6.5x55 swede and CZ info please

kyotekiller25

Well-known member
I just have a few questions on the 6.5x55 and the CZ line of rifles. You dont hear to much about this cartridge. I was looking at a CZ 550. It has a 25.5" bbl and set trigger. Does anyone know how long the magazine is, and if you would be able to use 140g amax or vld as a repeater? I"ve been reading a little bit about the cartridge/rifle and it says most rifles have extremely long throats and most of the time you cannot seat the bullets out far enough to reach the lands and still use it as a repeater. Also, how fast can you push those 140's out of the swede, is 2800fps easily attainable, or pushing it??? I would like to use it for a LR coyote/deer rifle out to at least 600 yards, possibly 800. Hows the accuracy like with CZ's??? Dont hear or read to much about them. Thanks for the replies in advance.
 
Jorey, I've been doing alittle research on the cartridge. Don't own one yet. I've read that with a 30" barrel 2900fps is done without pushing the brass too hard, with the 140 class bullets.

Who knows whats possible now? There's all this hype with this new powder technology, RL-17.. Might be a good powder for the Swede. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif

I've also read that this case is the optimum powder capacity for the 6.5 bore. Good brass is available, but I wouldn't hesitate to use Win brass, if I bought one. With the amount of taper this case has, it looks like it would feed great from magazines. Well it was a military cartridge.

I don't know if CZ would make a fast enough twist for those bullets. Thats a good question.
 
according to the C Z website the twist in the 550 American in 6.5 x55 is 1 in 8.6 inches. I would assume that w;ould stabilize a 140 bullet.
 
Thanks for that little bit of info Tanner. This has a 25.5" bbl so I would be hoping for 2800-2850. It does seem to be VERY efficient, only burning around 46-47g of powder is nice, thats about 10g less than my favorite 25-06, and will carry a little farther because of the excellent BC's the 6.5mm produce. Kinda hard to believe, but it is what it is... What would it take to stabilze the 140's, a 1-9" 1-10"?? I'm pretty sure it has to stabilze the 140's if they have that long throat to shoot the 156's, you would think anyways?? Keep the info coming guys...Anybody that owns one care to give me a magazine length reading, that would be really really helpfull as well.
 
The CZ 550 will have no trouble stabilizing the 140 gr bullets. The original Swedish Mauser m/38 and m/96 military issue rifles (with 1 in 7.5 twist) were designed to shoot these and heavier bullets. The 6.5x55mm is one of the most inherently accurate military cartridges ever designed, and is a pleasure to shoot.

Here is a moose from last season collected with my Remington 700 Classic chambered in 6.5x55mm (it has 1 in 8 twist) and shooting a 140 gr Barnes XLC bullet:

100_1337.jpg
 
I have been working up loads for the 6.5X55 this past week and from the Husky rifle I have been working with 24in barrel I have worked up to 2gr over book max and with the 120gr bullets I am getting 2975fps so maybe 2800fps is possible but probrably closer to 2700pfs just guessing.It is pretty accurate though it seems to hover around MOA with this 30+ year old gun.I am not sure that the Reloder 17 is THE powder I am useing Reloder 19 and some books are recommending the slower powders such as Reloder 22. Maybe the Reloder 17 is slower than the 19 but do not think so. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
Quote:
I am not sure that the Reloder 17 is THE powder I am useing Reloder 19 and some books are recommending the slower powders such as Reloder 22. Maybe the Reloder 17 is slower than the 19 but do not think so. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif



Here's the reason I said Reloader 17 would be interesting to try in a 6.5x55. I will copy this off the Long Range Target Shooting forum. It was tested in a 6.5x284 target rifle, and shows some exciting velocities but I haven't heard diddly about accuracy.

Quote:
I tested a 6.5 x 284 with the new RL17 powder (all 5 shot chrono sequences)

Rifle - 6.5 x 284, Prone Rifle built up by Warner Tool Co with Masterclass Laminate Stock by Carl Bernosky, Barnard Action, Bartlein 1:8.5" twist 5R rifled barrel (31" long for better sight radius for iron sights).

All loads were with Lapua 6.5 x 284 brass (neck turned), Fed 210M primed and loaded with naked (no moly) Berger 140 gr BT Thick Jacket bullets jumping .010":

48 gr RL 17 - Mean Velocity 3035 fps, ES 17, SD 7 - No pressure issues at all
49 gr RL 17 - Mean Velocity 3078 fps, ES 25, SD 11 - No pressure issues at all
50 gr RL 17 - Mean Velocity 3130 fps, ES 35, SD 12 - No pressure issues at all
51 gr RL 17 - Mean Velocity 3185 fps, ES 17, SD 6 (Sticky bolt lift on 4 rounds - this is about top end for my liking but I would not hesitate to shoot it however if it turns out to deliver good accuracy).

Bear in mind my typical loading with this rifle is 48 gr of H4350 with a Fed 210M primer and the Berger 140 gr BT Thick Jacket bullets (no moly) jumping .010", and this loading runs 2987 fps and has sticky bolt lift on just about every round.


Comment - RL 17 clearly enables me to run the Berger 140's almost 200 fps more that I normally was able to shoot them with H4350 in this rifle. My previous load ran around 2987 fps with the Berger 140's and that was about all I could get out of it.

I did not do accuracy testing at all, and this is just chrono testing.

Robert Whitley


 
I shoot 129gr Hornady spt's and SST's with H4350, and they run about 2850fps. I have gotten very good accuracy with Sierra 120 HPBT's too. I don't remember the powder at this moment. The 120's are real easy to get good accuracy.

I don't use 140's in it, I'd save them for the 7 Mag. I'll have to dig through my notes later. I might have been able to reach the lands with the 129 SST's.
 
I have a 6.5 Swede in a 96 action. It has the standard 7.5 inch twist in it's 20 inch barrel. I shoot Barns 130's and 140's out it fine at about 2650fps. I don't really push this old military action. To date about a dozen hogs,
"some over 200lbs." have dropped with one shot, with a few needing a follow up shot.
I'm in the process of putting together a Rem 700 long action
in 260AI with a 24 inch tube. the long action is purely so I can seat bullets out for accuracy and to gain powder space. As the project progresses I will update everyone.
Later Jeff
 
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