In a rifle the 6.5x55 Swede has been one of my favorite rounds for more years than I care to recall, I've got several Swedish Mausers and a Remington Mdl. 700 Classic in the chambering.

I'm picking up a NIB blue 15" TC factory Encore barrel tomorrow after work and was wondering if anyone has got any experience with one.

In my Mdl. 700 and my Swedes I've found, through much experimenting over the years, that the 129gr Hornady # 2620 Interlocks and Alliant RL22 have always given me the best accuracy and performance on deer sized game and since a Single Shot Pistol bullet is not available in .264 dia. I was wondering how you fellas think the above bullet would preform on deer fired from a 15" barrel ?

Ike

The 129 grain Hornady will do just fine and would serve you well. At 2500-2550 fps, this bullet will shoot flat and carry ample punch to ranges farther than most of us should be shooting anyway. But so will the 120 grain Nosler BT and 120 grain Speer Hot Core spitzer -- not to mention the 125 grain Partition. And, contrary to what some "experts" may tell you, the same powders that work well in rifle barrels will also give you top performance in your 15" tube.

I wasn't aware that TC made a run of 15" 6.5x55s. Or was this a custom shop order? I did have one of the early 24" rifle versions until selling it after getting a custom barrel in the same chambering. The 6.5x55 is a favorite in our household as well.

Bobby the barrel ended up being a Custom Shop 14 incher with a brake so I passed, sort of a let down tho I was really pumped about shooting it this weekend.

I've already got "almost" a 6.5x55 on order through the TC Custom Shop, it's a 1" dia. heavy bull 13" barrel in .260 that is another month or so away.