Congrats on the bison. I have an M38 Swede and have often thought that, if I get picked for one of the very few Arkansas elk tags (about 20 per year), I'd load a 140 grain Barnes-X in it and have at them. That 155 grain A-Frame would be a choice pick as well. Lots of similar-size African game fell to 6.5x53R's and 160 grain bullets in the in the grand old days.

Bigiron

I prefer larger calibres just because they are fun to shoot, but the 6.5 will do the job if you wait for a broadside shot and use a good bullet.

jpb (in Sweden)

[This message has been edited by jpb (edited 04-11-2001).]

Make sure you don't post this on HA. No-one there will believe you! I think .50 BMG is the minimum caliber prescribed for buffalo according to a few of the guys over there.

Canuck

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Robin
from Tucson, AZ

I am glad you posted here. It seems this site attracts more than the usual proportion of open minded, respectful individuals that can speak as gentlemen (gentlepersons?).

A friend of mine that visits here quite often will definately enjoy your post. He and I are both 6.5 fans, and he has been trying to track down some quality 155 or 160 grain bullets for his 6.5X55's and to try in his 6.5/06. We both feel they would have to be good medicine for elk or moose, and possibly even be worth taking to Africa for plains game one day. Your experience with your bison certainly provides some proof in that regard.

Cheers,

Canuck

I have some great Trophy Bision hunts in Colorado on a 65,000 ac. ranch..free roaming buffalo...

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

One of the chewees, was carrying his .450 double when the action started. He said it was too heavy to get into action, and opined that if he'd had his Mannlicher, he'd have been the winner of the contest.

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Guns cause crime, which is why there has never been a mass slaying at a gun show.

Straight Shooting

Budweiser In Canada

[This message has been edited by George Semel (edited 04-25-2001).]

quote:

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Originally posted by Canuck:
...he has been trying to track down some quality 155 or 160 grain bullets for his 6.5X55's and to try in his 6.5/06. We both feel they would have to be good medicine for elk or moose, and possibly even be worth taking to Africa for plains game one day.

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Chris, the 156 gr Norma Oryx have quickly been making a name for itself in the Swedish moose forests. It's a bonded bullet that opens up quite a bit but still punches through, as it should. For tougher animals than moose, I'd lean towards the A-Frame to ensure holes on both sides.

My own choice, as I think I've told you, have been the 156 gr Lapua Mega, a conventional bullet that holds together very good and shoots like a match bullet. I launch it at about 2650 fps with 46.5 gr Norma MRP in Lapua cases ignited by CCI 250's, Lee-crimped at the lower cannelure.

The first moose I shot with it was a young bull that offered a perfect broadside at 50 meters. With a rather high lung shot, the first bullet shattered a rib going in and another going out. Holes on both sides, that is, and for sure deadly. He took off across the road and I shot a stopping shot (didn't want him to get into the woods again as I wasn't sure he knew he was dead...) as he climbed down the ditch on my side of the road, facing me, which went lengthwise through about 14" of neck bone and some meat before lodging itself under the hide just behind the shoulder. Retained weight of that bullet was 113 grains if I remeber correctly, that's 72.5 percent and very good for such massive bone destruction. Other mooses have been broadside and no bullet found.

But I'll be loading up some Oryxes for this fall's moose hunting and save the Mega's I have left for bird hunting - they ARE amazingly accurate.

-- Mats

So, what kind of birds do you hunt with your Swede anyway?

Canuck

JIm

quote:

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Originally posted by Robin:
This relates to a couple of earlier posts on the military misurp board. I got the chance to participate in a management hunt on a bison ranch in New Mexico today and killed a 900lb cow with one shot (Pole Axed) to he neck using a 155 grain swift A-Frame in front of 45 grains of RL22 from a model 96 Carl Gustaff Mauser with a Ziess 4X scope. The shot was about 50 meters. The bullet exited leaving nothing behind except shattered vertebrae. What an impresive old weapon.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Canuck:
So, what kind of birds do you hunt with your Swede anyway?

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Well bro, those with wings... Nah, seriously, everything from crows and gulls to the more sophisticated Capercaille (sp?). Younger crows are real tasty, BTW.

