All, I'm wondering if anyone has loads using Reloader 15, and 120 grain bullets for the 6.5 x 55 Mauser? I bought some RL15 to try with some Sierra 120's I bought, thinking it was a common powder for this bullet weight, and now I can't find much for specific loads. I saw one reference listing a rough guidline of 39 to 42 grains.

Anybody?


Greg

Greg, your 6.5x55 is very close to my .260ai in cap. I like RL15 w/ 85-100gr bullets, but prefer med.-slow burners for 120-123gr bullets. So far, H4350 & RL19 have been exc. H4831 & IMR4831 are close behind. I'm still playing w/ IMR7828 too, a great powder for the 140gr.

Greg-While I prefer Re-22 over anything else in the Swede, I have developed a load for a friend and load for my son, both with Re-15. As it turns out, 40 grains is what I settled on in both the Kimber-sporterized rifle and a '94 Mauser carbine as well. The accuracy is superb, recoil is mild -- and the results out to 200+ yards have been excellent using the 120 grain Ballistic Tip.

The load develops around 2750 in the 22" barrel and a fraction under 2600 fps in the carbine -- a 6.5mm JDJ on steroids, if you will.

The 40 grain Re-15/120 grain BT load is not max in these guns, but at the accuracy level I was getting, there was no reason to experiment any more.

A lot of guys always want to use the 4350, 4831, RL 19 or 22 in the 6.5 x 55.....

I am opposite and use the midrange powders....

I have a load of 42.5 grains of RL 15 in my 6.5 x 55 and it does an excellent job for accuracy....

This is with Ballistic tips, Sierra and Speer 120 grain SPs, and the 120 grain Sierra Match....

The is results out of a Surplus Mauser, Ruger 77 Mk 2 and a Model 70 Featherweight with a PacNor barrel ( not an off the shelf 6.5 x 55 from the factory, the rifle use to be a 30/06)...

cheers and good luck.
seafire

I think it kind of depends on the twist rate of the rifle. Many are around 1 in 7.5" and the slowest I know of is CZ's 1 in 8.6" and there I would go with the 4350's and maybe a little slower, so here I go again, Ramshot Hunter. Very clean burning, very dense ball powder without temperature issues about like R-19 in speed and there is some excellent high pressure modern 6.5 X 55 data and it is impressive. http://www.ramshot.com

RL-15 From 39.0 grains to 42.0 grains
Remington 9-1/2 Primer

But I think that:
IMR-4895 From 34.9 grains to 43.0 grains
Remington 9-1/2 Primer

would have been a better choice.

Steve,

I tried that in all three of my 6.5 x 55s and the IMR 4895 ( which I love that powder)... but that load did not show any real good accuracy in all three of those rifles...

So hence I go with the RL 15....loads...

cheers
seafire

About the only Reloder powders I see listed are Rel -19 for the medium weight bullets and Rel-22 for the heavier weights. I have several 6.5x55 rifles and have pretty much switched to VihtaVouri 550 and 560 for accuracy. Just one mans opinion. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Thanks for the responses guys. I guess I need to break down and try the VihtaVouri stuff one of these days. And RL19. I did try a load of 42 grains of 4064 and got some real nice groups. 41 grains wasn't that special. I like the accuracy of the 42 grain 4064 load, but my 12 year old, first season hunter, son seemed to act like they bothered him a bit. I don't have a chono, but the Sierra book I have lists that at 2700 fps. I don't mind slowing that down a bit for the ranges I'm likely to let shoot antelope at.

Thanks again, I'll report back as the journey goes on.

Greg

Greg;

If this is for your son...and you are going after antelope and mule deer....

Try 44.4 grains of IMR 4064 with a 100 grain bullet... Hornadys do a good job.. and accuracy in my 6.5 x 55s is excellent...

I take taken several deer, one at 100 yds or so and two at 300 yds...All went down immediately...
so the load is very effective...

However the main reason that I am suggesting it for your son is that, in each instant I had a Leupold 3 x 9 scope set on 4 power.... Each time I watched the deer go down in the scope sight picture...

Recoil was low enough, that I did not loose sight of the deer, even at the 100 yds....

Velocity was about 3250 to 3300 fps in my Ruger 77 Mk 2...

cheers and good luck...
seafire