#10MinuteTalk
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
- Vortex’s Jimmy Jordan tags in with Ryan Muckenhirn for this cartridge talk on the extremely capable 6.5 Swedish. Jimmy was the first person to bring this cartridge to my, (Mark B’s) attention many years ago…And is the only person I know to own one. Frankly, when he mentioned it, I thought it sounded French - which doesn’t make sese at all. What does make sense are its numbers on paper, its performance on game in the field, and rabid following seemingly everywhere but the US - possibly because we just weren’t ready for metric 6.5’s back then. But we are today. Listen in to hear all about this fine example of European cartridge engineering.
As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation™ podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.
Follow Vortex Nation Podcast on Instagram:
vortexnationpodcast
![Chicken P - People's Favorite (Remix) [Feat. 42 Dugg] (Official Video)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/a6Bn8FEtxmY/mqdefault.jpg)
![KSI - Thick Of It (feat. Trippie Redd) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/At8v_Yc044Y/mqdefault.jpg)
HEYYYYYYYYY we're actually preparing some 6.5 Swede content for this month!
Looking forward to it
I look forward to that!
My sister wants to have Henry's baby....
2 of the most under-rated and top quality channels in the same place, incredible.
If you can, get hold of the Norma Diamondline field molybden coated 6.5x55 ammo. I saw a friend get hits on target at an ELR comp last year using that and a tikka t3x at 1850 meters.
When I was a kid in college in the mid 80's, I had the pleasure of working with a master gunsmith from Norway who found his way to the gun shop in a sporting goods store in Dallas,Tx. He talked me into a swedish military rifle made in 1907 for my, first and only, hunting rifle. We shortened the barrel, bent down the bolt, mounted a scope, carved a custom stock, glass bedded the action and full floated the barrel. The gun has been a tack driver for 40 years with many a Texas whitetail taken with it. I had probably a $100 in the gun at the time, but wouldn't sell it for anything today. Thanks again Chris Overgaard Sverkmo for the lessons on guns and craftsmanship.
The 6.5 swede is the best invention out of Sweden since the blond.
@markgrant3653 A bit overkill for hunting :)
And Husqvarna rifles...!!
3 point seatbelts, Dynamite, the zipper, the wrench, the refrigerator.. I could go on.
The 6.5x55 is a good cartridge.
But its thanks to you guys in the US, for making the 6.5 bullet selection evolve the way it did. It is an even better cartridge now.
Cheers from Sweden 🍻
Appreciate it friend. Actually picking up at Model 96 from a gun shop this weekend (I believe 1928 make). My hats off to your country making such a beautifully crafted rifle.
The 6.5x55SE is one of my favorite cartridges.
Is the 130 grain Norma Diamond line or Golden target American ?
Keep the meatballs flowing
My grandfather hunted with the sweede in 1900 when he was a boy and shot 40 brown bears - those were the days. My father lived in uppsala and hunted 35 seasons of moose with the same rifle. I have been hunting this cartridge for 30 years. Perhaps that means something ….
6,5x55 is a great cartridge. It’s a shame even here in Finland many are so hyped by the Creedmoor that they forget the handload potential of the good old swede. Lapua also offers great ammo for modern actions. If i had only one rifle that could be used to target shooting or dropping grouse in open terrain stalks to even moose hunts it would be 6,5mm Swede.
I bet if you try feeding those different types of ammo out of the magazine instead of trying to drop them in loose you'll have no problem with the bolt closing
6.5X55 Swede was used in biathlon rifles up until the 1980's because of superb accuracy.
As well in the 1908, 1912, and 1920 Olympics. The event was the Deer Run.?? Per 9 Hole Review.
I believe when I had 6.5 Swede in the late 80,s it was used in Olympic shooting. Will stand to be corrected on that. 6 inch group out 500 metres using Norma brass.
P.S.it was ex military semi auto mounted with Scope. I knew it as a Jungman. Aussie Jeff Moore
I have owned 3 of these rifles Swedes and Gustav's over the years and I can't fault them.
The CG-63 .
@@billrea66 had one. It was amazing.
A classic rifle combo to have here in Scandinavia is the 6,5x55 and the 9,3x62 - you guys should do a podcast on the 9,3x62
I like the sound of both 👍
6.5x55 and 260 rem. The two original 6.5mm cartridges that do everything the needmoor does, but better.
.260 and 7mm-08 have been around for a long time and LaRue for awhile made .260 barrels for their rifles. Now everyone is going Creedmore crazy when you have had these cartridges for a long time now.
Everything except fitting in a short action (including AR10, RPR, etc.)
@@stevenwinegar9355 a 260 does fit..
You tend to forget the 6.5x54 and 6.5x57 that also pre dated the Yank 6.5s by a century
Very nice listening to your discussion about the wonderful caliber 6,5x55. I my self own a Husqvarna 1900 in 6,5x55 and just love it!
Cheers from 🇸🇪
Of all the calibers I own, my m96 chambered in 6.5x55 is by far my favourite. Such a smooth shooting, accurate and deadly package.
Hi from sweden !! I use a Tikka T3x 6,5x55 in a MDT chassi.
Sako,Tikka,Browning,CG,Mauser,Husqvarna,and many more Chambers in 6,5x55. Nice episode :)
6,5x55 Is the reason 100 000+ moses are dead.
Edit: Ps The Tikka T3x Does not eat all brass, its sensitive to bad ammunition, the chamber is tight.
And 308 is the reason for over 1 million dead moose 🤗
@@tiputipu777 Sweden has the densest population of moose in The world, and The 6,5swe is The one that has been used the most. I just googled it we shoot 80 000 a year, sorry for my understatement.
@@tiputipu777 So i should have written 10 million+.
@@ImNobody-1 and then I 100 million. The point is, 308 is responsible for more, always
@@tiputipu777 No. 308 is only 60 years old, 6,5swe 130+ years.
Here in New Zealand 6.5x55 is still reasonably popular as are short barrels and suppressors, usually over barrel. A pretty common rifle here for bush stalking reds would be a tikka, Howa or similar with a 16" barrel, suppressed and usually chambered in 308,7mm08 or 270 alot of hand loaders are even using .284 Win
6.5 Swede is a great performing classic cartridge. With proper bullets, it will take much larger game than most could imagine. Many African large game have dropped to the Swede. I really enjoyed this podcast and look forward to many more. Thanks for sharing guys!!
Hello from Norway!
I sell hunting rifles, and only recently the .308 surpassed the 6,5x55 in popularity, and still basically every rifle sold in Scandinavia is available in 6,5 (because when Scandinavians say ‘’6,5’’ they’re not talking about the Creedmoor, and we use a comma, not a period). We even have Weatherby in 6,5x55!
Additional fact: The Norwegian rules for ‘’big game’’ (moose, red deer, bear, reindeer) cartridge is based on the 6,5, and even now they’re talking of banning lead bullets, and the rules were actually changed to acommodate this.
Additonal fact: The most popular (new) rifles in Norway are Tikka T3x, Mauser M12/18, Weatherby Vanguard, Blaser R8, and some Sauer. Remington 700 is not sold as much anymore, and ARs are exceptionally uncommon.
I watched this with a big smile on my face. I live in Europe (S.E. England) and regularly shoot my Tikka T3 'Sporter' (the laminated adjustable stocked version) to 1,000 yards at Bisley Ranges, beating many other riflemen into high scores. I reload myself and like the guy who actually has one on your team, my version will shoot minute of angle out to that distance quite easily, using Lapua Brass, 139 Lapua Scenar projectiles and IMR 7828 powder.... And I can shoot many rounds with it without it beating me up in the process and coming off range feeling dazed!..
The terrible rep' this round has had across the Pond with you fellas in the States is due to the horribly anaemic loadings given in many of the American Powder based reloading manuals, in deference to the old M96 Mauser actions of the late 1890s.. And YES this rifle cartridge has now been around for over 125 years in use here in Europe (particularly with the Swedish and Norwegian armed forces) and thus predates the much spoken about 6/5 Crede by over 100 years!!!.. And with judicious loadings in strong, modern rilfe actions -like my Tikka - this round can OUT PERFORM the Crede.... Not by a lot, but maybe closing on 100 f.p.s. or near!
Nice to FINALLY see this venerable old but very efficient round getting some credit and liking!
Kind Regards,
Steve.
The Swedish mausers can take the modern (European!) factory loads without a problem. It was some Krags with a lug less that caused the anaemic American loadings.
After using a 243 Remington 700 for years deer hunting,I got a friend's old BSA 6.5×55 which he had used even in Africa
Great on deer 140 g Norma @2790fps and used driven boar and red deer 156 g Norma Poland and Croatia.
My absolute favourite,if you perform,so will it
P@@wildoutdoors8089
Thank you for this!! The 6.5 Swed is my favorite cartridge. 6.5 Swed is all you need!! They did it right over a century ago. I've had around adozen of these over the years and still have 2. I have a Winchester M70 and a custom target rifle (my own first build). Im using Nosler brass and Berger 140 gr VLD's, getting 2850 fps and the brass looks unused after firing. PS, it shoots a best group of 3 shots into .208" at 200 yrds and consistently at .250 5 shot groups
0.208" at TWO hundred?!?!
Bought my first 6.5 SWEDE back in the 90's; during the last heydays of military surplus. They became very popular for shooting Silhouette Matches in the 90's and early 2000's. Everybody loved them; light recoil, low muzzle report due to the 30" barrel, relatively light and slim. Not to mention surprisingly accurate as well!
It was my experience with shooting the Swedish 6.5 that caused me to rebarrel my ARMALITE AR10T in 260 REM with a 1/7 twist over two decades ago, handloaded with the then available Sierra 155gr HPBTMK.
Amen!
These 10min Cartridge talks are definitely the best thing on you tube, keep them coming please! 👊🏻
We appreciate that, David! Thanks for tuning in! If you ever have any suggestions for cartridges you'd like to heard about, we're all ears.
@@VortexNation so putting my neck on the line, you’ve talked around the 6.5 Creedmoor a fair bit but I can’t find a dedicated 6.5 Creedmoor 10 min talk. Please sign post me if there is one. In other news I have just inherited two shotguns, one is 10ga and the other is an 8ga. Would be interested to know Ryan’s info on these cartridges. 👊🏻
@@VortexNation 450bush, 10mm, 8mm Mauser, 300rum….
I also echo the appreciation for these podcasts. Thanks guys.
@@DavidJones-lw2lp We don't have one exclusively on the 6.5 Creedmoor, but we do cover it quite a bit in our 6.5 Revolution Full length podcast: ruclips.net/video/d26HTpouYqI/видео.html
@@VortexNation I’ll check it out again, thanks. On other cartridge suggestions how about some real big game stuff? 458 Lott, 416 rigby, 500 nitro express? 🤔
I own an M98 Swedish Mauser in 6.5mm x 55mm made in 1907 by Carl Gustav. A beautiful gun that is so accurate I'm surprised it is legal. The most accurate rifle I own and holds it own on my club range against all modern precision rifles to the absolute amazement of my buddies at the club.
That's a Model 96, not 98.
@@jimcarr5504 I'm quite sure that Carl Gustaf/Husqvarna manufactured the M98 in 6.5x55 in 1927. As it was a military cartridge and the benefit of the M98-receiver was obvious I se no reason that they shouldn't have at lest... Easy enough for OP to check though.
My parents hunted with 6.5 Swedish Mausers in Oregon. Sold to my dad by an interesting, eccentric millionaire big game hunter that had 2 barns with the walls covered in guns. He owned vast areas of lumber and farm land and would travel the world big game hunting, but he mostly worked his ranch and farm as if he was just some old farmer. My father had crippling arthritis and needed a softer shooting hunting rifle and my mom is small, so old Ben sold my dad 2 of them. He told my dad “Don’t let anyone give you shit about this being a pea shooter, because it’s killed more moose than any gun in the world”. My dad is gone, but not the memory of seeing him drop a running deer at 300 yards with that gun. Now after all these years the 6.5 takes off.
Thank you guys for enlightening more people on this fantastic cartridge. I acctually sent Ryan a message on Facebook in June 2021 about the 6,5x55. It has been my go-to cartridge for everything between pigeon and moose for the last two decades. Loaded to somewhere around 62kPSI it is very versatile with bullets from 85 to 160gr.
Once again, thank you and keep `em coming.
It kind of boggles my mind that 1. shooters constantly compare the 6.5x55 to the 6.5 CM and 2. that more shooters in the US aren’t aware of how awsome the 6.5x55 is.
From the point of cartridge design, it’s more interesting to compare and contrast the 6.5 CM to the 260 Rem (or by its original name, the 6.5-308). In general, there is only a 1% difference in case capacity between these two cartridges but a fair difference in case shape. This comparison is fair from the points that both are actually short action cartridges and both use the same case head / bolt-face diameter.
The 6.5 CM, based on the 30 T/C, can really be looked at as the 260 Rem rethought with its body taper, shoulder angle and position placed to optimize case usable case capacity, usable neck, and better headspace control. Due to those changes in case shape, less of the bullet protrudes into the case and results in more usable powder capacity for the 6.5CM vs the 260 Rem despite overall case capacity being nearly identical.
The 6.5x55 is a long action cartridge with a .480” rim diameter and has a significant advantage in case capacity over the 6.5 CM and 260 Rem (6.5x55 has approximately 10% more case capacity). When the 6.5x55 is handloaded, in modern strong rifle actions with good quality brass, it will match the 6.5 CM or the 260’s performance with lower chamber pressures, or outperform them when loaded to similar pressure levels, in equal length barrels.
Like the 6.5CM, the 130 year old 6.5x55 also generally has full use of its case capacity as it is has relatively short case for the length of action it is normally used in. This means the chamber throat length (also known as freebore or lead) can be optimized for maximum usable powder capacity without running into issues with the OAL of the cartridge exceeding the maximum length of the magazine or the ejection port of the length of action it was intended for. Like other older cartridges, that tend to have more body tapper than modern ones, the 6.5x55 exceedingly smooth feeding from a bolt action rifle magazine. It was an extremely advanced and well balanced design for its time and demonstrates how little advancement has actually occurred in cartridge case design since the 1890’s, despite all the ads and claims for the “latest and greatest” by the major manufacturers.
Similar to the 30-06 when competed to the 308, the 6.5x55 does everything the 6.5CM does and somethings it does better. It just doesn’t do them in a short action.
A few years ago I read in interview of Dr. Emmett Swanson (a USA multi-distinguished shooter and Olympian) published in American Rifleman back in the 1950’s. He spoke of a score he shot in one of the USA Olympics team tryouts in the late 1940’s or early 1950’s where he shot most of his 20 shots into an approximately 0.5 MOA group at 300 meters from the prone position, using only shooting jacket and sling for support, with an iron sighted 6.5x55 Schultz & Larsen target rifle. All of his 20 shots for that match fell into the 1.1 MOA ten-ring of the international 300 meter target. Generally speaking, it would take < 0.3 MOA accuracy from the rifle and ammunition to accomplish this from the slung prone position. This account is a testament to the long standing record of the 6.5x55’s performance and capability.
C.M poeple don't have the attention span to garner all that information . The amount of times I've heard that the sweed is an off spring of the 308 .
What is the newest or strongest gun I can find in 6.5x55 Swede? Thinking about hand loading for it but I want a gun first, thanks
@@User_Brandon I have a zastaver M70 6.5SE . Its a budget gun that requires tweeking tonget it right, sako and tikka and kimba . I am loading 100gr to 3200 for my sweed ,a 🔥 load with no pressure signs in my rifle .
