Hello. Hoping to get the opinions on what is the best all around powder for the 6.5x55. I was thinking R-19 looked good. Have a Ruger 77 that I would like to get 2,700 fps + with 140 Nosler Partitions out of a 22" tube. Thank you.

My Ruger took 49gr. of RL-22 and a 140 Sierra to do an average of 2723fps.

R22 and a 140 grain makes lots of people smile...work up to 49 grns....works in my rebarrled Rem 700

and as always when in doubt visit....

http://stevespages.com/page8a.htm

Thanks. Have quite a bit of R-22 that I used in my 300 and my dad's 30-06. My favorite powder, never saw much info on the 6.5 with R-22. Thanks again.

I know you're looking for 140 data, but just for reference, 49.5 grains of H4350 gives me 3075 fps with a 120 grain Sierra, with safe pressure (instrumented rifle).

Some published loads are as much as 10,000 PSI below a really safe 55 KPSI load (modern rifle), and a grain is ROUGHLY 3 KPSI in that case.

You should have no trouble at all getting 2700 fps. 2800 should be within reach.

I have played with Rl 22 in the 6.5 x 55 and I own a Ruger 77 Mk 2 also.

I have gone to higher than 49.5 grains of RL 22 in mine with a 140 grain bullet. I seated the Sierra 140 grainers out to magazine length, to about 52 grains. I chronographed these in the Neighborhood of 2950 fps in the Ruger.

In a Swedish Mauser the same load ended up giving me about 25 fps more velocity out of a 29 inch barrel. I would have expected more but did not get it to break 3000 fps even with the 29 inch barrel.

If you try this load, work up and look at seating the bullet to magazine length... This load appears to be a little hot, but that 6.5 x 55 brass is pretty tough also..

Good luck with her!

cheers and good shooting
seafire

The loads given here that exceed 49gr of RL22 are positivly unsafe, don´t go there. Every other handloader in Scandinavia has tried to hotload this calibre and it isn´t worth it. You can blow up your gun with 50+ grains of RL22/MRP.

In Scandinavia the standard powder for loading 140-156gr bullets in the 6,5x55 is Norma MRP aka RL22, but do try even slower powders like Norma MRP2 or RL25, you might get better accuracy even if velocity does not increase that much if you load to the same pressure. For the 156gr bullets 50gr of MRP2 is the "go to load" for many handloaders, fast and accurate.

If you want more than 2700-2800fps with a 140gr bullet the 6,5x55 is not the right calibre for you, you\ re much better of rechambering to the 6,5-284 Norma.

tron

Remember-- In a book Bell was quoted as saying it was the "long-slender bullets with the straight sides" that went in deep and straight and killed all out of proportion to their calibre. He was talking about the 6.5 156gr coming out a M-S at about 2500fps as well as the 7mm and the 318. To me accuracy and bullet placement/construction are the most important things.

Aloha, Mark

FWIW the Alliant reloading data shows a 140 Sierra and 48.1 Grains of RL22 as a max load at 44.4 CUP and 2,700'/sec.
Converting the CUP to PSI we get 49,500 PSI and to TRB's post going beyond this is unsafe.....??
IMO this cartridge is fully capable of the same loading pressure as the .260 Remington which is loaded to the normal modern pressure of 61,500 PSI in a modern rifle. Maybe there is reference to loads for the older Swedish Mausers here but it seems to me that one can easily go beyond the 48.1 grains suggested as max by Alliant if he is syhooting a M-70, M-700 etc rifle.

If we accept Denton's statement that 3,000 PSI is roughly one grain of powder, then 51 grains of RL22 should be attainable in a modern rifle and still be within the safe limits of pressure.
All these assumptions make for the statement that 2,800'/sec should be within reach for the prudent reloader and that is (per Alliant's data) within 160'/sec of the old .264 Win Mag

This makes the 6.5 X 55 a truly magnificient performer anytime one is hunting non dangerousa game.

