6.5x55 sweed

[odonata]

Nice #1, even nicer scope!

Thanks! I like the simplicity of a single-shot falling-block. I also shoot ambidextrously so its nice to be able to switch shoulders when sitting in a stand depending on whether I'm turning left or turning right. The Schmidt & Bender 1.5-8x42 Stratos is a great scope with a perfect zoom range for the type of hunting I do. It's a shame they stopped making it recently. The discontinued Minox ZA-5 1.5-8x32 I have on my No. 1S in 9.3x74r is also an excellent scope for these types of rifles.

 

[Manwe]

I shoot the 6.5x55 in both an original m94 mauser and a tikka T3x hunter. I’ll give you some general velocity numbers and powder used but please work up and don’t assume they are safe in your rifle (they DEFINITELY aren’t safe in the mauser and I make sure to keep my mauser and tikka loads separate.) the best thing about the tikka is I can seat bullets out extremely far since it has a long throat and magnum length magazine, it gives you about 51-54 grains of case capacity depending on the powder.
My heaviest tikka load is a 156 grain oryx at 2590 FPS using H1000- this load has no pressure signs and shoots about .5 MOA at 200 yards. I would feel comfortable going higher with this load but with that sort of accuracy I don’t want to.
Most of my experience with hot loads comes from the 127 grain LRX, which I could never get to shoot great but which got up to around 2900 with R26 before I started to get some pressure signs. At around 3050 FPS I was getting very significant pressure signs and I consider around 3000 FPS the absolute max I would push it that gun/brass/bullet/powder combo. All these velocities are with a 22” barrel.
I know those aren’t the heavy, sleek bullets you’re going to use but hopefully you find this helpful

 

[cmk]

The Original 6.5! Older than the 30-06 and just like the 06, it just keeps on working!

Couldn't agree more. Have both - in fact the 06 is the newest cartridge/rifle I own. Not by much, since the 9.3x62 and 404J came just a year or so prior. The 22 LR predates them all by some margin, though.

The 06 is my go-to rifle in general, but in the early season - before moose is allowed - the 6.5x55 gets the nod most of the time. With 156gn bullets it is certainly capable for deer/fox and other small stuff, but can handle boars when presented favourably.