.

This got me thinking ....




Is this a well known or popular cartridge in the USA? What experience and tales to share ?


.

.

Very good cartridge.

Regardless of the bullshit written above.

For a hand loader the 6.5X57 is a better option: 1.27 grains of water less case capacity that the 6.5X55, but easily formed from 6mm Remington, .257 Roberts or 7X57 brass, with comparable performance and reliable feeding with no alterations in a military Mauser action.

The .260 Remington and the 6.5 Creedmoor are other options, with only slightly less case capacity, but the sharper shoulders makes reliable feeding more of a problem.

Charlie, completely true....an exceptional round

Roger

My first centerfire as a teenager and still my favourite cartridge. I'm actually working on converting a couple of rifles to 6.5X55. In addition to the excellent Swedish Mausers, there's numerous high-quality factory sporters chambered for it. Since we have no shortage of 6.5X55 brass in Canada, I've never had to worry about forming cases from other rounds. It wouldn't be my preference for shooting buffalo, but within it's class, it's a great cartridge, and bags of fun to shoot.

quote:

Originally posted by xausa:
For a hand loader the 6.5X57 is a better option: 1.27 grains of water less case capacity that the 6.5X55, but easily formed from 6mm Remington, .257 Roberts or 7X57 brass, with comparable performance and reliable feeding with no alterations in a military Mauser action.

Is 6.5x55 brass hard to find? If not, why would you prefer something that requires reforming brass from other cartridges?

I picked up one of the special edition Ruger African rifles in 6.5x55. It's a great all-around cartridge. i like the 156gr Norma round nose load.

quote:

Originally posted by xausa:
For a hand loader the 6.5X57 is a better option: 1.27 grains of water less case capacity that the 6.5X55, but easily formed from 6mm Remington, .257 Roberts or 7X57 brass, with comparable performance and reliable feeding with no alterations in a military Mauser action.

The .260 Remington and the 6.5 Creedmoor are other options, with only slightly less case capacity, but the sharper shoulders makes reliable feeding more of a problem.

It's not like 6.5x55 brass is hard to find. I have both it, and the 6.5x57 and proper headstamped 6.5x55 is soooo much easier to find and no forming/reforming required. Not buying this argument. Luckily. I have plenty of 6.5x57 RWS brass.

Excellent round. Your photo is correct on all counts. Low recoil, excellent accuracy and just as capable as anything in its class. My favorite deer cartridge for the past 30 years or so.

I've never found brass particularly hard to find for it either. With the renewed popularity of 6.5's in the US lots of bullets available not that there wasn't before.

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
I picked up one of the special edition Ruger African rifles in 6.5x55. It's a great all-around cartridge. i like the 156gr Norma round nose load.

+1. Me too. I used it recently to take a Pronghorn in WY. Liked it so much, I had Wayne at AHR do his #3 package on a CZ 550 in this caliber I had in the safe. As always, Wayne returned a masterpiece with superb wood.

I think this new CZ in 6.5x55 needs to accompany my AHR in 9.3x66 to Africa soon, if any airlines will fly there...

.

All good feedback and sounds good to me! Something that I need to look into further!

Who is Wayne AHR - mentioned on here a few times now?

Cheers

Charlie

.

If I was going to have one standard 6.5mm rifle, I would get the 6.5 x 55!

Both are good rounds. Had both for a Sauer 202. The 6.5x55 brass and dies were easier to obtain. I did some fire forming for the 6.5x57 but was able to find some 6.5x57 ammo at Graf's. In the long run, the 6.5x55 was easier for me to find brass, ammo and dies for. Sold the 6.5x57 and just use the 55 now.

Performance wise, for both hunting and accuracy, there absolutely nothing different between the lot of them.

It all depends on the rifle.

I'm amazed by how many truly wonderful cartridges we have available to us. Picking one is mostly matter of preference.

quote:

Who is Wayne AHR - mentioned on here a few times now?

Cheers

Charlie

Charlie, Wayne Jacobsen is the owner of AHR, American Hunting Rifles. His specialty is converting CZ550 rifles into safari rifles,many in big calibers like the 550 magnum, 577 T-Rex, and 600 Overkill, although regular calibers are also created.

The website is https://americanhuntingrifles.com/

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
If I was going to have one standard 6.5mm rifle, I would get the 6.5 x 55!

Agreed, my choice too.

For the general public that doesn't reload, I might look to the 6.5 creed. At least for now, ammo is plentiful and available in a wide variety of loadings and is pretty inexpensive.

quote:

Originally posted by Charlie64:
.

This got me thinking ....




