Hi,
My 6,5 is now ready and set for serious hunting! I just finished mounting a Meopta 3-12x56 on it and I´m quite sure that the gun will be very active during deer season!

So far I´ve used Lapua Mega 146gr bullets in it but I´m not really satisfied with their performance, they seem to break up easily. What do you guys use?

If anyone wants to trade 100 Megas for something we can´t get here in Europe PM me.

I'v used nosler bt 120s and hornady sst 140s.

45otto: I like the idea of a heavier bullet and I hear that Normas Oryx is pretty good. I´ve had good experience with Hornadays in other calibers so I might try them.

160 sierras
140 Nosler part.
Hornaday
Speer
129 Hornaday
120 speer
sierra

All work good in mine. I think the Hornaday 140, 129 are good for swede velocitys

I'm shooting Northfork 120s in mine.....excellent bullet I think although I've not shot anything with them yet.

Can you get them in Finland?

If not, PM me and I'll see if I can help you.

I understand that Swift has brought out a 130 grain Scirocco in 6.5. With a BC of .571. This should be a bullet that will really do well on deer at short or long range and still provide plenty of velocity at the muzzle a long ways out there. It would probably have to be tested to see if it is a moose capable bullet...Rusty.

Northforks aren´t sold here, I have some in 9.3 that lawndart sent me. I´ve heard great things about that bullet.

Anybody use TSX´s in their 6.5s?

I have had very good success on whitetails with both the 129 gr Hornady and the 125 Nosler Partition in the 6.5x 55. I would suggest either would be a good place to start.

I have used nothing but 120 Nosler BTs, and have had great performance and success. They do make a big hole, even at 300 plus yards. Lou

I use the 155grs Lapua-Mega and the wonderful 140grs Lapua-Naturalis in my 6,5x54 MS with great succes on red deer and wild boar.

I shoot 125 gr partitions in my 260, they are great for Whitetails.

monastery- forester.
No exactly on thread but I just got a 6.5 MS and am very happy to hear the some one else is using this Cartridge to hunt with. It looks and shoots so softly it is hard to believe that is works as well as I have heard.

quote:

Originally posted by cewe:
45otto: I like the idea of a heavier bullet and I hear that Normas Oryx is pretty good. I´ve had good experience with Hornadays in other calibers so I might try them.

Another thing to try is, getting a hold of someone in Australia and try the Woodliegh bullets.

I realy think TSX are the way to go!! either the 120 or 130. If you shoot a 140 and it loses 50% of its weight the 120 tsx would have a 50 gr edge on it! I uesd the 120 x in my 264 for years and never lost an animal to it.

But my 6.5x55 does NOT like the 120 tsx so I used the 125 partition but did not like the preformance that i got on a big hog so I have loaded up the 130 sicrocco @ 2820 and the gun like it very well ( 10 shots into 1 1/2 @100 yds) Cant wait to shoot another hog with this combo.

quote:

Originally posted by PRDATOR:
I realy think TSX are the way to go!! either the 120 or 130. If you shoot a 140 and it loses 50% of its weight the 120 tsx would have a 50 gr edge on it! I uesd the 120 x in my 264 for years and never lost an animal to it.

But my 6.5x55 does NOT like the 120 tsx so I used the 125 partition but did not like the preformance that i got on a big hog so I have loaded up the 130 sicrocco @ 2820 and the gun like it very well ( 10 shots into 1 1/2 @100 yds) Cant wait to shoot another hog with this combo.

Good points! I remeber a post from Australia in which an Aussie killed a buffalo with a 6.5x54. I believe using 120 TSXs.

Woodleighs are available here even though we sometimes order them directly from Australia. I usually think of them as something for heavier calibers but why not try them in the 6.5?

I sure wish I could find a 6.5MS! That is one classy gun.

Cewe, it is quite easy to find a 6,5x54MS in Germany, for around 1000Euro you can get one with a scope. And since last year, RWS is produicing the little MS again!

MF: I´ve tried looking at German on-line sites (Waffen-Schrumm and gegrauchtewaffen.ce) but so far no Mannlicher.

quote:

I use the 155grs Lapua-Mega and the wonderful 140grs Lapua-Naturalis in my 6,5x54 MS with great succes on red deer and wild boar.

As also stated by cewe, I too look towards the long heavies in this caliber. I am having a new rifle made with a fast 1:7.5" twist for these bullets i nthe 150-160 grain loads. I see Woodleigh is making the Protected Points in 160 grain, and the 140 Naturalis is actually longer in length than the 155 Mega. Lighter due to no lead.

I own a 6.5X54mm MS and cannot tell you how fantastic this round is on everything. The gun is really little though.

A 130gr TSX will out penetrate any 155gr/160gr bullet made today and it will do it with a little flatter of a trajectory and less recoil, try em you will like them.

This past season i used a Speer 140gr hot-core on a 150lb whitetail buck, the shot was around 35yds and the bullet did not completely penetrate the animal, this was a first for the
Swede.From now on i will use the 130gr TSX and be done with it. I have used the 120gr regular X bullet on several deer and it worked very well, i wouldnt hesitate to shoot an Elk, Moose or black bear with the 130gr TSX out of the 6.5X55

I quit using Speers om game awhile back. Shot several deer and elk with them in .375 cal and every bullet either blew up or separated.

