hi,
new to this forum. i like what i have been reading. i was wondering if anyone has had any luck with 100 grain or smaller bullets in their 6.5x55 mausers. i am looking to get into handloading and and to try these loads. any thoughts or suggestions? thanks in advance.

Negative, Ghostrider, the pattern is full. Full of gaps between your widely spaced shots if you try the lightweight bullet in a factory barreled 6.5x55 Swede. At least that has been my experience with my Howa 1500 Lightning. Even after replacing the plastic stock with a Boyd's laminated wood stock, even after glass bedding the recoil lug on the new stock.
Speer 90 gr TNT's - Would you believe 7 Inch groups for 3 shots at 100 yards? It was more like a shotgun pattern.
Nosler 100 gr Ballistic Tips 3 to 4 inch 3 shot groups at 100 yards. Don't recall the exact loads, just that I tried several powders and was too embarrassed to enter my results in my load data notebook.
I realize some folks have reported decent results with their 6.5x55 with light bullets. I am not one of them. Even my accuracy with the Nosler 120 gr Ballistic Tips has only been fair. My rifle doesn't really start to group until I get up to the 129 gr Hornady and the 140 gr Spitzers. Then it shoots reasonably well. Probably will group amzingly well with the old 160 gr Round Nose bullets. Too bad I have no interest in shooting those at rock chucks or ground squirrels.

100 grain BTs shoot very well in my custom '98 Douglas barreled 6.5 X 55

I only shoot 3 shot groups and do not have the technical know how to claim a true aggregate capability for my shihlen barreled 09Argentine 6.5x55.

All I can say is that with both N550 (45gr) and N150 (42gr) I have shot a number of 0.25-0.3moa 3 shot groups at 100 and 200 yards one of which (the 200yard group) was witnessed by a fellow AR member.

Try VVN150 or IMR 4064 or Varget with a 100gr BT seated at about 2.9-3.0". BTW mine was standard CIP throated ie a 140gr is a stretch to the lands. After 8years the lands have gone away a good distance such that a 140gr can no longer touch them - accuracy is actualy vaguely better - you don't need to touch lands to get accuracy IMHO......

use the 95gn vmax and ADI 2209 49gn chrono @ 3150fps, grps well from 24" bbl.

cheers cc

my swede shoots the 95gr Vmax quite well I used it for blowing up bunnies for a few years till I got my Sako 222 Magnum

The 6.5x55 Military rifle has a twist that was designed for 156 gr bullets.
The lighter you go, the less likely your rifle will shoot them well.

NOT to contradict my fellow 6.5 x 55 owners on here, but I have had different experience that they have had....
I own a rebarreled winchester featherweigth with a 27 inch barrel and a one in 8 twist,
A Standard factory Ruger 77 Mark 2
A 1919 production Swedish Target/Sniper Rifle with the 29 inch barrel...

I can't get any of them to shoot the 95 grain V Max worth a darn... first of all...

Besides that, the Winchester throws on load of IMR 4895 ( 44.4 grains) and 100 grain Hornady SPs all over the place also... The Ruger loves the load, and so does the Mauser... The bullets are always long seated in my 6.5s...

NOt sure what powder you are trying, or what SecondTimer is using... But IMR 4064 works great for the 100 grain bullets....as well as the 85 grain HP Sierra, the 100 grain HP Sierra, the 90 grain Speer TNT and the 100 grain Ballistic Tip and the 100 grain partition, plus the real rare European market 105 grain SMP partition....

So does RL 15, RL 7, W 748, H 414, W 760, IMR 3031... Reduced recoil loads with Blue Dot and SR 4759 also do a great job for accuracy.....

I use a lot of IMR 4064 with Muzzle Velocities on the 100 grain Ballistic tips at 3300 fps plus..
It will run with a factory load on a 25/06 any day of the week....

Maybe I am just living right, but minus the several lack of accuracy problems listed above, my 6.5 x 55s love the 100 grain or less bullets...

I also shoot the same things in 3 different 260 Remingtons, a 6.5 x 57 on a Model 70 action...
The load data for all three is pretty interchangable... and all of my 6.5s are long throated for 140 grain Match bullets....

Just use powders faster than 4350's burn rate...

drop me a PM if you want any more detailed info...
cheers
seafire

quote:

NOt sure what powder you are trying, or what SecondTimer is using...

