Pete I use AR2209 in my 6.5x55. The max load in Nick Harvey's book for 2209 is 46 grains for 2730fps, Min load is 43gr. I'm about to load some 140gr Tiapan projectiles and test them on pigs. A mate uses these on pigs in .308 and say's they're fantastic. They're cheap as well $28 per 100 from Rebel Gun works.
Bakes
Posts: 8093 | Location: Bloody Queensland where every thing is 20 years behind the rest of Australia! | Registered: 25 January 2001
Just like Kimmo sad earlier long heavy bullets 140-156 grains for moose, bear and hogs. 120-140 grains for long shots on roe deer. And ligther bullets 100-120 gr for smaller game and birds. (capercaillie and black grouse) I believe that 6,5x55 is the cartridge which most commonly is on moose in sweden. In the yearly moose hunt about 100 000 moose loose their life. I believe that this is the highest number of killed moose per year in the world. So the 6,5x55 if defnitely not too underpowered for it, much thanks to the long projectiles. But is is also not overpowered so it is important to use a good bullet. The core bonded Norma Oryx 156 grains is my favorite and the Norma vulcan is not a bad choise either though not core bonded. Lapua is also commonly used and the other like Nosler, Barnes and swift are also used but not so common as Norma and Lapua. It is Really recommended to only use the 156 gr bullets on mature moose and the lighter 140 gr only on calves. (Unless you have a really hot load and Only in modern strong action rifles)
I have killed moosebulls on short distanc (15 yards) with 120 gr Barnes x which i filled the magazine with by mistake. (took the wrong handloaded cartridge) But i believe that you are really have no marginals then and the animal could suffer more then necessary in most cases. Specially if the distance is longer than the short distances we can have here sometimes.
I have really no idea about barrel twist for my rifles. It is a totally standard Tikka, stainless barrel and synthetic stock. The other is a standard mauser 96 old swedish military rifle. Both shoot great with everything i feed into them. Isn�t that great ?
The shooters warehouse has $25 per 100 6.5x55 projectiles they are there own generic brand and there 129 gr Hollowpoints, I have fired over 200 hundred of these and performance on game has been pretty good, this is from my M38 mauser with irons.
Posts: 7505 | Location: Australia | Registered: 22 May 2002
Just to add I am loading 39 gr of AR2208 behind the 129 gr projectile. I think that AR2209 is the 6.5x55's optimum powder in the ADI brand, I just had a spare can of AR2208 kicking around. The load works very well however.
Posts: 7505 | Location: Australia | Registered: 22 May 2002
I used to use the 129gr. Hornady almost exclusively out of my 6.5 for whitetails, but think I would go to a 156gr. for pigs, I've carried the Oryx round for black bear (never used it though) but I think this round is good for the tougher game.
) but I think this round is good for the tougher game.