Is this a well known or popular cartridge in the USA? What experience and tales to share ?


.

.

I'd have to pretty much agree with those sentiments.

I nuilt my sons 6.5x55's when they were but young lads primarily because with 100 grain bullets loaded to 2600 fps, recoil was minimal. But deadly enough that my then 8 YO harvested his first Whitetail, a huge 205 lb PA Buck. One shot, one kill.

His rifle was very small because he was as well. He has since outgrown the 12" LOP and selected an FN 270 I had in the safe as the replacement because in his words, they were ballistically similar.

One of my favorite cartridges. I wish I had aa nice sporter in that caliber, but all of mine are Military Swedish M96, One a short rifle, made in 1900 by Mauser Obendorf with a two digit serial number. I have I think 7, all are very accurate, and in the big military rifle extremely mild recoiling. Another good old cartridge is the 7x57 Mauser.

quote:

Originally posted by z1r:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
If I was going to have one standard 6.5mm rifle, I would get the 6.5 x 55!

Agreed, my choice too.

For the general public that doesn't reload, I might look to the 6.5 creed. At least for now, ammo is plentiful and available in a wide variety of loadings and is pretty inexpensive.

But since Charlie is Europe I wonder if the opposite is true?

quote:

Originally posted by jkingrph:
One of my favorite cartridges. I wish I had aa nice sporter in that caliber, but all of mine are Military Swedish M96, One a short rifle, made in 1900 by Mauser Obendorf with a two digit serial number. I have I think 7, all are very accurate, and in the big military rifle extremely mild recoiling. Another good old cartridge is the 7x57 Mauser.

They first came to Australia umpteen years go with an importer that used to bring in a lot of cheap ex military stuff and the ammo as well. It was seen as a cheap piece of shit.

But times moved on and it has become very popular in the different factory rifles. In fact on Australia;s biggest guns/ammo/hunting forum, which would be more active than AR, when someone posts about getting either a 270 or 308 a heap of people will post, no, forget both and get the 6.5 X 55.

One of the min barrel makers in Australia did the improved version which from memory was called the 6.5 Arch or similar name.

I am not a follower in the small 6.5s or 6.5 in general but I think I have seen the main argument against the 6.5 X 55 is the 260 Remington and it being right for short actions but the 6.5 X 55, like the 257 Roberts and 7 X 57 too long for short actions and if have a long action then you have a 270 or 6.5/06 etc.

I think if for strange reason I became interested in a small 6.5 the 260 Remington would be my choice and on brass alone. 243 brass is everywhere.

My number 1 rifle is a Steyr Classic Mannlicher Full stock in .6.5x55. Just a great caliber.

"But since Charlie is Europe I wonder if the opposite is true?"

Yes in many parts of Europe as Scandinavia and Britain are 6,5*55 common range pickup brass, in Sweden many moose practice ranges have 6,5*55, .308w and 3006 fmjs for sale. Never seen a 6,5 CM yet at a shooting range its a special order or reloading cartridge.

I have one 6.5 rifle. The rifle is a 6.5 Swede chambered in a Winchester Model 70 Classic USRAs. The rifle is Stainless steel with an almost black Walnut stock.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Performance wise, for both hunting and accuracy, there absolutely nothing different between the lot of them.

It all depends on the rifle.

And the guy squeezing the trigger

quote:

Originally posted by Mike McGuire:
...I am not a follower in the small 6.5s or 6.5 in general but I think I have seen the main argument against the 6.5 X 55 is the 260 Remington and it being right for short actions but the 6.5 X 55, like the 257 Roberts and 7 X 57 too long for short actions and if have a long action then you have a 270 or 6.5/06 etc...

I have a .257 Roberts short action Dakota 76. Feeds and shoots well. Nice little rifle. Where did this myth get started?

Also have a Model 70 Winchester chambered for 7X57. And I also own a 6.5 X 55 M96 that is deadly accurate and has been excellent for mule deer and blacktails. No interest in either the 270 or the 6.5/'06. Tastes (and requirements) vary I expect.

Allz I know is the 6.5MM Swede has been around longer than the '06 because it works better than advertised.

Makes you wonder how our big game cartridge line-up would look if the Swede had flooded the American big game market a hundred years ago.

Had I bought a 7x57 when I bought my first big game rifle, a Model 700 .270 Win ('06 was too much gun for a young hunter) it would have become my primary big game cartridge.

It it was made/originated in Germany, buy it.

A truely great cartridge which is virtually equal to the 270 Win for all practical purposes.

125 gr Nosler partition gives 2950 fps and a trajectory like a 270 Win.

160 gr RN bullets penetrate like crazy.