Well, I finally got a response from Beretta:

Quote:

---

Hello Dan:
No I am sorry we do not take special orders.
Thank you for contacting Beretta Customer Support.

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About what I figured...

Forgot to add, I was at Walmart this weekend and they had a Tikka T3 there for sale. I think it was around $450ish...

Winchester featherweight.

Howa is listing a stainless steel 6.5 x 55 rifle for the 2005 model year, according to their web site.

seafire

Winchester has the Mod.70 Featherweight in 6.5x55 with walnut stock and stainless barreled action this year. Here is a link:

Link: http://www.winchesterguns.com/prodinfo/catalog/detail.asp?cat_id=535&type_id=966&cat=001C

This is an old post that somehow floated to the top, but thanks for the info. I wasn't aware of the new Win.

-Dan

Steyr SBS comes in a 6.5x55 stainless.

quote:

Originally posted by Virginia7:
Winchester has the Mod.70 Featherweight in 6.5x55 with walnut stock and stainless barreled action this year. Here is a link:

Link: http://www.winchesterguns.com/prodinfo/catalog/detail.asp?cat_id=535&type_id=966&cat=001C

That is an awfully nice looking rifle......

The Howa sporter is making the 6.5x55 with a stainless steel barrel. I think they just started this year. Check it out at www.legacysports.com
Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Since the 6,5x55 originates from Sweden, you're well advised to look for a rifle from the Nordic countries, i.e. a Sako, Tikka, Varberger, or similar.

Just my $0.02

At last, a stainless 6.5x55 from both Howa and Winchester. Just have to decide which one I want. Actually I know I want the Winchester but I would like a synthetic stock so I would probably chuck the original stock. The Howa barrel action would be much cheaper. Anybody have any opinion about Howa rifles???

quote:

Originally posted by steveauger:
At last, a stainless 6.5x55 from both Howa and Winchester. Just have to decide which one I want. Actually I know I want the Winchester but I would like a synthetic stock so I would probably chuck the original stock. The Howa barrel action would be much cheaper. Anybody have any opinion about Howa rifles???

I have a blued Howa Lightning in 6.5x55. While it looks nice, is reliable and smooth feeding with an okay trigger, so far it has not been accurate. It came with major bedding issues and I have since installed the action in a Boyd's laminated wood stock, which I hope will improve its' accuracy. Apparently many of them do shoot fine, others benefit from glass bedding and free floating the barrel. The jury is still out on mine until I have bedded the recoil lug and floated the barrel. Will post my results once done.

quote:

Originally posted by steveauger:
At last, a stainless 6.5x55 from both Howa and Winchester. Just have to decide which one I want. Actually I know I want the Winchester but I would like a synthetic stock so I would probably chuck the original stock. The Howa barrel action would be much cheaper. Anybody have any opinion about Howa rifles???

My 1500 (30-06) was wickedly accurate. Sold it only to finance a CZ in 6.5X55 because I wanted a CRF rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by 2ndtimer:

quote:

Originally posted by steveauger:
At last, a stainless 6.5x55 from both Howa and Winchester. Just have to decide which one I want. Actually I know I want the Winchester but I would like a synthetic stock so I would probably chuck the original stock. The Howa barrel action would be much cheaper. Anybody have any opinion about Howa rifles???

I have a blued Howa Lightning in 6.5x55. While it looks nice, is reliable and smooth feeding with an okay trigger, so far it has not been accurate. It came with major bedding issues and I have since installed the action in a Boyd's laminated wood stock, which I hope will improve its' accuracy. Apparently many of them do shoot fine, others benefit from glass bedding and free floating the barrel. The jury is still out on mine until I have bedded the recoil lug and floated the barrel. Will post my results once done.

Second timer,

check the throat on your howa, If it is long throated and you are not taking advantage of it, you can decrease the accuracy potential.

Also it has a 1 in 9 twist which becomes "IFFY" on bullet weights of 129 grains or more, like the popular 140s etc.

cheers and good shooting
seafire

I want to shoot 129 and 140's. What's the twist of the Winchester? Like I said, I like the Winchester action alot more but 806.00$ for a rifle that will remove the stock plus the purchase of a new synthetic stock compared to 486.00$ for the Howa barreled action. Howa's sinthetic stock are probably the regular molded kind. I would just get the barreled action and purchase a quality stock. So it comes down to 806$ vs. 486$ for a stainless 6.5x55 barreled action. Is the extra money for the Winchester worth it? Or would I be happy with the Howa?

quote:

Originally posted by steveauger:
..... What's the twist of the Winchester? ....

The twist rate on the Winchester in 6.5x55 is
1 turn in 8". It's posted on their website.
Just click on the item number, and a screen will
pop up with the particulars for that rifle.
Should be no problem for 129gr. or 140gr. bullets.
Link: http://www.winchesterguns.com/prodinfo/catalog/detail.asp?cat_id=535&type_id=966&cat=001C

quote:

Originally posted by seafire/B17G:
Second timer,

check the throat on your howa, If it is long throated and you are not taking advantage of it, you can decrease the accuracy potential.

Also it has a 1 in 9 twist which becomes "IFFY" on bullet weights of 129 grains or more, like the popular 140s etc.

Concur with both bits of advice.

quote:

check the throat on your howa, If it is long throated and you are not taking advantage of it, you can decrease the accuracy potential.

Also it has a 1 in 9 twist which becomes "IFFY" on bullet weights of 129 grains or more, like the popular 140s etc.

