Pet loads for the Swede?

[taylorce1]

Anyone have any tried and true pet loads for the 6.5X55? My buddy Hooligan1 is working on a swede and is looking for a 200+ yard deer Ioad. Please post your recipes here or in the link, the lighter the recoil the better as well.

Thank you!

 

[ligonierbill]

My go to is a 140 SGK/CCI 200/Re-22/COL 3.05. Running 2,758 avg and grouping <1" at 100. I left out the powder charge, as I load a bit above current manuals. Find an older Speer manual, and you'll see this load. My rifle is a M70 Classic Featherweight with a 22" barrel. Many manuals test in old Mausers, which were designed to lower pressures than current European specs, and I would not shoot this load in my M96.

I have never fired a 6.5x55 round that produced objectionable recoil, but if you want a lighter bullet, my gun does well with 120 Nosler Ballistic Tips. Published Nosler load of 47.0 H4350 COL 3.10 yields 2,937 avg and a 1/2" group. Nosler used a 23" test barrel and got 3,000.

What is your friend shooting?

 

[hooligan1]

Its an M96,( Carl Gustov) customized by Kimber of Oregon.

 

[ligonierbill]

In that case, don't push it. Check the Sierra manual - they tested in an original M96. I really like the 140 SGK.

 

[Clark]

Ackley never tested the Swede in his book.
So I bought a 94, 96, and 38 for destructive testing.

When designing a bidding designs for the military, I often quoted a price for "qualify by similarity" to an existing product. Qualification testing is a one time torture test with an inch thick write up. Then each production part is just functionally tested.

I seem to have forgotten that while loading up on guns at gun shows.

Check my work:
When I measure the bolt lugs and calculate the lug cross section in shear:
Mosin Nagant 0.414 square inches
Savage 110 0.396""
Remington 700 0.387""
Win M70 0.376""
96 Mauser 0.325""
98 Mauser 0.313""

When I run 7mmREM in an old 98 Mauser with 110 kpsi, the lugs and abutments start to show plastic deformation.

 

[Slamfire]

I went out and tested Swedish ball in several Swedish M1896's and then developed a load that was approximately the same velocity and the same bullet weight. My load with 43 grs of 4350 shot very well in all rifles. I did post a 100 yard target from my M700, considering that it is a light weight sporter, the group is more than adequate for a hunting rifle.

In modern rifles, you can push the pressure and velocity envelope, but in vintage military rifles, stay within vintage pressures and velocities. You can also see just how much faster a 29 inch barrel will push the bullet given the same powder charge. Very impressive.



M1896 Infantry Rifle 29' barrel Carl Gustafs mfgr 1903

17-Aug-06 T = 85 °F
143 gr FMJ 1986 Swedish Ball

Ave Vel = 2610
Std Dev = 14.38
ES = 45.59
High = 2633
Low = 2587
N = 8

M38 Infantry Carbine 24" barrel
28-Oct-94 T ≈ 60 °F

143 gr 1986 Swedish Ball OAL 3.065" 47.4 grs powder average

Ave Vel = 2427
Std Dev = 22
ES = 62
Low = 2395
High = 2457
N = 10



M700 22" Barrel

143 gr Swedish Ball 1986 headstamp

2 Feb 2008 T = 54 °F

Ave Vel = 2470
Std Dev = 18
ES = 48
High = 2491
Low = 2443
N = 5

140 gr Hornday Spire Point 43.0 grs AA4350
R-P new brass CCI-200 OAL 2.990"

2 Feb 2008 T = 52 °F

Ave Vel = 2512
Std Dev = 27
ES = 72
High = 2547
Low = 2475
N = 5

M70 Featherweight 22" Barrel

140 gr Hornady Spire Point 43.0 grs AA4350
R-P new brass CCI-200 OAL 2.990"

18 Nov 2007 T = 75 °F

Ave Vel = 2428
Std Dev = 29
ES = 95
High = 2480
Low = 2385
N = 24

easy bolt life,nice rounded primers

 

[hooligan1]

Thank you fellas for posting. I'm taking this rifle south tomorrow to its new owner, and with it some commercial ammo that shot decent enough for the distances she will hunt with it.
It's bittersweet though, working with Taylorce1 and my local smith and going through the entire process of this build and giving it to it's new owner.
About the new owner, she is a waitress who grew up in a poor family, and through life she has learned the value of nice posessions and will take care of this rifle like it was a baby.

 

[2ndtimer]

If the 140's don't group well in the rifle, you might try the 120 gr Sierra Pro Hunters with 40.5 gr of IMR-4064 with a standard large rifle primer (I have used Rem 9 1/2 or CCI-200). It was listed as Sierra's accuracy load in my older Sierra manual and it works very well in my Howa 1500. Sort of flies in the face of "conventional wisdom" with the 6.5x55 which implies 140 gr bullets and powder 4350 or slower is the best option. It is mild recoiling, too. I haven't tried it on game yet, but may in the future. Kind of hard to give up the flat shooting capability of my .270WSM for primary hunting duty, but the 6.5x55 should work fine at ranges around 250 yards or less.

 

[hooligan1]

In a strange twist of fate, I have reclaimed this particular rifle, it has promise to say the least.
I know this is an old thread, but I'm currently working on more loads as I write this.....
I will post results when they come along.

 

[BJung]

I own two swedes but have not recently shot them.

From what I recall, 4831 worked out very well on for my M96T. Twice I shot a group the size of a dime at 200 yards. That was 15 years ago so I don't have the load data. I was using 142gr SMKs and Norma cases.

My next tests will be using R22. I've read that this is a good powder of the swede as is the same powder as their military powder. If so, I can better simulate their loads and use the iron sights on my other swede.

 

[FITASC]

When I had my "sporterized" carbine from 1907 it liked 3031, 4895 and 4831 with 120 and 140 sierras. 3 shot MOA at 100 yards

 

[BJung]

That makes sense. The lightest bullet I shoot is 140gr so I lean toward the slower burning powders

 

[GeauxTide]

Hornady X uses an 1896 Mauser for it's data. 760 is the fastest powder listed for 129s. Looks like slower powders give the most velocity, like my 260. RL19 start is 38.2 and max is 44.8. H-4831 start is 33.8 and max is 45.6.

 

[hooligan1]

IMR 4831, N160 looking real nice with 142 grain AbLR's so far, more testing maybe this weekend.

 

[hooligan1]

140 grn SST's and IMR 4451 makes a nice group,
But what I really dig about this little rifle, it sends these test ends to the same poi.
As of this writing, the N160 needs more testing, along with the IMR4831.
If I were to hunt with it tomorrow, I'd load 20 rnds,
140 grain SST, 41.5 grns of 4451, .020 off the lands.