What's your favorite and why aren't the 6.5s more popular?

Nebraska,

From this part of the planet (EU) and in Australia
the 6.5X55 is popular mainly in Sweden and in other countries.

A friend has a 6.5X68, I think it is a great caliber a 140 gr bullet at 3051 fps. Great caliber to hunt in the mountain chamoix or similar animals at long shooting distance.

In target shooting, the 6.5 is a great round I know some shooters who have a 6.5X55.

I haven't any 6.5 because I prefer an other metric caliber 7X64 to hunt. But it is a personnal choice only.

I love the 6.5 Rem mag.

The 6.5 mm is the predominant bore diameter in our household, and the 6.5x55 the most common caliber. There's not much that a 140 grain, 6.5mm bullet at 2700-2750 fps won't do.

And, you don't need premium bullets to get the job done. Those long, skinny slugs have a high SD and penetrate like no one's business, thanks in part to the sedate velocity they are launched at. And yet they drop game as decisively as anything I have seen.

I also have a 6.5-06 but still prefer the old Swede cartridge.

In single shot specialty pistols, the 6.5mm bore diameter is my favorite also. Here, whether it's the little 10" TCU or the more potent JDJ or Bellm rounds in 14" tubes, all make excellent deer droppers with 120 grain Speer or Nosler BT bullets. The 6.5 TCU gets the job done with ease out to 150 yards while the 6.5 JDJ and 6.5x50R-Bellm can handle the longer ranges as well.

We have 2 .264 win. and a .260 in in our house. I have used a .264 since I was a little kid. It has been used as a backup for Elk hunters for years. I have never found it wanting in any respect. I use premium 140 gr. Bullets, started at around 3200 FPS.

Just started playing with the .260 and think it is going to be a winner also.

The 6.5-284 is very popular among LR target and varmint shooters. 140gr bullet @ 3000+ fps from a 28" barrel.

The only 6.5 i have is an TCU barrel for my contender but i would not take for it low recoil very accurate.judt my $.02..

I am a big, big fan on the 6.5-06. The 6.5's get too much competition from 270, 7mm's, 30cal.....etc, that is why this caliber is not more popular....LR

The good old 6,5x55 Swe is just great!! My rifle, a Mauser with a 70 cm barrel shoot well with everything from 120 - 156 grs.

Pete

I'm a fan of the 6.5x55 and have two.
A 6.5x55 was recently used to set a new Australian record 1000yd group of slightly under 4.2". This rifle was built on a 98 Mauser! Regards, Bill.

Nebraska,

My fave for western deer is my 6.5-'06. I also have a 6.5 TCU TC barrel, but have not hunted with it.

I like the 6.5X55 because they usually come with 7.87" twist, and you can use those heavy bullets in them.

I think the popularity has been low because American makers did not usually chamber rifles in the caliber. The 6.5 Rem Mag and the .264 Win Mag were exceptions, and the .256 Newton was from a minor maker.

Now some are doing so. The 6.5X55 has such a great reputation, and it is being recognized.

I try to buy a couple of 6.5s evary year for our SCI Chapter fund raiser, and they are sure popular with the people who win them.

jim dodd

My brother just got a .260 Rem. I will start loading for it tonight. He got it because he wanted something different and I liked the bullet selection as compared to a 25-06 or .270

I have a 6.5x55, 6.5x284, 6.5-06AI and a 264WM. As I wanted more velocity I went up rather than shooting max loads all the time. I really don't know that I have a favorite. I love them all. They are all extremely accurate and have no recoil. I think they are not popular because they are "tweeners" and if you have a 270 there is no need. Same with the 25-06. I think they would be more popular if people got to know them better here in the states. I also think part of the lack is that lots of folks think the 140 grain bullets are just right when I think the 120-129 grainers are better suited to most hunting and are much less finicky about components used to load them.

I just bought my wife a Win Model 70 Featherweight in 6.5x55 and can't wait to see what it can do.

My favourite ? Well, look at my screenname- the ancestor of 'em all :-).