@@User_Brandon Tikka
It’s literally the creedmoor with a higher case capacity lol
Outstanding cartridge. Was surprised you did not mention all the world records it holds. Also use to be used in Olympic Competition.
yeah. Its history as a olympic cartridge merited a mention I think
My first deer rifle was in this caliber, and it is still my favorite. When I talked to people about this caliber, they think it is obscure and you will never find ammo. It has been quite the opposite during the ammo shortage. Since this is a European military caliber, you can find lots of S&B, Privi Partisan, and Norma ammo out there for
took me over 30 years ... finally found a CZ 550 FS 6.5 Swede ... love it.
I have been looking forward to this for a while now, finally its here! Love the 6.5x55
Here is South Africa I shot my first Livingston Eland with a 6.5 Swede...... awesome cartridge!
I have a Carl Gustaf M96 from 1906, all numbers matching thankfully, and I can attest to the greatness of this caliber. Very mild recoil and extremely accurate.
Nice to hear some about the Swede, I've shot out a few of those over the past years.
Regarding potential of the cartridge, in my old 26" barrel I ran 147 ELD-M's at 2930 fps with vith n565
If you improve it you can push significantly more, a guy I used to shoot with ran the same velocity and bullet with a 24" barrel
Norma sell a match load advertised at 2950 with a 130gr bullet meant for modern target rifles
It's a sweet round
The 6.5 Swedish was first made way back in 1891. So today it's 131 years old and still an excellent cartridge. In Scandinavia, it was the go to round for big game including moose ,which they call elk. Today I understand the .308 Win is more popular but there's still many, many hunters who swear by their 6.5 Swede.
I didn't know that the commercial loads are a tad cool to conform to the older military rifle actions. It would be very interesting to have a modern action chambered with a modern barrel for 6.5 Swede in order to chase the upper limits of velocity.
Sauer 200 STR
I do PRS and LR with the 6.5x55 sweden (actually scan which is a bit different). I do have an AR10 (haenel) in 6.5cm as well.
6.5x55 likes longer barrels, slower powder and can do 55,110 psi (cip).
6.5cm does 63,091 psi (cip) and is fine with a bit faster powder and shorter barrels.
Depending on twist they can both use the same bullets.
Biggest difference is that 6.5cm is short action which helps.
I reload for both so I am not bothered with purchasing ammo, but in Sweden we have a lot of good match 6.5x55 ammo for sale. For example Norma Diamondline field is particularly good.
I built a semi custom rifle on a M96 made in 1900 for hunting this past fall. Took a beautiful 10pt buck with it. Accurate, light recoiling, beautiful rifle to shoot.
I own one, and have taken many kudu and other African plains game. When going for larger game, premium ammo only. Never recoverd premium bullets, full penetration side on. Just love it.
Some day I’d love to here you guys talk about the 264 win mag. In saying that it’s cool to hear about the 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser. Had a friend in high school that shot a nice bull elk with his 6.5x55
We'll add it to the list, Ted. We appreciate it!
Very common... incredibly versatile... down right perfect!
Norway went with the Krag rifle and Sweden with the Mauser. The Swedish Mauser used very good Swedish steel. The rifles were proof tested to 75,000 psi. They are the strongest pre 98 Mauser action. In the 90’s, they tried to blow up the rifle. They did split the barrel, but the action was fine.
I have a Swedish M96 FSR rifle with competition sights that I tried out and got lousy groups. I brought it home and looked in with a borescope. Approximately 2 inches of the throat was gone I suspect that it was a really accurate rifle that probably had around 100K rounds shot through it. I had previously purchased a CG63 target barrel for that rifle. I replaced the barrel and had to do some machining to get the original barrel off. That Swedish high-grade vanadium steel was some of the toughest I have ever machined. The replacement barrel needed cleaning but had perfect rifling underneath the dirt. Luckily I found an original rare CG63 stock on Gunbroker and was luckily the only bidder so got that rare but unwanted stock for cheap. The headspace was perfect after assembly. It is historically accurate because the CG63 target rifles were built from parts like my gun. I was impressed by the quality of that 110YO steel!
A great cartridge, does everything a 6.5 Creedmore does but was doing it 100+ years ago. Obviously underrated & misunderstood in the US based on this podcast...but relatively common in Australia with ammunition readily available & reasonably priced
The 6.5mm bullet generally used in the 55mm Swede has the best ballistic coefficient of virtuly any other caliber.
Yes. They did't mentioned it in the show, but that is the real reason to it's success.
I have an old 6.5 Swed with an original stepped barrel that had been sporterized. I have been thinking of using it for deer in PA this coming season (if I can find some ammo or components). Nice to see you covering some of the older cartridges! Keep em coming!
In my day it had a reputation for great penetration and having the ability to harvest game larger than you would think a 6.5 could. We attributed this to that it was designed for a 160 gr bullet that was very long for caliber. ( it had a very fast twist rate 1-8, far a head of its time.)
Name it the 26 Viking and it will fly off the shelves
🤣👍🏼
Thats smart
So damn true 😂😂 🇸🇪🇸🇪🍻
Have had a few 6.5x55's over the years and we currently have a LH Tikka T3 that my wife uses. It's a fantastic round that when you load it to it's potential is better than the infamous Creedmoor. Extremely accurate too.
I bought a Sweedish Mauser M38 5.6 x 55 (which was mfg in 1943 my birth year) back in the 80's. I had won a bushnell scope and had nothing to use it with. I took this military rifle to a gun smith and had the scope mounted. I then put a composit stock on it. I have use it for hunting one time and dropped in his spot a white tail at about 100 yards. Love this rifle.
