6.5 x 55 or 7mm-08?

[samsmix]

FWIW I'd bet that a 25-06 with 120gr nosler partitions would slap down a black bear easily enough. A better pronghorn cartridge you will never find.

That said, the 6.5x55 has class, and in spades! I would even place it higher than my beloved .257 Roberts, since you threw black bears into the mix. Their 140gr bullet should punch more bone and muscle that the 120s the .257 tops out with.

Say guys, are there any factory loads heavier than 120gr for the 25-06? What about bullets for handloaders?

 

[Charshooter]

I would go with the 7-08 mainly because it is based on the 308, but it is not identical other than the neck as the 260 is. My bias is anything on the 08 and 06 case

 

[Ruger4570]

I sort of grew up on the surplus 6.5 x 55 and the 7 x57's as they were very popular in the 60 as surplus. I have never stopped kicking my own butt for selling the 2 Swede carbines I once had. Dumb, dumb, just plain dumb. The both of them are like High School sweethearts, gone but not forgotten and would love to see them again..

 

[45-70]

Twist rate for CZ 550?

I feel dumb for not knowing what the twist rate in my CZ 6.5 Swede is, but it stabilizes 140 grain factory or handloads pretty well. It shoots MOA at 100 yards with most loads, not over 1.5 inches with anything.

 

[gonziii]

Thank you for all of the replies. I am really leaning towards the 6.5, my only thing is that I wish more rifles were offered in it. I will have to shop around and see what I can find from CZ or Tikka.

I have debated just getting a heavy barrel 308, thinking the weight would tame the recoil, but I would really like something on the light side, thats accurate and won't punish you when you are shooting it off a bench. A CZ or Tikka 6.5 sounds like it will fit the bill nicely.

 

[Wildalaska]

Proper twist rate for Swede with 140 plus bullets is 1-7.5 IIRC


Wildlikethoselonglumpy156sAlaska

 

[gonziii]

The fastest twist rate I can find, online at least, is the 1 in 8 on the Tikka. Is there something that you can recommend that is in the same price range as a T-3 hunter that is 1 in 7.5?

 

[Wildalaska]

No practical difference between 1-7.5 and 1-8

WildimhoAlaska

 

[FirstFreedom]

I want to say that the swedish mauser rifles actually have a 1 in 7.7" twist, though it may be 1 in 7.5" (very minute difference). Agree that 1 in 8" is more than fine though, unless you get up to 160/162s, in my (somewhat limited) understanding. Or maybe those 156s of which WA speaks. It's more the length than the weight though, so..... However, I cannot imagine that there's ANY 139-142 grainer that the 1 in 8" twist won't shoot well, and those are the weights for which the velocity to BC balance hits the sweet spot, at least with the crazy BC boattails offered up by berger, lapua, etc. (target bullets, though, not hunters).

 

[gonziii]

How would the 1 in 8.6 rifling on the CZ be at stabilizing bullets? Good up to 140s?

 

[Benonymous]

Recoil 6.5x55 vs .308

I find the recoil comparable in 6.5x55 and .308. I have a Tikka target rifle in 6.5x55 and a Steyr Scout in .308 and honestly with factory ammo I wouldnt say there was a massive difference in felt recoil. I shot a friends Steyr Tactical Elite in .308 and it was a comparable weight to my Tikka. I actually thought the .308 was milder than the 6.5x55. This may not be borne out by physical statistics but that's how it was for me. If you are going to have low recoil high on your list of preferences here there's not much of a difference between these two calibers. The main difference I have noticed is the drop out past 200yd. The .308 drops less than the 6.5x55 in my guns.

 

[bobn]

i was suprised how the win featherwieght in 6.5 55 i had recoiled as much as it did. light reloads did not shoot accurately. military rifle in 6.5 have a long throat and did not shoot well with our lighter weight hunting bullets. i switched to 308 and am much happier. bobn

 

[Lost River]

Just to throw in my thoughts.

I don't think you can go wrong with the 6.5 Swede, .260 or the 7-08. They are all very similar.

I have a .260 in a Lilja heavy barreled remington. My dad has a sporter barrel Tikka in 6.5 Swede. they both are sweet shooters. My dad's will shoot into the .3s for 3 shot groups with match bullets/ precision handloads and a 6x18 Leupold. He lets it cool for a while between each shot but accuracy like that in a sporter barrel is unreal. I would be happy with that in a heavy barrel.

Between the 2 of us we have 6 Tikka T3s and are happy with all of them.

Good luck

 

[marks655]

6.5 is my choice. Tikka > CZ, or if you have the extra money, a Sako. I have 2 sporterized '96 mausers and a Sako 75. All shoot well-under 1 MOA when handloading 120 gr Nosler BTs and H4350 powder.

 

[gonziii]

The guy at my local shop was telling me to go with a CZ over a Tikka. Something about the way new Tikkas are made, locking lug, barrell lug? is not an intergral part of the receiver or something. Anyway, not made the way they use to was the moral of his story. He tends to be a CZ/Savage guy though, so it probably isn't an unbiased opinion

Got my press this week and am waiting on some more reloading gear to come in the mail, so almost set on thet end. Just have to find a gun in the next few weeks and decide on caliber and get the dies. It will most likely be a 6.5 though, the 7mm looks good, but I just need to scratch my itch for the mauser

 

[gonziii]

Well I have a CZ 550 6.5 x 55 being held for me and I will most likely pick it up on Friday. I also ordered a Nikon Monarch 5.5 x 16.5 scope that I am going to put on my 12BVSS, and move the Redfield I have on it over to the CZ. I am someone tempted to put the Nikon on the CZ, but I think I will get another monarch, but a 3 - 10ish instead since I want this to be more of a walking gun.

I will send out an update once I get a chance to site it in.

Thank you all for all the information you provided.

 

[BUSTER51]

70-8 or even a 308 .

 

[arizona hunter]

Let us know when you start shooting the new rifle/scope combination.