I have tried IMR-4895, H-4895, IMR-4064, IMR-4350 and Reloder 19 with Speer 90 gr TNT's and Nosler 100 gr Ballistic Tips. I have tried them seated out as far as possible and tried them seated deep in the case. For whatever reason, they don't shoot in my Howa,and it is supposed to have a 1 in 9" twist, which should stabilize the lighter bullets better than a 1 in 8" or a 1 in 7 1/2". I have pretty much given up. Maybe I will drop them off at Seafire's if I get down that way this summer. (How far from Bend are you?)

Talk about timing,I'm trying out some loads with Varget and Nosler 100 grain Ballistic Tips tomorrow.
I'll let you know how it works out in my CZ 550 American.

quote:

Originally posted by 2ndtimer:

quote:

NOt sure what powder you are trying, or what SecondTimer is using...

I have tried IMR-4895, H-4895, IMR-4064, IMR-4350 and Reloder 19 with Speer 90 gr TNT's and Nosler 100 gr Ballistic Tips. I have tried them seated out as far as possible and tried them seated deep in the case. For whatever reason, they don't shoot in my Howa,and it is supposed to have a 1 in 9" twist, which should stabilize the lighter bullets better than a 1 in 8" or a 1 in 7 1/2". I have pretty much given up. Maybe I will drop them off at Seafire's if I get down that way this summer. (How far from Bend are you?)

2nd timer,

I might be going to Montana in early July for some prairie doggin.... I pass thru the Tri Cities on the way there....Maybe we can do a little horse tradin then for some of those lighter bullets....

As far as nearness to Bend, I live about 250 miles from Bend... down by Medford....A little too far away still....

If interested in getting rid of those lighter bulets, drop me a PM....

cheers
seafire

I'm not sure you can over stabalize a bullet. My .260ai has a 1-8 PacNor & handles everything from the 85gr Sierra to the 142grSMK. In fact, some of my smalles groups have come from the 85gr Sierra & VV150 or RL15 (in the low 0.30").

My 1:9 23" Lilja on the winnie action loves the Sierra 107 MK and 100 Varminter with RE19 powder.

Larry if you get a chance, give VV150 a try, very consistant & just about the right speed for 100gr bullets.

In my Sako 75, 95gr Vmax and N160 works very well. Fantastic expansion, very good for foxes, but not anything you want to eat. My rifle didn't like Nosler 100s so much.

quote:

Originally posted by PatrickD:
In my Sako 75, 95gr Vmax and N160 works very well. Fantastic expansion, very good for foxes, but not anything you want to eat. My rifle didn't like Nosler 100s so much.

If it doesn't like Noslers, and your rifle doesn't shoot them well, IN OREGON, we'd get rid of the rifle! ( seafire)

cheers
seafire

CZ 550 American Kales 3-9x42, 83 degrees, 66% humidity, whopping 475 feet of elevation.
5 Shots, Oehler 10 feet from muzzle.
6.5x55 100gNBT 42gVarget hi 3032 lo 2831 es 101 av 2974 sd 51 approx 2 1/2" group, no discernable pattern
6.5x55 100gNBT 43g Varget hi 3030 lo 3013 es 17 av 3023 sd7 approx 1-1/2" group, first three touching and overlapping.

guys,
thanks for your info and results. i have found lots of good information on this site. just returned from the range with my first two loads with the 96 mauserwith stock barrel (1:7.5 twist) and i must say i like this 6.5x55 cartridge already.

loads:
85 gr sierra varminter
41.1 gr IMR 4895 2" x 1.5" group with 5 shots
42.0 gr IMR 4895 1" group 5 shots

will post more results after i try some higher loads and different bullets.

My 6.5x55 is a Remingtoin Classic and shoots the lighter bullets very well. The Sierra 85gr. HP pushed along by IMR4064 48grs. groups at .404" (5 shots & 100yds). It also shoots the Nosler 100gr. Bal.Tip. with IMR4895 41.0grs. into .609", and the Lapua 108gr Scenar pushed along by VV550 44.0grs. into .533". It's a real demon with these light bullets. However, it has a 1 in 9" twist and is less than great with the heavier 140 and 142gr. Sierras. My old Swedish Military M96s are just the opposite. With their 1 in
7 1/2" twist they handle the heavier bullets nicely. I think maybe Remington blew it by putting a 1 in 9" twist in this rifle, but I won't complain too loudly since it does so well with the lighter stuff. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal