6.5x55 Swede on big game

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K.38

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Anyone use this round for hunting deer, elk or larger game?

I've always used a .30-06 but last year I used a CZ 550 in 6.5x55 and got a nice mule deer buck and this year I did the same.

Low recoil, less noise and harvests deer as good if not better than the 06. Both years I used a load of IMR 4350 and a Hornady 140 grain SP. Hit the deer dead center through the lungs and he went about 20 yards and was done.

I was going to use the CZ and a 100 grain Nosler partition for antelope but I couldn't get it to shoot consistant. Maybe next year if I draw that is I will try some 120 Sierra spitzers and see how they work for antelope.

If I ever draw a Colorado elk tag should I stay with the 140 grain or go to a heavier bullet? BTW if I can't get within 150 or maybe 200 yards max I won't shoot.
 
The biggest thing I have shot with the Swede is an axis deer.......but the well documented history of the 6.5 x55 suggest that it is quite adequate for any game on earth with proper bullets. I personally would feel no need to use bullets heavier than 140 for elk(though lots have been killed with 160s).
 
The various 6.5 mm cartridges made their reps with 160 gr bullets. Our bullet designs are much better now, something lighter may work on elk, but watch your sectional density. You want to keep at least comparable to other proven elk loads.

BTW, the Swedes probably hunt what we'd call moose with the things.
 
As with any cartridge, bullet placement is the key; but, place that bullet right and the 6.5 Swede will get the job done. It is the queen of penetration. On elk, I would stick with a premium 140 gr. bullet for a good combination of trajectory, penetration and expansion -- and then I'd practice, practice, practice until hitting exactly where I want to hit is second nature. Then, I'd go hunt...
 
Pisgah said:
As with any cartridge, bullet placement is the key; but, place that bullet right and the 6.5 Swede will get the job done. It is the queen of penetration. On elk, I would stick with a premium 140 gr. bullet for a good combination of trajectory, penetration and expansion -- and then I'd practice, practice, practice until hitting exactly where I want to hit is second nature. Then, I'd go hunt...
Click to expand...


I already shoot alot all through the year just for this reason. I have some 140 partitions and some 140 Barnes triple shock may have to work up a load with one of them.
 
While I personally have never shot anything with a 6,5X55, it has long been a favorite for moose in Sweden and Norway, using mostly 156 grain round nose soft points, especially in first half of 1900s. It is deep penetration that is key, that is, once the bullet is put in right place. Also important to its success is that the light recoil makes accurate shooting much easier than with 8mm Mauser, 30-06, and any of the 7mm, 8mm, etc. magnums. Don't forget that all those Swedes and Norwegians had been trained to use the 6,5X55 mauser turnbolts during their military service.

The early, rather simple design 156-160 grain soft points are what the 6,5X55's excellent reputation is based on, as is case for other, even lower powered 6,5 mm cartridges. Should one chose a 140 grain bullet, I would opt for one of the premium, controlled expansion bullets.

Not so many decades ago, 6,5X55, 7X57 mauser and 30-40 Krag were common elk cartridges in places like Montana. They worked well with simple soft point bullets in 160, 175, and 220 grains, especially in Montana's "black" forests.

If I did not have nice 7X57, 7X51 and 7X57R chambered hunting rifles, I would likely have a nice 6,5X55 turnbolt hunting rifle.

Niklas
 
I hunt with a variety of rifles, but one of my favorite is a 6.5 Swede carbine that was given to me by my former Chief Deputy. It isn't pretty, it has a fixed 4 power scope atop it, but it shoots.
I have a bunch of old PMC 139 grn SP's that put deer down right away when I do my part.
6.5 is a good round.
 
I don't have one, but I do have a 6.5-06 and I must say that a 6.5mm/.264 bullet performs well beyond what the paper statistics indicate.

They are long for their weight and penetrate beyond what they would be expected to. They buck the wind and go long range well too.
 
K.38 said:
I was going to use the CZ and a 100 grain Nosler partition for antelope but I couldn't get it to shoot consistant.
Click to expand...

Before WWI, the 6.5's earned good reputations on game including buff and elephant with a 160-gr. RN at 2,100-2,400 fps. The Swede may be the best of them, and it's still used in Sweden on what we call moose.

Original rifles (and some new ones) are throated for and shoot best with those long RNs. They rarely do well with short, light spitzers. And in a strong action like your CZ, careful use of modern powders can turn the Swede into a junior 270.

You've got a VERY nice rifle on your hands.


Okie John
 
The Swedes love it for everything up to moose and probably polar bear. That being said, if you want to use it for anything above whitetail sized game I would say you need to move north of the 140 grainers, and you need to get close. I love the round but when it comes to elk and larger game, no it is not the equal of the .30'06. As far as deer go, when you have a Swede, you can leave the '06 in the safe.
In addition, yes the 6.5 with proper (read solid) bullets is adequate for any game in the world from rabbit to elephant. You, however are not a good enough shot to use it for everything, that is not to insult you I am not good enough either, it is just the rifleman that can put any beast down with a light rifle is a rarity. Average shooters, like most of use are, should stick to species appropriate calibers.
 
senecaap said:
it is just the rifleman that can put any beast down with a light rifle is a rarity. Average shooters, like most of use are, should stick to species appropriate calibers.
Click to expand...