Wait until the Ackley Improved guys have their say.....It will exceed the .264 Mag by a couple hundred feet/sec then.

quote:

The loads given here that exceed 49gr of RL22 are positivly unsafe, don´t go there.

I can't say for sure, because I have not made measurements with RL22, but I think this statement may not be true for a modern rifle.

With a 140 grain bullet, 48.1 grains gives 2700 fps and 50 KPSI. 50.1 should give ROUGHLY 2825 fps and 56 KPSI... a good area to operate in.

Of course, RL22 has considerable batch to batch variation, so what is safe with one batch may not be with another. You can't really tell unless you instrument the rifle.

I'm generally a nut of following the limits in the books, and think people who overload are doing a dangerous thing. But, there are five cartridges that I know of, where you can go over book, within limits, if you instrument the gun:

30-06 will happily operate at 270 pressures. The lowered rating relates to older, weaker actions.

257 Roberts was apparently developed in something like a small ring action, and can be loaded a little hotter in a modern action.

6.5x55, 7x57, and 8x57 all have very conservative loading data. Loaded to modern pressures, the 8x57 is only very slightly behind the 30-06, and the 6.5x55 will meet the 25-06's performance.

Now my old Karl Gustav... that one I treat gently. It's a joy to shoot, and not as strong as my large rings.

quote:

This makes the 6.5 X 55 a truly magnificient performer anytime one is hunting non dangerous game.

Absolutely!! This is a very under-appreciated round... one of the best ever designed.

I have a .260ai, very close to the 6.5x55 in cap. I have had great luck w/ RL22, H4831sc & IMR7828 under 139-142gr bullets. 2850fps is reachable in my 27"bbl. w/o problems. 47.5gr of 7828, 46.5gr of H4831sc or 47gr RL22 will all break 2800fps. 43gr H4350 is also very accurate & just gets to 2800fps.
I use mine for punching paper but I am now thinking I need another lt.wt. hunting rig.

Another thing to consider. My Barnes manual gives load that exceeds 2900fps out of a 24" barrel with their XLC (blue) bullet. I don't have my manual with me right now so I can't give you exact numbers and loads.

I'd love to see 60KPSI load data for this cartridge in 100, 120, and 140 grain bullets.

Here is 140grain Naturalis with RE22, OAL is 3.350", and max velocity at muzzle V0=2837fps according to QL


Cartridge : 6.5 x 55 Swedish
Bullet : .264, 140, LAP Naturalis 316101
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 3.350 inch or 85.09 mm
Barrel Length : 24.0 inch or 609.6 mm
Powder : Alliant Reloder-22

Max pressure 55114psi



Step Fill. Charge Vel. Energy Pmax Prop. Burnt B_Time
% % Grains fps ft.lbs psi psi % ms

-20.0 77 40.56 2276 1611 29739 9601 90.1 1.605
-18.0 79 41.57 2332 1691 31584 9916 91.3 1.568
-16.0 81 42.59 2388 1772 33551 10223 92.5 1.531
-14.0 83 43.60 2444 1856 35643 10521 93.5 1.495
-12.0 85 44.62 2500 1943 37880 10808 94.6 1.461
-10.0 87 45.63 2556 2031 40277 11083 95.5 1.427
-08.0 89 46.64 2612 2121 42821 11346 96.4 1.394
-06.0 91 47.66 2669 2214 45556 11594 97.1 1.361
-04.0 93 48.67 2725 2308 48462 11828 97.8 1.329 ! Near Maximum !
-02.0 95 49.69 2781 2404 51535 12044 98.4 1.298 ! Near Maximum !
+00.0 97 50.70 2837 2502 54791 12243 98.9 1.262 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+02.0 99 51.71 2893 2602 58262 12423 99.3 1.226 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+04.0 101 52.73 2949 2703 61967 12584 99.6 1.191 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+06.0 103 53.74 3004 2806 65925 12723 99.9 1.158 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!