Great to see some love for the Swede - as an American living and working in Europe I really love the exposure to these venerable old cartridges, and 6.5x55 SE is one of my favorites.
The comment about having a high quality European rifle chambered in a bunch of different cartridges is spot-on over here. My favorite rifle, my Sig SHR 970, runs 6.5x65 RWS (like a German .264 Win Mag), 6.5x55 SE, .280 Rem, 7x64 Brenneke (ballistic twin to the .280 but much easier to find ammo for over here) - and I am actively on the lookout for 7.5x55 Swiss and .30-06 Sprg barrels. There is something to be said for having the exact same manual of arms no matter which cartridge you are shooting... but as an American I can't be satisfied with just one!
Love 6.5X55. My first rifle was a Ag42B. That semi auto rifle was pretty damn sweet. Now have a Swedish Mauser.
Id love to hear ryans take on 264 win mag and the win mag line history as a whole.
I recently sent him an email including that very topic. 65 Swede is my all-time favorite cartridge, and I’m working on buying a pre 64 in .264 WinMag. These new six-fives are great and all, but there have been cartridges doing it for a loooong time…
@@ryancrouse5790 very true. Im a win mag fan and for historical reasons, i really want a 264. Id like to hear the usual history and performance. Ryans knowledge and experience is really worth listening to. Id love a win mag deep dive
@@greatlakespowerstrokefx4 I had the pleasure of testing the rifle out that I’m getting from a friend for a very friendly price. It’s an absolute laser-beam. It feels great running those hot rods through that pre 64 action 😍 I highly suggest it. I only took it to about 200 yards, but it got there so fast that I didn’t have time to recover through the scope to even see a hint of the dust splashes. It’s like I was shooting blanks in that regard. If there hadn’t been holes in the box, I wouldn’t have believe it.
Sauer makes the sauer STR in 6.5x55 (Scandinavian Taget Rifle)
You can get barrels in 670mm(26.4) 700mm(27.5) or 740mm(29.1).
And just change them out as they wear out.
@ Mr - The company CZ - out of the Czech Republic - makes some great rifles chambered in 6.5x55, or at least they once did. Their American 557 bolt-action, for example. And in a modern high-strength steel Mauser-style action, the cartridge can really be loaded up to its full potential.
@@GeorgiaBoy1961 Living in Sweden as I do, the 6.5x55 ammo is cheaper than 6.5 creedmoor.
My guess is that it is reversed in the US. So there I would pick 6.5 Creed or 260 rem. I hope you guys get primers back.
@@Greyzonecompliant - I can't speak for the country, of course, but only where I live in the rural Midwest. It is easier to find 6.5 CM than 6.5x55, but you can find both if you know where to look. I'm sort of amazed that both are still popular and have a following as deer-hunting cartridges, when there are so many 270 Winchester and 30-30 rifles around, but maybe I ought not to be: The 6.5's have a lot going for them.
My mother is Danish, by the way, and some of my family's best friends growing up were expat Scandinavians living here in the U.S. I have fond memories of a dear friend, a wonderful Swedish lady who made delightful Swedish pancakes for breakfast and those heavenly Swedish meatballs for dinner! Yummy...
I am stiff miffed at my parents for not teaching me Danish when I was a kid and it would have been easier to pick up. Oh well...
WHAT IS THIS, 6.5x55?! Im dreaming.. / *cries happy tears in swedish*
I've had a 6.5x55 since 1995 when I built my first one on a Mexican 1910 Mauser and a NOS surplus M38 barrel and fell in love with the cartridge. Nothing but sweet. I found that the Turkish M38 is a small ring barrel shank and have built a couple more but still have the 1910 Mexican which I bought at a gunshow already turned into a sporter with a bad barrel. The thing now is NOS barrels are getting hard to find and more expensive. Use to buy a barrel for 50.00. Saw one the other day for 300.00, crazy.
My old boss shoots long range with this caliber. Hes been doin it since wayyyyy before it was the cool trend. He shoots some weird 1000 yard class that is peep sights only, no optics. Never understood how those guys could see that far not to mention droppin shots into a paper plate with the naked eye.
Sounds a lot like the Swedish sport called fältskytte (field shooting). Field shooting is almost exclusively shot with 6,5x55.
Jedi masters everyone of long range shooters who only use peep sights
I built a custom 6.5x55 Sweed on a Mauser 98 action. Love it, handloads shoot perfact out to 800yds.
I knew a retired coal miner back in the 1960's that swore by the 6.5 × 55. They bought surplus rifles cheap and sporterized them. He swore by Norma ammo. These old timers would actually fabricate box magazine from sheet steel.
I have a numbers matching 1907 Swedish mauser. Smoothest action I've ever shot, cock on close, took a moose down in 1 shot from 120yds with the original iron sights. I read that norma and other European companies actually use the old mauser action and barrels for load development, so that opens some doors for performance ammo. Best thing about the old mausers, is that they love heavy bullets!
I've got a 1898, but I don't think all my numbers match. Nice action on them.
My favourite calibre and I own few. I took a 1000 lb bull elk at 450 yards with my old trusty Tikka T3. I got my elk tag and had planned on using my 7 MM STW. I was having accuracy issues with my hand loads so I took my Tikka that I knew was spot on for accuracy. I was concerned that it wasn't enough for a bull elk but after dropping a bull at range with one shot I was sold. After that I sold my STW and ordered a Sako 85.
