6.5x55

W

walk about

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Mar 7, 2012
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hi all just converted from bow hunting & am lookinh for some addvice. im looking at getting a 6.5x55 for long distance & would appreciate amy suggestions, have a buget of about $800 for rifle.
 
walk about said:
hi all just converted from bow hunting & am lookinh for some addvice. im looking at getting a 6.5x55 for long distance & would appreciate amy suggestions, have a buget of about $800 for rifle.
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For long distance what? Target shooting, hunting of medium or larger animals like elk?

And welcome to LRH!

Scot E.
 
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Above all else, make sure it has an 1-8 twist barrel.

If you are going to shoot LR with it, you will shoot the 130s or 140s and you will need the 8 twist.

You can find a lot of semi-custom or customs available in a 6.5 caliber that will be much easier to find than the 6.5x55. (260, 260 AI, 6.5 Creedmoor, and 6.5x47)
 
MTBULLET said:
Look at CZ, or used remington
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I agree with having him look at the CZ for an over the counter gun, it is really good in my experience. They come with great to excellent accuracy and are always well finished. The 550 swede comes with a 23.5 inch barrel which is about the perfect length for that cartridge.

Scot E.
 
thanks all, will look into CZ am a big fan as my old man had bruno 22lr & the finish & acc was very nice!
 
P.S. can anyone recomend a good med priced scope to match up with this rifle? & im also looking at a rugger m77 .223 varmint for smaller game ie dogs & goats. dose anyone have or had one?:D
 
$800 for a rifle and scope of just the rifle?

You'll certainly have to do used on the rifle if you're trying to be at/under $800 for rifle and glass.
 
The Swede is likely a 5-600 yard rifle for deer maybe a bit farther but you will have to watch your bullet selection as many of today's popular bullets have minimum velocity ratings around 1800+ fps for which they will expand properly.

Not sure what kind of hogs you are shooting but they may require a tougher bullet and even shorter distances if they are as tough as the one around here.

Lots of great scopes on the market. What is your price range and what features do you want? You need to come up with a list to narrow things down then start your search.

HTH,


Scot E.
 
I know match/steel are different than hunting, and FMJ is different than hunting projectiles, but if the military is good with .308, and the 6.5 carries more energy and velocity out to 1,000 yards, why do so many people think the 6.5s are limited to 500 yards for game up to 350 lbs?

The solid copper bullets like the Barnes TTSX and Hornady GMX need 1800 FPS, but lead tips and lead core ballistic tips don't.
 
jtkratzer said:
I know match/steel are different than hunting, and FMJ is different than hunting projectiles, but if the military is good with .308, and the 6.5 carries more energy and velocity out to 1,000 yards, why do so many people think the 6.5s are limited to 500 yards for game up to 350 lbs?

The solid copper bullets like the Barnes TTSX and Hornady GMX need 1800 FPS, but lead tips and lead core ballistic tips don't.
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Most of today's popular hunting bullets need 1800 fps to expand. I would argue that in reality that is on the low end for many of them. This would include Berger, AB, Barnes, Swifts. Some nosler BT's in certain calibers will expand below this but some others don't expand consistently. My point is that you need to be careful when choosing a lower powered cartridge because little things like bullet selection can make a big mess if one isn't careful.

My personal favorite LR hunting bullet on mule deer and smaller animals is the Hornday A-max, in large part because you get good expansion way below the 1800 fps range which allows me to extend my distances with mild recoiling carry weight rifles.

Scot E.
 
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Scot E said:
Most of today's popular hunting bullets need 1800 fps to expand. I would argue that in reality that is on the low end for many of them. This would include Berger, AB, Barnes, Swifts. Some nosler BT's in certain calibers will expand below this but some others don't expand consistently. My point is that you need to be careful when choosing a lower powered cartridge because little things like bullet selection can make a big mess if one isn't careful.

My personal favorite LR hunting bullet on mule deer and smaller animals is the Hornday A-max, in large part because you get good expansion way below the 1800 fps range which allows me to extend my distances with mild recoiling carry weight rifles.

Scot E.
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When talking about copper solids, absolutely. It just amazes me how many people want a .308 for "long range hunting" but a .260 Rem, 6.5x47, 6.5x55 carry more velocity and energy down range than a .308, but at the same time, others say the 6.5s are not sufficient.

How do you like the A-Max when shooting under 300 yards?
 
jtkratzer said:
When talking about copper solids, absolutely. It just amazes me how many people want a .308 for "long range hunting" but a .260 Rem, 6.5x47, 6.5x55 carry more velocity and energy down range than a .308, but at the same time, others say the 6.5s are not sufficient.

How do you like the A-Max when shooting under 300 yards?
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I love the 6.5's so you won't hear much negative from me. I tailor my bullet selection to the distance I shoot for all my calibers so the 6.5 isn't being singled out by me! :)

Regarding the A-max's, it just depends on the impact velocity. I limit use to around 2600 fps and below and I haven't had any issues. For closer shots I carry a 2nd bullet that shoots very close to the same POI and will hold together at higher impact velocities.

Scot E.
 
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