Results caused by ± 10% powder lot-to-lot burning rate variation using nominal charge
Data for burning rate increased by 10% relative to nominal value:
+Ba 97 50.70 2971 2744 65845 11909 100.0 1.165 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
Data for burning rate decreased by 10% relative to nominal value:
-Ba 97 50.70 2653 2188 44150 11900 93.2 1.369

The 120 grain 3075 fps load mentioned earlier runs 59,400 PSI in my particular gun. Your results will be different.

I'll probably back it down a grain, and run it around 56,400, since you don't really want to crowd the limit, and 3,000 fps is more than enough for anything the size of a big mulie. You need allowances for powder, bullet, case, rifle, and temperature variation.

Note that this nicely outruns published data for the 25-06. I'm hoping the same is true when I test 100 grainers, after the weather gets a bit better.

Denton and VapoDog:

I usually load 100 grain bullets to hunt with in my 6.5 x 55 Ruger and Winchester, since the deer here in Oregon are about the size of an antelope.... so one does not need a lot of punch...

IN the 260 I played with that and saw some early reload data before everyone was publishing it to use IMR 4064 with a load of 43.5 grains of 4064. Well I tried it and in the 260 it gave me 3350 fps at the muzzle, out of a 22 inch barrel in a Ruger 77, and 3450 out of a 26 inch barrel in a Remington 700 VLS.... easily rivaling the 25/06, but to say so, get ready to have a lot of arguement out of 25/06 guys as they don't like the idea of a 308 sized case can get as much velocity as they get out of their 30/06 sized case....

IN my Ruger 77 Mk 2 in 6.5 x 55, I tried several loads with 100 grain bullets and IMR 4064 and IMR 4895 using 44.4 grains ( I shoot a 444 Marlin, so..... ). My Winchester model 70 thru those loads all over the place, the Ruger loved them.... Work up and give them a try! I was seating the bullet only about a 1/4 of an inch in the case, since both rifles are long throated....

If you chronograph the IMR 4895 load you should like the velocity... I have seen load data that takes a 100 grain bullet in the 6.5 x 55 with both powders up to 46 grains or so...

Even tho the MV is well over 3000 fps, the recoil is light enough in both rifles, that the deer I have taken with this combo all dropped at the shot and the recoil was so low, that I watched the animal drop in the scope picture without ever loosing site picture because of recoil....

I use Remington and Winchester 6.5 x 5 brass, and the CCI/Win/Rem/Federal primers....I have taken deer with the 100 grain Partiton, the 100 grain Ballistic tip, the 100 grain Sierra HP and the 100 grain Hornady SP.... All dropped instantly one shot kills, at distances out to 300 yds, ( had the rest on a hood of a truck on those two 300 yd shots, not off handed!)

YOU should be pleased tho!

cheers
seafire

Several sources in Scandinavia listst load data for the 6,5x55 that are not downloaded, though they may not use "magnum" pressure levels. The downloaded 6,5x55 ammo is designated 6,5x55 Krag Jorgensen, since the norwegian krag rifles have weaker actions than the mausers og modern guns.

49gr of Norma MRP, wich for all practical purposes is RL22 without lot variations, behind a 140gr bullets is regarded as maximum whereever you look. I know several handloaders who has tried loading with 50+gr of MRP with 140gr bullets, and all have had primer pockets loosen up or the primers falling out all together, these are not safe loads.

Loads from Norma, Vithavouri and the Norwegian "Ladeboken" are all pressure tested to modern levels and should not be regarded as downloaded in any way, these sources warn that the loads are not suitable for weak actions.

Another point I find interesting, references are made to winchester and remington cases for the 6,5x55, are these cases made to correct dimensions these days? I have loaded a few hundred rounds with both makes for friends and found that neither makes had the right case head dimensions. Both win. and rem. cases measured around .47" across the head, while correct head dimension is ca. .48". Needless to say these loads had considerable case head expansion! We never loaded these cases beyond Krag level of pressure, high pressure hunting loads were assembled with lapua cases.