Yes, you can load well above the published data with these. I emailed Barnes and Nosler and asked for some load data for modern actions, and both sent me a print out of a previous version of their manual with much hotter loads. Right now my hunting bullet is a 130 gr Accubond at 2920 FPS with a sub 1/2 MOA accuracy. I have pushed it well over 3000 but accuracy started to drop off. There are absolutely no pressure signs going this hot and I am certain that I could find a stable load at 3K if that was something that was practical.
With a descent bullet the ol swede will take anything in North America less the critters with large teeth.
Currently I have a T3 varmint and Sako 85 both in 6.5 x 55. As much as I am interested in other calibres, I have a hard time not sticking with this secret gem. Honestly this blows the doors off the 6.5 CM and is much more practical than a large magnum like 26 Nos and 6.5 WBY.
"30 gr Accubond at 2920 FPS with a sub 1/2 MOA accuracy." i have a cz550 that for can handle the pressure, wich was the load data??
H4350. I started with the Nosler book and work your way up from max.
A friend of mine (who was big time into reloading and making custom wood stocks) told me that I needed to go to Rose's Department Store (back in 1990) and grab a Swedish Mauser. This was back when they were still sold in surplus and man, I got a good one! Looking back on it, the only thing I regret about it was not getting two more!
I've hunted with a Remington 700 Classic in 6.5x55 for years. Love it! Beautiful, accurate and effective!
I have been hunting and loading for 6.5x55 Swede for 35 years. Built my first one on a unissued 96 swede mauser. My handloads outrun the 6.5CM with less chamber pressure. I also have one built on a Savage action, and use the newer load dat, the 6.5x55SE, it starts where the old data for mausers ends. Over 40 dead deer, 700 woodchucks, hundreds of crows and around 100 coyotes, all right here in KY and Tenn. I have several, all of them will shoot well under 1/2 MOA, out to 500yds, the farthest I have shot it on paper. My longest whitetail shot was with the swede and a 120 gr SP, Sierra, running 3050 fps, 510 yds. It was a quartering away shot, hit the last rib on the left side, thru the vitals, and blew the right front leg off above the knee, DRT.
Very good round and excellent to reload very forgiving can seat the bullet at various lengths in the old M39 Mauser. Love it and used it for 16 years.
My daughter took my 1896 Swede to the Whittington Center and one of her friends was constantly hitting steel at 500 yards with factory Federal ammo. I am just now working on hand loads for it.
Bought a model 96 back in the 80’s. Was my mule for home gunsmithing projects. Both my sons got several mule deer with it. Low recoil, accurate, perfect beginner cartridge. Couple years ago I bought a model 70 featherweight in this chambering.
Speer 14 reloading manual lists a second set of loads for strong commercial actions.
The 6.5x57 Mauser also compares great with the 6.5swede and the 6.5creed. My 6.5x57 drives a 140gr nosler cc at 2810 ft/s. Great cartridge!
I have a tikka t3 hunter in 6.5 swede. It’s quickly become my favorite hunting rifle. Also, I’ve heard the improved version of the 6.5 swede called the 6.5 addiction.
I have the same Remington classic in 6.5 x 55 swede, I am surprised you didn't mention the versatility of bullets from 70 grains to 160 grains. Anything from varmints to moose has been killed with this great cartridge and I haven't had any of the issues with brass that Jim did. Also should have mentioned that Remington put that cartridge in a long action so you can seat the larger bullets out further. Also, when handloading you can seat the bullets out further allowing more powder capacity while maintaining safe pressures. Modern actions like the Remington 700 or Model 70 Winchester can really bring out the full potential of this great cartridge. Also, I think the only reason it didn't take off in the USA is because America didn't seem to like the Metric designation behind the numbers? I love the 6.5 x 55.
I love the 6.5 swede. I walked into a OC, Ca consignment gun store and picked up a 1915 Gustav M38 Swedish Mauser with a Vasteras micrometer rear sight for $300. I get it home and disassemble the rifle. to my surprise every piece is original numbers matching (and the Swede's stamp every piece). The barrel disc was stamped "0", which means the last time the Swedish army tested it was in perfect condition. This friggin rifle was perfect, yet had all the cool patina a 100+ year old rifle should have. But I need to shoot this thing, right... So the same gun store had one box of 6.5x55 121gr boattail Lapua match ammo that was at least 30+ years old on the shelf. I had to actually clean the light corrosion off the brass LOL. I took it out to a medium range (500yd) in Palm Desert. First shot on the 100 yd steel nailed it... I laughed.. then hit again. So I went to 300yds... first shot high... next 10 dead center. 500 was miss, miss, hit, miss... but I'm sure that's my aging eyes with iron sights... not the rifle. The 6.5 Swede is one of the flattest shooting rounds I have ever used. Since then I have stocked up on Lapua Ammo from Optics Planet...
Got an early 1980’s Sako AV in 6,5 Swedish that is ridiculously accurate. Took a nice deer last year with it using 156g Sellier and Bellot soft points. Didn’t go twenty!
I got 2 6.5x55 milsurp's one is sporterized with a scope, made in the 20's that I hunt with and the other was made by husqvarna in 1944. The husqvarna is all oringal, it is a beautiful rifle. I use it shooting in military rifle silhouette matches.
