Hi there. For a long time I've had an irrational attraction to Mannlicher stocked rifles. Recently I got to handle a CZ550 with the full stock and I was highly impressed.The thing pointed wonderfully and balanced perfectly.

The icing on the cake is that CZ makes the 550FS in 6.5x55. They quote a barrel length of twenty inches and change. I wonder, does such a short barrel rob the Swede of too much velocity? Would 2700 fps be possible with 140 bullets? Thanks in advance.

Since you are dealing with a new, modern action, you can easliy get 2700+ out of the Swede. You are going to handload, right? Lapua brass all the way.

More like 2400 fps with reasonable loads out of a 20 inch barrel. In my UAL-24 6.5 x 55 {has a 24"barrel} It just touches 2800 fps. My others, get from 2600 or so out of a 22 inch barrel to around 2750 with reasonable loads. My 6.5 x 54 MS that has a 19 inch barrel, and 2400 is about all she writes. Its plenty of Velocity, cheap bullets like Speer SP's and the like will do wonders on game. Now this would not stop me from buying the rifle, if it fit me and I just like it. The CZ's are very good rifles, and for the money they are one of the very best values in a rifle you can buy. Put a 1x-4x Leupold or there 1.5x- 5x and you will have a very good hunting rifle that will serve you well for years to come. A 6.5 mm 140gr SP hunting bullet, not a boat tail zeroed in for 200 yards with a MV of 2400 fps is only going to be around 11 inches low at 300 yards, which means that on Deer size game 300 to 350 yard shots are doable.

George, do I hear right that you are losing one hundred fps per inch of barrel length? I don't doubt you but that is surprisingly high. Your point about cheap bullets is well taken, though. It seems like the Speers and Sierras I have played with work best between 2400 fps and 2600 fps. I have heard others say the 160s actually penetrate farther at velocites close to the 2000 fps mark than they do at around 2500 fps.

Well, well, well. If it isn't my old friend Mr. Meeks. Still suffering from your Mannlicher fixation? I'd reckon that one could play with different powders and find one that would be optimal for burning in a 20" barrel. That having been said, I wouldn't let velocity be the determining factor in your purchase. You know from your own experience that those long old 6.5 bullets don't seem to need a whole lot of speed to do their jobs. Happy hunting.

Frontlander, you're not helping. Remember I really don't want one of those Mannlichers in my gun safe. But what you said about the 6.5 and moderate velocity is so true. The Swede has penetration and decent trajectory without major velocity. Still, guys like me need to hit magic numbers like 2700 fps or those magnum-hugging nut jobs up on the front range will make fun of me.

I like them to but they do not import them to Australia !! Other wise I would have succumb

That is what I have seen in some of my rifles. I can tell you why the 6.x 54 MS tops out at 2400fps, chamber is a little over size as was that how they made them, so in order to get some case life, I stay with reasonable loads. I have found that in the 6.5 x 55 dose best with a barrel of around 24 to 26 inches if you want 2800 fps with 140 gr. bullets. You don't start to really loose Velocity wise till you start going shorter than 23 inches, it gets noticable at 20 and of course my Mannlicher has a 19 inch barrel. This hold for my rifles and my rifles only, you may have better Velocity numbers, then again you many not. Some barrels are just faster and some are slower, you will not know till you cronograph your own loads in a rifle. I would bet a steak dinner that what I said will be correct with in +/- 75 fps.