I do seat the bullets out as far as possible (without them falling out of the case). AS to the twist rate, the irony there is that it seems to shoot the best with the 140 gr bullets, significantly better than the 120's and a whole lot better than the 100 or 90 gr bullets. I won't waste any more 90 gr TNT's or 100 gr Ballistic Tips until I glass bed the recoil lug and float the barrel in the new Boyd's laminated stock. If it will shoot decently after that, I think I will order a barreled action and see if it will install into the factory Butler Creek stock and glass bed that, too. Maybe I can wind up with one in lamintated and one with the plastic stock that will both shoot!

I'm glad to hear that your Howa with the 1:9 twist is shooting 140's. I'm leaning that route for a stainless 6.5x55 rather than the way more expensive Winchester. After searching on the site the opinions are 50/50 on shooting 140's accurately out of a 1:9 twist barrel. Thanks

By the way...Does anybody know if Legacy Sport have any distributors in Canada????

Me again...Did I miss something? The Howa site indicates that the 6.5x55 is a 1:8 twist...You guys were saying it was 1:9... Is it new for this year or did I miss something?!?!

I don't know that I'd blame a 1-9" twist for mediocre accuracy with 140s; the 1-8" will support 156/160 bullets, so I suspect the 1-8 would be fine. I manage to get medicre accuracy with 140s in my M70 6.5 Swede, and it has 1-8". Some rifles just prefer certain weights, regardless of what seems appropriate. Mine likes 125/129.

Jaywalker

quote:

Originally posted by steveauger:
Me again...Did I miss something? The Howa site indicates that the 6.5x55 is a 1:8 twist...You guys were saying it was 1:9... Is it new for this year or did I miss something?!?!

I see where they say in their 2005 catalog that the 6.5x55 barreled action does indeed have a 1 in 8" twist rate. But I would swear that their previous documentation indicated 1 in 9". Either they changed it, had a misprint before or have a misprint now. Or I was completely hallucinating before. Still, a 1 in 8" or 1 in 9" twist rate should both work fine for the 120 to 140 gr bullets, shouldn't they? I suppose there may not be any hope for my speer 90 gr TNT's since if I were to try to push them hard at all in a 1 in 8" twist, they would probably rip apart.

Well I contacted Legacy Sport and they were able to hook me up with their canadian dealer who hooked me up with the distributor for western Canada. He told me all I had to do was to make my order through any of the local shop and they could order me a stainless 6.5x55 barelled action. I just might have to do that!

exabit:

quote:

Since the 6,5x55 originates from Sweden....

Actually, thats not completly true. The 6,5x55 was made by norwegian AND swedish engineers from the United Kingdom of Sweden and Norway, a union that lasted from 1814 to 1905.
The actual development of the 6,5x55 was done in Norway, by this group. There is only one blueprint for the cartrigde. The union between Norway and Sweden were not like the states in the US or the UK, Norway had its own constitution and control over its own military.
When the time came to choose a rifle for the armed forces the two states could not agree. Norway wanted the Krag-Jørgensen and the swedes bought the Mauser 96.

Ok, but it's called 6,5x55 Swedish Mauser

....not by those who created it.

The union between Norway and Sweden ended a hundred years ago, thankfully whithout bloodshed. There were some Swedes that wanted to keep Norway in the union by force of arms, could you imagine the tragedy of swedes and norwegians killing each other with the 6,5x55? As it turned out, the cartrige has only been used in defence of freedom and democracy against nazis and communist (when the germans attacked Norway and by swedish volunteers against the Soviet union during the winter war in Finland). Thats good use for a fantastic cartrigde

quote:

Originally posted by Tordenskiold:
As it turned out, the cartrige has only been used in defence of freedom and democracy against nazis and communist (when the germans attacked Norway and by swedish volunteers against the Soviet union during the winter war in Finland). Thats good use for a fantastic cartrigde

Aye. Sounds like our 30-06 Springfield.

quote:

Aye. Sounds like our 30-06 Springfield.

Funny you should say that. I sort of consider the 6.5x55 to be a slightly shrunken version of the 30-06 Springfield. Although given the 6.5x55's long history, I guess it would be more accurate to refer to the 30-06 as a slightly enlarged version of the 6.5x55 that shoots bigger heavier bullets and kicks a lot harder (while being only equally effective on medium game)

quote:

Originally posted by 2ndtimer:

quote:

Originally posted by steveauger:
Me again...Did I miss something? The Howa site indicates that the 6.5x55 is a 1:8 twist...You guys were saying it was 1:9... Is it new for this year or did I miss something?!?!

I see where they say in their 2005 catalog that the 6.5x55 barreled action does indeed have a 1 in 8" twist rate. But I would swear that their previous documentation indicated 1 in 9". Either they changed it, had a misprint before or have a misprint now. Or I was completely hallucinating before. Still, a 1 in 8" or 1 in 9" twist rate should both work fine for the 120 to 140 gr bullets, shouldn't they? I suppose there may not be any hope for my speer 90 gr TNT's since if I were to try to push them hard at all in a 1 in 8" twist, they would probably rip apart.

The previous 6.5 x 55 info from Howa did have a 1 in 9, but unlike Rem and Winchester, they were paying attention to the buying public, and they realized guys in the know, prefer the 1 in 8 to shoot 140grain and up bullets. The 1 in 9 twist got started with the 264 Win Mag, which could get by with a 1 in 9 twist.

It is excellent Howa and Legacy Sports are paying attention to shooters wants and knowledge.

Cheers
seafire

quote:

Originally posted by 2ndtimer:
I guess it would be more accurate to refer to the 30-06 as a slightly enlarged version of the 6.5x55 that shoots bigger heavier bullets and kicks a lot harder (while being only equally effective on medium game)

Which is why I no longer have any hunting rifles in 30-06.......