Tikka 6.5x55 reloading

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charse

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Hey guys so i am looking for some help. I now own a Tikka 6.5x55 varmint and I started buying items for reloading and I was hoping to hear from some guys that are reloading for the same rifle. What bullet and powder are you guys getting the best results with ?
Thanks
 
For target shooting the Tikka is great in 6.5x55 , lots of room in the mag to get some crazy OAL with some 140g Berger VLD behind R-22 ..... been using it on coyotes too !

It is also a good hunting rifle as well , I've tried the 130g Accubond and IMR 7828ssc with good result on white tails. I had some strange things happen to me with the 129 ABLR..... and I found the OAL really hard to figure out.

I now have a few Barnes 120g TTSX ready to test , but I haven't had time to go out to try em out !

Make sure you use Euro brass as the American one are undersized.

Change that stupid aluminium recoil lug and get a pillar bedding ( Lumley Arm make a good kit ) A good recoil pad is a good investment as well and this will make for a very accurate rifle and the cold hammer forged barrel will last forever.....

hope this help !

Seb
 
R-22 behind the 142gr Match king produces sub 1/2 moa five shot groups in my T-3 Varmint, as well as in a friends T-3 Super Varmint, and in another friends T-3 Sporter. For hunting loads, swap out the matching for the 130gr or 140gr Accubond, or the 129gr ABLR.
 
So R-22 seems to be the powder .... when I was looking online 4350 seemed to be popular .
 
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Been a few years for me, but Re22 and H4831sc were the best with a 129 gr Hornady spirepoint.

Produced crazy accurate loads in a T3 Hunter I had a few years ago, and much like the 260 rem, there really is no need for a premium bullet at those velocities at least on deer.
 
Not to be contrary but I find RL 22 and similar speed powders to be to slow for the 129gn bullets. The Tikka T3 is a very strong action and many use the load tables that recommend loads for weaker actions.

IMHO the 6.5x55 is an almost ideal blend of cartridge case/bullet design. It's well over a century old and still going strong. The people that developed it, just like a few others knew their stuff. With the modern powders available, as well as very strong actions this old girl can really shine.

I won't post my loads because there is always one of those that doesn't do any due diligence as to the pressures developed or relate that to the rifle they intend to use it in. Recently I was brought a lovely M94 Swede carbine that had its receiver ring blown away and the stock splintered. Sad because this was an almost pristine example. The fellow that destroyed it had zero idea of what he had or its limitations. It looked new to him so he thought it was. I have no idea where his load came from but from speaking to him he worked it up himself. He used IMR 3031 powder over CCI 200 primers in Federal brass.

He felt that he should be able to increase his charge proportionately. WHY, because he didn't do any due diligence. He didn't understand the parameters of this powder once it reached a certain pressure point.

With 129 gn bullets I like to use RL19 for consistently accurate and fastest velocities. With 140gn bullets I like to use IMR7828SSC over magnum primers. These powders are old school but I understand how they work under the conditions I shoot. I get substantially better velocities than listed in any of the books and excellent accuracy. Faster than 260Rem loads, which makes sense.

I don't shoot my old milsurp Swedes anymore but I still have the boxes of ammo marked with a red stripe all the way around and a warning label on the top of the box just in case someone gets ahold of this ammo and wants to feed it through one of the old Swedes.

I have one of the Danish K98 match conversions which seems to handle these hot loads as well. I've only tried a few in it but likely won't push it. No reason. The loads for the Tikka aren't accurate in the K98 which has an extremely long throat.

charse, go onto Google and look for HOT 6.5x55 loads. There will be several bits of information as well as a few loads. There will also be all sorts of caveats. The only loads I would suggest are those that give starting loads as well as maximum loads. Some of which have been confirmed by lab tests for pressure generated.

This is an amazing cartridge in an amazing rifle. New tech makes it better than some of the newer offerings and if you do your due diligence all sorts of good things can be done with hand loads to make the combination shine. Good Luck and please, do some due diligence on your own.

Folks like Ganderite worked in the business and know their stuff. I will defer to their knowledge all day. That doesn't mean I won't do my own research. If you look at the new manuals and compare them to older manuals the loads have been reduced in almost all cases. The most consistent seems to be the Lyman set of manuals. Still because of litigation and new tech along with new manufactured propellants parameters have changed. BE CAREFUL but get enough info to get the best out of your rifle/cartridge combo.
 
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I've now settled on Reloder 26 with 140 gr bullets. Perfect combination of burn rate and density and happens to be accurate in my gun.
 
I have long used Norma MRP in my Remington 700 Classic. With the 140's 2850+ is what I get, and with outstanding accuracy.
The 120-125 grain pills get AMS47SB slow lot 10, a powder sold by Higginson's some years ago. 3050 and stellar accuracy.
I love my 6.5x55. This is evident by how much I have shot it. I bought it brand new, and it is now on it's 3rd barrel.
With this rifle I have shot Muleys, Whitetail, Black bear, Moose and Elk. Never fails to impress me how effective the 6.5 is. D.
 
stubblejumper said:
R-22 behind the 142gr Match king produces sub 1/2 moa five shot groups in my T-3 Varmint, as well as in a friends T-3 Super Varmint, and in another friends T-3 Sporter. For hunting loads, swap out the matching for the 130gr or 140gr Accubond, or the 129gr ABLR.
Click to expand...

What kinds of OAL are you using in your Tikkas?
 
I've settled on using H4831sc, but have had good results with H4350 and some of the old pound of N205. I only bother with 139-140gr bullets (scenars et al) and finding an accurate load is about as difficult as eating a bowl of ice cream.
 
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