,On a late 60s monthly trip into the Armory with dad, I picked up a 94 Gustaf's 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser $6.50, everything was 1 dollar a millimeter at the time. It had a sixteen inch barrel with the xtra half inch tube welded on for import. We did a lot of customs for hunters. I took off the upper hand guard and accessories (fancy stuff) drilled and installed a Williams 5D peep sight, left the front sight but soldered a piece of copper wire on top of the point. you could find Norma ammo readily available but I liked to make up my own loads. It was my deer rifle for the next ten years till someone wanted it more than me and stole it. That was a great rifle and very accurate.
I have a Tikka 6.5 x 55
I settled on a load using 143 ELDX bullets at 2730 fps .
During testing maximum speed achieved was 2840 fps but the accuracy wasn’t great.
The 2730 fps load shoots 1/2 inch all day long , speed isn’t as important as accuracy.
Quote: “6.5 Swede sounds French”…..Bwaaa Haaaa Haaaa! Oh my gosh! The Swede is a classic! Actually if you research the pressures of original 6.5 Swede ammo and the pressures the Swede rifles were original designed to handle, and the pressure tests, you will find that these are not weak actions as many loading books would have you think. Some loading books now give it it’s due. European 6.5x55 ammo has always been loaded to so much hotter velocities than US ammo companies load it too. The Scandinavians and Europeans have no problems shooting these hotter loads in their old Carl Gustav Swedish Mausers. I have never heard of any old Swedish Mausers having any integrity issues. The 6.5 Swede has been the go to moose cartridge in Scandinavia for generations. They prefer heavy bullets for moose like the 156 grain Norma load. Great video! Glad you appreciate this iconic classic old war horse. Kimber of Oregon once produced a great many custom “sporterized” rifles in 6.5x55 on vintage military Swedish Mausers. Currently Howa chambers rifles for it, as does Tikka, and Savage has made many 6.5 Swedes recently. Ruger has chambered the Hawkeye in it, and still lists it in their “African” model.
The Carl Gustaf and Husqvarna M96 6.5x55 used a special high quality Swedish steel. Proof tested to almost 63,000psi. Husqvarna chambered M96 in 30-06 for many years with absolutely no problems. I have one of Sporterized by Kimber Carl Gustaf 6.5x55. Absolutely great shooter.
Great podcast featuring the real 6.5 cartridge. I have several 6.5x55 rifles that are M96 Mauser actions. Two of them are full stocked m96 Swede rifles, two are m96 Swede rifles in sporter stocks. I also have a couple in M98 action custom rifles. I have only ever shot or loaded full power loads in them as the actions are easily capable of handling modern loads. I doubt there are very many of the old weak actions that require anemic loads but SAAMI specs continue to revolve around these old weak action specifications. I have heard that European cartridge makers load their cartridges to modern specs and they don't seem to be worried about any problems with weak actions. Every 6.5x55 m96 Swede Mauser is or was proof tested to approximately 66,000PSI.
M96 (small ring mausers) and krag jorgensen are rifles that the caliber was made for. there is good information around the krag, as it is still used in norway for competition in service rifle competitions. And the locking in that rifle is weak, one lug. when the pressure is high the bolt flexes and will cause stray shots and if it goes to high it can even damage the rifles.
Another fun trivia - the norwegians in competition talked about shooting "wet", if you shot a wet case the water on the case and in the chaimber would cause the rifle to shift its POI, like it does with high pressures. So a solution to that, when there was bad weater, was to shoot everything wet as to keep the POI the same.
but in a modern rifle, say rem 700, tikka t3x (wich is sold in the caliber) and winchester 70 you can load it to same pressure as creedmoor - essentialy getting close to 6.5 PRC performance as the case volume is nearly identical.
Good one fellas,good to see Jimmy J in this one👍
The Swede has less recoil than an '06. It has a higher (better) drag coefficient. VERY flat shooting. Greater cross-sectional density for similar-weight bullets. Extremely accurate. It's available on every continent (excepting possibly Antarctica) in the world. If you haven't heard of it, you need to get out more. Mine was made in 1903, and it still shoots like a dream.
Some Sweds call 6.5CM, the 6.5 Cost More....
Excellent topic, gentlemen! The 6.5 SE is such a good round and you are completely correct. The modern load books do not do the round justice.
I am not so patiently waiting on 25 Creedmoor!
I predict this becoming a big deal!! The 10 min cartridge talks!! Some of the manufacturers may not lile this content talked about lol I was having these talks with my dad by age 9... I love it!!
I have one. Had if for years.. love it
Greetings from Bulgaria! My 6.5x55s are almost touching 6.5 PRC velocities - lights and heavys and with ordinary hunting Tikka superlight. Groups under 0.5 MOA. Very easy to load, plenty of case choices. A killer round and my favorite :)
Glad to see that the Swede is getting more attention. I’ve been handloading and shooting my Remington 700 classic for about 23 years now. It’s always been my go to gun.
My first deer rifle is a 6.5 Swede Mauser that I got used already modernized back in the 90s. It’s a flat shooting low recoiling rifle that one shoots Michigan 8 and 10 point bucks.
I think a good 10 minute talk on cheap hunting ammo Remington corlok, Winchester super X verse nozzler or Barnes would be a good be a pretty good episode.