My very subjective opinion is that the inherent accuracy and low recoil of the 6,5x55 and the good SD and BC caracteristics of the 6,5mm bullets is what makes this round great, and an overachiever in the hunting field. If one applies this (may I say american?) obsession with velocity to this calibre one is very much missing the point. The loads that have taken tens of thousands of moose in scandinavia are 140gr bullets at 2600-2700fps and even more 156gr bullets at 2500fps.

Tron

quote:

100 grain Sierra HP

Ahh... almost missed this.

quote:

I have taken deer with..... the 100 grain Sierra HP

Are you serious? Frankly, unless the "deer" you refer to is some weird rabbit sized creature I think (and hope) that you have not hunted deer with this Varmint bullet. It is very frangible, I have shoot several beaver with it in Norway and found no exit wound, all that was left of the bullet was the thick "cup" rear part, it looked like a 6,5mm gas check for lead bullets. It will fail miserably if you hit a rib, or even caked mud, entering the animal.

Tron

TRB, some of us Americans don't suffer from 'magnumitis' and like you understand that the 6.5x55 ,like our 45-70 work very well without making a magnum out of it.High SD ,BC and accuracy at moderate velocity is a good combination !

Indeed but it also makes a smoking roe cartridge with a 100gr ballistic tip at 3,000fps

As to the 100gr sierra I suspect that Seafire will have downloaded it somewhat. I have shot a couple of roe with the 85gr sierra HP behind 25gr of IMR SR 4759 for a MV of 2,600fps and excellent on game performance.

quote:

I have shot a couple of roe with the 85gr sierra HP behind 25gr of IMR SR 4759 for a MV of 2,600fps and excellent on game performance.

Makes more sense than a varmint bullet loaded to top velocity, but still begs the question why?? I mean, if you worry about recoil or report there is a 100gr Nosler PT that would work well and still provide controlled expansion.

I have shot toe and reindeer with 140gr Nosler PTm Sierra GK and will try Woodleigh PP this year, I have always had great results with 140gr bullets.

Tron

quote:

I have shot toe

I do mean Roe (deer)

Tron

quote:

Originally posted by BighornBreath:
Hello. Hoping to get the opinions on what is the best all around powder for the 6.5x55. I was thinking R-19 looked good. Have a Ruger 77 that I would like to get 2,700 fps + with 140 Nosler Partitions out of a 22" tube. Thank you.

I had a Norwegian Krag once that gave 2800 from a 24" tube using H4831 (old, original surplus powder) with the Sierra 140-grain SPSBT. So it sure should be possible from a modern rifle like the Ruger!

TRB

The rifle in question is a Blaser K95 single shot tip up. I generaly use a hornady 100gr softpoint at 3,300fps (strong jaeger action and 26" barrel) fantastic load for the big fields.

Last rut I was asked to cull a couple of bucks in a tiny wood at the back of a house. I loaded this for reduced noise and was VERY pleased to see it had the same zero.

Now I use it whenever shooting is close. It expands/penetrates very well indeed.

Soft bullets at slower speeds work very well on roe, even a 55gr ballistic tip out of a 243 at 3,400fps will generaly exit a chest shot doe.

Why? pleasant to shoot, fun and excellent in the confined spaces we often find ourselves in in the south of England.

quote:

Why? pleasant to shoot, fun and excellent in the confined spaces we often find ourselves in in the south of England.

Fair enough, I would still worry about consistent penetration. We have more space in Norway I guess, we don´t have to worry too much about report or where the bullet ends up after exit.

Interesting to hear you have a 6,5mm barrel for your K95, I have one too, mine is a 7RM but I want one more barrel for it to save the 7mm from burning out to soon and to save my shoulder at the samte time.