Should I say thank you...
In Sweden and Norway somewhere around 130.000 Moos is shoot every year, and the 6,5x55 is one of the most common calibers.
...so we are excellent marksmen over here in Scandinavia?
happy0159.gif


In Norway you have to pass a shooting test before can hunt larger game such as moos. 5 shoots inside a one foot circle at 100 meters (109 yards)! Probably not the toughest marksman test you heard about
ashamed0005.gif
 
And now posters here are hereby informed that 6,5X55 Mauser is a "species appropriate" for moose, and thereby north american elk.

Would also add that both Scandinavian moose (the real elk(älg)) and northamerican "elk" are still just as easy to kill today as they were 100 or more years ago. All shooters needs to do is to be in suitable range with any decent rifle and put bullet in right place(s). Dudes with big magnums that kick snott out of shooter on each shot are folks that really need help. They would be much better off learning to shoot 6,5X55 Mauser, 7X57 Mauser, 30-30, 32 Special, 30-40 Krag, etc. accurately and keep shots under 200 yards. FYI, 32 Special was very popular elk rifle in Montana for my father's generation and many are still in use by their sons and grand sons each fall.

Niklas
 
IIRC, Karamoja Bell killed elephants (lots of them) in Africa with this round. Sectional density of the long bullet leads to awesome penetration.
 
Watch out for regulations in some areas setting minimum caliber requirements for elk and moose.
In a controlled hunt on Federal land for elk, we were restricted to minimum of .270 Win and a maximum of five cartridges for the hunt.
Most carried some sort of .30 caliber rifle.
 
I did some research on the 550 last year and I spent some time on the phone and E mailwith the people at Norma and they told me that it can be used on mosse and elk as they do it all the time.
 
I've owned an M96 for almost 20 years. Never shot anything but paper with it, but I think it is one of the most under rated cartridges.
 
I was not implying that it could not be done. However, I have seen such poor shooting from guys with, take your pick .300, 30'06, .338 on game down to whitetail, take shots from too far away, poor angles, no idea of where vitals are, that I am hesitant to say the 6.5x55 is appropriate under all conditions for moose and elk sized game, there just is not enough margin for error with the round.

I have killed black bear with the round, an extremely tough animal for which I have the greatest respect. I love the 6.5, but I understand it's limitations and strengths. I don't know the qualities of the original poster or anyone else, so I cannot make a blanket endorsement for the cartridge. I will say if I were limited to only one rifle, it is on the very short list of my favorites (along with the 7x57), so I am not trying to knock it.

And yes WDM Bell killed elephant with the 6.5x54MS (he killed more with his .318WR though, not that it is a big bore), but it is far from the ideal elephant rifle. Bell was one of those wonders who could consistently hit exactly the kill spot every time, there is even a story that he shot birds flying high above Vic Falls from a camp at the base of the falls with his .318, a feat I'm sure none of us could replicate. He didn't need anymore rifle because his shooting skill was so high, he needed no margin. And I know several local hunters who only hunt whitetail with a .22, they bag their deer every year, but is the .22 an appropriate caliber for deer?

I just want to urge caution, for the sake of hunting humanely. No, I still don't think the 6.5 is the ultimate caliber for elk and above, but if that is what you are going to use, for God's sake use the heaviest weight, toughest bullets available, and get close.
 
Espen said:
In Norway you have to pass a shooting test before can hunt larger game such as moos. 5 shoots inside a one foot circle at 100 meters (109 yards)! Probably not the toughest marksman test you heard about
ashamed0005.gif
Click to expand...

If that's offhand, there are probably a lot of hunters in the US who wouldn't get to hunt big game.
 
senecaap,

In a very real sense, you and I and others are really saying the same basic thing. Lousy hunters that are lousy shots are the problem, not the rifle used.

Perhaps the main reason so many hunters shoot so badly with 30-06 and especially with magnums in 7mm, 30 or 338 is that they are afraid of the recoil of these generally unneeded calibers. They also may not be very good shooters to start with.

Many years ago I hunted some with an outfitter in Montana. I brought along a "puny" little 7X51 loaded with 175 grain Noslers to about original 7X57 muzzle velocities. My elks always dropped with one shot at ranges up to 150+ yards. Total penetration broadside and similar shots and from stem to belly on frontal shots. After first elk, outfitter started telling me how his Grandfather and Grandmother shot 100s of elk with a 30-30, typically one-shot kills. These folks were typical of Montana ranchers in early 1900s -- a box of 30-30 or 32 Special ammo (20 rounds) was expected to bag at least 15 deer + elk and now and then black bears and occasionally a grizzly. 30-40 Krags and 6,5X55 military surplus rifles were common and equally effective. After WW2 30-06 turnbolts became common, as guys returned from the war. He also had lots of stories about clients with big magnums that only wounded elk with poorly placed shots.

To state it differently, "There are hunters and then there are dudes with fancy rifles."

Niklas
 
Niklas
Couldn't agree more, it just takes time for us to get there. To tell you all I can about my ballistic creed, Weatherby is a naughty word in my gun room. :)
Huzza!!
Andy
 
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