the rifling, still a lot longer than what most people claim is an optimum run-up, but what I was set to try. Seating it out like that and having that much freebore gave me an effective case capacity increase of 2-3 grs, so I made use of it.

Concerning loads, some exist, but they are scant, especially for heavy for caliber bullets - it's all about sleek 140 gr bullets. I scoured the Interwebs for info on loads tried by others, and aside from "too slow to try", there is practically nothing other than loads for H1000 and Retumbo and faster powders, none of whose load density was in the 90% or higher range with this bullet. I wanted to try stuffing the cartridge full of something slower, so I did. I'm not saying that no-one else has tried these powders, but if they did, they either haven't shared their results, or I just can't find them.

6.5-06
3.390"
Win Brass
155 gr Lapua Mega
22" 1:8 twist barrel

1. H1000 - 55.0 grs - 2480 fps, 56.0 grs - 2525 fps, 57.0 grs - 2590 fps
2. Magnum - 55.0 grs - 2430 fps, 56.0 grs - 2490 fps, 57.0 grs - 2540 fps
3. Norma 217 - 56.0 grs - 2450 fps
4. Retumbo - 58.0 grs - 2650 fps
5. Reloder 33 - 63.0 grs - 2620 fps, 65.0 grs - 2700 fps, 66.0 grs (Compressed) - 2725 fps
6. H870 - 63.0 grs - 2560 fps
7. US869 - 67.0 grs - 2700 fps, 70.0 grs (Compressed) - 2825 fps

These are in rough order of Burn Rate, and for me the star is Reloder 33, with US869 a close second.

The Interweb "experts" all declare that Reloder 33 is "just for the 338 Lapua" and that US869 is far too slow, but those two powders had optimum characteristics for this bullet, giving the highest MV's, at probably lower than average pressure for this list of seven powders.

Reloder 33 is very slow (just a bit faster than the old H870), and to my surprise very dense - comparable to most ball powders in fact.

Finally, this gun is wonderfully accurate with the Lapua Mega 155 gr - with every load tried! Tight groups and the MV's have very low SD.

Next up - all loads tried are already max loads except for H870 which could go another 1-2 grains, for about 2625 fps. A great powder just slightly slower than Re33, but I'm trying to wean myself from it.
 
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Nice looking rifle. I have been looking at that cartridge for a long time but never got around to building one, as I have a pair of 264 win mags and 3 6.5x55's I have it surrounded but still want a 6.5-06. Using that bullet I take it that is a moose and bear rifle.
 
dead meat said:
Nice looking rifle. I have been looking at that cartridge for a long time but never got around to building one, as I have a pair of 264 win mags and 3 6.5x55's I have it surrounded but still want a 6.5-06. Using that bullet I take it that is a moose and bear rifle.
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This filled a supposed "hole" in my 6.5 mm lineup (I also have a 6.5X55 and a 6.5-300 Win Mag), and I was prepared to either rechamber a 6.5X55 to 6.5-284 or buy one, probably a Savage. A 6.5-284 in a Standard Action with bullets seated out to mag length (3.300"+) has almost the same case capacity as the 6.5-06.

I'll be hunting deer with this combination out to 300 yds max. I could also use it for bear and moose, but it's just fine on deer. It will replace the 7X57 with 175 gr bullets at 2550 fps I've been using for several years with great effectiveness.
 
Hello Andy.

Just checking to see if you have tried the 155's in the 6.5x55. If so, what powder gave the best velocity for you. I have some of the 155's but may try the Woodleigh 160's.

Thanks
 
mad max78 said:
Hello Andy.

Just checking to see if you have tried the 155's in the 6.5x55. If so, what powder gave the best velocity for you. I have some of the 155's but may try the Woodleigh 160's.

Thanks
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I've only used the Hornady 160 in the 6.5X55 thus far. Powders in the range of H1000, Retumbo and Reloder 25 and 26 will give highest MV's in a strong action (i.e. not in a military M96).
 
My 6.5-06 is a Win 70. Likes 7828. The only hole I'm trying to fill along that bore diameter right now is a 6.5x57. Have a 6.5 TCU, a couple 6.5x55's, a 264 Win I haven't put together yet, a 6.5 STW, and used to have a 6.5-300 Wby. Wouldn't mind a 6.5 BR now that I think about it, and missed out narrowly on a 6.5x68 not long ago. Hmm, so many rifles , so little time. - dan
 
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dan belisle said:
My 6.5-06 is a Win 70. Likes 7828. The only hole I'm trying to fill along that bore diameter right now is a 6.5x57. Have a 6.5 TCU, a couple 6.5x55's, a 264 Win I haven't put together yet, a 6.5 STW, and used to have a 6.5-300 Wby. Wouldn't mind a 6.5 BR now that I think about it, and missed out narrowly on a 6.6x68 not long ago. Hmm, so many rifles , so little time. - dan
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No 6.5 Gibbs Dan? :)
 
You guys are just evil, I now have thought of swapping out a Sako 30-06 barrel for a nice 6.5-06. Dan you are sure as hell right about so many rifles, so little time.
 
Dan, I think David Henry has the reamer. He bought out Ron Propp's stuff. But I could be wrong and have been frequently.
 
I have a Mod 70, 6.5-06 I picked up over a decade ago. It has a 1-9.5 twist rate barrel that will stabilize 140 grain flat base but not boat tails.

The Monolithics shoot extremely well out of this rifle with impressive velocities and accuracy. This was a pleasant surprise for me. The 120 grn ttsx bullets shoot like lazers out of the Mod 70. This came as a surprise because this rifle has a long throat. The reamer used for the job was ground for 160gr round nose bullets. Lots of bullet jump. I believe it's because the throat is so tight that the rifle is so accurate.

Whatever, it will not shoot other brands of lighter bullets very well at all. Fussy rifle but once the right combination is put together it is a great performer.

Monolithics need fast velocities to work properly. The velocities I get from this rifle with the 120gr ttsx is more than sufficient for terminal performance on game.

Last fall I saw three separate demonstrations of performance with 120 x 6.5mm Monolithics. Two were with the 6.5x55 cartridge and one was with my 6.5-06.

The first 6.5x55 was a sportered M38 Swede Mauser. The White Tail was shot at 125m and the bullet expanded but not as much as I would have liked to see. It also was caught on a rib on the far side. Again not what I like to see. The bullet retained almost 95% of its original weight. If it hadn't been for part of a petal breaking off it would have been 100%. The animal ran over 100m before collapsing.

The second White Tail was shot with a Tikka T3 Light that used the same bullet but was loaded to much higher velocities, 3200fps. Huge terminal difference on the animal. The shot placement was almost identical as was the range. The bullet wasn't recovered as it passed all the way through. It took out a rib on the way in as well as on the way out. The exit wound was appx 1cm across through the rib, indicating it had expanded properly. Both lungs were holed nicely and the animal stumbled to fall after 10m.

The third animal was a 2 point Mule Deer that was shot with the 6.5-06 at 245m, as per the Swarovski range finder. Again, it was pretty much a broadside shot through both lungs but higher, just under the spine. This time the ttsx 120 was traveling at just over 3400fps according to my magnetospeed. Strong rifle, strong cases, tough bullets and high velocity. Great combo. The bullet wasn't recovered in this case either but there was definitely a difference in the wound channel.

The bullet hit a rib and immediately expanded enough to shear it completely. The bullet then traveled just under the spine, taking out both arteries and smashed through a rib on the way out, completely severing it as well. The exit hole in the hide was around 2cm. Perfect IMHO. The animal dropped in its tracks, did a bit of kicking and was dead before we got to it. Even though there was nothing to indicate it I suspect the spinal cord had been damaged when the bullet passed underneath. That's the only reason I can give for the instant drop.