I will probably go for the 6,5x55 barrel over the 6,5x57R because of good, inexpensive match ammo, good cases and since I have lots of experience with it. I already have a 6,5x55 barrel for my R93, but who says I can´t have two?

Until then I stalk roe with a 7rm/140gr accubonds...

Tron

My Barnes manual shows velocity within approximately 100fps for the 6.5x55, 6.5-284, 6.4 Rem mag and the 264 Win mag. The 6.5x55 and 6.5 Rem mag are out of 24" barrel and the other two are out of 26" barrel but still the velocity for the four are within 100fps from each other. I have lots of faith in my little 6.5x55 but .......... Does this really make sense??

quote:

Originally posted by T.R.B.:

quote:

100 grain Sierra HP

Ahh... almost missed this.

quote:

I have taken deer with..... the 100 grain Sierra HP

Are you serious? Frankly, unless the "deer" you refer to is some weird rabbit sized creature I think (and hope) that you have not hunted deer with this Varmint bullet. It is very frangible, I have shoot several beaver with it in Norway and found no exit wound, all that was left of the bullet was the thick "cup" rear part, it looked like a 6,5mm gas check for lead bullets. It will fail miserably if you hit a rib, or even caked mud, entering the animal.

Tron

well Tron;

the guys are Sierra's tech line, recommended that this bullet is more than capable on taking the deer here in Oregon, being the size of an antelope....I ahve dispatched two so far with the bullet and both dropped at the shot!

So what does that tell ya?

cheers
seafire
eh?

quote:

Originally posted by T.R.B.:

quote:

I have shot a couple of roe with the 85gr sierra HP behind 25gr of IMR SR 4759 for a MV of 2,600fps and excellent on game performance.

Makes more sense than a varmint bullet loaded to top velocity, but still begs the question why?? I mean, if you worry about recoil or report there is a 100gr Nosler PT that would work well and still provide controlled expansion.

I have shot toe and reindeer with 140gr Nosler PTm Sierra GK and will try Woodleigh PP this year, I have always had great results with 140gr bullets.

Tron

Tron:

After consulting Sierra before I used this bullet, I don't know if you consider it an advantage, but I have used 100 grainers in the 6.5mm cartridges, because recoil is so low, that I have not lost site picture of the game thru the scope.... I don't need a 500 yd load with a bullet that gives me 3500ft/lbs of energy at the muzzle to take down a 75 to 90 lb deer at 200 yds or less.....

and by the Way, welcome to the forum my friend!
cheers
seafire

TRB, I think your angst is unnecessary.

If you will consult http://recipes.alliantpowder.com/rg.taf?_function=centerfire&step=2&bulletID=205&cartridgeID=1059&caliber=6%2E5X55&cartridgedescr=Swedish%20Mauser&bulletdescr=Speer%20140%20Spitz, you will see that 48.1 grains of RL22 with a 140 grain bullet produces only 44,400 CUP, which, as stated, is under 50 KPSI peak.

Now if I unscrew my 6.5x55 barrel, and replace it with a 270 barrel, then my LR FN Mauser is good to 65 KPSI. Why would that go away if I then put the 6.5x55 back? The simple answer is that the rifle and brass are as strong when shooting 6.5 as they are when shooting 270.

Almost regardless of powder type, in the 50 KPSI range, and in this size case, every combination I have tested shows around 3 KPSI peak per grain, and 65 fps, more or less.

65-50 = 15 KPSI difference between the old Mausers, and a new one. Surely, some of that difference is available, without presenting a danger. I'm fairly cautious, and tend not to run near the maximum. I think 58 KPSI is about all that I want to use. So that gives me 8000/3000 = 2.66 grains difference, and about an additional 173 fps as a quite conservative load... not hot rodding at all, just using what's safely available. 2,800 fps should be very safely available. I have had no brass problems whatever running at 58 KPSI, using H4350, not RL22.

