6.5x55 Swede

[growr]

I am constantly amazed as to the performance of my Remington 700 chambered for the 6.5 Swede.....so far anything the 6.5 Creedmore can do I seem to be able to replicate with easy.....

I cannot seem to get better performance with my handloads than what original Norma cartridges deliver...especially in the 156 Alaskan round.

For a cartridge that was designed in 1894 it is SO under-rated.

anyone else have the same experience?

I am going to use mine for an upcoming Elk hunt here in Montana.....If the Scandahovians can use it for their elk, moose, bear, caribou I don't see why ours should be any different.

What are the thoughts of my fellow members?????

Randy

 

[AJ]

I shoot a Swedish CG-63 target rifle in 6.5X55 MM. This target rifle is made from a Model 1896 rifle that was made in 1905. The Swedes use these for matches that start at 300 yards with iron sights.

 

[Kitgun]

Amazing cartridge very accurate, little recoil should be way more common than it is. Having said that I have not fired one in about 50 years.

 

[AKtinman]

M700 in 6.5x55… I had one of those when I lived in Alaska. It shot patterns, not groups. I had bought it used from the LGS and I traded it back in to the same LGS on something else.

A month or so later, as I was in the LGS talking to a knowledgeable shooter, we watched a guy pick the same rifle up off the rack. I commented to the shooter that I had previously owned that rifle and could not get it to shoot. He grinned at me and said “Me neither.” I’ve owned some accurate M700, but something wasn’t right with that particular rifle.

Love the cartridge. My present 6.5x55 is a Sako 75 Finnlight. Great rifle, accurate, easy to carry.

 

[sheepdawg]

Used this 1918 Swedish m/41B sniper rifle in vintage sniper competitions. 700 yards plus was no trouble if I did my part. The 6.5X55 is indeed a remarkable round. They hunt moose with it in Sweden.

 

[mmaher94087]

Mine is the full military dress carbine. Sling, bayonet and mileage chart attached to the stock. I've pasted ground squirrel at 300 yards with the military iron sights.

 

[Bill Bates]

I am constantly amazed as to the performance of my Remington 700 chambered for the 6.5 Swede.....so far anything the 6.5 Creedmore can do I seem to be able to replicate with easy.....

Randy

I think you have it backwards. Everything the 6,5x55mm SE can do the 6.5 Creedmoor can replicate and the 6,5x55 has been doing it for about 100 years longer.

 

[Beauetienne]

I had two model 96's and kept the most accurate one. That was a hard decision!
I've been using Sierra boat tail bullets in both 120 and 140 grain, on top of 4895. I am still amazed at their accuracy. Mine are most accurate at higher velocities in both weights..

 

[Igiveup]

Through the years I owned several military Swedes. Have only one now, a 1945 Husky. I liked the caliber so much that I bought a Howa in 6.5x55 and that is one of my current deer rifles, bear, elk, or whatever I come across.

 

[Texas Star]

It's a little hotter than the 6.5X54mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer, which has slain many an elephant.

Not that l'd really recommend it for that use today...

 

[DWalt]

I have been a fan of the 6.5x55 for many years, and in fact once had a custom bench rest rifle with a Douglas barrel made up for it. Currently I have a M96 and an AG42b semiauto (you don't see those every day as they were never legally imported into the USA). I did have a M94 which I sporterized, but that's a sad story best left untold. Not much you can't do with the 6.5x55. It deserves more recognition and popularity but it won't get it.

 

[CH4]

I’ve used a beautiful Sako AV chambered for the Swede to successfully take deer and antelope at distances from 50 to 450 yards. My favorite load is a 120gr NBT over RL19. A great round with a lot of history and little recoil.

 

[Valmet]

I’ve always held the 6.5 Swede in high regard and agree that it is extremely underrated. The 6.5 Arisaka is also a fantastic old cartridge that is even more obscure.

 

[federali]

Unsung 6.5s

You have discovered the secret: Over time, a rifle that's easy to hit with will produce more game than a rifle that's easy to kill with. Hence, you probably don't need a rifle that can make 1000-yard shots but also kills at both ends.

I went with a custom 7mm-08 for this reason and would have gone with a 6.5 but their popularity was still a bit in the future at the time.

 

[Charlie Foxtrott]

Since they reinvented the wheel.

And renamed it the 6.5 Creedmoor, it is gaining in popularity.

 

[Eltioloco]

My son inherited a Husqavarne in 6.5X55 9000 series rifle. He loves it. Seems to shoot anything we load very well. Great deer and hog rifle and I wouldn’t worry about talking elk with it. It’s the only rifle he ever wants to own and sees no reason to hunt with anything else (must take after his mother).
Ken

 

[Zackary]

I purchased a Model 38 Swedish Mauser, 96 Mauser action , in 6.5 X 55 mm made by Husqvarna in 1944 . That was 1990 and I got it $100.00 at Montgomery Wards.The wood is very good and the metal is in great condition. Stock disk info says it was in very good condition bore -wise. I originally bought it as a deer rifle with the plan to tap it and put a excellent 4x Nikon scope on. After learning more about it, I decided to leave it stock and buy Handi-Rifle in .243. The Husky is fun to shoot, very accurate ( even though the rear stock sight isn't the greatest) and very light recoil. For a shooter like me it's a neat gun to have.

 

[DWalt]

I’ve always held the 6.5 Swede in high regard and agree that it is extremely underrated. The 6.5 Arisaka is also a fantastic old cartridge that is even more obscure.

There have been numerous military rifles chambered for various 6.5mm caliber cartridges. However, the 6.5x55mm Swede cartridge is by all accounts the best of the bunch. Some may know that what is considered to be the very first "Assault Rifle" was the Russian M1916 Federov Avtomat - chambered in 6.5x50mm Japanese. Of course that wasn't a Russian-developed cartridge, but Federov considered it ideal for use in a semiauto battle rifle and it was available. [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7yhQXFKHMc[/ame]

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Amazing cartridge very accurate, little recoil should be way more common than it is. Having said that I have not fired one in about 50 years.

More like 30 years for me but, yes, excellent round and those Swedish Mausers are gorgeous. I had a couple of them and considered sporterizing one but, fortunately for mil-surp collectors, I didn't do it. (I did turn a Yugoslavian 98 Mauser into a gorgeous sporter in .35 Whelen but that's different!)

 

[reuters]

Won my first shooting price at age of 13 in 1966 with a std. M96 stuffed with FMJ Silver Torpedo at the 200 meter range at the military base Kviberg's shooting range Gothenburg Sweden, stil got the cup. Great gun, young eyes and a lot of luck with October dusk and some mist.