Good for punching paper though.

Just got back from the range, sighted the new scope, and man does that 6.5 shoot! 15mm three shot groups at 100 yards and that with a not so steady rest.

I love this gun.

The 140 grains Rhino or Swift will do it, together with the Woodleigh 140 grains. You should consider using slow burning magnum powder for the 6,5X55. The The Norma Oryx is 156 grains, and need Norma MRP 2 or equivalent to get enough speed.

I do see the uses ofthe 130s, but I am a traditionalist. I have used TSX bullets in the 30 calibers, but it isnt the same as launching a 220 grain round nose at close quarters.

fgulla--I have never used the TSX on game larger than small black-tailed deer. Can you tell me about the penetration on larger game that has been better than the 155/160s. I must admit experience showed complete penetration of the animal, but they were 20-30 yard shots.

So far I´ve only used VV N165 and N160 for the 6.5 and the Mega. Speed isn´t an issue and accuracy sure isn´t -but bullet performance. I ordered som Oryx bullets, they were the easiest to find. I´m not very impressed with Rhinos even though I´ve shot quite a few deer and wildebeest with them (in .375 H&H). The Rhinos are OK but premium?

I haven't had an opportunity to shoot at anything larger than a Whitetail deer with the 6.5 Swede, and the 129g Hornady Interlocks have proved both accurate and effective. I stopped using Speer 140g HotCores after determining they weren't very consistent in weight, ogive length, or accuracy.

I have used 130g TSX on paper and wasn't impressed, but I understand now they need to be fired from a copper-cleaned barrel or the other bullets' harder jacket material will strip the softer copper ("fouling") from the TSX. I'm ready to try them again now with better understanding.

Jaywalker

Okay, this will sound odd, but there is something just fascinating about the long round nose bullets in the 155/156/160 grain class. Even the 140 naturalis is great looking. I have a few rounds of 1920s Swede production 156 grain commercial rounds. They were evidentally the type used by a few of the explorers in the Arctic regions. Some have told me Finnish, but there is no headstamp. Hot looking round.

They MAY be Finnish,but I'd go with your guess, Swedish.

In 1963 when I got my first 6.5x55 in a beautiful little military M96 carbine, it came with 200 rounds of that ammo with the nickle-coloured full metal patch 156 grain bullet. Mine was military marked ammo, and was definitely Swedish.

I put a Redfield receiver sight on it and it wouldn't adjust low enough for the 139 grain ammo then available, but was right on the money with the 156 gr. RN stuff when set all the way down (right on top of the receiver).

And, I pulled some of the bullets and still have a few. Incredibly "sexy" stuff.

If you have old military ammo that is nickle colored it might be the steel plated rounds that were made -they will penetrate anything. Boha has pulled a couple some of these and thay are cool!

mine look like the protected point from Woodleigh with a tiny exposed lead point.

If you have exposed lead then they´re not military -no idea what the could be...

Cewe, today I saw in a shop a MS-carbine in 6,5x54 with an old Zeiss scope for 700 Euro. Good condition, nice gun!
There are some other Mannlicher more, mainly in 7x64....

cewe

I have just received a packet of Woodleigh 140gn Protected Points for my 6.5 but have not had a chance yet to try them out.

Otherwise I just use 140 gn Remington Corelokts on the red deer I get to hunt. They work well.

quote:

Originally posted by Monastery-Forester:
Cewe, today I saw in a shop a MS-carbine in 6,5x54 with an old Zeiss scope for 700 Euro.

I also have been looking for of these but they are now very rare in our part of the world.

I do have a very nice one in 270 Win though!

MF: Was the gun in good shape? 700E doesn´t sound too bad but they can sometimes be found at auctions for less. The 7x64 is also interesting and on my list of "must haves".

Anyone know of a good book on Mauser rifles -history, chamberings etc?

Cewe, both are in good shape, but often you could find GKs in 7x64 in very good, near unused condition for little money, because everybody in Germany wants a R93 in .30/06, because the 7x64 is to little for the big roe deers!

333okh

The 130gr TSX is longer than the 160gr Hornady and Sierra. The retention of 96 to 99% of its weight plus its smaller frontal X petals cut rather than plow through flesh. This all equals better penetration even when you are talking about 30 grains of weight, and a normal cup and core bullet. The 156gr Norma should penetrate better than regular bullets but more than the TSX? I dont know but wouldnt be surprised at all if the 130 beats it. I have personally used the 120 on deer and have never come close to recovering one.

cewe:

For the best results with your 6.5 x 55 go for 95gr GSC HV - will out-perform all the other bullets.

More detail available here.

cewe,

I have a CZ550 FS (Mannlicher-style stock) in 6.5x55 (20.5" 1-8.7 twist barrel). I've gotten very good results with 140gr Hornady SPs in Lapua brass, Fed 210 primers and RL22, shooting a tad less than 1 MOA in an unaltered rifle. I shot two deer about 4 seconds apart last season, one through the neck, the other at a quartering chest shot. Both exited. The neck shot grenaded a vertebrae, leaving a very large exit wound. The quartering shot broke a couple of ribs going in and three on exit.

I have 129gr Hornady SPs and 125gr Nosler Partitions that I haven't played with yet. I will probably use them in my .260 Rem

Has anyone tried the Hornady 6.5mm 140 gr A-Max?