The one possible exception is that sometimes powders will behave very non-linearly. So, as I said, you do have to make your measurements with the particular powder of interest, before you are sure. But odds highly favor the above estimate as being reasonable.

Your European CIP system has different mechanics than our ANSI/SAAMI system, and they produce different pressure reading for the same cartridge and barrel.

US made 6.5x55 brass does, indeed, differ from the nominal spec. However, I have miked some Winchester brass, and, while it is not at the nominal spec, it is within the tolerance for true 6.5 dimensions.

quote:

Originally posted by denton:
Now if I unscrew my 6.5x55 barrel, and replace it with a 270 barrel, then my LR FN Mauser is good to 65 KPSI. Why would that go away if I then put the 6.5x55 back? The simple answer is that the rifle and brass are as strong when shooting 6.5 as they are when shooting 270.

Assuming the brass is similarly constructed. BUT - not everybody shooting the 6.5x55 is using a 98 or other modern action. In fact, most are using the 96, which has inferior gas handling in case of failure. That warrants a greater safety margin.

quote:

65-50 = 15 KPSI difference between the old Mausers, and a new one. Surely, some of that difference is available, without presenting a danger.

Says who? Mauser? You? Mauser said 50K is it. You are "sure" they are wrong. I hope you will understand when we trust Mauser over you. What evidence do you have that some of the 15K is safely available? The fact that you have not yet damaged something does not mean it is not unsafe.

quote:

US made 6.5x55 brass does, indeed, differ from the nominal spec. However, I have miked some Winchester brass, and, while it is not at the nominal spec, it is within the tolerance for true 6.5 dimensions.

what's the difference between "nominal spec" and "true dimensions"?

True dimensions - there is always a range for case and chamber dimensions and of course max case dimension cannot exceed minimum chamber dimension.Nominal is usually in the middle. So the typical 30-06 head dimensions to which Winchester makes the 6.5x55 may be within the range of the larger european 6.5x55 .

delloro, you need to look back over previous posts. I'm the very conservative, non-hot rodding one on the board. There are only five cartridges that I am willing to go "over book" on, and I have listed those, and the reasoning.

quote:

Assuming the brass is similarly constructed.

A very safe assumption, since they are made of the same material, and since 6.5x55 brass can easily be formed from 30-06 or 270. The brass cannot sense its headstamp. It only "knows" material type, and dimensions. Same material, same dimensions = same PSI rating for the brass.

quote:

Says who? Mauser? You? Mauser said 50K is it.

Really? Exactly where and when did Paul Mauser say that about large ring actions?

Large ring actions are successfully used for the 270, with a particularly good track record of success. SAAMI and CIP agree that the 270 can go to 65,000 PSI, or the CIP equivalent. Do you not believe them? If not, then why not?

So the question you must answer, to prevail, is, What is fundamentally different about the barrel of a 270 that makes it stronger than the barrel of a 6.5x55? As long as you're using the same quality of steel and processes, and the same receiver, there is no difference.

quote:

In fact, most are using the 96, which has inferior gas handling in case of failure. That warrants a greater safety margin.

Of course it does. And I treat my M96 accordingly, running it at about 50 KPSI, as everyone should.

But, as you point out, the LR is better, and if that is what you are shooting, your own statement says that you are entitled to run at higher pressure. The question is not whether you can run at higher pressure, but at how much higher pressure you can run.

A safe, conservative answer is to run the same pressure as the 30-06, or a little less, which is what I have said. I'm not running the full 65 KPSI, just about 58-59 KPSI.

Since my 6.5x55 is instrumented, and I know my peak pressure to quite decent accuracy, what I am doing is quite conservative from an engineering standpoint.

Very timely thread for me right now BibHornBreath, to date I've always used 4064 for 120g and 4350 for 140g and been kind of happy working up loads and using them on deer, it's not my choice of powder that gives me the problem, it's just that I'm currently using .243 and 6,5x55, and going by the reloading books that I have to hand the 6,5 loads are obviously undercooked and I'm finding that my .243 kills more deer where they stand than my 6,5.

