6.5x55 load ?

[17 rem savage]

hey guys

been awhile since i posted, got a ? on a build i just finished

Savage 110 action
23" shilen 1-8 barrel
ive been reloading up some 120 A-max IMR 4350 3.050 coal
hit a great node at 47.5grs of said powder 5 shot group 1 7/8" at 300 yards
im wondering if im getting in dangerous levels here, ive got no pressure signs and no load data to really confirm with.

i do have a old #9 speer book with 6.5x55 data
shows a .263" Dia 120gr. speer spitzer with Imr 4350 min load 45gr and a max of 49grs
my barnes and hornady books are all geared to the older actions

would love to hear from some of you guy on this!!
thanks Bo

 

[cfvickers]

That's funny, i thought you were asking for a load and I was going to say 47.5 grains of IMR4350 and just about any 120-130 grain bullet. It always works great for all of my 6.5x55s fro old to new.

 

[17 rem savage]

thanks cfvickers

do you happen to have a MV for the 120s with that 47.5 of imr 4350?

ive been shooting the past few days with this bad boy in temps 10-30 degrees.
i like to do most my load work this time of year, seems to help for the cold weather hunting situations we get here in idaho, but the way this gun is performing so far i cant wait to stretch its legs on some long range rock chucks this summer.

im wondering if this load will be ok for pressure in 80-90 degree weather?

thanks again for any help...

 

[cfvickers]

2750 from a 20 inch barre Steyr SBSl with PRVI or older Frontier brass. Should be around 2850-2900 from a 24 inch or longer barrel. ES runs about 20. I have a model 38 in original form that Ihave never run anything across a chrono with, and a 98 mauser that I have also not chronographed that one in. It has a 27 inch barrel and gets 2850 from 129s with 47.5 grains of IMR4350.

 

[17 rem savage]

thanks cfvickers

looks like this is the load ill stick with.

got one more ?. i picked up some 140 sst for the 6.5, ive got alot of Rl22 and Imr 4350.
do u got any load ideas for this combo. i started up some from 46-48grs. of Rl22 with 0.2gr. lifts. Haven't had a chance to shoot them yet, just wondering if im on the rite track?

thanks Bo

 

[cfvickers]

I have not tried any of the 4350s with 140 grain bullets. However I would reccomend working up your load with RL22 and it usually does very well. Some chambers and brass (capacity) will take up to 50 grains of RL22 with 140 grain bullets without pressure, but data manuals always say the max is 46 grains. Start with about 43 grains and this will likely yield a velocity of about 2450-2500 fps and work up from their. You will not see huge velocity gains per .5 grain of powder but they will be consistent until you get to your max load. At max, while you will likely not see pressure signs, your velocity gains will either stop or start to decline. when you stop seeing gains back off .5 grains and call that your max. With this cartridge there is a lot af variance in maximum load, especially with reloader 22. Your most accurate load will almost positively be between 45 and 47 grains from my experience. This has been the case in about 9 different 6.5x55s that I have owned. Now, with the 140 SST you may not get any outstanding velocities but they tend to be accurate. they have a very long bearing surface and tend to have a slightly lower maximum load than other 140 grain BT hunting bullets. Your maximum velocity with about any powder will probably be about 2700 FPS with a 23 inch barrel, anything beyond that should be seen as a gift. On that note with the BC of the 140 SST you should be able to easily kill deer sized game a 500 yards still. If you want to get into the 2800+ velocity range with a 140 I recommend a berger VLD. I have gotten good velocity and accuracy with 140 grain 6.5x55 loads with IMR7828 as well and while I cannot remember the starting load off the top of my head, I don't think you can fit enough in the case to cause an over-pressure situation. 7828 doesn't do that well in a 20 inch barrel because it just burns too slow, you will just have to try it with the 23 inch barrel if you want. In longer barrels it seems to do very well. If you are getting a lot of muzzle flash, try a Federal 215 primer. It will help to get a better burn from the heavier charge in the shorter barrels. I use them with all of my loads in my Steyr and my velocities seem to have improved along with reduced muzzle flash. Of course when you are getting heavy muzzle flash, you are probably not getting the full potential from your powder charge and ES/SD will likely suffer.

 

[17 rem savage]

i really cant thank you enough for the info cfvickers.

i hit the range today with 140 sst and things looked pretty good, i brought my range dies with me and loaded Rl22 43-45.5gr 5 shot strings with 1/2 grain lifts to make sure i wasn't going to get pressure signs earlier then the 46-48 grainers i loaded. Everything i shot was well under MOA, with 47-47.6grs being the best at .4 MOA at 100 yards.

I've heard bad things about Rl22 with lot to lot consistence, I've always loved it in my 7mm rsaum with no probs. just wondering what you thought about it?

I would love to make this 6.5 my 500 yard deer rifle. i gotta get my hands on some VLDs.

 

[cfvickers]

I use it first in everything it works well in. I have had more lot to lot problems with IMR 4350. I have used RL-22 in 6.5x55, 300 win mag, .270 WSM, 6.5-284 didn't really like it, 7 Rem Mag, and a few others I can't think of off the top of my head. It is my preference with the .270WSM, and 300 win mag, and if I shoot 140s from my 6.5x55s because I keep more on hand than I do 7828 and my most used one is the 20" Steyr.

 

[17 rem savage]

well ill keep using it, ive always had good luck with it.

thanks again Bo