I’m trying to put together a hunting rig for a friend’s grandson who has just turned 16. I found a nice used Husqvarna 6.5x55 that is light (about 6¾ lbs., so about 7¾ lbs. scoped), and I think that it would appeal to him. Since this will be his first centerfire rifle and he’s of very slight build, I’ve been looking for something that would provide light recoil for him at this stage as I don’t want to have him reluctant to practice with it at the range. I think he’ll graduate to something bigger if he experiences satisfaction at this stage. I handload and so could load some 100-grain bullets, for example, that would keep the recoil very light. Perhaps a .243 Win. would be a better choice at this point, but I’d like to see him with something that could be used for larger game later as he matures.

For his first big-game hunting, we’ll start him off on our BC coastal blacktail deer that are quite small. So I’m wondering whether anyone on here has experience using very light 6.5mm bullets on deer-size game. Is 100 grains too light in 6.5mm to perform effectively on game? I notice that Nosler has two light 6.5mm bullets—a 100-grain ballistic tip and a 100-grain partition. I could load these to something like 2800 fps to get him started--so pretty much like .243 Win. ballistics.

Can't answer for the 6.5X55 but I have shot a .243W for many years. I loaded Remington Core Loct 100 gn bullets for a number of years to shoot numerous Sika and Fallow deer here which are probably similar sized to some smaller species of North American deer. These bullets always performed well for me. I would think for your purposes any properly made 100 gn bullet will be perfectly adequate.

120gr Barnes TTSX work great on deer in my 6.5-06.

125 nosler partitions from 6.5x55 worked great for my boy’s first deer and he has shot the rifle well since he was 10 years old.

My boys started hunting with 6,5x55's. I loaded 100 BT's for about 2600 fps. My, youngest, then 8, shot himself a 250 lb PA whitetail. One shot, bang flop.

I purchased a Ruger American for my son chambered in 308Win. He is somewhat recoil shy because my brother inlaw thought it would be funny to have him shoot his rifle with full tilt loads. I wasn't there so I don't know the caliber. All I know was my son was 10 and had shot nothing heavy in the recoil dept up to that point. I had him shooting my 204 Ruger, 6.5 Grendel, and 223s from several ARs.

When I bought the 308Win I decided to load it with 110gr Vmax over a reduced load of 4895. The load I settled on kicks about as much as a 223 bolt gun. It is an accurate load and he has shot paper with it out to 200yds at this point.

My brother started his son on Hornady reduced recoil ammo for his 7mm-08 and he had used them to take 2 Idaho mule deer.

In my CZ 550FS 6.5x55 I have loaded the 100gr Ballistic tips. Accuracy was great with them. I did use it to kill a coyote and it did the job nicely.
Another one of my favorite bullets is the 120gr Sierra Pro Hunter.
I just saw that Sierra is making a 120gr Tipped Game King that's made for the Grendel.
You could reduce the load and use the 120gr bullet at Grendel speeds.

For me utilizing your criteria a 120 gr Nosler BT loaded to 2550-2600 fps would be about perfect.

quote:

Originally posted by Wildcatter:
125 nosler partitions from 6.5x55 worked great for my boy’s first deer and he has shot the rifle well since he was 10 years old.

+1 on this.

quote:

. He is somewhat recoil shy because my brother inlaw thought it would be funny to have him shoot his rifle with full tilt loads.

When I ran the counties 4H shooting program stories like this made me cringe.

At 12 I was given a full mil 03-A3 to hunt with. I was afraid of that rifle.

The 250sav I had the next year was so much better and I killed deer with it.

I have started many with my 357 max contender carbine. Lite weight lite recoil.

It is a rare child that can handle much recoil until the are at least 14 or so.

And there is no need for them to do so.

quote:

Originally posted by Hasher:
For me utilizing your criteria a 120 gr Nosler BT loaded to 2550-2600 fps would be about perfect.

This is basically what I did for my daughter. Kills deer no problem!

In my experience we focus far too much on recoil as an issue for young hunters. However, I've found muzzle blast and stock fit to be much more significant issues.

Obviously, no one, especially a young hunter, should ever shoot a centerfire rifle without hearing protection. Flinching is more often a result of the loud blast than the recoil -- and a young shooter quickly associates the two and becomes fearful of recoil that would otherwise be insignificant.