Actually, the ancient 6,5 x 52 Carcano is indeed a pretty well designed round with an excellent space-performance ratio. It shares this virtue with the 8 x 57 M/88, that superb old round designed by a military committee (as was the Carcano cartridge).

But all of the classic military 6,5 mm cartridges are actually quite decent: 6,5 x 50 SR Arisaka, 6,5 x 52 Carcano, 6,5 x 53 R Romanian/Dutch, 6,5 x 54 Mannlicher-Sch�nauer, 6,5 x 55 Krag-Jorgensen, 6,5 x 55 Swedish, 6,5 x 58 Portuguese...

Regards,
Carcano
carcano91@hotmail.com

I have a dozen rifles in my favorite cal, the .264 and nine differant chamberings. My favorite is a 6.5 Gibbs, 120 grn Nosler SB bullets at 3500 fps. it's my long range deer and coyote smacker.

6.5X55 is my favorite, I owe to it my first sub-half-MOA group.

Why isn't 6.5's popular (in North America)? Because it's too close to, and sandwiched between, .257 and .277

I have two questions.

I am currently building a 98 with a 6.5x55.
Can I hot-rod this combo? I would like to accomplish at least 3000 fps with a 140-grain bullet. What brass would one recommend for the 6.5x55?

Open to any suggestions?

Mauserkid

Favourite 6.5x55

Why aren't they more popular - some people don't mind being wrong!

Mauserkid - medical insurance

MauserKid-
The beauty of the 6.5x55 is its mildness and the way those bullets perform at such velocity levels.

2800 fps with a is possible given 23-24" of barrel and Re-22, but that is an upper load and one that should be approached with all due caution. If you must have 3000 fps, go to a larger capacity cartridge. The 6.5-06 can get there but barely so.

By the way, if you compare ballistic tables, you'll see that there's precious little difference between 2800 and 3000 fps in the real world. I seriously doubt that neither the shooter nor the target could tell the difference in 1.2" of trajectory difference (at 300 yards) under average field conditions.

No! You can't get 3000 fps with a 140 gr 6.5x55 in less than a 30" barrel. In a standard "hunting" barrel of 24" you should get around 2800 fps with a 140 gr bullet. A 6.5-06 will get you close to 3000 fps.

Why does everyone want to make a 6.5x55 shoot like a 264 Win Mag? If you're having the rifle built, just have them chamber it for 6.5-06 AI or 6.5 Gibbs. These will get you a little more than 3000 fps.
John

The popularity of the 6.5mm is increasing here, and it has always been VERY popular in the rest of the world, occupying the same place we once accorded to the .25 caliber. (Which was relatively unnoticed overseas). The same thing can be said for the 8mm, and, for many years, the 7mm too. Reason?? N. I. H. (NOT INVENTED HERE)!! Not too smart, eh??

I have a 6.5X.257Roberts that does very well also.

The 6.5MM in America is scarce due to the 6.5X55 being the only game in town for many years. Then it was only available in surplus military rifles. By the time the other .264 and 6.5 magnums arrived there was too much compitition. Now, there are several .264 rounds available to the American rifleman and their popularity is increasing. My 2nd surplus rifle (the 1st was a 03A3) was a swede and I now have several rifles chambered in .264. That is 6.5X55 in 96 and 38 swedes and one Ruger 77. A 6.5-06 on an 03-A3 action and a 6.5-.284 on a VZ-24 Mauser action. Both 06 and 284 wildcats exceed 3100fps with 120 gr bullets. I don't see any point in exceeding the 3100 velocity at this hour. Perhaps someday I will change that opinion!

OTTO,

HOW DOES THAT 284 FEED THROUGH YOUR VZ?

Later, Mauserkid

I am a big fan of the 6.5's, as is a friend of mine.

My personal favorite is a 6.5 Gibbs I had made for sheep hunting 4 years ago. I shoot 140 grain bullets (Sierra Gamekings and Nosler Part's) at 2950 fps. It is like a death ray.

My buddy has a 6.5/06 (actually a 6.5/270 chamber) that clocks maybe a hair slower than my Gibbs, and two 6.5/55's. They all shoot dime sized groups.

Long live the 6.5!

Canuck