I just had an idea: jpb, who posts here, is a Canuck who now lives and works in Ume�. It might be that he'd be heading back to his roots every now and often, we might get some Oryxes and Mega's to you that way. I'll try to remember to shoot off an e-mail to him and see. He's a nice fellow anyhow...

-- Mats

quote:

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Originally posted by Mats:
Younger crows are real tasty, BTW.

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Our crows are mainly associated with "sanitary" landfills, so eating them had never really crossed my mind. The only crow I have ever eaten was not of avian origin.

But I have noticed that a 6.5 bullet is most excellent for dispatching these 'ravenous' and raucous creatures. Might have to try some "crow under glass" or "crow a l'orange" sometime, as, now that I think of it, I have noticed that many of these pests hanging around farmers fields, far from a dump.

WRT to the Oryx and Mega bullets, your suggestion sounds wonderful if it can be worked out. Obviously I am not in too big a rush, so just let me know if it will work. Thanks

Canuck

quote:

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Originally posted by jhaney:
the 6.5x55 is certainly not adequate for bison no more than the 7mm is adequate for elephant though many elephant have been killed with that round.

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Jim, my experience is very similar. The buffalo I shot last christmas reacted just as you describe. It was hit in the shoulder twice (both bullets recovered from off shoulder, 4 inches apart), and once behind the shoulder, exiting the far side near the last rib. After running off a couple hundred metres, the herd stopped and I was no longer sure which one I had shot. They milled around for a few minutes until the one I had shot started doing the side step, then fell over, dead.

Afterwards, I got to thinking. All three shots described above were from my .375 H&H with 300 gr. A-frames. At the time I was (and still am) impressed with how that combo worked on that buff, and how oblivious the animal was to the devastating blows I had delivered to it. That buffalo died from asphyxiation, as a result of three bullets through the lungs. If I had been using a 6.5X55 with a premium 155/6 or 160 grain bullet (which will penetrate every bit as far as the .375/300gr), I would bet dollars to donuts that the result would have been EXACTLY the same. Three shots, no reaction by the bison (other than to run off aways), and death by lack of O2 inhalation.

So, if it wasn't illegal to use for bison hunting in BC as well, I would have to say that, at least for arguements sake, a 6.5X55 would be entirely adequate for bison. As a sole caveat, if they were more likely to charge and stomp you, such as their cousins in Africa, then you would definately be better advised to carry something more capable of stopping a charge (for nothing other than safety's sake, in the event of an unfortunate mistake).

Just MHO. Best regards,

Canuck

[This message has been edited by Canuck (edited 04-27-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Canuck (edited 04-27-2001).]

I just got a catalog from Swift. They do not list an A-Frame heavier than 140 grains in 6.5mm. Did they discontinue your 155 grain bullet and not list it, or did they introduce it after the current catalog was printed???

Thanks,
BigIron

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Robin
from Tucson, AZ

quote:

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Originally posted by Deerdogs:
Has anyone tried the Barnes X in 140 gr with their Swede? Would this produce a better effect on, say, Kudu than the 155 gr Swift A Frame?

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The "X" is debated in 6.5 mm, just as it is in other calibers... Some get very good results, some do not. I've seen two moose shot with the "X", both big bulls. Shot broadside, both went 100+ meters after the shot and had little damage to lungs - granted that not much meat was destroyed either. It looked more or less like a FMJ passing through. Others tell stories about moose dropping on the spot and massive tissue damage, I don't doubt them.

The A-Frame appears to do more damage and drop moose quicker. It appears too that the 140 gr variety might have an edge in the "quick-drop" department as compared to its big brother, at least on moose. And BigIron, the 155 gr was first offered as a 156 gr but that bullet proved too long for a 1-9" twist, so it was redesigned shorter and slightly lighter. It is offered in Norma's TXP-line, I don't know whether you could by the bullet only but I seem to recall seeing a box or two at some local store.

If I had to go after big and tough things with a 6.5, I think I'd choose the 155 gr A-Frame over any other bullet. This fall I will be hunting moose with the 156 gr Oryx since it seems like the fastest killer out there.

-- Mats

[This message has been edited by Mats (edited 05-08-2001).]