By the same token, young shooters have smaller faces, so the stock comb needs to be as high as possible and the scope mounted as low as possible -- otherwise finding the sight picture in the scope leaves their head bobbing around in the air which not only degrades their aim but also creates a sensation of more recoil due to the awkward position of the gun when it fires.

Just as the comb needs to be high enough for their smaller faces, the stock needs to be short enough for their shorter limbs. A fairly short barrel is helpful to the balance of an overall shorter gun. If the gun is muzzle-heavy for them they'll have difficulty in aiming and holding steady.

Of course, a scope with excellent eye relief and a generous "eye box" is essential. The best, if you can still find one, is probably a straight 4X like the old (short version) Leupold M8. Otherwise, a low-power variable will do -- but it must be mounted as low over the bore as possible!

Now, I know that none of this is responsive to South Pender's post. Certainly a 100 grain 6.5 bullet is fully adequate for game the size of coastal blacktails. But more important than the bullet or the chambering is the fit of the gun and proper hearing protection when it comes to young hunters.

Age 16 is a hunting adult, going with a 30-06 is suitable also.. I was shooting big bores at 16 as were my school chums, all ranchers kids that began with 25-35s,223s,22 Hi Powers and 30-30 at 10 to 12 ears old...no need to pamper these older kids.

I can’t imagine a partition being too soft for deer.

If Nosler says it’s appropriate then no concerns.

My only concern with a light bullet would be if it was designed as a varmint bullet- which would be my concern with a ballistic tip.

The easy way is ask the bullet manufacturer their thoughts.


Given I’ve killed some stuff with 100 grain .25 bullets, I can’t see the minimal increase in diameter all of the sudden making it ineffective.

Just make sure you are not running the velocity up too much.

100 grain at 2800 is fine for a properly made cup and core bullet.


While I use heavier bullets in my 6.5’s it’s because of range not that I don’t think a lighter bullet won’t kill.

The other 2 people I hunt pretty good sized Whitetails with every year in MO both run 120 BY’s out of a 264 WM and they perform very well.

I happen to run 140 SST’s out of my 6.5x55 and light recoil and kills then deader than heck.

My 6.5 PRC puts three 130 grain Barnes TSX or Nosler Partitions in a neat .5 inch group at 100 Yards. Ready to see what it would do on these Ky Whitetail Deer. Good Shooting.

I wouldnt hesitate to go with 140 grainers. Im with Ray, let the young man shoot, the Swede just doesn't kick that much no matter what you feed it. Anything from the 120 to 130 grain range would be my first choice for a mild deer load. Skip the plastic tips and show him how to put them in the right place.

6.5x55 is a great choice. I’m currently having one built for my son as we speak. Will have a Winchester Pre 64 as the action. A hard hitting rifle with a moderate recoil… can’t go wrong! One caliber that gets overlooked quite a bit!

I am a huge fan of reduced loads for new shooters. Your shots with a young shooter on game should be close, 100 yrs or less.

You know how fun it is to plink with a 22lr? Now make it a 6.5 swede, even more fun. Did I mention fun. Hitting the target is the main objective and enjoying doing it is even better. Often times new shooters may shoulder the rifle incorrectly to get a good site picture in the scope, and when that gun goes off and hits them in a bad way you can't take it back. You can alway increase the recoil if the young shooter complains about the lack of recoil. (sarcasm)

I used 120 gr nosler ballistic tips in my 6.5 jap carbine mainly because they were the best shooting bullets in that rifle .I shot two does with it about 100 yards away killed them quick .I bought a savage 260 rem with 1 in 8 twist to take kids on youth hunts and to teach women to shoot with .I used 155 grain lapua mega tip bullets and they killed everything in their tracks 15 yards to 175 yards. I SHOT pronghorn with them at 350 yards WITH my 264 win mag .My savage 260 Rem has a awesome recoil pad on it kinda mushy but not a single kid complained about recoil. I HAD been using my 338 win mag for deer for 35 years and one day I tried the 260 rem and shot clover leafs at 100 yards .I really like that gun but I bought a dang kimber 6.5 cm that's full of gremlins won't feed those 155 grain at all .It has a stiff action .Good luck just let them shoot alot use a past pad that helps .I also used a standing bench put a milk crate with a bull bag on top and shoot standing helps reduce recoil .