Andy, I like that you have the ability to use the 155-160 or even heavier bullets in your rifle. I can see why you like it and I apologize for giving the results from my rifle which isn't capable of stabilizing those great bullets.

Still, I must admit I really like the light recoil generated with the lighter bullets. I needed a shoulder replacement last fall and ended up using two different rifles. One was the Mod 70 6.5-06 and the other was a 7x57 Mauser built on a 1908 98 action. The 6.5 was not altered but the Mauser had a special recoil pad, mercury absorber and a muzzle brake. Both rifles have similar recoil but my hunting partners get really snively with the muzzle blast and noise from the brake. Now I only use that rifle when I hunt alone.

I saw the pics of the recovered heavy bullets. Do you use the same bullets in the more recent cartridges you load for and do you keep velocities limited to the performance of the bullets???
 
Great post - thanks. The Lapua bullets pictured are taken from "bcsteve"'s great bullet test to which I contributed cast and FMJ bullets, but not those ones. A magnificent thread for sure.

As for monolithic bullets, I am a big fan. I shoot 130 gr TTSX's in my 300 Win Mag, but not yet at game. Very flat trajectory to 300 yds and nasty terminal performance. A fortunate outcome when a primary influence for creating the solid copper bullet was concern over the use of lead.

I might try light monolithic bullets in the 6.5-06, but am concerned with the long throat as the bullets will be about 0.200" free of the cartridge neck before they engage the rifling. That's a recipe for hangfire and barrel obstruction behaviour which I have experienced in a 30-06 and light bullets.
 
dan belisle said:
My 6.5-06 is a Win 70. Likes 7828. The only hole I'm trying to fill along that bore diameter right now is a 6.5x57. Have a 6.5 TCU, a couple 6.5x55's, a 264 Win I haven't put together yet, a 6.5 STW, and used to have a 6.5-300 Wby. Wouldn't mind a 6.5 BR now that I think about it, and missed out narrowly on a 6.5x68 not long ago. Hmm, so many rifles , so little time. - dan
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Tradex just moved a nice 6.5x57 HVA. I can't remember if it was a 1640 or an FN98 though...
 
Andy said:
Great post - thanks. The Lapua bullets pictured are taken from "bcsteve"'s great bullet test to which I contributed cast and FMJ bullets, but not those ones. A magnificent thread for sure.

As for monolithic bullets, I am a big fan. I shoot 130 gr TTSX's in my 300 Win Mag, but not yet at game. Very flat trajectory to 300 yds and nasty terminal performance. A fortunate outcome when a primary influence for creating the solid copper bullet was concern over the use of lead.

I might try light monolithic bullets in the 6.5-06, but am concerned with the long throat as the bullets will be about 0.200" free of the cartridge neck before they engage the rifling. That's a recipe for hangfire and barrel obstruction behaviour which I have experienced in a 30-06 and light bullets.
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It can be a problem when loaded on the light side. I fully understand your concerns. The powder I use is on the fast side because of the hangfire issue. I also use magnum primers to get consistent and positive ignition. I use a substantial charge of H414SL10 which I hoard for a very good reason. It is one of the early powders that was specifically designed to be less temperature sensitive and is a bit slower than W760/H414. My load would be well over max listed in any loading manuals but it is safe in my rifle. It also fills the case pretty well which alleviates hangfires as well. The slower twist rate likely helps as well as the long free bore condition is my assumption. The rifle also has a 25in bbl.

I really like this rifle. It wears a US made Burris 4x12AOx40mmx1in tube which is 15 inches long and mounted in Leupold bases/rings. Receiver and scope were built in 1985 and the barrel was installed by Dave Jennings. Extremely tough and reliable combination. The stock, is plain, straight grain, very stable (gasp) Walnut. The rifle is also heavy. Weighs in around 12.5 pounds loaded.
 
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