I have a lovely mint Sabatti that I purchased second hand.

As readers of this post would be enthusiasts of the " sleeper " of a calibre, I am seeking some pointers as manufacturers of rifles in this calibre.

I am aware that Tikka , Sakko and probably Cz make rifles in this rathe niche calibre. It is a fantastic calibre and shoots " much beyond it weight".

Any tips on who else may manufacture new rifles in the Swedish round as I would like to get a custom rifle built. Would have been good in Remington did as I would have used a 700 action.But they do not, to my knowledge , make rifles in 6.55x55.

However, I would love to be proved wrong on this point.

Thanks from Down Under.

Ruger and Winchester have both chambered rifles in this cartridge, though I'm not sure what the current status of this production is. Shortly before Winchester went tits up they still have the Swede on their web page. Seems like I recall seeing a Remington in 6.5 somewhere, but can't really nail down the memory. There is a large number of rifle buffs here that will have a better memory and working knowledge of rifle production than me though, perhaps they'll sound off.

I believe that Remington did chamber the 6.5x55 in their 700 classic one year.

Remington did their 700 Classic one year in the 6.5 Swede, but as it competes for market share and ammunition sales with their 260 Remington, they don't normally chamber it.

Jaywalker

Sauer, Heym, Blaser, Steyr-Mannlicher all make top quality rifles in this calibre. This is still one of the best sellers in Europe.

I had a gorgeous second hand Sauer 202 in this calibre in my hands as recently as last night. IMO, Sauer are probably the best value in factory rifles currently.

SAKO

quote:

Originally posted by Jaywalker:
Remington did their 700 Classic one year in the 6.5 Swede, but as it competes for market share and ammunition sales with their 260 Remington, they don't normally chamber it.

Jaywalker

It was either 1990 or 1991 (+/- a year or two)
that they made the classic in 6.5x55.

AllanD

Prior to that, Remington at one time chambered their target rifle in 6.5x55 ! I've used it for many years for deer but I'm annoyed that the factory loads have been reduced .Now , at least in the USA, it's a handloaders cartridge .

I believe Howa does, but it is a 9 twist, I want an 8 twist in any 6.5 bore, a 9 will not cut it for me, and I won't chance buying one.

Ruger probably still mfg them, they are available, sold my Win. 70 JUST before the shutdown.....a stainless featherweight with NICE wood and the 8 twist.

A good rifle in 260 should make a 6.5x55 enthusiast happy.

Howa did, but their website does not list the caliber currently. Too bad, as they offer a nice strong action, although a bit heavy. Mine works reasonably well, as long as the bullets weigh at least 120 gr. Accuracy with lighter bullets has not been acceptable in my Howa 6.5x55.

Howa's typically have long throats in my experience, and it may be chamber cut for long mil surp type ammo, heavy bullets, but too bad it did not have 8 twist.

I think I have created a monster.

LAter
p

Roll your own! I picked up a Turk Mauser in 8mm for $85 (probably @ $125 today), and ER Shaw 6.5x55 barrel for around $150, a Boyds JRS Classic laminate stock for @$75, a Williams FP-98 rear peep sight and a Lyman front globe sight for @$125. So far @$475.

Add in maybe another $500 for a smith to thread and crown the barrel, drill&tap/dovetail for the sights, work the action (set-screw, square the bolt face, lap the lugs and bolt-rails, bend the bolt), fit the stock, pillar and glass the action and blue as needed.

Total right around $1k for something that YOU get to dictate the look, feel and function of.

You can't go wrong with a low-end custom Mauser.


Shael

I like well made mauser's but Ruger sells a decent rifle, no frills, nice scope mount set up, with rings, nice functional well fitting stock, for about 500 bucks. They are reliable, accurate enough for hunting....but that is me.

It is nice when you build something you want in the specs you want it, but there are less expensive options. I really cannot fault the ruger stock design, the 77 has a nice feel for me.....I would prefer a heavier stiffer barrel contour but it seems most mfg. make a pencil thin or a bull varmint and not a lot in between.

My '96 swede miked .675 at muzzle at 21" and that was nice-plenty stiff, cut rifled 7.5-8 twist that generally shoots many bullets well. The Kimber sporter was not a bad deal if you had a good clean bore, my sporter job was reasonable in costs with Canjar trigger to finish out, doing a stock job on the originally, filing and sanding a lot of excess wood, refinishing. I just never cared for the close on action and the warnings on the old guns for pressure.

A '98 would be a better platform. Hmmm, I hear good things about CZ. That might be closer to a real 98.

I love the round, but demand a 8 twist or faster to make me happy, most do, some don't using a 9. Not sure what Shaw makes.

ER Shaw spins their 6.5x55s at 8.5.

Shael

Which twist rate do our experienced 6.5x55 shooters recommend for the heavier bullets?

The 6.5x55 using heavier bullets has always looked like the ideal USA eastern woodlands deer/black bear caliber for to me. I surveyed the ammo sources from Baltimore to Richmond a couple of years ago and 6.5 offered more factory load options than .260, .257 or 7mm08. The heavier bullet options seem the greatest attraction of a 6.5x55 vs. the other calibers it's ususally compared to.

Which twist rate

holzauge,

For 140-160 grain I would go with 1-8 or 1-7,5 in twist.

I just had a Montana Rifleman short action made in this caliber. When researching it I wanted to find out the best twist for 140 - 160 grain lead core loads. From various Euro ammunition companies and barrel makers I came up with anything in the 1:7.5 - 1:8.5 works well. Remember this is leaded cores. In some comparisons the 140 grain non-lead bullets were longer than the 155 grain Lapua Mega leaded core bullets. This does have an effect on the twist needs. I went with the 1:7.5 inch twist similar to what Sweden went with for the 1896 Mauser when they shot the 156 grain load, that also worked excellent with the 139 grain load in the more modern ammo.

Additionally, my barrel is 0.625 inch at the muzzle and 25 inches long. I wanted the extra weight and length to balance the rifle with a 15 inc length of pull. I will have a duplicate rifle made in the near future in a much larger caliber.

333- a short action in 6.5x55? 7.5" will shoot them all, nothing wrong with that choice, my brother has recently received a new barreled action in 270wsm, factory ammo showing tremendous accuracy in my opinion. Looks to be well made, MRC.

I may decide on one based on his gun, or at least an action for a base.

Steyr has chambered their rifles in 6.5x55 since the late 1950s in the Mannlicher-Schoenauer, and continued thru the Steyr-Mannlicher Model M Sporter and into the current production SBS-96 series. Remington, Ruger, and Winchester all have chambered their premium rifles for 6.5x55mm, and in Europe I don't believe a firearms firm can survive without making a 6.5mm Swede! It's a difficult cartridge to beat.
LLS