The old 129 Hornady s.p. worked pretty well for deer, I am pretty sure it is still available.

Apologies for being late in responding. Many thanks to all for your insights and suggestions. I think I may go with the 120 BTs, rather than the 100s, but I can load them down,as suggested, to 2500-2600 fps. This would keep the recoil down close to about 10 ft.-lbs.

both of my grandsons shoot a full power 308 150s.
When they come to my house and we go deer hunting one takes my full power 260 rem with 120s and the other takes my 7MM-08 140s. a 16 year old should not any problem shooting a full load 6.5x55 with 120s..

Being slight of frame is a positive feature as to recoil, the body gives to the recoil if the rifle is properly stocked or close to it. I recall trading for an old milsurp 98 Mauser that kicked like a mule, but since it was all I had at the time I shot it enough that I got used to it, same with my Rem 721 375 H&H, the human body can adjust...

I assume that suppressors are not an option?
One thing that absolutely removes recoil and flinching (the noise as much as the recoil) is a suppressor.
A moot point if not allowed.
Almost everyone I know in my province shoots with a suppressor and, as untraditional as they are, rifles are simply a pleasure to shoot.

If you really like it, the Swede with the proper length of pull, a nice cushy HI-VIS recoil pad and a finely adjusted trigger is all ya need for the lanky kid (like me, 133 pounds at 16).
Energy is about the same for 100gr or 120 grainers. Go Partitions! Shoot lotsa targets to get used to it.

A recoil suppressor is a boon to those that need it. it makes those folks shoot better and wound less, to condemn them is a thing of the past, a left over macho "thang". Noise?? a rifle without a suppressor will ruin your hearing, get smart get a set of ear plugs around your neck and plug them in just before you pull the trigger! More and more folks including guides are using them.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
A recoil suppressor is a boon to those that need it. it makes those folks shoot better and wound less, to condemn them is a thing of the past, a left over macho "thang". Noise?? a rifle without a suppressor will ruin your hearing, get smart get a set of ear plugs around your neck and plug them in just before you pull the trigger! More and more folks including guides are using them.

Not legal in Canada. After re-reading your post, I'm not sure whether you meant a suppressor (which I equate with a sound suppressor, but something that also reduces recoil a little) or muzzle brake. The latter are legal, but not the suppressor. I don't think a muzzle brake would be a good idea given the huge increase in noise intensity they generate.

As I recall Byron Darymple was an advocate of 87g Sierra's in the 243 for Texas deer. Any decent (non varmint) 6.5mm 100g bullet should do the trick.

I have two pet loads for my 6.5x55:
100 gr Nosler Partition over 47 gr IMR4350. Clocks in at 3,050fps. 1,100 ft/lbs at 300 yds. This is perfect for deer size animals.

140 Nosler Accubond over 47.4 gr H4831. Clocks in at 2,825. Still has >1,000ft/lbs at 600 yards. THIS IS 0.4 OVER THE BOOK MAX.

6.5x55 is a fantastic round with very manageable recoil. Conventional bullets of 140 grain work just fine with great penetration, but lighter monolithic bullets, such as the Barnes TTSX and TSX, and the newer Hornady CX are better.

The 6.5 Grendel in a light, bolt action carbine is great, with insignificant recoil. Mine is a CZ 527 with the barrel shortened from 24" to 21" (just no need for the extra length). Shooting 100 grain Barnes TTSX it is a deer killing machine and several young hunters fell in love with it. The performance of the 6.5 Grendel in a bolt rifle well exceeds it's performance in any AR platform rifle. You can go up to heavier bullets if you want but no need to on deer up to 300 yards.

My daughters have killed 6 deer so far with there 6.5 Grendel using 100 grain hand loaded partitions at 2500 FPS. It’s a very mild load but we keep shots under 100 yards. So far all have been one shot kills with exits. Honestly it has been very impressive to me. My only issue is I’m down to 25 of those bullets left and can’t find any for sell so maybe not the best route to go unless you already have them