How funny cheap ammo not any more 😵💫 yeah that would be a good video
I second this. The way I'd want it is "bullet construction comparison" as far as uses are concerned (what are better for bone crushing etc)
FN ‘98 action, #2 match fluted barrel, McMillan Edge stock. Load to modern specs with 125 (deer) and 140 (moose) nosler partitions. A freaking wonderful combination!! If I need more or bigger I go .300 H&H or 9.3x62.
Love the 6.5x55. Have a Tikka Hunter. Load Bullet: Hornady 129-grain SP Interlock (Lt# 2620)
Powder: IMR 4350 @ 37.9-grains. Have 100-yard 3-shot groups in the 1/8 and 1/4 range. It seems to digest most everything very well. Very impressed with this cartridge.
I've owned 3 Carl Gustaf rifles in 6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser. Bought my first one in 1985. My brother who was a licensed gun dealer at the time was buying them by the crate full @ $75 a rifle and sporterizing them with a Ramline stock, glass bedding and free floating the barrels to resell at $300 a pop. These rifles were tack drivers. Still use my first rifle for deer hunting with hand loaded 120 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips.
I did the same exact thing with a 8 millimeter Mauser, back in the early 80s. Still have that rifle today ram-line stock timney trigger Mark 5 safety. We'll shoot 190 class bullets sub Moa till this day
My father had a Mauser in 6.5X55 He lived by that rifle. I have it now and love it !!!!
In reference to why your Remington wouldn’t chamber/bolt closing in the European 6.5 Swede rounds is that the American 6.5x55 cases were based on the 30-06. The European cases are made off the original cartridge blueprints which had a thicker rim.
In my youth in Denmark, late sixties we used 6,5x55 for target shooting. The rifles where germane Mauser with a danish Schultz & Larsen pipe.
The 6.5 Creedmoor is to the 6.5 Swede as the 7mm 08 is to the 7 x 57 Mauser.
I still have my 6.5 × 55 swede in an original Swedish mauser made in 1893 or 1895 with all matching numbers. I can't remember due to not shooting it it in a good while. I loved shooting this rifle due to its long range capabilities when the opportunity presents itself and wouldn't hesitate to take a long shot shot past 200 yards on any given day. I've owned this rifle for 40 years after seeing it for the 1st time I laid hands on it. The 1st time I heard and seen this caliber was on a Elk/Mule deer hunt out to Walden, Colorado
Just added my third 6.5 swede, thank you for doing episode on this great cartridge!
I grew hearing it called a 6.5 Caribou. What a sweetheart of a whitetail round!
Keep up the amazing work gentlemen!
Can you shed some light on Husqvarna rifles?
I've owned a Carl Gustaf, M96 Swedish Mauser for more that 20 years. Manufacturing quality is top notch. It typically fires 1" groups from its 29" barrel. These rifles are routinely used to take moose and caribou in Scandanavia.
Man an AG-42 sounds sooo sweet. Basically a semi automatic rifle in 6.5 creedmore in 1942!!! Way way ahead of time and one of only two countries with a semi automatic rifle standard.
What I prefer about the swede over the creedmore is its ability to load those heavy long for caliber bullets like the 160gr round nose. What you might sacrifice in the long range you gain a deep penetrating bullet that’s still very pleasant to shoot. For someone like me that hunts the upper midwest(thick woods, thicker deer) thats really appealing.
Also the anemic factory loadings are more for the Norwegian Krag-Jorgensen’s. The single lug bolt can’t handle the stress of hot loads.
Note that only the American Krag-Joergensens had a single lug, the others had two. The service ammunition the Norwegian Krags were shooting was about 51k PSI with copper crusher, far higher than the 46k PSI SAAMI sets for the cartridge with copper crusher.
Just purchased 2 rifles in 6.5 Swede. One is a Parker Hale lightweight that replaced the identical rifle I had in 30.06 that I had to sell because it was crippling to shoot. I love this cartridge so much I picked up a second rifle (Interarms 1085) in the same caliber. Both rifles area pleasure to shoot with 140 grain ammo.
🤠 After shooting one of my Sako rifles (I've owned 3), my co-worker went out and bought 7 Tikka Rifles (the barrels come off the same production line as the Sako rifles)! His favorite chambering, the 6.5 Swede, which he uses for shooting competitions! He can shoot it off had at 500 meters better than most people can shoot off a bench at 300 meters! He has also killed two bull elk with it in the 340-350 class! He reloads, and says the cartridges capabilities are much higher than advertised! You just can't argue with success? 🤷♂️ It is a fine cartridge and highly underappreciated in this country! Those people in Scandinavian countries really know how to hunt and fish - and make fine rifles! 🦌 I think they have this one right, you don't need a Big Magnum to kill Big Critters! It's all about shot placement! 👍
My dad bought one in the early 80's. It has taken many deer and varmints. Great woods gun for under 300 yards. 1:8 twist barrels. Hits hard, deer rarely run off. If you are using it for pelts, use full metal jackets. Exit wound can be the size of a lemon.
I have shot several mooses with the 6,5*55 it performs like a .308w, its used for beaver with Vmax bullets, hunting capercaillie in the top of trees on skiis (toppfågeljakt) with fmj.
All that discussion, and didn't mention the "2-stage" trigger.... I owned one, btw. Loved it !!!