So I'm looking for some more realistic loads for my 6,5x55(modern Steyr Mannlicher) and have come to the conclusion (very similar to Denton) that 120g sierra and around 49g of H4350 is going to run at 3045f/s and give a safe working pressure.

I'm also thinking that with 140g Sierra and something around 46,5g of H4350 is going to run at 2800f/s with a similar pressure of 51600 CUP; anybody have any experience or comments? I'm not looking to over-stoke this great round, just take full advantage of it in a safe way.

Regards,
ShooterBob

Tron,

Hi we have actualy previously conversed re the K95 - you gave me some good advice.

I would never be tempted to use such a load in the pine forests of Norway but I have some very confined stalking that benefits from such an approach.

I have a K95 catalogue - they do not list the 6.5x55......

denton, I thought you were advocating going beyond 50K in the older actions. hence my excitement....

In that case, excitement would be well justified! I know a lot of people do that, and that the old Swedish steel was about the best in the world, but it just seems soooo unwise to treat those lovely old M96's that way.

quote:

I have a K95 catalogue - they do not list the 6.5x55......

I will not take up to much space in this thread discussing rifles, but they do list the 6,5x55 in the latest catalogs and Blaser have confirmed to me by e-mail that they do make them for the K95. I´ll get one after i get a 8x57IRS..

quote:

After consulting Sierra before I used this bullet, I don't know if you consider it an advantage, but I have used 100 grainers in the 6.5mm cartridges, because recoil is so low, that I have not lost site picture of the game thru the scope.... I don't need a 500 yd load with a bullet that gives me 3500ft/lbs of energy at the muzzle to take down a 75 to 90 lb deer at 200 yds or less.....

Makes me happy I live in a different timezone and won´t get tempted to call them... I find these bullets very frangible and would never use them for big game, the weight is OK for small deer, sounds like you deer is the size of our Roe deer, but I would select a tougher bullets anyways. I do not doubt it works well when you slip them in between the ribs, but one unlucky day you will hit the shoulder and have a tracking job on you hands. Shot with 140gr bullets you need to track every time since deer moves 10-50 yards shot with a proper bullet, but I have never lost one yet.

quote:

and by the Way, welcome to the forum my friend!

Thanks!

quote:

delloro, you need to look back over previous posts. I'm the very conservative, non-hot rodding one on the board. There are only five cartridges that I am willing to go "over book" on, and I have listed those, and the reasoning.


quote:
Assuming the brass is similarly constructed.


A very safe assumption, since they are made of the same material, and since 6.5x55 brass can easily be formed from 30-06 or 270

Cases can be constructed differently from the same material, believe it or not.. and 6,5x55 brass can not safely be formed from .30-06. Make a chamber cast in you rifle and measure the true chamber dimensions and compare with a typical .30-06 case, forming from them is an accident waiting to happen. Especially if you load 52gr of RL22, maybe open a new can from a different lot from the ones you have used before also to be sure, behind a 140gr bullet.

Tron

quote:

measure the true chamber dimensions and compare with a typical .30-06 case, forming from them is an accident waiting to happen

Oh, I don't think anything THAT dire is likely to happen.

By actual measurement, my Win 6.5x55 brass is within 30-06 tolerances at the rim and just forward of the extractor groove. As such, it is .005" below the nominal for the 6.5. Most of the rest of the dimensions are going to be set by the reloading dies. Thousands of us have used that brass for years without any notable incident.

Now I will grant that blindly forming 6.5x55 from random '06 brass might not be a good practice, because you might get '06 brass that is on the low side of spec, and that would put the head diameter of the 6.5 farther under, which would not be a good thing.

Nudging for content and a tangent question.
What powders are folks using for 120's?
I'm loading Noslers now and plan on Sierra's next.